MasterCard Priceless Table/ Chef Michael Voltaggio

When I asked my brother Gary if he would be free for a special dinner event at ink restaurant for his birthday, he immediately said: "Yes". Within minutes, he called back and asked if I could get another pair of tickets for Ramon and Milena. I later found out that these tickets sold out within 15 minutes. The lyrics to a song from the Sound of Music came to mind; ....something in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.

The event started on time at 6:30 p.m. As we walked in, there were trays of champagne, a refreshing cucumber drink and something that looked like a healthy drink which I stayed away from. I was happy with champagne. Hors d'oeuvres came at a steady pace. Foie gras-strawberry yuzu pops looked so appetizing. I only eat foie gras terrine. I was not sure if I would like it so I had Milena try it first. I immediately got her seal of approval. I tried it and was so happy I did. It tasted like whipped butter with sweet strawberry. Then came the Caviar Cannoli with sour cream and chives. OMG, I could not believe how truly wonderful they were; I could have eaten 6 easily and I think I did for every time it came by me, I had to get one. The Egg Yolk Gnocchi were also delicious. I have had those before and have always loved them. When you bite into these tender gnocchi, the egg yolk burst in your mouth like fireworks bursting in air.

As soon as we were all seated, Chef Voltaggio welcomed everyone and explained the 4 course dinner with wine pairings. The four of us were seated with 2 gentlemen whom we got to know in the course of the evening. They were both foodies so we all had a lot in common.

We were all given a menu on a piece of wood with Chef Voltaggio's signature on the back. It was an incredible 4 course dinner with the perfect wine pairing. Aside from the dishes on the menu, we were also served one of my favorite dishes; Corn with housemade ranch foritos.

At the end of the evening, each guest was handed a bag with Chef Voltaggio's book signed by him. In addition to that, he graciously personalized the dedication. As an extra treat, he posed for pictures with his guests.

To sum up our experience on the outstanding food, service and the event, the only word that comes to mind is one I have previously used to describe ink: SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS.

This MasterCard Priceless event was truly PRICELESS.

Lagen Island at El Nido Resorts

One word that describes Lagen island, a resort in El Nido in Palawan in the Philippines is: Paradise. It's white sand, coral and dramatic limestone cliffs are truly a sight to see.

The nice thing about staying in this resort is the abundance of food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner can be included in your stay. It's buffet style and it has something for everyone including Philippine delicacies. We had the typical Filipino breakfast which is Longaniza (Filipino pork sausage), which is very good especially dipped in vinegar, Tocino (sweet cured pork), Fried Eggs and Garlic Fried Rice.

Lunch and Dinner were an array of entrees. There were chili crab and lots of shrimp dishes which I barely ate because of the work involved in eating them. Cracking crab or peeling shrimps does take away from my eating pleasure and since Sandi did not volunteer to peel shrimps or crack the crab claws for me, I declined. There were lots of other things that kept my palate excited. I have to mention that I never ate so much fresh fish in my life. The Lapu-Lapu cooked in a coconut cream sauce was superb. There was also one that was cooked in black bean sauce which was equally delicious.

One thing I never saw or had was Capiz which they cooked on the grill. Capiz is known for their shells and pearls but apparently is also edible. It was delicious with a bit of calamansi (Philippine lime) squeezed on it.

There were always an abundance of fruits and desserts. One dessert really stood out. That was the Mango Madness. The Truffle Torte was good but when eaten together with mango, it was insane! The following day we looked for the same desserts but they were nowhere in sight. I asked Rey, our designated server and he talked to the chef and later informed us that they would have it again the following day. Sandi and I were excited. On our last supper, we did not see the mango but Rey informed us that the chef made it especially for just the 2 of us. We were truly impressed. While enjoying our desserts, Jennifer Zafra, the resort manager came by to say hello and asked if we were enjoying our stay. We promptly told her we had no complaints and everything was great. I asked Rey if we could meet the Chef and shortly after our request, Chef Elias came to say hello. We couldn't contain our excitement with his creation of mango madness. I commented that a layer of chocolate truffle torte would be excellent on the mango madness. The flavor of dark chocolate and mango would be heaven. He probably thought I was insane....to each his own.

Lagen Island serves as a sanctuary for a diverse variety of birds and mammals. You constantly hear sounds of exotic birds, monkeys and other animals. While there, a monitor lizard crossed our path and we even saw monkeys up on the trees one early morning.

Where else can you be in forest, a beach, and a beautiful resort all at the same time....just being there seeing and experiencing everything makes me wonder how some people cannot believe in God!

Cafe Juanita

Before I arrived in the Philippines, one of the conversations I had with my mom via Skype was about a restaurant I absolutely had to try was Cafe Juanita. She recently had dinner there with 2 of my aunts. The owner, an old friend of hers, a retired doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. BoyVaszquez who she fondly calls Docky, welcomed them into his restaurant which he might as well call home. While Sandi and I were there, time went by too fast that my mom forgot to mention it again. My guardian angel reminded me to ask my mom about it, the afternoon before our departure back to Los Angeles. She promptly called Docky and though he was not at the restaurant, he informed her that he would stop by to say hello.

As we stepped in the door, Sandi and I were in awe of the whimsical decor. I have never seen anything like it in my life! Beautiful chandeliers, lamps galore,outlandish brightly colored fabrics, dolls, vases, baskets, colored lighting which showcased the numerous carvings and works of art. It had a mezzanine for private parties and a little indoor patio lit up with big pots, fountains and orchids. My mom informed me that one could buy some of the items. These are things Dr. Vasquez had collected from traveling all over the world.

Jun, a Jack of all trades; our server, manager and actor took good care of us. For appetizer, he recommended the Vietnamese Crispy Spring Rolls; wrappers are flown in from Vietnam. The rolls were stuffed with shrimps and crab meat and were delicious. He also suggested we order the 3 Way Pork Adobo. These were pork ribs stewed in soy sauce, vinegar and lots of garlic, served with crispy adobo flakes and adobong bisaya with banana on the side.  One of my favorite dishes is Laing, taro leaves cooked in coconut milk usually with pork and chili. I did not know what was in this particular laing and didn't really care as it was just great. The other dish we ordered was one of their best sellers; Lapu-Lapu, a fish from Laguna (a province), that was split open (Binukadkad) and fried. I just made sure the fish was not facing Sandi as this would have turned her off. The fish was served with a blend of calamansi and tamarind sauce. It was fantastic! Dr. Vasquez made his appearance and Sandi and I were delighted to meet our host. He was most charming. He looked at the dishes and decided that we needed Kare-Kare which is oxtail stewed in peanuts and vegetables. He asked Jun to bring us an order. The kare-kare was wonderful with the Bagoong Balayan which is fermented fish/shrimp, perfect with steamed rice.  Docky sat with us for a bit before he left for his next appointment.

We were all too stuffed to order dessert but since Sandi has not had the famous Halo-Halo (translated mix-mix) I had to order the mini version. Halo-Halo is a mixture of sweet beans, banana, jackfruit, and other ingredients with milk and finely crushed ice with or without ice cream. She liked it but couldn't eat too much since she is "lactose" intolerant. You can guess who sacrificed and finished the rest of it.

I am grateful to have "experienced" Cafe Juanita on our last night in Manila. I am sad that it was too late that I got to visit the restaurant and missed out on visiting his other restaurants. I would have loved to go back several times.

Thank you Dr. Vasquez for your hospitality and generosity. I look forward to returning to one of your homes the next time I visit the Philippines.