dine•o•crat

The first time I visited Antonio's Restaurant , it was quite a search, a trek, albeit in the relative comfort of a car. Still, driving directions such as "when you see large radar antennas on the left" may be daunting to those uninitiated to the ways of getting around in the Philippines. But the road to Tagaytay , about 35 miles south of Manila in the province of Cavite, is a scenic one, a large portion of the land blanketed by farms and, at the heart of the town, the famous and still-active Taal volcano. The road to the restaurant itself is another 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the traffic. It's situated deep within a subdivision. Once you get there, it's like another world. I'm not gonna beat around the bush, here's the photo of what I came here for: a giant serving of bulalo or beef shank marrow, split then roasted with all the contents in its dizzyingly rich, creamy goodness. Lots of herbs, a side of grill-toasted points, onion chutney completed t...

Jean-François Piège was one of the most difficult reservations to get for the Paris trip. You must call ahead exactly two weeks before your desired date. Dinners are almost instantly filled up. Fortunately, they have lunch, which was fine by me. I wanna be in bed by 10 p.m. (22h to the French)!  Piège, together with Les Bouquinistes, probably has the chicest clientele that I saw in our food adventure. The lunch crowd was definitely more casually dressed but Lanvin/Prada casual. Anyway, the Top Chef France judge is quite a presence in the country at the moment. How hardworking is he, though, that he was also present in the kitchen for our lunch? Overall, a virtuoso meal from the Michelin-starred restaurant: technically proficient without sacrificing taste. Go! If you're there, get his book " Best of Jean-François Piège ," which the restaurant sells near coat-check. Beautiful pictures, Piège recipes, hardcover--at €10, it was the true bargain of the ...

My dining companions and I had a fine dinner at rising star Akrame Benallal's eponymous restaurant, which had just received its first Michelin star the day before. The three of us were seated in the six-person communal table together with two other people, but the table was large enough that we were sufficently far from our neighbors and didn't bother us at all. Like  Agapé Substance , it's an intimate place with probably no more than 30 seats. Service was all accomplished by one waiter and a sommelier, so expect to linger a bit. There was no rush to get us out. In fact, by the end of the night, the staff had gathered around one of the tables, including Akrame himself, while one kept refilling our water glasses. (Maybe, though, that was a hint for us to leave. Oh, clueless Dineocrat!) The dinner was precise and meticulous, with surprising twists and an occasionally genius dish (oyster, cockles, duck heart in squid ink). David, the sommelier didn't quite know what...