A Wild Bite Night: Green-themed Potluck Dinner and Rockband

 

 

Not your usual themes of Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, kids, Italian.  I had this bright idea of having a green-themed potluck dinner.  We had a special guest on the table that evening.

 

No, it’s not Oscar the Grouch. 😀

 

I sent out the message to the group and got a flood of responses. 

 

“Green as in vegetables?”

“Do you follow no-meat Fridays?”

“Like all green food?”

“What meatless Fridays are you talking about?”

 

I said green would depend on their creativity or excuse.  Green-themed foods can vary anywhere from wasabi-flavored mashed potato, green leafy vegetables, green curry, only-in-DLSU-bought food (school color is green), wasabi-flavored ice cream, nori-wrapped sushi or food, Japanese green chicken, random food served on a green plate, stuffed green chilies, guacamole, avocado salad… there are actually a lot.

 

I was feeling under the weather Friday morning, March 12 and told the group that I might not be able to make it.  I felt a bit better after work and made it to dinner.  Thing is, half strayed off from the green theme while the other half was still on the plan.  Andrew, who hosted us that evening, actually cooked 3-cheese baked prawns but whipped up a green salad with Japanese dressing (when he knew I was coming) to veer back to the green-theme.

 

 

I walked to the door and caught Eric’s eye and exchanged knowing smiles.  He thought I wasn’t going to make it.  Buch, Mari, and Jim were already there when we arrived.  Ann and Andrew were still busy in the kitchen.  Alex and Nico were pretty late because Nico’s meeting took a long time.  There’s a space beside Eric that should be occupied by Made, who was missing in action because she had to attend something. 

 

On the Table

 

Andrew and Ann’s Green Salad with Kani and Japanese Dressing

 

 

Pasto Crostini, Chicken Liver Pate, Salsa, and Spinach Gorgonzola Dip

Bubba and I brought Spinach-gorgonzola dip and crostini chips from Pasto.  Excuse my being sick at that time, I wasn’t able to think of a more creative “green” anymore.  I actually planned to bring wasabi-mashed potato from Ninyo but due to time and travel constraints, decided to forego that idea.

 

 

Baked Prawns with Three Cheese

Andrew loves prawns and shrimps and I’m glad because Bubba doesn’t eat those so I don’t usually order them when we eat out and when it’s served at home, we usually dine out.

 

 

Fish Dish with Vegetables (I forget the name)

 

 

Beef Dish with Vegetables (I forget the name)

 

 

Jim said that he particularly asked the dishes to be served with vegetables (in this case, cabbage) to still be within the green theme.  Eric brought sisig sampler with three kinds of sisig.

 

 

Somebody brought this but I also forget now what dish this was.  Told you I wasn’t on my element that night.

 

 

Alex’s Pasta Puttanesca

Alex and Nico brought yummy Pasta Puttanesca with green noodles!  Yay! 

 

 

To add to the whole green-feel, Andrew brought out his favorite Schweppes Ginger Ale.

 

 

Amidst all the good food, the special guest on the table (literally) occupied the spotlight of the night.  Wild Bite green tea products!!!

 

 

Get into the bite

We did a round robin on the items and catch is, you can describe the item with only a word or a phrase/statement.  Nobody else can use the descriptive words already mentioned.  Quite tough but a bit of fun.  Since I was busy taking down notes, I forgot to track who made the most mistakes -so no consequence. 🙂

 

Wild Bite Clusters 

 

Wild Bite Clusters is a bunch of thin cornflakes coated in white chocolate and green tea.  There’s an earthy taste (probably the green tea) to it that’s very calming.  It has the right crunch on the outside and enough softness to enjoy snacking on these in delight!  It was the clear favorite on the table and the group kept looking for more. 

 

 

Wild Bite Chocolate

 

It’s white chocolate that strikes familiarity (a local chocolate you probably tried in childhood) but not quite because of the green tea taste.  People who don’t like overly sweet chocolate, like me, might go for this.  Packaging was pretty nice, perfect as a gift idea for folks who are into green tea or basically will try anything chocolate.  I wonder how dark chocolate will fare blended with green tea.  I love dark chocolates.

 

Wild Bite Cookies

 

The group found the Wild Bite Cookies quite the enigma.  The mild taste of green tea is there –which was just right for me because too much green tea flavor might be overwhelming.  As one describes it, the cookie had an identity crisis –some parts were like soft-batch cookies while the other parts were tough like it’s been aired out in the open for too long.

 

 

Wild Bite Crisps

 

It reminded the group of buttery Danish cookies –to some, it had a hint of green tea flavor, to others, GT flavor wasn’t that evident.  Crumbly texture dusted with sugar crystals.  Both Alex and Nico liked it a lot and tagged it at the top of their list.  Alex enjoyed its toasty taste –similar to burnt flavor (I suspect the light bitter flavor comes from the green tea leaves) when you bite into it and then there’s sweetness it releases when you get to the inside.

 

 

 

 

The Wild Bite Green Tea items were welcomed on the table with different levels of interest.  Big thanks to Chris Chan for letting us try his Wild Bite product line, which started only as a surprise gift for his girlfriend.

 

Wild Bite offers a variety of green tea products to suit your craving for green tea confections.  For order inquiries, contact Chris Chan of Wild Bite at +63917 3276559.

 

Wild Bite

(63) 917 3276559

http://wildbite.multiply.com/

 

 

After dinner, we headed to Andrew’s attic where their audio/video room is located.  Of course, another Rockband session happened until past midnight. 

 

 

After Rockband, Eric and Andrew taught Alex, Nico, Bubba and I how to play mahjong.  It’s quite interesting but I’m yet to get the hang of it.  I already know the basics though, yay!!!

 

 

2009 Christmas Dinner with the Berks

 

 

Don’t ask me why Berks.  It’s just is and the name stuck 😉

 

Flashback:  Berks Christmas Dinner December 27, 2007

 

 

Although I was forced to file a leave for December 21 and my last day of work was supposed to be Dec 18, I was still working until Dec 23, Wednesday.  I wanted to cook for the Christmas dinner but I didn’t find the time because I was still in the office until 6pm.  Bubba and I just ordered food for the potluck.  Made looked for my pasta (*meblush*  tee-hee).

 

 

What makes this Christmas different is, the group was complete!  Alex has moved back to Manila after a long career stint in Singapore. 

 

As customary, dinner was potluck and the table was filled with so many delicious food!  There were just too many dishes on the round table that it was hard to find space to put everything in.  Alex brought 3-way duck from Luk Foo and it was delish.  I don’t remember who brought Nathaniel’s Buko Pandan but it was also a hit with the group.

 

 

Andrew brought Tequila Rose to which I chided Anne to drink the first shot.  Anne is pregnant with their second baby so she couldn’t go anywhere near the alcohol.  Hee-hee!

 

 

 

After dinner, we all gathered near Eric’s beautiful Christmas tree for our exchange gifts.  This year was a bit funny because most got each other gift certificates!  Er-hem, I didn’t start the fire 😉

 

 

We’re thinking of doing 2 themes next year, one is White Elephant while the other is the regular exchange gift.  That should be fun.

 

 

Year Ender Photos!

 

Toast to Friendship and a Happy Christmas!

 

Cheers!  🙂

 

Xmas Celebs Album

 

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Turning Two: Being Young and Lovely

 

 

Our good friends Andrew and Anne (collectively known as Annedrew… cute)’s daughter turned two this Saturday.  After last year’s 1st birthday big bash at EDSA Shangri-la, the couple decided to tone it down a little and yet making it a fantastic fun birthday party for Karie.

 

In 2008:

 

Karie’s Children’s Party

December 12, 2009

Jollibee, Greenmeadows Branch

 

Since there was a shortage of kids to join the games, the host volunteered the friends to join in 😀    According to Jim, it was obvious how us girls were so competitive against the boys haha.

 

 

We took that afternoon too to discuss Bubba’s outreach program and schedule our packing day, as well as our Christmas party.  For exchange gifts, each one picked out anonymously a name from the tray –rule is couples are not allowed to pick each other.  Everyone will provide a wish list in the group email to give gift ideas to their respective “ninong/ninang.”  Christmas party is slated on December 23, while the goody bag project on December 16, Wednesday night.

 

Image Source: Buch De La Cruz

Image Source: Buch De La Cruz

 

Karie’s eyes are so much like Anne’s but nose down, it seems like Andrew gave his share, including charm 🙂  The Jolli party included games and a dance performance by Jollibee who was accompanied by Hetty.  Karie was donning a red outfit paired with red shoes and socks –almost matching her mom’s and dad’s attires. 

 

 

Happy Birthday Karie!!! 🙂

 

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Past Love Rekindled at Pasto

 

 

Previous to the discovery of Ristras, Pasto was frequent in the call log.  Bubba and I were reminiscing the other night how much we crave for Pasto before.  Pasto was our favorite go-to-restaurant for DVD food.  The Greenhills branch is rung ahead of time to order 2 batches of crostinis with chicken pate and pomodoro salsa dips.  Grab, pay and off to home movies. 

 

 

I also like eating at home since Bubba finishes most of the salsa, so I have to replicate with a homemade one.  Diced tomatoes, diced red onions (nominal), fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, (mmm-mm!) I can have as much as I want.  Soon, we were pairing our Pasto “to-go” order with Sandy’s Pizza’s buffalo wings, which we also got quite akin to.  Interestingly, we only order the wings (they deliver for 2 orders) and not the pizza.

 

Another favorite in Pasto is their Romano entrée (PHP345).  Romano is crusted chicken breast with spinach and roasted mushrooms in a Gorgonzola cream sauce served with fettuccine.

 

On the Table

 

Zuppa di Pomodoro PHP 95

Pasto has the best roasted-tomato cream soup in the Metro.  Its semi-smooth thickness is exactly right without making it appear like a tomato puree.  There’s a hint of Parmesan and cream taste in the roasted tomato soup. Garnished with fresh basil on top that adds a minty flavor perfect for that hot soothing spoonful.

 

 

Crostini, Pasto’s famous version of Italian crostini served with your choice of “dips.”  One order is equivalent to 8 pieces of crostini shaped like a pizza slice –thin, toasty and crispy.  Price of crostini depends on the dip.

 

Chicken pate PHP 125

 

 

Pomodoro Salsa PHP 105

 

 

En Route to the Perfect Bite

 

  1. Spread the chicken pate on the crostini
  2. Put a bit of the tomato salsa on top with a drip of the balsamic olive oil dressing

 

First layer of taste is good enough for me.

 

    3. Add another layer of flavor by adding grated Parmesan cheese.

    4. To add some heat, add the chili flakes

 

 

Before Ristras’ burritos and nacho chips, this was our comfort food.

 

 

Ortaggi PHP 225

Spaghetti cooked with artichokes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese.  The usual order is Romano, Vongole or Frutti di Mare, but we took a detour and ordered a pasta dish we haven’t tried –Ortaggi.  It was a tad bit on the sweet side (probably from the sun-dried tomatoes which I really love) that I wasn’t expecting.  We only finished half of the pasta, partly because we needed to run off to watch GI Joe.

 

 

 

Pasto

 

Greenhills Theater Mall

Unit F&B-5, Greenhills Theater Mall

Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan

(632) 722 4992

 

El Pueblo

Julio Vargas Ave cor. ADB Ave

Ortigas Center, Pasig City

(632) 634 0157

 

Paseo Center

3rd Floor, 8757 Paseo de Roxas

Salcedo Village, Makati City

(632) 893 0588

 

 

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 —

 

Addicted to Ristras

 

I seriously cannot count how many times I’ve been to Ristras.  I’ve had one too many visits since it opened.  I would have gotten a loyalty card by now if they have such customer management system.

 

July 24, Friday night, we are back again in Ristras but not for our usual “to go” food to be gorged on a DVD night.  We were there to give Butch a congratulatory pat on the back for his upcoming wedding on August 1, Saturday.

 

 

It’s already this week and just 3 days ago, I attended Didi’s wedding.  I still shake my head in disbelief knowing at least 9 people who are getting married between today until mid next year.  It’s the wedding season!

 

 

Butch and Marie, who I had some time to bond with during a spontaneous Tagaytay getaway, are one of the nicest and most sensible couples I know.  Both are currently working at P&G and have been together since 3rd year college.

 

 

 

Other than Andrew, it was Cris Darwin, Eric, Butch and Jim’s first time at Ristras.  We were just here 2 nights ago (err… every 2 nights before that as well?) 

 

 

 

The boys were a bit overwhelmed with the array of delicious ingredients in front of them.  Same sentiment I had when it was my first time there not so long ago.  I’m glad I was assisted during my selection of what’s going inside my burrito from Chef Rob.  I was glad to give the same assistance to the berks.

 

Create Your Own Burrito

 

First:       Choose Bowl or Burrito

 

It’s a matter of eating it in a bowl or in a wrap

 

Second:  Choose Your Rice (Easiest!)

 

2 choices: Cilantro White Rice or Chorizo Brown Rice.  (You can also forego if you’re on a no-rice diet)

 

 

I go for the chorizo brown rice, wonderful color, fantastic grain.

 

Third:     Choose Your Meat (or Go Vegetarian)

 

Steak –good quality meat soaked in hours in Chipotle Adobo marinade and then grilled medium rare.  Very tender and tasty

Chicken –grilled chicken meat in jalapeno marinade

Carnitas –free-range pork braised and seasoned with thyme, bay leave, orange juice

Barbacoa –slow braised shredded beef with cumin, cloves and other spices

 

 

You can choose 2 meats for your burrito, which will be separated on each side.

 

**Go Vegetarian and pack on the bell peppers, black beans and red beans or you can just add it all to your meat

 

Fourth:   Add-ons!

 

Choose your add-ons: Jalapeno, pico de gallo salsa, tomatoes, tomatillo green chile salsa, roasted chili corn salsa, sour cream, grated cheddar and white cheese, guacamole or no need to choose, you can go with “all the works!”

 

 

The serving is good for a hungry one or best shared with a good friend!  Now it’s time to order your nachos!

 

On the Table

 

Steak slash Barbacoa Burrito PHP 290

Bubba and I decided to split a burrito.  It was steak, brown rice and all the other works on one side while it was barbacoa and brown rice on the other.  Savor every mouthful

 

 

9 Layer Dip with Nachos PHP 255

I really love Rockefeller’s 7-layer nachos but being so far away in Makati, I’ve replaced it with Ristras’ 9-layer dip.  9-layer-dip is brimming with 9 colorful layers of fresh ingredients starting from 2 kinds of beans, sour cream, tomatoes, pico de gallo salsa, onion, corn, chopped olives, jalapenos and guacamole if you wish.  Create a perfect bite by getting a piece of everything.  We usually ran out of chips but we just grab a Tostitos Hint with Lime tortilla chips from our stash at home and it heightens eating this delicious comfort food.  It’s actually more perfect with Tostitos.

 

 

Whatever you decide, the garlic sauce makes all the mix and matches come together.  The white yogurt sauce suffused with loads garlic has the right consistency compared to other garlic sauces that are diluted.  It gives a softer and creamier supplement to each textural bite.

 

(Chris said that after that Friday visit he finally hit the mark and would probably visit after a month.  Newsflash: we were at Ristras last night, only 5 days after that vow.)

 

 

 

If Meg Ryan is addicted to love, she definitely needs to pay Ristras a visit.

 

 

 

CHECK OUT B&T Mexican Kitchen along Ortigas Avenue.

 

B&T Mexican Kitchen

B&T Mexican Kitchen Chicken Mole

 

Ristras 

J. Abad Santos St. Corner Lopez Jaena 

San Juan City 

 

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