jin loves to eat: Wines and Spirits Club Dinner at Café Ysabel

Published on Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section, August 28, 2011

It has been more than a decade since my last time at Café Ysabel. The restaurant was THE date place during my high school days. Many memories were made here, many “will you be my girlfriend” asked, and many “yes” answered.

Things have changed so much in the last ten-something years.

I used to be more interested in boys, now I am more interested in food.

I used to come to Café Ysabel with dates, now I come alone and free.

I used to drink iced tea with meals, now I am more refined and sophisticated, I drink wine.

HA!!!

Just kidding. The grandma in me now prefers warm water, or the occasional hot chocolate (yes, with meals!)

But tonight is different. Tonight I am attending the once a year dinner and wine event organized by the Wines and Spirits Club Philippines.

Tonight I put on “refined and sophisticated.” Flirt female

Tee hee hee.

The dinner theme is Rustic Flavors from a Wood Oven. And Chef Gene’s JY Firebricks oven is nothing short of rustic. From the burgundy brown bricks to the charcoal burning below, this giant mama continually gives birth to hot and delicious breads, pizzas, vegetables and ribs that create happy energies throughout the room.

Chef Gene Gonzales and The Wood Oven

The drinking begins waaaaayyy before the eating.

Arnie’s Cosentino Winery Sangiovese Bodjie’s Voltrona
Il Chiaretto California 2006 Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2010

Jay’s Thierry & Guy Fat Bastard Jay’s Dog Point Vineyard
Rose 2009 Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc 2009

The Pan de Putok is the cutest little baby. The beauty of its crust, the perfect balance of chewiness, softness, fluffiness, and moistness of the pillowy whiteness inside, brings out in me my motherly instincts. I want to protect it and keep it safe from all the hungry men eyeing it lustily. I hide the baby in my mouth and slowly push it down to the sheltered refuge that is my stomach. Mmmm…

Beth’s Léon Beyer Gewurztraminer 2008 Trimbach Riesling Alsace France 2009

Wil’s Glaetzer Barossa Valley Bishop Tinto Pagos de Penafiel Ribera del Duero 2005
Shiraz 2005 (Sorry, who brought this?)

It’s a super thin-crust pizza party!

I don’t know how he does it but Chef Gene comes up with the thinnest and crispiest pizza crust ever. As if the Goat Cheese Pizza with Red Wine Simmered Onions is not yet fantastic enough, he tops it with heaps of balsamic vinaigrette-dressed arugula, my favorite salad greens. The tanginess, nuttiness, bitterness and sweetness of the pizza and rocket come together like a wild party in my mouth.

Goat Cheese Pizza with Red Wine Simmered Onions topped with… wait for it…

…Arugula, my favorite!!! I’m in love with the nutty, peppery greens.

And then a whiff of the Turkish Pide brings my lids down and sends my eyeballs rolling
to the back corners of my head. I sink my teeth on the crisp dough bed topped generously with lamb sausage, chives, parsley, olives, feta and mozzarella and my throat lets out a moan of pleasure. The gaminess mixes beautifully with the creaminess, enveloping my palate with a richness that is overwhelming yet addicting. I never ever want to stop.

The Double Pepperoni Pizza that follows is salty and spicy in all the good ways.

The minestrone of Charred Vegetables is healthy, hearty and tasty.

Marty’s Baron Ladron de Guevara Sanju & Cutie’s Abbotts Cumulus Reserve
Rioja 2009 Minervois 2007

Johnny’s Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2008 Pete’s Castello Banfi Cum Laude 2007

Our protein comes in the form of Fire Baked Beef Short Ribs. I stand by the prep counter and watch as the sous chef carves the huge slab of meat and distributes it evenly to the waiting plates. I bat my eyelashes at him, sweet-talking him into giving me the tastiest, most tender part. His assistant slathers it unsparingly with sweet and spicy bourbon glaze, adds a piece of baked corn and some Napa-style cauliflower. Next time I’ll remember to bat my lashes at him, too, hoping he’ll put less sauce on my ribs to allow the beefiness to shine.

Carving and plating station

Mine. Mwahahaha!

Fire Baked Beef Short Ribs with Spicy Bourbon Glaze, Baked Corn, Napa Style Cauliflower

Now this cauliflower is the bomb! Gino asks for a plate of it.

Arnie suggests pairing the ribs with his wine. Gino suggests Jim’s Sea Monster Imperial Stout.

Arnie’s Ravenswood Big River Zinfandel 2003 Jim with another one of his bottles

Sea Monster Imperial Stout and Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale

And where there is wine, there is cheese.

Frico Dutch Master Cheese, Frico Chevette Cheese, Malagos Goat Cheese, Grapes and Nuts

And where there is cheese, there is Cyrene and her S95!

I shamelessly treat myself to thick slices of Frico Dutch Master Cheese, Chevette Cheese, and Malagos Goat Cheese before surrendering to the indulgence that is in front of me…

Sweet roasted pineapple floating happily in burned butter ice cream

As for the wines, there are too many to remember. I drink some solo, pair some with food, sip some daintily, chugalug some greedily. There are those that make my face scrunch up, and those that make my eyes twinkle.

Nederburg Private Bin Noel’s Chateau Montelena Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004