MANILA, Philippines - Mention American classic cuisine and a humongous hamburger with a mountain of fries may come to mind. Or one may think of a traditional Thanksgiving repast complete with stuffed baked turkey, pumpkin and sweet potato pie. Alternatively, the picture in your head could be that of a warm, freshly baked apple turnover with its delicious cinnamon spice filling the air; or a sweet-tart cherry pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Maybe even Spam sushi, New Orleans gumbo, or hunter’s fare of thick stew with chunks of gamey grizzly meat.
Precisely because America is a melting pot of cultures, “American classic cuisine” has no distinct boundaries. It embraces all influences so that the result is a delightfully rich melange of flavors, textures and aromas waiting to be explored.
To a certain degree, the menu of Village Tavern in Bonifacio High Street Central reflects that rich culinary variety. The restaurant is the newest member of the Bistro Group of Restaurants, but like the original outlet that was established in North Carolina 28 years ago, this newest restaurant in the Philippines hopes to recreate a friendly, comfortable, “old-world tavern” ambience.
Significantly, a Filipino chef who is based in the USA is at the helm of Village Tavern’s kitchen. UP Hotel and Restaurant Management cum laude graduate Mary Grace Viado-Howard, who is corporate executive chef of The Village Tavern, Inc., was around to open the restaurant and train its staff. Her creativity has earned chef Grace a Governor’s Award in Alabama and her own television cooking segment called Cooking with Grace on Living Birmingham, a home and lifestyle television show.
At a luncheon to explore Village Tavern’s menu and wine selection, we started with Hot Crab Dip (back-fin crab meat with toasted garlic bread) that was paired with a citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand that brought out the smoky flavor of the crab. To emphasize the range of what is now also considered classical American cuisine, other appetizers included the ahi tuna sashimi encrusted with black and white sesame seeds (seared sushi-grade tuna with wasabi, soy and sesame ginger dipping sauce) paired with a sweet rosé to mellow the spice out; and a flatbread topped with Gruyere and apple wood-smoked bacon and caramelized onions. Chef Grace tells us that this particular item is one of her favorites and we saw why because we loved the crisp crust.
The accompanying wine, a merlot-cabernet blend, complemented the smokiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the onions.
To top the starters, we also had a winner of a salad that had grilled chicken, fresh spinach, greens, bacon, apples, cranberries, spiced pecans, blue cheese and sliced egg in sweet vinaigrette. We were told that this is served with a sprinkling of poppy seeds in the North Carolina restaurant, but unfortunately for us in the Philippines, the import of these is banned reportedly because eating poppy seeds will cause you to fail routine drug tests. Too bad for those like us who consider food our drug.
On to the main entrees. To summarize, everything was very good. There was maple-cured pork tenderloin that was served with a homemade apple chutney (really, it tasted homemade!), garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. This came with a bold and dry white wine. The crispy chicken tacos had chicken tenders with a cornflake batter and red pepper, mango slaw and chipotle sauce — beautiful with sweet, chocolaty black beans and a bold, earthy cabernet.
Fish fanatics will enjoy the 10-spice glazed Atlantic salmon served with curried couscous, broccoli, red peppers and roasted almonds that would go well with a medium-body shiraz to bring out the spice; or the snapper Hemmingway (fresh fillet of snapper sautéed with white wine, lemon, tomatoes and capers, served with angel hair pasta) with the accompanying chardonnay recommended to bring out a buttery, silky feel. We are told that the original Village Tavern owners coaxed the recipe out of a local culinary artisan in the American south.
If I were to pick out one exceptional dish during that particular gustatory foray, however, it would have to be the Maryland-style crab cakes. These were succulent patties of premium lump crab meat — so good that that one is wont to ignore the accompanying French fries and Southern-style coleslaw to be able to have room in the tummy for another round of crabmeat patties. I imagine this to be the upper-crust cousin of the Krabby Patty featured in the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants. Yum.
But hold your horses! We had to try out the steaks at Village Tavern before finally deciding on our ultimate favorite there. This June, the restaurant has begun to serve Rastelli’s Pureland Black Angus beef, which is used exclusively by some of the most exclusive steakhouses in the US. These are from superior cattle that are raised on a vegetarian, corn and grain-based diet. Rastelli’s beef is DNA tested to ensure that it is of Angus heritage. Meat lovers, let’s test our mettle and see if our taste buds can distinguish the difference.