A taste of Italy in Manila

The few times I do go to Boracay, I make it a point to visit an Italian restaurant called Aria Cucina Italiana. I am so glad that it is now in Manila! 

Boracay’s powder-white sand, clear waters and beautiful sunsets are some of the qualities that inspired Juan Elizalde and his Italian partner Paolo Occhionero to open what has become one of the island’s most frequented establishments since it opened in April 2003. 

Eight years later, friends and family of Elizalde and Occhionero were invited to celebrate the formal opening of the first Aria Cucina Italiana outside of Boracay, located at Bonifacio High Street Central in the Fort. The event, hosted by JM Rodriguez, began with a thanksgiving prayer led by Juan’s eldest daughter, six-year-old Isabeli.

The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of a short Nicco Santos-directed video clip entitled The Making of a Perfect Pizza, which showcased how the people of Aria Cucina Italiana prepare the dough by using only the finest ingredients. Aria’s best selling pizza is the rucola et pinoli (pizza topped with arugula and pine nuts).

DJs Mark Nicosia and Cocoy Puyat  played back-to-back sets to cap off the night. Guests stayed on to party and enjoy the numerous delicious dishes specially prepared by Aria’s executive chef Marino Leonardis.

 (Aria Cucina Italiana is located at the Upper Ground Floor of East Superblock, Bonifacio High Street Central, 30th St. corner 7th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Check it out also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AriaCucinaItaliana.)

Thin yet powerful

Just because it’s thin doesn’t mean it can’t handle everything.

Dell recently launched the XPS 14z laptop, the newest in the computer company’s portfolio of thin-and-powerful solutions, and the second in the XPS family, joining the successful XPS 15z laptop. A press conference formally introduced the XPS 14z at M Café in Greenbelt 4.

Combining both performance and sophistication, the XPS 14z is available with second-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, an HD WLED display for great entertainment experiences, a slot-load optical drive and NVIDIA graphics option. It also has a unique compact design that measures in at less than an inch thin. It also maximizes screen size, delivering a 14-inch screen in a 13-inch form factor.

The launch was attended by Alvin Go, Dawn Navarro, Mark Cuevas, Mon Pablo and Kathrina Espiritu of the Dell team. 

The Dell XPS 14z is distributed by MSI-ECS.

 (To know more about the Dell XPS 14z, visit www.dell.com.)