Pat’s Pick
Cebu
Cebu
San Antonio's most exotic new dining venue, Cebu looks utterly American, with sponge-painted walls and Ella and Louis on the sound system. But open the menu, and you're in a whole other country: the Philippines, to be precise. Are you ready for kinilaw na manga? I was, especially when the waiter set before me a beautifully arranged platter of mango slices accompanied by a shocking-pink paste made from fermented salted shrimp. The fruit went down easy; the shrimp paste—well, imagine biting into a hunk of Gorgonzola if you had never even heard of cheese. Luckily, various culinary comfort levels are accommodated by chef and co-owner Ronald Brennan, a native of the Philippines who learned his craft at his grandmother's knee. My date wanted no surprises, so he ordered crisp-tender seared salmon filets topped with a sweet green-mango cream sauce. I felt semi-daring, so I plunged into posit, hipon, at tulya—a lovely island bouillabaisse with shrimp, squid, mussels, and taro root in a rich coconut-milk curry. Next time I'll let co-owner Steven Harris, the restaurant's affable front man, lead me into uncharted territory. Challenges are good. PATRICIA SHARPE
Pansit Bihon Grisado (Philippine Vermicelli)
Drink, Eat, and Be Merry
Wanted: Earthy, complex, full-bodied dinner companion with good legs and a long finish. Does that describe what you've been seeking in a wine? Then you should find plenty to interest you on the upcoming California junket of Foodtravels.com. From September 15 to 19—coinciding with the annual grape crush—the new Austin-based culinary tour company will sponsor a five-day expedition through the Napa Valley, allowing extraordinary access to what makes Napa Napa. Company co-owner Cathy Cochran-Lewis (the former director of the Central Market cooking schools) has come up with a mouthwatering itinerary. Tourgoers will visit eight of the area's foremost wineries and vineyards, explore markets (including the charming St. Helena Farmers' Market) with food and travel writer Antonia Allegra, and attend cooking demonstrations by experts like chef and author John Ash (John Ash Cooking One on One). Dinners will be held at notable restaurants, such as Tra Vigne, in St. Helena, and accommodations (including a spa treatment) will be at the Inn at Southbridge, also in St. Helena. The main attraction, of course, is wine, and at the various wineries—Cakebread Cellars, Caymus Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, and five others—participants will get primers on grape growing and winemaking. Those lessons will be put to good use at Rutherford Hill Winery, where tourgoers will get to individually blend their own bottle of wine. There's no sending that one back. The price of the tour is $2,995 a person, excluding airfare. Sign up now; only fourteen can go. For more information, go to foodtravels.com. JANE DURE
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