16 May 2016 - A fresh round of authentic, bold and innovative Filipino flavors is set to descend in New York City and New Jersey beginning next week.
Filipino Restaurant Week 2016 was kicked off at a press event on May 10 at the Philippine Center in New York where the 15 participating restaurants invited foodies to sample and embrace Filipino cuisine through their various menu offerings that feature flavors that are at once exotic and familiar, two seemingly contrasting descriptions that aptly characterize Filipino food.
Filipino Restaurant Week (FRW) was first launched in 2015 as a response to the growing popularity of Philippine cuisine in the US mainstream and to put the spotlight on Filipino restaurants in New York and New Jersey.
Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr. presented to the press the participating restaurants, whose culinary offerings cover a wide spectrum of Filipino food – from the traditional, home-style flavors to the cutting edge fusion that incorporates bold innovations.
“Whatever the form, foodies are assured of a unique gastronomic experience that will give them a grasp of the equally eclectic Filipino identity and culture,” the Consul General said.
Kat Popiel, entrepreneurial content marketer and producer, expert in integrated digital campaigns, international food and travel blogger and a foodie “of the highest order,” congratulated the organizers of FRW 2016, and cited it as a way to boost the growing popularity of Filipino food.
“It’s an exciting time for Filipino food. We’re seeing our dishes take hero status because of the likes of Jeepney’s Kamayan feasts in New York and Alvin Cailan’s Unit 120 incubator in California, then watching those ingredients and flavors permeate other menus,” Popiel said.
Addressing the challenges faced by Filipino restauranteurs in mainstreaming Filipino food, Popiel cited the importance of staying true to the authentic flavor of the food, supporting each other and being bold in putting Filipino cuisine in the food map.
“While it is important to hang on to the authenticity of our dishes, we need to feel confident to know that our cuisine is there to be shared with everyone, no matter the variations or changes made,” she challenged. “Taste should always be the central force. After all, our culinary DNA has always been ahalo-haloof flavors as a result of our socio-political history. It’s this history that has made us fiercely proud to be Filipinos, always warm, open and hospitable. We must do the same with our food. It takes a fullbarrio to push Filipino food forward, from the restaurant, to the chef to the food lover – let’s do it together.”
Among the personalities present were Filipino chefs and restaurant owners who blazed the trail in elevating Filipino food into New York City’s mainstream consciousness through their creative work and bold business ventures, either through pop-up eateries, food trucks or full blown restaurants. These include Nicole Ponseca (Jeepney and Maharlika), Romy Dorotan (Purple Yam), King Phojanakong (Kuma Inn) and Aris Tuazon (Ugly Kitchen), whose work have been featured in mainstream print and broadcast media in the US. Guests at the launch event sampled signature preparations from the participating restaurants, which ranged from the traditional (crispy pata, lumpia shanghai and bibingka) to the slightly retooled versions of well-loved dishes (palabok with aligue, vegetable mélange on cassava ube tamales and cassava chips with latik).
FRW 2016 features 15 Filipino restaurants that offer fixed price three-course lunches and dinners ($25 and $35, respectively, not including taxes and gratuity) that showcase the best of Filipino cuisine. It runs from May 16 through May 27, 2016.
Complete information about FRW 2016 and of the participating restaurants, including their menu offerings, and how to make reservations can be found at www.newyorkpcg.org/frw.
The participating restaurants of FRW 2016 are:
Brooklyn:
Manhattan:
- Grill 21 (346 E 21st St., New York 10010, ) 212-473-5950,
- Jeepney (201 1st Ave., New York 10003, )212-533-4121, )
- Kuma Inn (113 Ludlow St., New York 10002, ) 212-353-8866, )
- Maharlika (111 1st Ave., New York 10003, ) 646-392-7880, )
- Ugly Kitchen (103 1st Ave., New York, 10003, ) 212-777-6677, )
Queens:
- Kabayan Restaurant (49-12 Queens Blvd. Woodside, NY 11377,
- ) 718-639-3113, www.kabayanwoodside.com)
- Payag Restaurant (5134 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, NY 11377,
- Tito Rad’s Grill & Restaurant (49-10 Queens Blvd., Woodside, NY, 11377
Staten Island:
New Jersey:
- Calesa (1020 Stuyvesant Avenue Union, NJ 07083, ) 908-688-8700, www.calesarestaurant.com)
- La Parilla de Manila (1159 St. Georges Ave., Colonia, NJ 07067,
) 732-510-7033 www.laparrillademanila.com)
- Max’s Restaurant (687 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07306, ) 201-798-2700, )
- Noodlefan (11 Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201, ) 908-820-0709,
- Pinoy Filipino Restaurant (18 Division St., Somerville, NJ 08876,
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