Christmas Eve Dinner

Our family gathers together for a late dinner on Christmas Eve. We follow the tradition of noche buena. The food is always a mixed bag, depending on what everyone feels like bringing or cooking.

Last night for starters my cousin brought some devilled eggs sprinkled with crisped bacon, my brother whipped up his tuna poke, my wife seeded some pomegranates, and I had aged Camembert. The combination proved awesome, especially with the very ripe and juicy 2011 Domaine Eden Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. This is Mount Eden Vineyards' second Pinot Noir made from younger vines. It sells for almost half the price of its big brother but its flavors are anything but little. Immediately, its rich, sweet flavors are all over your mouth, but it never gets tiring to sip as the fruit is bright and vibrant. This Pinot Noir is a crowd-pleaser in the best sense of that term.

While we were enjoying the starters my brother and I were also busy cooking dinner. I demonstrated the magic of cooking with modern pressure cookers by cooking an oxtail adobo in my small Kuhn-Rikon. I left it on high pressure for about 30 minutes, but I think it could have used another 5, but no problem as everyone enjoyed it. The piece de resistance was my bro's roasted crabs in butter. I must've eaten close to a whole crab altogether. The local Dungeness crab this season is the best I can remember. They're hefty and packed with sweet, dense meat.

I opened a special bottle of Jura wine that I brought back with me from a visit there a few years ago. Appropriately enough on this Christmas Eve the wine is named "Jour de Fête." I got it from its producer, Jean-Marc Brignot when I visited him and his Japanese wife at their old farmhouse in the remote village of Molamboz. Soon after my visit they sold the farmhouse and their vineyard and left for Japan where they now live with their young son.

During my visit Jean-Marc opened a few bottles for a small deguastation. All his wines are non-appellation and labeled Vin de France. He doesn't care at all about appellations. As I was about to leave I asked him if I can purchase a bottle as a souvenir. I think at that time he had already unloaded his last inventories in preparation for leaving. But he was gracious enough to search his stash and find me a bottle that I could purchase. It was this Jour de Fête. This is Savagnin from the 2005 vintage aged in old cask for about 4 years without topping up or as they say in Jura sous voile. As in all of Jean-Marc's wines it is vinified in natural yeasts and no sulfites were added at any time. It is drinking fantastic today. Totally fresh and intense, the flavors are thick and alive. On the first whiff my cousin smelled the sweetness of celery and cut cucumber. My brother detected raw almonds. Then as the wine opened up more in the glass I relished notes of pear skin and honey wax. The flavors were piquant but soon smoothed out, tasting more of ripe pears. Thank you and santé Jean-Marc! I hope I catch up with you soon.

What a memorable Christmas Eve dinner. We finished the night FaceTiming with our Mom who's in Manila with my youngest brother and his family. We connected the iPad via AppleTV to a 52-inch TV, sat around the living room and FaceTimed away, joining in a chorus of carols with my Mom and my brother's family in Manila late into the night.


Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir, Domaine Eden (Mount Eden Vineyards) 2011

Binondo Christmas

To my late father-in-law, who knew Binondo well and inspired me to discover it.



I was in Manila for barely four days last week--Christmas week--called back for an unexpected and sad journey with my wife. Fortunately, I still found a few hours in the day to escape and put my sad feelings aside for the brighter side of life.

On my second day in Manila, just two days before Christmas, I invited my youngest brother and his family for lunch in Binondo, where my father-in-law, during one of my infrequent visits to Manila took me to the original Mañosa, famous for take-out Maki. This fried pork cutlet, drowned in thick broth-infused red sauce, is irresistible over steaming rice or noodles.

Located on the north side of Pasig River in Manila is the old district of Binondo. Founded in the 16th Century, this teeming, crowded section of narrow streets and canals that feed into Pasig has been a settlement for traders and merchants for centuries. Since being settled, Binondo has been an enclave for Chinese-Filipinos or Chinoys, hence the place is also referred to as Manila Chinatown.

The district's epicenter is the landmark Binondo Church, which was built in 1596, and is also known today as the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, after the sainted Chinese mestizo, Lorenzo Ruiz.

Aside from being a haven for the religious, Binondo was for centuries the Philippines' trading center. And until the 1960s, it was where the dominant bourse, the Manila Stock Exchange operated.

In Binondo, the Pasig may occasionally overflow, but that's nothing compared to swarm of people that constantly flood its narrow, crowded streets. To feed this teeming humanity are the numerous eateries and street-food vendors.

At Panciteria Lido I find the essence of Binondo in the food it serves. A panciteria is the equivalent of a tea house or a café. Though pancit is erroneously referred to by Filipinos as a noodle dish, the Hokkien (my father-in-law's Chinese dialect) word actually means food cooked quickly. Mee, is the Hokkien word for noodle. Hence, a panciteria would serve all sorts of noodle dishes, dim sum fare, and a slew of wok-fired and clay-pot dishes.

Panciteria Lido is an institution in Binondo (recently it branched out in Ortigas and Fairview in Quezon City). It was opened in 1936 by a Chinese cook named Lido, who started a huge following by serving a combination of Chinese and Spanish-Filipino dishes--noodles, steamed buns, roast pork, braised beef and potatoes--washed down not just by tea, but by excellently brewed coffee. How's that for Filipino fusion!

Aside from local folks, the eatery is frequented by celebrities and powerful politicians. Many come for its unique brewed coffee, made from roasted beans grown in the Philippine provinces. And as early as 1994, Lido installed very expensive Siphon coffee-makers, fifteen years ahead of San Francisco's Blue Bottle Coffee!

After lunch, I walked the streets of Binondo, with its vendors spilling on the narrow sidewalks, hawking their wares to Christmas shoppers. I snapped photos as I wondered at the craziness of the scenes. The streets were clogged with vehicles and hawkers, including locals who find it a conducive place to repair a tricycle. A pedicab passing by with a Chihuahua atop its roof. And my favorite--castañas (chestnut) roasters blocking the street corners!

In my mind, I wished my father-in-law could still show me the Binondo he knew.

Digital Christmas Greetings

Every Christmas I receive a handful of Christmas cheers sent electronically. I love getting these things and I thought I'll start collecting them like traditional Christmas cards. So don't forget to send me one next year!




This one from Vignobles Despagne in Bordeaux, specialist producer of overachieving wines of Rauzan-Despagne, Girolate, Mont-Perat, etc. I met the young Thiebault Despagne years ago when he dropped by the store. He writes a interesting blog



I'm honored to be acquainted to Bernard de Laage de Meux, Business Director at Chateau Palmer, but I'd be even more honored to be invited for a sumptuous dinner there!



I'm not sure who sent this, but this is one of my favorites this year.