Patio Filipino

Watch out point-point joints. More discriminating diners are pointing toward the new wave of sit-down alternatives of San Bruno, which are setting a new standard for the way we eat Filipino food. There’s Kuya’s, Ihaw-Ihaw, Tribu Grill, and my favorite at the moment: Patio Filipino, where they emphasize the lesser known Spanish-influenced dishes comprising 80% of the fare that is considered Filipino today.

After centuries of colonization, the Spanish left behind a legacy of Catholicism, last names, and the “guisado” method of sautéing with garlic & onions. Classic recipes were refined with local ingredients to help form a cuisine that is distinctively Filipino.

Thought pancit & lumpia was all there was to it? Think again. Ever tried Callos ala Madrilène? Bistek Tagalog? Catfish Escabeche? Carne a la Cubana? Leche Flan? How about Paella Valenciana?

A great starting point for anyone who wants a broader understanding of Filipino food, this is the place I take people who have never had a chance to try the diverse cuisine. First impressions are everything. While the menu does go far beyond the safe bets of adobo, pancit, and lumpia, offerings are served in an environment that might inspire even the uninitiated to be a little adventuresome.

No other restaurant of its kind in town does it quite like Patio Filipino, so you can expect them to be busy every day of the week. In addition to pleasing the many locals who frequent the eatery, Patio has become a destination spot for people who come from far and wide to visit the place they saw advertised on TFC (The Filipino Channel). The mixed crowd of families, young foodies, and business professionals keeps the place packed, with up to an hour wait on the weekends. Either make a reservation or arrive early when they open and you won’t have to endure the torture of watching others eat. On subsequent visits you may even want to play it safe and place an order for pick-up by phone. The waiters do their best at turning tables. And kitchen production is as fast as it can be when you are cooking fresh food that is made to order. There simply aren’t enough tables to satisfy the demand. It also doesn’t help that the soft Spanish guitar and the cozy feel of the modest dining room tend to make patrons take their time. Still, most seem to think that it is worth the wait.

On one visit I wished the bussers would use a soapy towel to wipe down the tables instead of spraying them with Windex. Ammonia isn’t the most appetizing of aromas. Other than that the service is usually considerate. Another time I was glad that they forgot one of my orders because we had ordered too much food anyway. After realizing what had happened they sent over a free dessert to make it up to us. Every time I go back hoping that they forget to cook something, but I’m never that lucky.

Even after 8 visits, I’m still working on conquering the entire menu, but here are the dishes that keep me coming back…

Lengua Champignon is beef stewed in a white wine cream sauce with mushrooms & green olives. This is usually the most tender beef you will ever taste, but it was surprisingly chewy the last time I ordered it. I wished they would have told me that they were all out rather than rush a braise. Once out of 5 orders is forgiveable.

If you’ve never tried balut but have always been curious about the high protein aphrodisiac, here’s your chance. The Balut ala Pobre is de-shelled, sautéed, and covered in gravy, as denaturalized as this delicacy of nearly-developed duck embryo gets. Its hearty, healthy, guilt-free, and best of all you’ll be able to show off to all your Filipino friends that you’ve tried it.

Their Sizzling Sisig is the best version of the palutan that I’ve had in the Bay Area. Diced pork with onions & jalapenos is served traditionally on a hot plate and mixed tableside with a raw egg, which helps brings everything together. It felt wrong not having a glass of San Miguel to sip on between bites. As delicious as it is, one missing and essential ingredient is an acidic component of either citrus or vinegar, which helps cut through the pork fat. I guess I’ll ask for calamansi on the side next time.

Sizzling Bangus Sisig is the milkfish version of the prior, and is served with lemon wedges on the side. This is bangus in its most accessible form: boneless and chopped so that the belly fat is evenly distributed among the smoky meat for a perfect mouthful every time. This one seems to be the favorite of most the females I eat with. What woman wouldn’t like the idea of substituting heart-healthy fish for pork while still feeling like you’re eating meat?

My personal favorite is the Crispy Binagoongan. In a lot of other places this dish can tend to get dry and overly salty, but these pitfalls are avoided with a few thoughtful variations. Diced fresh tomatoes & ripe mangoes balance out the richness of the bagoong (shrimp paste). The bed of grilled eggplant serves to soak up all the juices, and its creaminess is a nice counterpoint to the crisp skin of the roast pork. This dish is their best-seller. Try it and you’ll know why.

If you’re feeling really naughty, order the Sizzling Softshell Crab, 3 whole crabs lightly fried and served still hissing in a garlicy sauce of “taba ng talanka” (translation: crab fat). I have always thought of talanka as the “foie gras of the ocean,” and caloricly this dish is the seafood equivalent of topping a seared duck breast with fattened duck liver. Just make sure you have brought along enough people to share this dish with, because it is best when eaten immediately, and you will feel guilty if you end up eating more than one crab.

If all this food sounds rich that’s because it is. DO NOT come here if you have a heart problem. DO come here if you wouldn’t mind developing one. Patio Filipino makes no apologies for what it is: sinfully decadent fiesta food. Just try not to make every little event a special occasion as an excuse to eat here. As long as you come here every other week and not every day of the week you probably won’t need to go on another Hydroxycut binge.

Come here with your friends and eat family-style to try a little bit everything. Come here to have your first taste of Filipino food. Come here to experience the food that you could get away with eating more often if you weren’t sitting on your ass all day. But most of all come here to witness the future of dining, Filipino style. Come here once and you will come back again…probably sooner than you should.

Universal Café

We took it as a good sign that the menu was slightly different from the one listed online.

When a chef is committed to using only the highest quality ingredients available to her on any given day, the menu might change no matter how inconvenient it may be for the kitchen & staff.

After getting over the initial disappointment of not being able to order the lobster paella and chicken liver tagliatelle we had been thinking about on the rainy ride to the Mission District, I focused on the menu in my hands. It being such a cold & wet winter evening, we agreed to comfort ourselves with a selection of Niman Ranch proteins. I cook mostly fish for myself at home so I was excited at getting my fix of red meat.

The black pepper and rosemary scented olive oil that came with the crusty bread was flavorful enough to keep us from asking for balsamic. Behind us is a single row of tables squeezed so close together it looks like it would be impossible for the person sitting against to wall to get out without having to slide sideways and ask for an apology from her neighbor. We were seated at the bar because the place was packed and we had no reservations, but it gave us a perfect view down the line. Imagine how organized 2 cooks have to be in an undersized kitchen serving 40 occupied seats. It was entertaining watching chef/owner Leslie Avalos roast chicken, sauté skate wing, slice flatbread, and scoop ice cream all at the same time.

Delivered much sooner than we expected considering the circumstances, the rustic offerings stood in sharp contrast to the industrial setting. I knew right off the bat from the deep color on the meat and the way it quivered when the server put our plates down that we were in for a treat. Red-wine braised short ribs (16) w/ winter greens and pecorino are served over a fresh linguine just toothsome enough to withstand what little amount of chewing it took before the buttery beef fell apart in your mouth. Braised lamb shoulder (19) is paired with creamy white beans, wilted spinach, and a garnish of pomegranates, whose berry explosion served as a reminder of how the mellow meat was marinated. For dessert, warm persimmon pudding cake (6) w/ grappa chantilly called for a moment of silence. I opened my eyes to Leslie joking, ‘Should I make you another?”

www.universalcafe.net

Popularization of Filipino Food

"Tolerance can only be developed through cultural exposure. The human brain responds more quickly and favorable to taste than to words. We are done talking. Mainstream appreciation of Filipino food is a crucial step in the humanization of Filipinos and their acceptance in this country. We are all aware that the most common racial stereotypes are associated with food - "beaners" for Mexicans, "crackers" for whites, "krauts" for Germans, "limeys" for Brits, chicken and watermelon for blacks, dogs for Pilipinos, etc. The belief that 'we are what we eat', and the notion that one's food is superior to Filipino food are both major foundations for racist attitudes toward our people. Our goal should be to elevate the status of Filipino cuisine to a gourmet level."
- Kevin Gueco, 2003