Gene Gonzalez's 50th Birthday Bash.

One of at least three celebrations, I understand, thrown for the Golden Boy by his likewise talented chef-children. Gene jokingly, though proudly, lamented his kids' "kicking him out of the kitchen" for the gastronomic and vinous extravaganza last Tuesday, 2nd December 2008, at their beautifully renovated Café Ysabel.

I arrived similtaneously with Johnny R and, as we walked in, noted that, considering the guests in attendance, the gathering looked like an International Wine & Food Society Philippines Branch function...


...with (some concurrent) Ordre Mundial des Gourmets Dégustateurs and Chaîne des Rôtisseurs stalwarts included, naturally.


I seem to recall there were no less than three different bubblies served for cocktails, but, I could be wrong. Busy chatting and taking pictures, I got to try two of them:

Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaïc NV - Lively mousse, fresh, linear crisp apple, pear, citrus, hint of orange peel. Predominantly chardonnay, most likely. Nice, faint ginerbready notes in its finish. Charming in its simple way.

The next was Champagne Carlin Brut NV - I enjoyed this one much more. Nicer heft, alluringly pronounced creamy-toastiness mid-mouth and towards the back. Well-defined fruit has a faint honeyed tinge to it and the wine possesses a nicely rounded over-all feel. These considered, I'd guess this has much more pinot noir in it than the Jacquart Brut Mosaïc.

~ oOo ~

After a while, I seated myself with Dieter, Dong, Eddie and Sunny. Finishing off our champagnes, we had great difficulty refraining from eating too much of the deliciously warm, soft version of the Armenian flatbread, Lavosh, with an addictively sweet-spicy, vaguely balsamic-honeyed dip.

The gastronomic parade then began in earnest. Each course was clearly announced and well explained, in turn, by Gene's young chefs-Paduwans, Gino and Gianinna. I can only imagine how Gene's heart swelled with pride with his children's kitchen and emcee performances. They gave Johnny R, a spectator-diner during this night's feast, a good run for his money at the mike; and, dare I say, the Golden Boy, himself, in that night's service.

~ oOo ~

With Smoked Catfish Pâté on Toast with Aspic:

2008 Miguel Torres Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Reserve - From Chile. I don't think I've ever before seen a rosé designated as a reserve, much less one of pure cabernet sauvignon. Nice enough alone, with straightforward strawberry, cherry, touch blackcurrant flavors.

Paired with the slightly creamy, delicately flavored smoked catfish pâté, this rosé's red-fruity/berry freshness was emphasized, cleansing the palate with haunting whispers of strawberry and cherry. The toast upon which the pâté rested, as well as the gelatinous feel of aspic topping, lent entertaining textural contrast.

I was happy with the reasonable size of this initial course. Like an out-of-shape boxer keeping an eye on the timer, I kept stealing glances at the menu, reminding myself how many more dishes I'd have to leave enough space for. This multi-course dinner necessitated a careful game plan to last until dessert.

~ oOo ~

Next was the delightful Café Ysabel Sampler - a trio of Sopa Ysabel, Lobster Bisque and Chef's Onion Soup. With this was paired no wine; and I was quite happy about that. I never really like having wine with soup and was able to enjoy the trio without having to analyze and commit to mind any accompanying vino.


Then came a refreshing, appetite priming Petite Silk Road Salad. Again sans wine; and, again, I was happy since salad dressings normally kill most any wine served with it. There are some acceptable pairings with some salads, to be sure, but none of which has ever really grabbed me. Better to just enjoy the dish by itself, especially since, in this case, I had to drive myself home that night.

~ oOo ~

With a Black Cod Cartoccio, we were invited to pair two whites:

2006 Torres Milmanda - My old notes show that I had the 2003 version of this sometime in September 2006 at Je Suis Gourmand with Hervé Porcines and Franck & Francoise Alby. Said notes state:

Torres Milmanda 2003 - My friend, Herve Pourcines, brought this 100% chardonnay
over from his last trip to Spain. Unabashedly oaked and buttery, this is a
Napa-reminiscent chard with mildly honeyed ripe melon and apple mid-palate with
some sweetish citrus notes to the back. Fair acidity, this was nice with foie gras poele, not really cutting through the dish's richness, but,
rather, running with it. Over-indulgence is the right way to go at times.

This 2006 version is leaner, not as super-ripe (which are good things), better focused as well and not as blatantly forward or oaked compared to the 2003. Most likely, the difference is due to the vintages. Like the afore-mentioned 2003's pairing with the foie gras poele, this 2006 with the black cod was a demonstration in the "running with the food", "hand-in-glove" type of pairing.


2007 St. Claire Sauvignon Blanc - I've had a few vintages of this sauv blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand and remember liking the the lean, grassy, slightly aggressively gooseberried/grapfruited whites well enough when paired with fresh boquerones in El Cirkulo. In contrast, this 2007 version seemed softer, riper, rounder and notably more tropical than the ones I've had before - definitely less edgy and tense. 2007 must have been a ripe, hot, dry year for Marlborough.

That said, this sauv blanc was still firmer and well-defined as compared to the above-mentioned Milmanda. With sauvignon blanc's naturally crisper, more acidic profile, I leaned towards the 2007 St. Claire more as a pleasing match. This takes nothing away from the Milmanda which was a decent match. It is just that I personally prefer the cut-and-contrast type of wine and food pairing, especially with seafood, but that's just me.

~ oOo ~

We then took another break with a Sorbet Sampler of a petite scoop each of Pineapple-Rosemary, Lemon-Tarragon and Passionfruit-Fennel sorbets before the attack of the main courses.

~ oOo ~

Probably unused to just sitting still and dining at his own restaurant, the Gene couldn't help but take a hand in pouring the reds from then on in. With a comfortingly hearty dish of Estate Mallard al Caparas with Wild Rice, Pinenuts, Peas & Corn:

2005 Torres Celeste Crianza Ribera del Duero - I safely assume this is very ripe, pure tinto fino, or darn near close to it if not. An ironic wine for me, in that it tastes very modern (i.e., ultra-ripe/extracted, concentrated, lowish acid, lushly dark cherried and dark plum-and-berried, with lashes of dark chocolate), yet, because of its vaguely dusty tannins and mildly chalky, earthy cocoa finish, it finishes off with kind of a rustic feel.

Quite an entertaining wine. Nicely chewy, it stood well with the duck.

Young, yes, and with seemeingly no pretenses of being other than that it is, I liked it, especially with the duck. I simply have to note that I loved the wild rice and pinenuts on the side - so country and comforting. I guess this was designed to segue into the more genteel, indulgent second main course.

~ oOo ~

The second main course was a dish of Eye of Argentine Entraña Steak with Pan-Fried Goose Liver, Potato Dauphinoise & Cognac Demi-Glace, paired with:

1997 Torres Mas La Plana - Darkly smooth, intense, but not loud. Deeply veined, spiced black fruit, cassis, with cherry/ ripe raspberry highlights, black coffee, licorice, tobacco and relatively subtle, well-integrated vanilla/oak. Somewhat straightforward. No real crescendo, but a solid, consistent, confident, masculine wine.

The pairing was, like the wine's character: pleasantly and predictably correct, solid and dependable. Personally, I found that the young Gonzalez chefs' version of Tournados Rossini clearly upstaged the wine - the creaminess of the foie precisely enriching the eye steak was not lost on me - a study in proportioning to be sure. I've had many similar dishes where the foie just masks the meat's flavors.

Such was not the case that night. The dish brought the apex that the wine seemed to lack. If that was the point of the pairing, the marriage was, indeed, a success and the matchmaker need be lauded.

~ oOo ~

As if the foregoing were not enough, a Black Pepper Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Triolet of Ice Cream on Brandy Snaps (Dried mango, Olive Oil and Shiitake) made its way before me paired with Josefina Piñol Vi Dolç - I do not recall the vintage if this is, in fact, a vintage wine. I have never had this before; but, in terms familiar to me, it is like a much denser, more viscous, sweeter Rasteau vin doux naturel but not fortified. The flavors are up-front raisin, prune, crème de cassis, ripe fig, dark chocolate, roasted walnut and licorice. Touch of vanilla in the mix.

J-Lab told me he had tried it before and it was a great value-for-money dessert wine. I have no idea how much it costs, but if it is reasonably priced, I'm all for it. I think many will take to this quite easily because of its sweet chocolatiness - makes me think of raisinets with figs.

I also tried this wine with Gino's avante-garde, pushing-the-envelope dark chocolate with a truffle/caramel/anchovy center creation.

I was absolutely floored by the bold creativity of this young fellow. I simply loved the middle burst of truffle in the caramel, and the precise, judicious anchovy hit just past mid-mouth, losing itself in the chocolate and caramel at the finish. Two nights later, I'm still shaking my head in amazement.

I couldn't help but blather on about this sophisticated chocolate treat to anyone who would listen. Luckily, I got to mention it to Gene who gave me, Fil and Dieter extra helpings. In all, I got to eat four pieces of it. Don't tell me the squeaky wheel doesn't get the grease.

The children certainly did their father proud.

The Young Ones and the Young Once (Sorry, Johnny, I couldn't help it)

Just when I thought we could all rest our livers, I spied Gene with a distinguished-looking fellow (who I learned was artist/tenor, Allan Cosio) choosing from newly opened bottles from his personal stash. They turned out to be some older New World wines that I rarely get to taste.

The question then arose: "Do I forego trying out something new, or should I play it safe and quit while I'm still sober?" The answer, naturally, was the latter, so quick rationalizing was in order.

Figuring I was still in good enough shape to have just a couple more glasses, especially since I re-coated my already distended stomach lining with a layer or two of rich, inebriation-inhibiting chocolate and caramel, I indulged in one last glass of:

1994 Jim Barry "The Armagh" Shiraz - Undoubtedly mature, one of the oldest shirazes I've tried (to my recollection, the oldest was a 1991 Grange from the Stockbroker). Densely smooth, full-bodied, velvetly muscled, opulent with seamlessly-knit ripe raspberry, blackberry, cassis, bit of cedar, black coffee, dark chocolate and buttressing oak/vanilla. If the alcohol content is high, I couldn't really feel it.

Indulging in a bit of nostalgia, I mentioned to Gene and Fil that, since back in my college and law school days, I used to go on dates with my girlfriend (now my wife) at Café Ysabel and Tratorria di Gino when they were still located on Wilson Street. I even recalled seeing a little boy (who surely must have been Gino - Gianinna probably wasn't even born yet) there once in a while.

Around twenty-five years later, I'm still in Café Ysabel, celebrating Gene's 50th, with his children now ably at the kitchen's helm. Certainly nice to see and ponder. Many thanks, my compliments to the chefs, and, once again, happy birthday, Gene. We all wish you a hundred more.