Tom Douglas

Thrilla in Manilla Pop Up Dinner/ by Shelley and Amy

Herschell Taghap’s  Filipino- American dinner last night was a blast!  Herschell is a multi- talented charmer: Cuoco line cook, hipster DJ, and social media expert extraordinaire.  Staging this dinner-  Herschell’s tribute to the food he grew up with in his Filipino-American family in Chicago- as a “pop up” concept in the Ting Momo space was a brilliant idea!

As you walked in, you were handed a glass of prosecco by Executive Chef, Eric Tanaka, and told to help yourself to the snacks, which included Calbee shrimp flavored chips and Herschell’s mom’s broiled eggplant omelets, sliced and served on toasts (delicious!).  There was also plenty of  room temperature Sunkist orange soda, a Taghap family treat, but I must admit I gave it a pass, grabbing some cold beer instead.

The food at this sold-out event was served “cotillion style” in foil wrapped pans and everyone lined up to help themselves.  There was so much more food spread out on Ting Momo’s counter than we could possibly eat: from peanut butter stew to crispy bits of pig head in sugar cane vinegar, to splendid golden brown lumpia, to milkfish with garlic, ginger, and tomatoes, and at the end of the buffet, a huge bowl of Herschell’s father’s recipe for “day-old Jasmine rice with hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, green onion, and fish sauce.”

We ended the feast with a cold bowl of glutinous rice with coconut milk, caramel, and toasted coconut, then went home happy, cheered, and full of rice!

(Editor’s Note: all photos by Amy Richardson, Marketing)

October 6th, 2011