Thanksgiving Dinner and Sales

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 jeffrey 0 Comments

It's not in our culture to celebrate a longstanding American tradition - Thanksgiving. However, if you think about what it means to celebrate it, it might actually bring something good not only to the table, but to family and friends as well. A few days ago, Mel and I was invited to the United States Potato Board (USPB) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a special Thanksgiving dinner. This was their way of saying thanks for the continued support of the media. All the same, I'd like to take this opportunity, to thank you, my readers, for the continued support of this blog.

Thanksgiving falls on November 24. In the US, Thanksgiving marks the time of Black Friday sales/deals, the biggest discount offering of the year across different products. Although we don't have real Black Friday sales/deals here in the Philippines. I gathered some local sales by SM (Thanksgiving sale on Nov 24), Black Friday Sale Event (Nov 25-27) and Winter Wonderland Pre-Christmas Bazaar (Nov 25-27). Read more at the end of the post.

UPDATE: Added 2 more deals. Big Garments Sale at Meycauayan and Eastwood Richmonde Hotel buy 1 take 1 buffet.



Thanksgiving Dinner

We had our dinner at Restaurant 9501 inside the ABS-CBN building ELJ Communication Center. It was my first time to go inside that building. We didn't see any local celebrities though on our way up to the restaurant.

Our timing was perfect. Chef Myrna Segismundo was just talking about how she whipped up original and off-the-menu recipes using US Frozen Potatoes. All from appetizer to the dessert! It's like being in Iron Chef haha.

While waiting for the 1st dish to arrive, we munched on some homemade potato bread with a choice of tomato jam or Adobo pate. The potato bread was a quite heavy so we only took a couple of slices. Not sure how they infused the potato into the bread but it gives it a hint of that potato flavor. The tomato jam was just superb. I liked how it tasted like regular jam but with tomato chunks. The Adobo pate wasn't bad as well. This seemed like a good start to dinner

Homemade Potato Bread
(Tomato Jam, Adobo Pate)

Our first dish was the Seared Scallop, Straight Cut Potato and Waldorf Salad. The Scallop was perfectly cooked and the sauce and dressing complimented it nicely.

Seared Scallops, Straight Cut Potatoes
(Apple Waldorf Salad, Basil Oil)

Our next dish was a divine Truffled Mashed Potato and Porcini Mushroom Froth. It had mushroom bits underneath that gave the soup texture with every bite. We used a small teaspoon to drink from it. It was nice because each and every sip made the next one better.

Truffled Mashed Potatoes
(Porcini Mushroom Froth)

Before we were served the main course, we were offered a glass of wine. I got myself a white wine. It was poured into this nice wineglass that had etching of the restaurant.

Finally, the bird has arrived. The Roast U.S. Tom Turkey is accompanied by Candied Spuddies splashed with Giblet Gravy. Turkey isn't as flavorful as chicken because it's more lean so you need to add a lot of flavors to make the dish extraordinary. This turkey really made a mark on my palette. I finished the whole plate clean. The candied potatoes was remarkable.

Roast U.S. Tom Turkey
(Bread and Nut Stuffing, Minted Orange-Cranberry Relish, Creamed Spinach, Candied Crinkle-cut Potatoes, Giblet Gravy)

To cap the evening, we were served the dessert. A Mashed Potato Crepes and Vodka Sabayon. I wonder how potato was infused with the crepe.

Poached Pears & Grapes
(Mashed Potato Crepes & Vodka Sabayon)

The culinary possibilities of US Potatoes are endless. The USPB has always believed in the work and talent of Filipinos in the food industry and has pursued in its commitment to nourish their creative spirit by providing various opportunities for chefs, caterers, and restaurant owners to explore the versatility of US Frozen Potato products.

For more details about US Frozen Potatoes or any of the USPB programs, please visit http://www.potatoesusa.com or call Ms. Reji Retugal-Onal at 534.8534 / 534.8223.

Thanksgiving Sales

WHAT: SM Thanksgiving Sale
WHEN: November 24, 2011
STORES: SM Department Store
Watsons
SM Appliance
Ace Hardware
Toy Kingdom
Our Home
Kultura
Baby Company
Surplus shop
Forever 21
Pet express


WHAT: Black Friday Sale Manila 2011
WHEN: November 25-27, 2011; 10AM - 11PM
WHERE: Megatent, Meralco Ave., Ortigas Center Pasig
NOTES: FREE entrance


WHAT: Winter Wonderland Pre-Christmas Bazaar
WHEN: November 25-27, 2011; 10AM - 9PM
WHERE: Corinthian Gardens village, QC




WHAT: Big Garments Sale
WHEN: November 26-27, 2011; 8AM - 6PM
WHERE: Block 4 Lot 3 Acefree St. Sterling Industrial Park, Iba,
Meycauayan, Bulacan
Directions: Take NLEX
Exit at Meycauayan
Turn left at Exit Rotunda towards Iba
Turn right into Sterling Industrial Park
Ask the guard for the directions to Acefree Street
The gate is color GREEN




WHAT: Eastwood Richmonde Hotel buy 1 take 1 buffet
WHEN: November 24-30, 2011; Lunch and Dinner
WHERE: Eastwood Richmonde Hotel,
17 Orchard Road, Eastwood City
NOTES: Regular buffet rate is P1,080 nett
Lunch buffet served daily and dinner buffet from Fri to Sun