Pre-Christmas Dinner at Antonio's

I just realized that for the many times (years actually) I've been going to this place, I never really got to blog about it. Last night when we took Grandma Jo ( the nickname we gave my mother-in-law because our son calls him that) to Tagaytay for dinner, I decided it was about time I finally featured it here on my blog...it's been way too long. 

Antonio's Restaurant, owned by the now famous Chef Antonio Escalante, is about an hour and half away from the bustling city of Manila.  However yesterday, with the horrendous traffic in SLEX (particularly Alabang-Sucat area) it took more than that. It was a painfully long drive going there but I knew it was worth it. When we finally entered the dirt road going into the Main House, my mother-in-law who is visiting from New York was so intrigued because it seemed like we were going into such a remote place. The dark and winding path gave her the impression that this restaurant must be extraordinarily special for people to actually go that far. As we entered the massive wooden gate with an arc lined with lovely white flowers and saw a jam-packed parking area, she was immediately impressed.
She knew she was in for a real treat!

Antonio's is not only known for its delicate and hand-picked cuisine but for the classy and regal ambiance it provides its guests. I have two photos of the main dining area below to give you a glimpse of the kind of architecture and detail you will find in this place;

Another thing I love about Antonio's now is the way they space out your entire meal. Once you are seated, they give you two small menus; wine/drinks list and appetizers menu (the Huge Entree menu will be shown after you take your hors d oeuvres). So you know you are in for a looong and beautiful dining experience altogether. 

 Soft and warm poppyseed bread with butter swirl

For Appetizer, we originally wanted their two Portobello Mushroom offerings; the one with Balsamic Garlic and the other one with Foie Gras. Unfortunately they ran out so we opted for these instead;

 Escargot de Bourguignonne (Php 350.00)

 Raclette with Picked Vegatables and Roasted Potatoes (Php 350.00)

  This one we really wanted... Roasted Bone Marrow topped with Parsley and Capers with an Onion Marmalade on the side (Php 600.00). A bit over the top for me. I still prefer it the simple way; just nicely roasted bone marrow with a splash of lemon and sea salt smeared on toasted crostini/crackers/baguette. The capers and parsley masked the condensed beefiness taste of the marrow.


Moving on to our Entree;

When you order your main course, it actually comes with their House Salad, Soup, Dessert of your Choice and Cofee/Tea.

House Salad with Rasberry Vinaigrette, Candied Walnuts, Craisins (Cranberry Raisins which my husband and I love!) and Blue Cheese Cubes 

My mom-in-law and Dad split the Salad with Duck Confit 

My Entree : Roasted Rack of Lamb with Port Wine Jus (Php 1,700.00) and supposedly Garlic Polenta but I had it changed to Garlic Risoni instead. I had my lamb cooked "medium" and it was done perfectly. The change of side dish from polenta to risoni was also an excellent move because it was amazingly delicious. Risoni is actually pasta shaped like long grain rice. They cooked it al dente with cheese and garlic...ooh la la! :) That's all I can say!

Joel's Seafoof Sampler  (Php 1,600.00) : From left to right - Prawns Thermidor, Chilean Sea Bass with Foil baked Olives, Parsley, Pine Nuts over Mashed Potatoes and finally  Pan-seared Scallops on Celeriac Mashed Truffle Cream Sauce  

They also gave us a round of their homemade Limoncello which sadly I coudn't take because I have to stay away from liquor for 4 months (I'm 5 months on the way!)

As always, we all saved room for dessert. We sampled 4 different things and just put them all on the center for everyone to share and taste;

Poached Pear on Port Wine topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

Panna Cotta Sampler with Chantilly Cream

Double Chocolate Souffle with Chocolate Sauce... so rich and sinful!

Lemon Panna which tasted like Lemon with Cream Smoothie. Nothing spectacular though!

We ended our glorious dinner with a Christmas toast and big smiles. Once again, we were stuffed, satisfied and happy guests! We took some time to take family photos for grandma Jo to keep as remembrance :)

My Boys enjoying the cool Tagaytay December weather and the ambiance of Antonio's. I was so surprised little Henri actually liked the Raclette Appetizer. His mature taste amuses me sometimes! :) 

P.S.

I had a 'major-major' celebrity sighting by the way. We were seated right beside the table of Juday/Judy Ann Santos and hubby Ryan Agoncillo! Sorry, I just had to share. I'm obviously a fan. Haha!

2 more days before Christmas!!! Happy Eating and Happy Holidays Everyone!

Antonio's Tagaytay

Bgy. Neogan

Tagaytay City, Cavite

0918-8992866