Two Filipino restaurants among the best in America 

2nd update: October 18, 2021, 5:35 A.M.

Updated: October 16,2021, 9:05 P.M.

U.S.

New York Times list includes Seattle’s ‘Archipelago’ and Chicago’s ‘Kasama’

Teodoro Alcuitas

Editor, PhilippineCanadianNews.Com (PCN.Com)

Two Filipino-owned restaurants have been named among the Top Fifty Restaurants in the U.S. by the New York Times. Kasama in Chicago and Archipelago in Seattle made it to the prestigious list.

Kasama – Chicago

Kasama, owned by the husband and wife team Tim Flores and Genie Kwon was opened in July 30, 2020 and their food was sold out on opening day, according to ‘Eater Chicago’.

Kasama — a Tagalog word that means “together” — was originally designed to be a friendly neighborhood restaurant offering Filipino-American dishes, but the pandemic has forced the duo to pivot toward takeout and delivery-friendly items that still bear their fine-dining hallmark. They’ve also had to rethink their staffing and benefits strategy, according to Block Club Chicago. The restaurant will open with six or seven staffers, as opposed to the 18-22 they hoped for, and the pair will cover workers’s health insurance by adding a 4-percent service charge onto each check.

These are strange times to be in the restaurant business and Flores and Kwon find themselves in a unique situation as first-time independent restaurant owners. So far, they’ve been overwhelmed by neighborhood support, says Eater Chicago.

“Having a meal at this neighborhood cafe is to experience the seamless blending of the talents of Ms. Kwon, a pastry chef who worked at Eleven Madison Park and Flour Bakery, puts out delicate, inventive treats, including a ham-and-cheese croissant like none you’ve seen, replete with raclette and topped with dainty shavings of serrano ham. Mr. Flores’s Filipino food, which includes staples like lumpia and adobo, is unpretentious and soul-warming. Try his excellent take on a Chicago-style Italian combo sandwich, made with longaniza. ” –PRIYA KRISHNA (New York Times)

Archipelago – Seattle

From their website:

“We began this journey in May of 2016 with the trademark of our “identity.” We then traveled to the Philippines to explore the land of our ancestry, and though we found the islands make up a part of who we are—they did not define us fully.

In the US they call us Filipino, in the Philippines, they call us American. We exist in this in-between of identities, always looking one way or the other. But on this long journey, we learned that we are the product of our parents’ struggles. The product of our creative adventurous parents, who left the Philippines to expand and grow their islands—to create their own culture and identity in this Pacific Northwest land that we call home. Together, along with so many others, our experiences have shaped this region. We and the land are synonymous. We are here and now, we are Filipino Americans.

“It is only when we have plenty to eat—plenty of everything—that we begin to understand what freedom means. To us, freedom is not an intangible thing. When we have enough to eat, then we are healthy enough to enjoy what we eat. Then we have the time and ability to read and think and discuss things. Then we are not merely living but also becoming a creative part of life.” – Carlos Bulosan

“It’s rare for the chef to check in with diners at the end of the tasting menu and make sure they’re feeling full, but Archipelago isn’t like any other tasting. A puff of pan de sal pulls apart effortlessly, filling the air with a sweet, buttery perfume. Burning pine needles, and the rich, muscly scent of shrimp paste waft over from the open kitchen. Cooks walk around with a tray of sliced rib-eye steak, offering seconds. You could easily get lost in the deliciousness of the modern Filipino food, but Aaron Verzosa and Amber Manuguid do more than send out excellent food. They tell complicated, expansive stories about the Pacific Northwest and the many ways that Filipino immigrants have shaped it, using words, pictures and even some unexpected dance moves behind the pass. ” -TEJAL RAO (New York Times)