A Gem of a Find

I attended the Iron Chef competition over at the Palms Country Club over the weekend, which I will elaborate on in a succeeding post. It was a highly successful and entertaining event but the evening's bonus was a discovery of Ybarra food products, which were showcased as one of the event's sponsors. Ybarra is a line of Spanish gourmet food offerings--mostly delicatessen types: bottled olive oil, olives, pasta, sauces, cheeses, etc.

I first sampled an olive and was simply wowed! It was heavenly. Haven't we all gotten used to the cardboard-tasting stuff offered in grocery stores at affordable prices? The decent-tasting ones normally cost so much more. And so, on occasion when we need the tasteful, plump, full-bodied olives, we go to Santis or Terry's for the Kalamatas. But the Ybarra bottled olives did not disappoint. They just might be the best tasting among others of its kind in the similar price range.

Adding to that, are the delicious sauces that I sampled one by one. My favorite is the gaucho sauce--a sort of tomato, cream sauce for dipping, marinades, or to put over pasta. They also have the Sicilian sauce, which is a chunky tomato, there also is the pesto or pisto in Spanish. The tuna dip is another offering that's to die for. The list is endless, so please go to the nearest grocery store and sample them. They are available in Rustan's, Shopwise, South, and Makati Supermarkets. You will fall in love; I promise! And oh, they make Christmas baskets and they do deliver. I have placed my orders this early.

If you have inquiries please call Malou Castro of Oriental Merchants, Inc. at 588-5777.