Boarding Gate 101

St. Louis is a big place, and there are literally hundreds of places where to grab a bite. Here are my top ten recommendations, from steaks to seafood. I tried to keep the list varied, and the price of recommended meals around or less than $25. Pappy's Smokehouse  This place is definitely not for vegetarians. If you're hankering for barbequed ribs, then this popular joint is for you. Adam Richman of the popular series Man Vs. Food even visited this place to try out the ribs. I was brought here by my officemates for lunch and it was one of the best tasting ribs I've tried. A full slab with 2 sides costs $21.99, a platter of pulled pork with 2 sides is $10.99. You need to come early if you want to get lunch here though, the lines start forming around 11 am. Located in 3106 Olive Street, near downtown.    pappyssmokehouse.com Sushi at Nobu's Nobu's If you're craving for authentic Japanese in this Midwestern city, then Nobu's is the pla...

Our last trip to Bangkok was a special one. It was my first time to join a group tour, and it was a special tour. Organized by a Thai chef currently based in Manila (he owns Thai Dara restaurant ), the tour, composed of around 20 people, was about experiencing food in Bangkok (and Ayutthaya) the way the locals enjoy them.  The choices of places that we went to for three days range from popular and high-end restaurants to a small street food stalls that locals flock too and no tourists normally go to, because the menus are in Thai and there aren't even pictures on the menu.    One of two of them are even so obscure that I couldn't find them on Foursquare to be able to check in (by the way, that's how I remember the names of the restaurants we went to, by checking in on Foursquare).  Here are the places we went to, chronologically and according to my Foursquare history. I recommend them to travelers who want to experience authentic Thai food in restau...

This is for the hungry travelers who crave for authentic Thai food while in Manila. There's actually a place where you can get some: Thai Dara Bangkok Streetfood restaurant, operated by a Thai expat/chef.  Lots of choices to have, from the traditional tom yum soup, to (my favorite so far) pomelo salad with shrimps and squid, pad thai noodles (one of the best pad thai in Manila), spring rolls, and sassy fish (fried dory topped with spicy green mango salad). They have two branches, one in Granada Street in Quezon City (just a few minutes from Greenhills; check Foursquare for map), and another one in Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig. The restaurant (I've visited the one in Granada Street) have a homey, cozy feel to it, and the prices are reasonable.   by Kin Enriquez

One of my favorite places to eat in Manhattan is Empanada Mama in Hell's Kitchen, and one of the dishes that I kept ordering, aside from the empanadas, is the Colombian style tamales, wrapped in banana leaf and served with green and red salsa ($8.50). A tamale is a dish made from steamed or boiled corn dough, filled with pork or chicken. This dish dates back to the as early as 8,000 to 5,000 B.C., in Mesoamerican civilizations of Aztecs and Mayas.  Empanada Mama is in the 9th Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets. 

The legendary rock and roll artist Chuck Berry still plays here once a month. The restaurant/bar has a darts room, eclectic decor, and is famous for its burgers. It is located in Delmar Loop in St. Louis.

The grand staircase inside the Spiral restaurant of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, in Manila. Spiral is a concept restaurant that features international cuisine and open cooking stations.