Add North Dakota to the long list of influences on Filipino cuisine.
Karinderya, a new restaurant scheduled to open in Crosby during the second or third week of March, will serve Filipino food with a bent toward mild taste buds.
"We understand, in a small town, not everyone might be ready for a full-on authentic [Filipino] dining experience," said Karinderya's co-owner Jeanneville Reign Maximo, 34. "We've considered the palette here."
Jeanneville, who also goes by Jen, and her husband, Ernesto, have lived in North Dakota for nearly a decade.
"I've been here since 2014," she said. "My husband got here in 2016."
"Here" is Crosby, about an hour's drive north of Williston.
Although she estimated there are more than a dozen families of Filipino origin in Crosby, Jen said the food is mild.
The atmosphere at Karinderya is intended to welcome all North Dakotans. Among the families from the Philippines who live in Crosby Jen said healthcare professionals and laboratory scientists are in abundance.
"The community gets to taste the authentic flavors" of Filipino food, Jen explained, pointing out Karinderya translates to cafeteria in English. "It makes us proud of our Filipino voice. Having a Filipino restaurant will teach everyone about the beauty and diversity of the Philippines."
Karinderya, a Filipino restaurant, is opening soon in Crosby.
Karinderya
Jen described numerous meat dishes on the menu, noted primarily for being marinated prior to cooking to ensure tenderness and rich flavors. The sauces are mild compared to some traditional food from certain regions of China and India. Nevertheless, Jen described most of the dishes as "sweet and spicy."
One of the most popular foods in the Philippines is Adobo chicken, which Jen called "our national dish."
It consists of chicken pieces (legs, thighs and drumsticks) marinated in vinegar and fresh garlic, and then braised.
"It's like a stew," Jen said. "It has coconut, as well. It's really good with rice."
There's nothing fancy about the rice, but it's fresh and it's steamed, and there's plenty of it. In fact, generosity is one of the key ingredients of Filipino cooking and culture, the co-owner said.
"It's not just because of the Filipino flavor," Jen said of the motivation to open a Filipino restaurant in northern North Dakota. "It's the gesture. Filipinos are very hospitable... and we are very generous with our food."
By "generous," Jen explained Filipinos love to share their culture and good-nature with others.
Another key element of Filipino food (and the Philippines in general) is diversity. With historical influences from Spain and Mexico, the United States and Great Britain, China and Indonesia, as well as dozens of surrounding Pacific islands, the Philippines is noted for its North American and European influences.
"We have so many countries and islands that have influenced us," said Jen, who is from Laguna, a province in the Philippines. Her husband and business partner, Ernesto, is from Bulagan, another province in the Philippines. He's also the chef of their North Dakota restaurant.
Jen noted the food at Karinderya combines all the various influences from across the globe for a dining experience unlike anything found in other parts of Asia.Â
"Filipino food is diverse," she said. "People in North Dakota need to be OK with the idea of experimenting with Filipino flavors and food."
One ingredient that is not on the menu at Karinderya is pork.
"Mainly, we'll have beef and chicken, and we'll also have fish," Jen said. "We're gonna have chicken soup in tamarind. "We'll have beef Caldereta — it's a spicy tomato beef stew, cooked until tender."
Although decidedly Filipino, Jen mentioned an Asian-style broccoli-beef stir-fry dish with mini egg rolls, similar to Chinese fare.
"It doesn't have cabbage inside," Jen said of the Asian-style egg roll. "It's mainly [minced] beef."
The beef egg rolls are served with a sweet and spicy sauce, more characteristic of the Philippines than dipping sauces found in American Chinese restaurants that lean on the sweet-and-sour side, she said.
"We love spicy foods, similar to Thai," Jen said, noting the egg-roll sauce flavor is uniquely Filipino. "Not spicy hot."
One of her favorite dishes is tapsilog, a derivative of Tapa (dried cured beef) served with fried garlic rice on a plate with a fried egg (often over-easy) along with a sweet-and-spicy sauce.
"It is the best representation of Filipino breakfast," Jen said, pointing to the "simple tomato and cucumber salad with vinegar" — another personal favorite.
In addition to authentic food from the Philippines, she noted the restaurant will serve tea drinks, including two flavors of Boba (bubble-milk tea). One Boba, which Jen called Okinawa Tea, has a brown-sugar flavor. The other is made from Taro root. Both are sweet.
In keeping with the Filipino culture of embracing hospitality and celebration during mealtime, Jen said music is an important aspect of the dining experience she and her husband will create at Karinderya.
"We will have live music once a week, because Filipinos love music," she said. "We love to sing."
Although the music is live, customers are encouraged to sing-along during its open mic night, Jen said.
"Where there's food, there's also music in the Philippines," she said.
