Superb steaks at Wolfgang’s

In 2004, Wolfgang Zwiener opened Wolfgang’s Steakhouse on Park Avenue in Manhattan after working for 40 years as head waiter at the well-loved Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn.

In 2016, Filipinos finally got to taste Zwiener’s own brand of steak when his restaurant opened at the Newport Mall of Resorts World Manila. This was followed by the opening of its second branch at The Podium.

(Seated, from left) Yvette Fernandez, Fe Rodriguez, Susan Joven and Lulu Tan Gan; (standing, from left) Tosca Augustin, Tetta Agustin-Baverey, Frannie Jacinto, Wolfgang and Peter Zwiener and Tina Cuevas.

Recently, the steakhouse finally found its third home in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. President and managing partner Peter Zwiener, who arrived in Manila with his father and founder Wolfgang Zwiener, said, “BGC is a beautiful, vibrant and cosmopolitan area of Manila. It was the initial place I spent time when I visited the Philippines for the first time six years ago.”

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse offers only USDA Prime Black Angus beef, which is dry-aged in-house under a controlled temperature and humidity for an average of 28 days. This process of dry aging results in melt-in-your-mouth juicy steaks, which are flown in (chilled, never frozen) every week.

(From left) Wolfgang Zwiener, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse marketing manager Trisha Lok and marketing and operations officer Kyla Frencilo with Elena Zwiener.

Zwiener added, “All our dishes are Instagrammable due to the beauty, abundance and size of our dishes — from the sizzling Porterhouse to the seafood platters, and the thick slab of bacon to our salads, especially the Wolfgang’s Salad or Beverly Hills Chopped Salad, as well as the scrumptious and decadent desserts, including our homemade New York-style Cheesecake or Apple Strudel a la Mode.”

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener’s dining area.

The steakhouse’s lunch menu offers a variety of salads such as the garden-fresh salad nicoise, the sirloin-topped steak salad, and the shrimp and pomelo salad. Standout steaks in the lunch menu include the classic dry-aged rib eye, the medallions of filet mignon with mushroom sauce or au poivre, and the Wolfgang Lite, a smaller portion of filet mignon steak, and of the Beverly Hills Chopped Salad. It also offers a diverse, award-winning selection of fine wines.

USDA Prime Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steak.

 (Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener is at the Lower Ground Floor, One Bonifacio High Street, 28th St. corner 5th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For inquiries and reservations, call 586-4892 or 0917-7101682. For more information, visit www.wolfgangssteakhouse.ph and WolfgangsSteakhousePH on Facebook and Instagram.)

A celebration of success

(Left) 16th Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) national winner Erwin Ramos and Citi Philippines CEO Aftab Ahmed. (Right) CMA regional winner for Luzon Maria Elena Estadola and Microfinance Council of the Philippines chair Fr. Jovic Lobrigo.

A celebration of success took place at the awarding of the nine winners of the 16th Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila recently.

CMA is an undertaking of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Citi Foundation and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines Inc. (MCPI) that honors outstanding Filipino micro business owners across the country. 

Citi Philippines public affairs head Lisa Coory with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier and inclusive finance advocacy office concurrent head Pia Roman Tayag.

Since its inception, the CMA’s mission is to raise awareness on the transformative power of microentrepreneurship and microfinancing to alleviate poverty.

This year’s top award went to Erwin Ramos of Bulacan, producer of fishballs and other processed products. Other awardees were handicraft business owner Maria Elena Estadola, regional awardee for Luzon; calamansi processing business owner Rosario Amoroto, regional awardee for Visayas; balut producer Arnold Viado, regional awardee for Mindanao; and midwife and owner of a birthing home Mary Grace Bayalas, Youth Microentrepreneur of the Year.

(Left) Regional winner for Visayas Rosario Amoroto and Joey Concepcion. (Right) Regional winner for Mindanao Arnold Viado.

Special awards recipients were coffee farmer and producer Estrella Balnao and corn and vegetable farmer Romeo Ponio, who both took home the recognition for agri microbusiness. The special award for community leadership went to Jessette Oquendo, owner of a pasalubong center for Palawan crafts. Spa and wellness center owner Marisa Ganding also received the special award for startup microbusiness.

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(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)