Sing For Your Supper At Dionisio's Grill

This morning I woke up with the theme song from Arthur playing in my head and it wasn't pretty.

Dionisio's Grill still has the trappings of — blown glass lights, leather booths, an unused brick pizza oven — but it is trying very hard to take on the persona of a Pinoy nightclub now. A short-skirted young woman walks the room in the tradition of Vaudeville days offering free golden-wrapped chocolates on a tray, rather than selling cigars.

There is no cocktail menu, and when I requested a Mai Tai, it was a no-go. Stick with a bottle of San Miguel, as my Margarita tasted like a bottle of bad mix or better yet, see if they'll make a Salabat, or a Filipino Dark and Stormy — hindsight is 20/20.

The large restaurant was chilly, but no one seemed to care as they took their turn at the karaoke mic. An attractive young woman put forth a breathy version of Barbara Streisand's "I Am a Woman in Love", skipping some of the words, while a rotund older gent crooned "When You Get Caught Between the MOO-OON and New York City..." If there were Askals outside, they might have howled along. But everyone gets applause, and on occasion, hoots and hollers. So if you dream of being on an ultra-forgiving version of American Idol, this might be the place to live out your fantasy.

Food seems a bit like an after thought, although there was a suited diner across from us who ate his enticing chicken dinner quietly beside his lap top, and then left. Our smiling server was worried about some of our choices, and tried to dissuade us from ordering the more exotic dishes. She didn't suggest them, but there are definite menu items that cater to westernized palates, such as 'Spagetti with Meatballs' ($11.95), Shrimp Alfredo ($12.95), Dionisio's Hamburger Delight with fries ($8.95), or a Reuben with chicken macaroni salad for $9.

It could have been the frigid dining room, off-key chorus, or the horrible Margarita that really started things off on the wrong foot, but the thought of Lumpia ($8.95) brightened my mood. I think the guys were happy with their beers, and my husband who was seated facing the Karaoke screen was doing his best to entertain himself and us by singing along. After a finger-tapping wait, we received a plate of 8 less-than-stellar Lumpia cut in half, fanned around a bowl of chili sauce on a nest of shredded cabbage.

Next came Kare Kare ($12.95) and wow, did it look enticing. But the beauty of this aromatic bowl of peanut-sauced oxtail, beef, eggplant, spinach, bok choy, and green beans was sadly skin deep. It dearly needed sodium. A bowl of rosy, moist Bagoong (shrimp paste) comes alongside, as is traditional. Maybe we were supposed to apply it heavily...

Next up, Chicken Inasal ($11.95), or Ilonggo-style grilled chicken. From the island of Visayas, chicken inasal is a local delicacy which entices with a golden hue that comes from being basted in achuete (annatto seeds), and has a blistered grilled skin. Marinated in ginger, garlic, lemongrass, coconut vinegar, lemon juice, and brown sugar, the chicken was a winner, served with a mound of rice and coconut vinegar sauce on the side--except for raw pink meat close to the bone.  Then I upped the authentic ante with Laing ($8.95), which really worried our hostess. Laing is a cast iron boat of coconut cream & coconut milk with chiffonaded taro leaves, shrimp, pork. Delicious but rich as all-get-out.

Pancit should be a Filipino litmus dish. Canton-style is made with thicker noodles, while our server recommended Bihon which is stir-fried thin rice vermicelli. We opted for Shrimp Pancit Bihon ($10.95) and our server offered us the option of adding pork as well, but only a few shrimp arrived along with lots of chopped celery, cabbage and carrots. We asked for some chili sauce to liven things up.

The Philippines is a tropical island nation with a fascinating blend of influences — Chinese, Spanish among them. The Chinese brought noodles for pancit, and Spaniards introduced adobo, something I regret not ordering. Tell me how it is. For now, I recommend a Pinoy-style burger, a Red Horse or San Miguel, and singing your heart out.

Dionisio's Grill

310 Wells Ave. South
Renton WA, 98057

Phone: 425.291.7778