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Robin Soderling (5) has defeated Roger Federer (1) in the quarters at Roland Garros. It’s the first time in six years that the semifinals of a grand slam will not have Roger in it. Last year Soderling defeated Rafael Nadal and made it to the final before losing to Federer. Will it be a Soderling-Nadal final this year? Support Soderling (We sort of owe him one).

If this upset had happened one, two years ago I would’ve been despondent; today I accept the news with equanimity, knowing that Roger is in the bonus rounds of his spectacular career. And the hair is perfect.

Is there a more appetizing combination? If a vampire bites you, he would pass out from all that MSG.

The Strain is a tech horror thriller by Guillermo Del Toro, the director of Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and the upcoming The Hobbit, and Chuck Hogan, winner of the Hammett Award for literary crime fiction for Prince of Thieves. It’s the first novel in a trilogy about a viral pandemic. The Strain begins with a plane carrying 200 passengers taxiing down the runway at New York’s JFK Airport and inexplicably stopping dead. The lights go out, the communication systems go quiet, the shades are drawn, there is no discernible movement. Every passenger on board is apparently dead. Fearing a biological terror threat, Homeland Security summons a rapid response unit from the Centers for Disease Control, and they discover. . .

This is a perfect book for standing in long queues, waiting in airports, or sitting in a massive traffic jam. You know it’s a gripping read when there are nail marks on your palms from clutching the book so tightly.

The paperback is available at National Bookstore, P355.

The Girl On The Train

The French Film Festival. Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong. June 4 to 13, 2010. The line-up includes two films by the great Eric Rohmer, Claire’s Knee and The Good Marriage.

Summer Hours

La Cuisine Francaise is my default setting for French food—the food is good, hearty country fare, the place is comfortable, the atmosphere is snootiness-free, and if the chef-patron Michele d’Orival is around, we get to try her culinary experiments.

The restaurant on the corner of Sedeno and San Agustin Streets in Salcedo Village, Makati opened in July last year; before that Michele and her husband Jean had a stall selling their excellent paté, tahini, tabbouleh, and other delicacies at the Salcedo weekend market (They’re still there on weekends). We started frequenting La Cuisine in October when our friend moved into the building. He’s moved out, but we never left the restaurant.

There’s always something new on the menu, along with the traditional favorites:

Grilled lamb kebabs

Roast chicken stuffed with 40 cloves of garlic

Snails drowned in butter

Paté

Tarte tatin. Sorry, I forgot to snap the photo before I started on dessert.

But why stop at photographs? You should eat there yourself.

Introducing our weekly La Cuisine contest for the month of June. Every week I will post a simple question about French cooking; the answer will be a French dish. Post your answer in Comments. At the end of the week, we will take all the correct answers and hold a raffle.

The reader who sends in the winning entry gets to eat the correct answer. Not the paper, the culinary reality. The prize is. . .the dish featured in the weekly question, served for two, with drinks. So you and a companion can try La Cuisine, whenever you wish (You set the date, I’ll make the reservation).

This week’s question is good for merienda or breakfast. What is the French term for the hot ham and cheese grilled sandwich? (If you add a fried or poached egg on top it becomes the female version.)

Post your answers in Comments. The raffle will be held on Sunday. Anybody hungry?

La Cuisine Francaise is on the ground floor of Paseo Parkview (near Makati Sports), Sedeno corner San Agustin St, Salcedo Village, Makati. Telephone 8932072. Reservations: 5015202 or 7520335.

The second entry in our Roger and Rafa playing outfit design contest is all about national costumes.

Designer: Dulce Navarro Cabanag

Designer’s statement: “I think their costumes should identify their country of origin. Both suggested ‘finals’ outfits will be made of breathable spandex for ease of movement.”

“Rafa’s outfit is a matador costume complete with a cape and a headband with upturned “ears” (I don’t know what you call a matador’s hat). It will have gold embroidery and a trompe l’oeil effect of a slim tie and short jacket. Of course the pants should be super tight (I think Rafa knows what his assets are!).”

“Roger’s lederhosen is also made of spandex with a trompe l’oeil effect of a necktie and suspenders. The side of the tight shorts is embroidered with traditional Swiss patterns. He will also have a felt Alpine hat decorated with a feather.”

Roger Federer from the prosperous city of Basel, Switzerland! Rafael Nadal from the beautiful island of Mallorca, Spain! I thank you. Email your entries until Saturday night to urban.matthias@gmail.com!