WHEN DEFENSE SECRETARY Gilbert Teodoro is in Tarlac, he prefers dining in his Paniqui home. He feasts on house specialties such as his favorite, papaitang kambing with the real pespes.

A food aficionado, he owns a roaster for making smoked or litson tupa (lamb) or baboy damo (wild boar).

For Chinese food, he goes to Fortune Restaurant, along the National Highway in Tarlac.

His favorite dining destination, though, is in Clark?Red Crab Restaurant. He?s crazy about deep-fried giant crabs?juicy and moist. He also likes fried Crispy Hito with Mustasa and Balaw-Balaw and Sinigang na Ulang.

Red Crab Clark is at CDMA Cardinal Santos St., Clark Field, Pampanga. Call (045) 5995345.

Francis Musni?s must-dine places in Pampanga

Everybody?s Café Pampanga?famous for its morcon?tender cuts of pork with marbled fat smothered with rich sauce made from oven drippings. The drippings are so good one would take it for taba ning talangka. Everybody?s Café is managed by Pet Jorolan and son Potch. Pindang Damulag is also good, and the chicharung cauali and chicharung bulaclac. The resto is on MacArthur Hi-way, Del Pilar, San Fernando.

Cely?s?best fare is Alpang Kamias, slivers of kamias sautéed with peeled and de-veined shrimps (dapil) in achuete oil. It comes with rich sauce made with gumi (whiskers) or shrimp heads, whiskers and skin pounded with little water added. Cely?s, at San Fernando, Nepo Complex right across Nepo Mart I, is owned by Wilfredo Soriano. Call (045) 8872289.

Corazon?s?halo-halo, tibuc-tibuc and pancit palabuk. Here, I totally agree with Francis. I have tried Corazon?s halo-halo. It?s along Corazon St., Nepo Subdivision, Angeles City, Pampanga.

Luring?s Barbeque, Guagua?famous for barbecue and lutong-bahay offerings: Calderetang Damulag, Alpang Bulung Bawang, Lumpiang Saguiwa, Pastil Manuc, Sisig. Located in Guagua, with branches at Villa Victoria and near the entrance of Lourdes Heights Subdivision, along the old MacArthur Highway. It?s also at SM Pampanga food court.

Jun-Jun?s?Long before Kapampangans were exposed to inasal, lechon manok or the popular chicken barbecues, Jun-Jun?s has always been a byword among Kapampangan households for its amber-colored special barbecue sauce with a hint of tartness and a faint taste of coffee. The bibingka is also delicious and a favorite take-home treat, because it stays soft and moist even when cool. The owner has even invented a unique bibingka oven that can cook more than 10 bibingka at a time. In Dolores, San Fernando.

Didi?s Pizza?a homegrown pizza parlor, a vestige of the by-gone American air base called Clark Field. The crust comes in squares with the typical sweet tomato sauce topping and thin slices of button mushrooms, sweet onions, ham and cheese. Nothing fancy, just plain homemade pizza, but a favorite beer, rootbeer or soda companion. It used to have a branch along the red strip zone called Fields Avenue, a favorite hangout of American and Australian expats, GIs and their girlfriends.

Camalig?found in Angeles City?s historical district, in the lot owned by the city?s founder, the resto?s name is Kapampangan for camarin (barn). Founded by Ricardo Nepomuceno, father of its present owner and manager, Marco Nepomuceno, Camalig is a pizzeria popular for Pinoy pizza with local toppings such as ebun buru (red/salted eggs), longganiza and cheese, among others.

Rosalino?s?a restaurant-cum-bar (formerly called Lyn?s Bar) owned and managed by Rose Acio and a British expat. Rosalino?s is a hole in the wall that specializes in American food. Top on the list is a large serving of ?Mixed Grill??roasted yet tender pork liver, pork chop, sunny-side-up fried egg, large fries and your choice of bread, rice or mashed potato, with a generous serving of true American-style gravy.

Rumpa stands for Retired US Military Personnel Association, a restaurant originally owned by an association of retired US military personnel. A watering hole of war veterans, it was sold to a private individual. Rumpa is popular for its large servings of American food. My personal favorite is grilled spare ribs with mashed potatoes. The spare ribs are so tender and juicy, well-marinated and parboiled in special sauce. The clubhouse sandwiches and burgers are also huge. It serves its own house-blend iced tea, using ordinary tea bags, calamansi or lemon and honey.

Nathaniel?s?your typical Pampango kakanin store with offerings like cassava cake (look for the one with macapuno inside), siomai, puto pao and buko pandan drink and dessert. The buko pandan dessert is unlike any other, as its cream is immaculate white with the addition of gatas damulag (carabao milk). Located along GSO Road, near the way out to NLEX San Fernando Toll Exchange.

Apung Gari (Bakery and Eatery) in the San Fernando Public Market is an old bakery serving good pan de sal and puto (a generic term in Kapampangan referring to any kind of bread?not to be confused with puto lansong/lason). Right at the back of the bakery is a small canteen that serves steaming bowls of sotanghon (glass noodles/vermicelli) or sotanghon na may sabaw, pancit na may sabaw (much tastier than the regular mami with bihon noodles), pancit guisado and pancit palabok. The secret of the palabok is the generous use of gumi and sautéed shrimps.

Toll Haus is a local restaurant and specialty bakeshop famous for baked macaroni; its rich béchamel has just the right taste. Also known for sandwiches, shakes and pastas.

Angeles Fried Chicken, owned by the Taus family, is at Diamond Subdivision, right across Marlim Mansion Hotel. Its specialty fried chicken is the best chicken in the city, I would say.

Cool Spot is a halo-halo parlor that dates back to 1945. Built as makeshift halo-halo stand by three spinster sisters, Apung Nena, Apung Maring and Apung Tatu Natividad, Cool Spot?s halo-halo is a mix of real kiping macapuno (sweetened macapuno), kiping saguing (saba banana in syrup), leche flan and mais (corn kernels) and a generous serving of evaporated milk. It is best paired with pancit palabuk and/or a slice of chocolate or chiffon cake. The resto also serves dinuguan at puto and spaghetti cooked the way old karihans (carinderia) made it.

Of the three, Apung Tatu is the only one left. The store is managed by their niece, Corazon Trinidad. The main store is in the old alley right at the back of the old Ocampo?s jewelry on Miranda Street. Call (045) 8888457. A branch is along Rizal Extension.

Susie?s Cuisine touts itself as the ?Home of Original Pampango Kakanin.? It has various offerings: moche, immaculate tibuc-tibuc (made only with fresh carabao?s milk, hence the adjective ?immaculate?), jaleang ubi (ube jam), cassava cake, putu lasun (white puto), pichi-pichi (cassava pudding in squares dredged in coconut shavings) and many more.

It also serves pancit in bilao, be it palabok, canton or bihon, plus tropical chicken, baked macaroni and spaghetti, and tasty empanadas. Susie?s started the trend of retailing bringhe (poor man?s valenciana), which used to be available only during fiestas. From the humble beginnings of the Ayson family in that rented corner store at Nepo complex has emerged a ?kakanin magnate? with several branches today, including two in Manila.