Dear Hawaii Diner Reader,
The year is off to a very busy start with lots of restaurant news and activities to report. This week's newsletter will highlight some of the changes and new restaurants opening on the Big Island and on Maui. Things are pretty active here on Oahu as well. In fact, most of this newsletter will be occupied with restaurant news.
You don't want to miss our upcoming interviews (written and audio) with dual Grammy nominated musician, Ledward Kaapana. Marianne Schultz has been a devoted "Led Head" for more than twenty years and he graciously agreed to chat with us. We will be sitting down with him in his backyard to learn about what foods he ate growing up in Kalapana and, if we're lucky, he might even sing a song for us. Stay tuned for details on when the interviews will be available by checking "Diner Dish" and, of course, in the next newsletter.
We are also looking forward to the Lunar New Year on January 29 which will mark the beginning of Lunar Year 4703 and it will be the Year of the Dog. If you're thinking of celebrating at home, check out my article on how to throw a Lunar New Year party at home with a minimum of fuss.
Last, but not least, send us a note if you have any suggestions, questions or tidbits of information. I had a great email from a lady in Florida last week wanting advice on poke and another from someone looking for a private chef. I love my job and I couldn't do it without your support, interest and feedback.
Mahalo nui loa,
Gail
P.S. I almost forgot to mention that L'Uraku, one of our Everybody Eats restaurants, will be extending their popular "Weekender" Lunch menu for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday next Monday. If you haven't tried L'Uraku before, this is the perfect introduction to their food and at just $17 it's some of the best value upscale dining you'll find in Honolulu.
Around the Islands - Big Island, Maui and Oahu Restaurant News
On the Big Island, our restaurant reviewer Cheryl King has been keeping a close eye on a spate of new restaurants that have opened in the Kailua-Kona area over the past few months. In addition to some new spots, a couple of others have moved or have changed names. Here is the round up:
Edward's at Kanaloa has moved to Waterfront Row and is now known simply as Edward's.
Fujimama's in Kailua-Kona is the first of several planned for Hawaii. The original is in Tokyo and is owned by noted chef Mark Vann and his wife, successful restaurateur, Lisa Smith. The food should be good but I haven't heard or seen any reports other than one from an online posting which raved about how attractive the restaurant was and how much they enjoyed the food. I've dined at the one in Tokyo and it was excellent. Hopefully, the ones here will be as good.
Kona Beach Club, also in Waterfront Row is the place getting all the raves from locals - and not just for the waterfront view where one can often see turtles swimming. Cheryl described the food as contemporary with no particular focus on one type of cuisine. She did go on to say that she has been back several times and each meal has been excellent.
Las Muchachas is Latin Fusion cuisine and this is another place getting lots of positive local buzz. It's owned by three women, hence the name. I spoke with one of the owners, Laura Rosenthal-Bauer, a native of Chile, about the restaurant. She said that in addition to lots of great dishes including a variety of paellas and a classic Peruvian ceviche, they feature a wide selection of tapas along with wines from Spain and Chile.
Solimene's is not in Kailua-Kona but deserves mention for bringing good American-Italian food to the Waimea area. Cheryl wrote a nice of review which you can read here.
Torchy's food is hard to pin down as we hear reports of Kalua Pork Sandwiches along side Italian dishes. One thing that is supposed to be very good is their cheesecake.
Tropics in the Royal Kona Resort has a new name, Don the Beachcomber.
On Maui, there is quite a bit of activity.
Spago, one of Maui's premier dining spots recently promoted from within when they named Cameron Lewark as the new executive chef. Marianne Schultz happened to be checking the Spago website when she spotted the change and she promptly emailed Lee Hefter. Marianne interviewed Lee last year after he won the James Beard award for Best Chef California. Lee is one busy person working as the executive chef at Spago Beverly Hills and corporate chef for the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. In spite of his demanding schedule, Lee took the time to email back confirming the promotion. Lee said that, "Finally Cameron has the opportunity he has been working very hard for..." Congratulations to Cameron!
WM The Restaurant sounds like it is Maui's equivalent of Honolulu's The Bistro at Century Center. The waiters are decked out in tuxedos and tableside service is the order of the day. WM is described by diners as a throwback to the old days of fine dining. The "WM" stands for West Maui.
Son'z Maui at Swan Court is the newest restaurant from the Tri-Star Group which owns several restaurants including Aaron's and Sarento's on Oahu. Son'z Maui is located in the Hyatt Regency Maui in Kaanapali. The food is described as "...classic cuisine for the next generation."
And, if you're wondering what happened to former Spago executive chef Adam Condon, no worries. He and Ted Woody have opened Ted and Adam: The Place at Maalaea. With a menu described as eclectic and constantly evolving, the place has gained favorable reports for use of local produce simply prepared and the roasted meats.
And, finally to Oahu.
The closings have come fast and furious over the past few weeks. In addition to the spots mentioned in previous newsletters like Padovanni's and Swiss Haus, we can confirm that Donato's will close after dinner service on Tuesday February 14. According to Donato, he will open at a new location sometime in the next few months which will feature wines and gourmet foodstuffs imported from Italy. He plans a deli, grocery store and wine tasting rooms in his new spot. No lease has been signed as of the time when I spoke with him but he promised to keep us posted on future developments.
Another closing which was just announced is that of Hackfeld's. Hackfeld's was the last vestige of Liberty House left at what is now Macy's in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. It was a sad moment when I had to tell my better half as Hackfeld's was his favorite "escape" destination when he wanted to avoid going back to the office. It is also one of the first places we went to when I moved to Oahu. Next Friday, January 20 is their final day.
Long anticipated eatery, Hakkei, has opened in the spot which was previously occupied by Okinawan eatery Hatsune-ya on Young Street. Permitting delays caused several months to pass while anxious foodies waited and waited. I'm hoping this restaurant will be just like the one in Japan which is known for its traditional Japanese home-style cooking.
Wahoo's Fish Tacos has opened in the Ward Gateway Center at the corner of Ward and Auahi. Holding the franchise for Hawaii are the Pietsch siblings who are all graduates of Punahou. They were introduced to Wahoo's while going to college on the Mainland and thought it was perfect for Hawaii. Feedback has been mixed but I think it's worth a visit to see for myself.
I have been driving by The Mandalay on Alakea Street at least once a week for more than a month now hoping to find them open. There were still construction crews working on the interior yesterday but the exterior is complete and having watched more than one episode of "Opening Soon", it's possible they'll open sooner rather than later. I have high hopes for this modern Chinese bistro.
This Week's Reviews - We Have Two!
Mama's Island Pizza - Mama Makes Great Pizza and Wings
Mama's Island Pizza is one of several spots that recently opened in Kailua and based on the lunch we enjoyed there, they have an excellent chance of survival. The food is good, the service was fine and the location is top notch - right next to Foodland. Owners Marlene and Ken Wilson (TV buffs will recognize him from his days as a reporter, most recently with KHON 2) are neophytes in the restaurant business but they appear to have done their homework and found a niche for the offerings which center around a variety of Marlene's specialties.
Marianne Schultz was a willing guinea pig for this visit and we arrived right when the store was opening at 11am and spent a few minutes studying the menu written on a chalkboard above the counter and checking out the restaurant. The place is clean and cheerful with red formica tables and the fabric on the booths has a nice pineapple design. Though the walls were a bit bare, we learned later that they expect to have additional artwork within the next couple of weeks. If you like to dine al fresco, they have several tables set up outside.
There is no lack of hyperbole in the item descriptions on the menu. The words "best", "famous", "perfect" and other superlatives are used freely and we were certainly game to put it all to the test. We decided on the pizza which is touted so highly that the menu actually states that if you don't like it, you get your money back. Bold words! Since I'm a believer in the importance of the dough we settled on a very basic pepperoni pizza to get a baseline on the overall quality.
Next we added an order of Mama's Famous Chicken Wings with wing sauce from a secret recipe that Mama's husband Ken says rival those at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York where Buffalo Wings were first served. The Bar-B-Q Kalua Pork Sandwich was described as "succulent" and since I'm a pushover for pork anytime, we had to order one of those. And, last, but certainly not least when it came to florid descriptions, we ordered the Island Chicken Wrap which, according to the menu is "...bursting with flavor!" from all the goodies inside.
Marianne collected our drink cups and acquired plastic utensils from the self-serve bar while I paid our bill which totaled just over $33 pre-tax. Not bad for a pizza, a dozen chicken wings, a sandwich, a wrap and two drinks. Then we settled down to wait for our food to be delivered.
The pizza was delivered first and it looked delicious. The crust was sturdy with plenty of crunchy cornmeal on the bottom and a nice aroma of yeasty goodness without a trace of greasiness. This is not the very thin NY-style pizza that you can fold and it is not deep dish either. It's substantial enough to stand up to plenty of toppings. The first bite confirmed that it tasted as good as it looked and smelled. Not too heavy on the sauce (if you like a seriously saucy pizza you might want to ask for extra, but for me it was perfect), a nice layer of whole milk mozzarella and then the pepperoni. The crust was excellent and I flagged down Marlene to ask her if she made the dough and if it was aged. She confirmed that she does make the dough every few days. The retardation of dough fermentation through chilling for a day or two is one of the secrets to a very flavorful crust. Big thumbs up on the pizza!
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Mama's Island Pizza
108 Hekili St
Foodland Marketplace
Kailua, Windward Oahu
624-6262
Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-11pm
Dine & Dash at Tapioca Express - Surprisingly Tasty Eats
I received an email a few months back from a reader recommending that I check out the food at Tapioca Express. I had seen this little shop which is on Kapiolani just across from the Convention Center and thought it was just a beverage shop until this reader informed me that they do excellent plate lunch-style food and a daily fish special. It turns out they are part of a large mainland chain but the owners have gone a step beyond the Tapioca Express beverages and are exercising some culinary independence.
Over the ensuing months I would drive by and wonder about where customers could park. Just recently I noticed a sign on the door that said there was plenty of free parking but I couldn't read where that might be exactly. Anyway, my schedule finally slowed down a bit and I decided it was time to go check it out. I contacted trusty dining companions, Ryan and Jennifer Ozawa (and baby Alex!), to see if they'd like to join me for a quick lunch.
Then I called Tapioca Express to find out about the parking. There is plenty of parking but it is behind the building and across the street. You have to be coming from the Diamond Head end of Kapiolani heading Ewa and just after you cross Kalakaua (or turn onto Kapiolani from Kalakaua) you will make the very first right which is onto Kalauokalani. Park in any of 35 yellow marked stalls on the right-hand side of the street in the large parking lot which you can't miss.
The menu is extensive and offers all of the classic plate lunch offerings from Hamburger Steak to Shrimp Tempura and all of them are in the price range of $6 to $8. The daily fish special is $8.75 and the day we visited they were featuring Salmon which you could have one of three ways: with cream and caper sauce, with garlic, butter and capers or blackened. All of the plate lunches come with rice, green salad and mac salad. They have a selection of sandwiches and they serve the famous Nathan's Hot Dogs from Coney Island. They also offer a breakfast menu which is available all day.
We ordered Mochiko Chicken ($6), Kalbi ($6.50) and two Nathan's Hot Dog Combos ($4.95) which included fries and a soda. Jen also had a Snow Bubble beverage for $3. The food is cooked to order so we sat down to wait a bit. The place is small with just a few tables plus some outdoor seating. They offer wi-fi and have a couple of computers which some WCC students were using while they waited for their food. There is a nice big couch and lots of cookbooks to read. I began to suspect that the owners, or at least the gentleman in the kitchen, likes to cook and looked forward to the food.
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Tapioca Express
1726 Kapiolani Blvd
Ala Moana, Honolulu
944-1077
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-10pm
