Thoughts about Restaurants and Food to Remember in 2005
Gail Jennings
December 2005

As the year draws to a close, I've been reflecting on the many restaurants we've dined at over the past year trying to sort out what the highlights were and what restaurants I would consider my favorites. I then thought that maybe I could share some of them with you, the readers. I should caution that the criteria I'm applying to the following round-up is strictly based on my preferences. I like very spicy food and I tend to favor salty over sweet flavors when it comes to main dishes. I generally don't like chicken so the mention of a specific chicken dish and a small eatery that specializes in fire-roasted chicken means I found them to be outstanding. I love desserts too and I'm including a couple of those as well though, sadly, one of my favorites made an all too brief appearance on a seasonal menu.

The common thread that binds these restaurants is the dedication of the restaurant owners and/or chefs and staff to excellence. I have learned over the years that the secret to a great restaurant is not only in the food, but also in the people who work tirelessly to serve their customers. They are the soul of a restaurant and people who are committed to doing their very best every single day are the ones that win my respect and my repeat patronage.

So, in no particular order and with no particular method, here are some of the restaurants and food I especially enjoyed in 2005.

Italian Dreams of Risotto and Radiatore Verde

I must pay special thanks to our former Euro-Cuisine restaurant reviewer, Sarah E. Shaw, for introducing me to both of these restaurants. Since our first visits, we have returned several times and each meal has been a pleasure. The complete reviews of both of the following restaurants were written by Sarah and links are provided so that you can read them. Sarah has since relocated to Australia, but our tummies will owe her a debt of gratitude for years to come!

I have two favorites in this category, Donato's [Editor's Note: Donato's closed February 2006] and Cafe VIII 1/2. They are very different from one another with Donato's being, in my opinion, the very best Italian restaurant on Oahu. Chef/owner Donato Loperfido cooks with all of the energy and passion one expects from a true Italian chef and his Risotto con Funghi (mushroom risotto) is worthy of a special trip. Another thing that won me over to this Manoa restaurant was the willingness of Chef Donato to prepare a very simple pasta dish which was not on the menu but is my favorite - Aglio, Olio e Pepperoncini. Chef Donato sauteed garlic and red pepper flakes in a bit of olive oil and then quickly tossed it with properly cooked pasta – excellent. Just a week or so ago we were in Manoa for a late appointment and decided to drop by Donato's for some antipasti. We were pleased to find that many of the popular choices, including the Riso al Salto (saffron risotto cakes with sauteed Hamakua mushrooms and truffle sauce), are offered at reduced prices prior to 7:30pm and we made a tasty meal out of several appetizers without leaving a big dent in the pocketbook. Donato's is only open for dinner and the place can get very busy so reservations are recommended if you plan to enjoy a meal. If you drop in, there are comfortable seats in the bar area as well as some tables, which is where we sat on our last visit. Read Sarah's review.

Cafe VIII 1/2 is vastly different from Donato's in atmosphere but the owners have the same energy and passion which makes this my preferred spot in Downtown Honolulu. They are only open for lunch and they don't always open promptly at 11:30am. When that happens, a line starts to form as busy business-types wait patiently (that's how good the food is) for the door to swing open at this tiny restaurant. The menu is limited and the portions are quite large which might tempt one to order a single entree and share. You must, however, order an entree per person - that's the rule here and they politely but firmly enforce it. Once you taste the food you won't mind and, if there is anything leftover, you'll happily take it with you. It's hard to pick a favorite but if forced to choose just one item it would be the Radiatore Verde which is Kiawe grilled steak strips and onions topping pasta tossed with a vibrant pesto and smothered in freshly grated parmesan. And, I really must mention the Pollo en Potacchio - quite possibly the best chicken dish ever - seriously. The chicken thighs are stewed in a lush yet light tomato sauce redolent of wine, herbs and spices and placed atop creamy mashed potatoes (the real deal). The meat is so tender it falls away from the bones. I look for excuses to eat here. Read the review.

Vietnamese - So Much More than Pho

I first heard about Bac Nam several months ago from a culinary professional who highly recommended that I try the restaurant. I love Vietnamese food and had been searching for a really great Vietnamese place since moving to Honolulu. While I could find decent pho just about any place, there were certain items which simply weren't offered at many places or, if they were, they bore little resemblance to the Vietnamese food I had enjoyed in Vietnam or in the homes of Vietnamese friends. Since our first visit to Bac Nam, we have returned many times. It is our dining destination of choice virtually every time we want to eat out (and it’s not a working meal) and we have never been disappointed. One dish we order every time we go is the Banh Cuon which are delicate rice flour rolls filled with a minced pork and mushroom mixture, topped with Vietnamese bologna (they make their own here) and assorted vegetables and crispy caramelized onions. Bo Nuong La Lot Trang or beef wrapped in wild betel leaves and grilled is addictive. I've been so busy eating the dishes I crave like the Bun Bo Hue (Vietnamese beef noodle soup Hue-style) and the aforementioned Bahn Cuon that we haven't even tried the pho - I hear it's very good though and I don't doubt it based on the excellence of everything else we've tried. Read the review.

My Neighborhood's Best Japanese Restaurant

I must mention Mr. Ojisan but since I wrote a lengthy review of this charming Kapahula restaurant just a few months ago, I will refer you to that for details. Suffice it to say that it is a restaurant we'd frequent more often if we lived in the area. And, if you're looking for a strictly sushi spot, there is no place better than Mitch's Sushi Bar which I also covered in this review.

In our neighborhood, which is in Central Oahu, I was delighted to find Tadashi. It is really the ideal neighborhood spot serving Japanese standards like Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), noodles and the like. Where Tadashi really shines though is in their preparation of fresh fish from the Tataki (seared ahi with shredded daikon, grated ginger and fresh garlic slices in ponzu sauce) to the sushi offerings. Chef/co-owner Curtis Chanthabandith and fellow co-owner, Makoto Nakasone, met while they were both working at the Prince Hotel. It was a happy day for Central Oahu residents when they decided to venture out on their own and open Tadashi at the Pearl Kai Shopping Center. Though they got off to a bit of a slow start, as word of mouth about their superior food started to spread, the restaurant grew in popularity. They just expanded into a second bay at the shopping center to accommodate the increasing number of hungry customers.

Sit at the sushi bar and watch Chef Curtis deftly prepare colorful sushi rolls like the Hawaii Five-O Roll which is an inside-out unagi roll topped with hamachi, salmon, ahi and snapper sprinkled with bright dots of tobiko. You will not be disappointed with the service or the food and you might even become a regular, like us. Read the review.

Hawaii Regional Cuisine or Hawaii Fusion - Confused Yet? Not at Chef Mavro

One is never sure from month to month what the preferred term is for the cuisine dubbed "Hawaii Regional Cuisine" or HRC for short. Roy Yamaguchi, one of the original HRC chefs, now calls his cuisine "Hawaii Fusion" but I've heard from reliable sources that that was a corporate-enforced designation. Whatever you label it, to me it means food that is prepared using as much locally produced product as possible. To my mind, HRC is not so much defined by a flavor profile as it is by a plethora of ingredients prepared in a fairly predictable manner. You might guess that I am not a huge fan of HRC but that wouldn't be strictly true. What I am a fan of is the continued pushing forward of the cuisine rather than relying on formulaic recipes which have created a somewhat stagnant feeling to the dishes of some practitioners of HRC.

One of the chefs of this genre who continues to push forward by continually changing the menu and refining his food is George Mavrothalassitis, chef/owner of Chef Mavro. A year ago I wrote a review of a memorable meal we enjoyed at Chef Mavro. Two more visits over the past year have only reinforced my belief that Chef George is one of the finest chefs in Hawaii, if not the world, and I must, therefore, include Chef Mavro in this list of my personal favorites.

The complete menu changes that happen seasonally mean that the dish I so loved in the spring is no longer available in November. No matter, new creations are the lifeblood of this talented chef whose restaurant was just named as one of only 10 in the world to the select list of Fodor's Choice 2006. At Chef Mavro you can reasonably expect that you will receive stellar service from the friendly and not-the-least-bit-snooty staff, that the chef himself will be in the kitchen cooking (you have no idea how rare that is in many of the "name" places in Honolulu) and that you will experience food prepared with exquisite care.

I do have to mention a couple of staple ingredients that are continually offered in new and delicious ways - first is the foie gras which was most recently served seared and perched atop two poached Pacific oysters and accompanied by green apple jelly, red currants and a savory-sweet spice bread. This was so excellent my better half was actually giggling as he ate it. He offered the highest praise possible, "Better than the best bacon you ever ate." Another favored ingredient is Big Island Goat Cheese. At every meal we've enjoyed at Chef Mavro, the cheese course has always been a standout but this most recent one was the best yet. The goat cheese was combined with lemon and chives and whipped into a delicately rich mousse. It was accompanied by fresh figs, fig marmalade and topped with Hirabara baby greens. Stunningly simple - absolutely perfect. Precisely what I expect and always find at Chef Mavro. A brand new treat is the divine housemade Lemon Marshmallows; they are a sweets lover's dream.

Tasty Tidbits - All the Good Stuff that Doesn't Fit Anywhere Else

The best chicken on Oahu is found at Maui Mike's Fire Roasted Chicken in Wahiawa. These fresh, additive-free chickens are rubbed with a secret blend of spices, then fire roasted over open flame to sear in the juices. The exterior might get a bit blackened but the chicken inside is always tender, moist and mouth-wateringly good. You don't want to miss this chicken - as a self-confessed non-fan of most chicken dishes, this is one of the exceptions. Read our Dine & Dash Review.

Winning our Burger Wars really put Kulia Grill on the map but, in truth, there is much more to this quick service restaurant than great cheeseburgers and potato chips. Daily specials almost always include an innovative fish preparation and their salads are worth trying as well. I do confess though that I almost always eat the now famous cheeseburger. You might be interested to know that the burgers are so popular that they have opened a condiment bar where you can add the toppings you like yourself. Oh, the demands of fame! It is well deserved and we can look for Kulia Grill to open for dinner in early 2006. Read our Dine & Dash Review.

Just Desserts

We've never actually eaten at Hiroshi’s Eurasion Tapas restaurant but we have eaten his desserts at sister restaurant Vino. (The two restaurants essentially share a space and have a partner-in-common, D.K. Kodama of Sansei). The stellar dessert was Very Very Berry and illustrated all of the reasons Hiroshi's food attracts so much praise - three squares of airy-textured gelatin each infused with a different berry (strawberry, raspberry and blueberry), then layered with pastry cream and placed atop lychee sorbet whilst swimming in a pool of berry soup - innovative use of ingredients, incredible taste and beautiful presentation.

Pavilion Cafe is a popular lunch spot that just happens to be located in one of the courtyards of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The cafe offers great food but the standout is the Chocolate Pot au Creme - luscious, rich and decadent. Chocolate lovers will swoon and fashionistas will have fun watching the ladies who lunch that dominate the dining crowd. They'll see quite a few hats and some very nice jewelry. It's also fun to take a look around the museum before or after lunch - a very nice outing for anyone.

In conclusion, I'd like to extend my sincere appreciation to all of my readers and thank you as well for the feedback you've offered over the year. May you each have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to another great year of eating here in the Land of Aloha and sharing my findings with you.

Mele Kalikimaka!