The Alan Wong Experiences (Honolulu, HI)

Man am I behind!  Five months later (can't believe it's been that long) and I'm finally getting around to finishing some of these.  It's like I've been busy or something lately.  I'm just going to get these posted...so enjoy the pictures.

We tried both of Alan Wong's fantastic restaurants while in Hawaii; Alan Wong's Honolulu and The Pineapple Room.  We actually accidentally ran across The Pineapple Room...we were killing some time at a mall we passed before heading to the airport and saw that the PR just happened to be there as well!

First, our experience with Alan Wong's tasting menu at Alan Wong's Honolulu:

Started off with drinks (for me, not my pregnant wife).  Alan Wong's signature Pineapple Martini, the Bully Way.

Fresh baked bread with garlic aioli.

Next, we had the caviar and ahi tartare, while they made a special substitution for Carli (since she couldn't eat raw fish) and brought out a seafood cake.

Crab "Tofu" Agedashi was up next.

Followed by a delicious preparation of Hudson Valley Seared Foie Gras.

Butter Poached Kona Lobster.  How can you go wrong with butter poached?

North Shore Tilapia and Braised Smoked Short Rib.

 

And we finished the meal with Kula "Strawberries Romanoff" and the best cup of coffee I've ever had.  This meal rocked.

To the Pineapple Room!  Starting off with some appetizers....ahi two ways, lobster bisque, and a bruschetta.
 

Then, Alan Wong's "gourmet" version of Loco Moco.

And we finished the meal off with a little dessert: brownie, fruit, and ice cream.

After two wonderful meals like these, it's not hard to see why Alan Wong rules the island.

Zia's Caffe (Kailua, HI)

After a treacherous hike at Maunawili Falls (if you don't believe me, just ask Carli), we came across Zia's Caffe for a late lunch.

We started with the calamari, which was unlike any calamari I had previously tried.  Not quite as snappy of a consistency as the "regular" stuff, but it was nicely seasoned and pretty good.

For our entrees, we had the Italian chop salad and the salmon risotto.  

Not too bad at all either.  Though we can't honestly say we remember too much of the meal.  We just remember filling up with lots of liquids and just being happy to sit down in some comfortable chairs for an hour!

Loco Moco (Waipahu, HI)

So while we were down in Hawaii, we were told we had to try Loco Moco.  I didn't know what that was.  So we looked it up and found several Loco Moco restaurants around the island.  Only later did I realize that this recommendation was for the dish, not the restaurant.  Oh well, I had some Loco Moco at Loco Moco.

 This is quite a dish.  It consists of two scoops of rice, then layered with a hamburger patty on each, a fried egg on each, and then drowned in gravy.  And then there's the macaroni salad on the side.  Which also has gravy on it.

To me, this is the ultimate next morning after a night of heavy-duty drinking meal.  Why?  Well....

-Beef ...check
-Eggs ...check
-Gravy ...check

I mean, what's not to like? 

Ihilani JW Marriott Resort (Ko Olina, HI)

Since Daniel and Kristen looked like they had so much fun in Hawaii, we decided to make the journey out there as well.  For one beautiful week, we traveled around the island of Oahu, spending our evenings at the Ihilani JW Marriott Resort in Ko Olina.  The Ihilani had several good looking restaurants so naturally, we had to try them all.

Our first stop was the Naupaka Terrace at the Ihilani Resort.  Out of the three main restaurants at Ihilani, this is their most casual dining spot.  We started off with their Poke salad, in which cubed ahi sashimi was the main protein component.  Out of all the ahi we ate on the island, this was my least favorite.  However, it is no slam on the quality of fish served here, it was still delicious.  It is more of a testament to the quality of seafood served at the places we ate.

For the main course, we dove into their luau special, which consisted of Kalua pork, fried fish, beef wrapped in greens, salmon salad, roasted purple potatoes, poi, and steamed rice.  All of the food was quite delicious, though as you can see from the picture, it was a lot to eat.  My favorite had to be the fish, as it was moist and tender, with a delicious coconut/nut sauce draped over the top.

The final piece of the luau special was the pineapple torte with lemon sorbet.  The sorbet was a nice complement to the warm, moist pineapple torte.

Because it was a short walk from our hotel room, we also had another quick dinner here.  But out of all the meals, our favorite was the weekend brunch.  All of the usual brunch items were included, but some of the highlights were the oysters, more of the ahi poke, shrimp cocktail, prime rib & pork loin carving stations, smoked salmon, and the wide variety of desserts.  What was even more interesting (and delicious) was the self serve juice bar.  I can say that you really haven't had pineapple juice until you've freshly squeezed your own Hawaiian pineapple while in Hawaii!

The fine dining option at the Ihilani resort is their Azul Restaurant.  I decided to go with their prix fixe option with the wine pairing (more on that later) while Carli decided to go a la carte.

Delicious Crusty Bread...mmmmmmm

For starters, I had Azul's version of a bouillabaisse soup, while Carli decided on the lobster bisque.  The bouillabaisse was absolutely outstanding.  There were multiple varieties of fresh seafood and shellfish in the dish, with my favorite being the chewy yet snappy consistency of the calamari.  Even better was the value, since bouillabaisse was priced at $26 a la carte, whereas the entire tasting menu was $49.  The lobster bisque was a standard preparation of the dish, but rich and luscious nonetheless.

Although the service wasn't exactly stellar thus far, it really took a downturn at this point in the meal.  Even though I had ordered the wine pairing, I hadn't received my second glass of wine until the end of the second course, at which point I politely turned it down and just paid for the one glass.  Additionally, it took almost an hour before our second course was served.  Fortunately, the second course was (almost) worth the wait.  I decided on the dry rubbed NY strip steak, while Carli enjoyed her second lobster dish of the evening, lobster ravioli.

Finally, for dessert we had the chocolate torte cake and the chocolate lava cake.  Both were delicious representations of chocolate desserts, but the winner here was the lava cake.

We also tried Ihilani's Japanese restaurant, Ushio-Tei (translation: the subtle tides of Hawaii).  Although we didn't take any pictures, it was a fairly standard meal you would get at a semi-upscale Japanese restaurant.  This was my least favorite of the three restaurants at Ihilani; however, Carli very much enjoyed Ushio-Tei and the steamed lobster she ordered (can you see a recurring pattern here?).

All in all, the offerings at Ihilani were quite good.  The hotel itself was spectacular as well, with multiple locations on property offering picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean.

One more thing.  I don't care how many pieces of cut fruit or how many umbrellas end up in the cocktail, Lava Flows are freaking awesome.

Leonardo's (Kahuku, HI)

For our final night in Hawaii, we stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort at the north tip of Oahu. The resort had endless activities to do, including surfing, snorkeling, and golfing, among others. It also had a number of dining options that looked good; in particular, the fine dining restaurant of the resort, 21 Degrees North. However, after a long day of snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and driving around the island of Oahu, we were a bit worn out and wanted a more casual dinner. We decided on Leonardo's, serving Italian cuisine.

I had an Italian red (don't recall the type) to drink with the meal, which began with bread and caponata, sans-eggplant. I rather enjoyed the caponata, served cool, and containing large slices of not-too-strong raw garlic. It had a sweet and sour flavor profile that I found somewhat addicting.

For appetizers, we got an order of Polenta Fries and a Romaine Heart salad. The polenta was served with a red bell pepper salsa, and was fried well, relatively grease-less and molten in the middle. Unfortunately, the salad came overdressed, and the honey-lemon Caesar dressing was far too sweet. The croutons accompanying the salad was cold and dry. Surprisingly, the white anchovies were of high quality, and acted to temper some of the dressing that still clung to the lettuce after we scraped most of it off.

For the entrees, Kristen ordered Chicken Parmesan, served with gnocchi and a vegetable medley. The chicken parmesan was moist and crisp, but the star was the gnocchi. Light and delicate, this was my favorite part of the dish.

I ordered the Osso Buco Milanese, which turned out to be a disaster. The pork shank could have used another couple hours to cook, and required a steak knife to get any meat off the bone. Once it came off the bone, it was like eating pork flavored rubber. I'm not sure how anyone in the kitchen could have possibly thought that this was edible. Most people who know me know that it takes quite a bit to render food inedible for me. This was that bad. The polenta underneath the shank was passable when eaten with the sauce. I only had one bite of the pork before turning my sights onto Kristen's entree.

When our waiter came by to check on us, I mentioned that the pork was far too tough, which he seemed to already know. I wonder if other tables got the shank in the same condition that I did. Fortunately, the pork was taken off the bill when it came, but it was too little, too late for Leonardo's. This was a disappointing last meal in Hawaii for us, and I can't find too many reasons to recommend Leonardo's to anyone.

Azure (Waikiki, HI)

For the fine dining meal on our belated Honeymoon in Hawaii, we decided on Azure Restaurant in the Royal Hawaiian. After enjoying Alan Wong's Pineapple Room on our last visit, we were also hoping to add his flagship restaurant to the list, but it didn't work out and will have to wait until a (hopefully near) future trip. Looking at a la carte menu, a few options looked intriguing, but we decided on the tasting menu with wine pairings.

To start, our waiter brought a clam dip with black pepper crackers. The clams were tender and briny. We enjoyed this first taste, although the creamy sauce was a bit too thin for the crackers.

Next, a bread basket was brought with olive bread (my favorite), parmesan flatbread crisps (different from the first ones, and Kristen's favorite), and a cold demi (not good). The butter was pretty typical, but topped with red Hawaiian sea salt, creating little bursts of flavor in each bite. I think all butter should be served with sea salt.

The first course was Azure Sashimi, consisting of Hawaiian Yellowfin Ahi Tuna and Japanese Hamachi. The fish surrounded an avocado salad, and was served with watermelon radishes and a papadum crisp. They seem to like bread crisps here, but they were tasty so I'm ok with it. A ginger vinaigrette was poured table-side. I really enjoyed the interaction between the creamy avocado and fish with the vinaigrette. The fish was very fresh, and the radishes added a nice textural contrast. This course was served with a Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec Rose.

The second course was a "Ocean Cappuccino", described as a Dungeness Crab and Black Tiger Shrimp Bouillabaisse. This soup had an intoxicating aroma, and the intense, bold taste of shellfish. There were also small pieces of crab and shrimp strewn throughout the soup. The only complaint about this dish was that it was a large portion, perhaps slightly too large for such a rich soup on a hot day. Its not like I didn't finish it, though.

The third course was a Kona Lobster Tail Risotto. A half Kona lobster tail was served over a saffron and cheese risotto, marinated tomatoes, and Waialua asparagus. The lobster was grilled perfectly, probably the best cooked piece of lobster that I've ever had. I generally prefer the claw, since the tail is often overcooked and tough, but this was exceedingly tender. The problem with this dish was the risotto was overpowering to the point that you couldn't taste the lobster when eaten together. I enjoyed each, so I ate them separately, but this is a perfect example of why cheese and lobster are never allowed in the same dish in Italian cooking. Finally, the marinated tomatoes detracted from the dish and were picked off. This dish was paired with a BEX Riesling, which worked well as the crisp, citrus notes of the wine cut through the rich risotto and lobster.

The final savory dish was the chef's play on Steak and Eggs. A butter poached Beef Filet was atop sauteed Hamakua mushrooms, and served with a taro and brandy puree, and topped with a Madeira-Truffle sauce. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and was as tender as you would expect from a filet. I've had a oil and butter-poached beef a few times, and have been happy with the flavor and tenderness each time. The egg added richness, and the Madeira-Truffle sauce, along with the mushrooms, added a heady earthiness to the dish. The flavor of the taro puree was ok, but the texture was a bit gummy and offputting. This course was served with a Vita Nova Merlot.

For dessert, we had a Kula Strawberrry and Chocolate Gelato, topped with balsamic syrup. The strawberry was very sweet, and made me wish there was more than one. The gelato was creamy and smooth, but not any more remarkable than others I've had. A single leaf of lemon verbena added a nice herbal note.

Overly stuffed, we were ready for our bill. However, our waiter had a surprise in store. When asked if this was a special occasion before the meal, we had mentioned that our trip was our honeymoon of sorts. Because of this, our waiter came with one final dessert, a banana split. The bananas were carmelized and had a crispy sugar shell, and was topped with vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut, and carmel sauce. Being the good guests (gluttons) that we were, we felt obligated to finish. And we did.

We thought Azure was a pretty good value, given that tasting menus at other spots in town would probably be another $15-20. The service was good and we would be happy to be back.