A taste of Tuscany in two locations
Friday - September 19, 2008
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A bite-sized look at food events in Honolulu
Soprano At Sergio’s
It’s only fitting, really, that the most famous Italian on television would look for authentic Italian food on a recent trip to Honolulu. When James Gandolfini, star of HBO’s The Sopranos, was in town to marry local resident Deborah Lin earlier this month, the two dined at Sergio’s at Hilton Hawaiian Village, and by all accounts loved the food that Chef Alfredo Lee prepared.
Authenticity is the key to Lee’s approach to Italian food. He grew up in Tuscany and, in an intense culinary training that involved moving throughout the country, he learned techniques from all regions of Italy.
Lee is a supporter of local farmers, using Nalo greens, local heirloom tomatoes, arugula, herbs and anything else he can get his hands on, but he also imports specialty items like prosciutto from Emilia Romagna, mascarpone cheese, olive oils and silky ricotta. Lee’s background is steeped in food history, and he tells great stories of watching his grandmother cooking and bartering produce she’d grown in exchange for wine and cheese.
“We had a chestnut farm, so my grandma would trade our chestnuts with other farmers at about 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning when they were setting up the market. She would trade for cheese, and wine in jugs,” he says.
Sergio’s has become so popular, it’s ready for expansion. Restaurant space on Kapahulu Avenue formerly occupied by Sam Choy’s will convert to Sergio’s Italian Restaurant at the end of the month. Watch this space for more details, and in the meantime, take advantage of the sunset specials offered at Sergio’s at Hilton Hawaiian Village, where guests can choose from nightly fixed price menus.
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Sergio’s Italian Restaurant
Hilton Hawaiian Village
Honolulu
951-6900
Dinner served nightly from 5 to 10 p.m.
Ocean House No Longer A Secret
It’s no longer the best-kept secret in Waikiki. After six years in its prime dining, beachfront location, many people are aware that Ocean House in the Outrigger Reef, Waikiki, offers some of the greatest value - and memorable dining. But there are still guests who come in once a night or so and ask general manager David Nagaishi how long it’s been there.
“It happens all the time,” says Nagaishi. “Guests take a look at the room, the beach, the view and they can’t believe they haven’t been here before.”
The Ocean House menu offers extraordinarily good value, and considering the location, one could argue the best value in all of Waikiki. Seared, peppered sea scallops served over mushrooms with a soy sake butter sauce is just $10, and a good-sized portion of ahi sashimi is $12. There’s an enthusiastic young staff thriving under the mentorship of Nagaishi.
“I love it here,” says manager Lilia Wilson with a smile. “The view is incredible, and when local people come here they are really happy with the prices and the food.”
Ocean House Restaurant
Outrigger Reef Hotel
923-2277
Free Validated Parking
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Nihon Noodles
There are many forms of comfort food in Hawaii, but none more popular than a bowl of steaming hot noodles. At Nihon Noodles on South King Street, the specialty bowls bring something a little different to the table, and feature regional dishes from Japan.
“We wanted to bring these specialized broths and noodles to Hawaii,” says owner Mayumi Kaneshiro, “because we thought that people here would really appreciate their differences.”
In Japan, each region offers a different noodle, with different broths and toppings. But, if it’s your first time in the restaurant, go for the Nihon Noodle Special, a sampling of three types of noodles (Hakata, Tokyo and Sapporo) and three different broths. Hakata are thin noodles served with a Tonkotsu broth, made by simmering pork bones for eight hours or more. The resultant broth is milky white, oily and delicious. “I’m not sure you should eat it every day,” says Mayumi, “but it does taste very good.” Tokyo noodle is a medium thin noodle served with shoyu broth and garnished with bean sprouts, char siu, green onions and nori, and the Sapporo is the thickest of noodles in a miso broth.
You can add toppings like bok choy, broccoli, kim chee or scallops, but there are enough condiments on each noodle dish to satisfy.
Nihon Noodles also has a small okazu menu where excellent gyoza are worth the trip, and a few rice dishes are served a la carte.
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Nihon Noodles
2065 S. King St.
944-6622
Korean Buffet Has Addictive Kim Chee
When Peter Baik opened his first Korean restaurant (Yakiniku Mikawon) in Honolulu almost five years ago, he quickly gained a reputation for serving high-quality ingredients - and some say the best kim chee in town. Those same ingredients, along with the recipe for his wife’s kim chee, have moved to Mililani where local residents now have an allyou-can-eat Korean barbecue on their doorstep.
And while portion sizes at the vast buffet are as big as you want them to be - it’s the kim chee that has aficionados coming back again and again. “My wife makes the kim chee,” says Baik, “and it’s become so popular that people drive here from all over the island to taste it. We now sell it at the restaurant for people to take home.”
The tasty kim chee is made using whole cabbages - not just chopped, pickled leaves - and the priciest ingredients. “Part of the reason for the high quality of the kim chee is that my wife buys the best ingredients - we use the most expensive red pepper for example - and she’s also meticulous about keeping the recipe exactly the same every day.” Kimchi may be the main attraction for many Korean food devotees, but there are dozens of specialty dishes on the buffet line (including kalbi chicken, spicy pork and boneless short ribs) that are worth the drive to Mililani.
Palace Buffet
Korean BBQ Buffet
623-3000
94-780 Meheula Pkwy.
Mililani
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