Authentic Vietnamese and Italian favorites
Friday - December 12, 2008
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A bite-sized holiday look at food events in Honolulu.
Pho (with Fat) a Specialty at New McCully Restaurant.
Pho 777 is the most recent addition to the dozens of Vietnamese restaurants in the city. It takes over the spot vacated by Brazilian restaurant Tudo de Bon on the second floor of McCully Shopping Center.
The new owners have maintained the original fixtures, making it one of the most pleasantly decorated Vietnamese spots in town. A small bar area, wood accents, white linen tablecloths and lots of natural daylight give the small restaurant a fresh and welcoming appeal.
On the menu you’ll find Vietnamese staples such as summer rolls, green papaya salad, pan-fried whole fish and a variety of soups and noodles.
Specialties of the house include pho with slices of rare steak ($7.99) or with tendon and tripe ($8.25). With a nod to healthy eating, the homemade beef broth is defatted so those who enjoy the taste of authentic Vietnamese broths can enjoy pho without the restaurant’s manager, Bao Nguyen.
Another house specialty is rice porridge served with a variety of meat and seafood toppings, including “pork organ” meat, for $8.75.
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There’s an enthusiastic staff eager to please and a well-priced menu that ought to appeal to anyone looking for a new neighborhood spot with reasonable prices and comforting ethnic food.
Pho 777 McCully Shopping Center 955-7770 Open daily, 10a.m.-midnight
Café Olive, Italian Neighborhood Dining in Wahiawa
Residents of Wahiawa need no one to explain the joys of a great neighborhood restaurant.
Since Café Olive opened its doors four-and-a-half years ago, the restaurant has consistently offered comforting food at incredibly reasonable prices. It’s hard to go wrong with a menu of simple Italian favorites, and the restaurant has garnered a loyal following.
New to the kitchen is Darren Linck, who’s keen to assert his culinary skills by making menu changes, so look for daily specials. Shrimp Fra Diavolo is a spicy favorite, and there are a number of seafood dishes where shrimp and scallops remain moist and mercifully not overcooked.
There’s an excellent lilikoi panacotta that’s not on the menu, but just ask, and I’m sure there will be one on hand. It’s a specialty of Linck’s and comes with a light raspberry drizzle that beautifully complements the slightly tart lilikoi flavor. One portion is big enough to share, but go ahead and order two - desserts this big and this good are hard to find at Café Olive prices.
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Bring your own bottle of a favorite Italian wine (there’s no corkage fee). Oh, and don’t be surprised to see kim chee or kalbi on the menu - owner Lisa Choi makes sure her Korean roots are represented on the menu despite its Italian theme.
Café Olive 71S. Kamehameha Hwy. Wahiawa 621-7997
Private Dining Makes for Perfect Parties
If you’re looking for a special way to celebrate the holidays, you might want to consider a restaurant that offers more than just a table in the dining room.
Private dining is a way to make guests feel special and give the party an exclusive,VIP appeal. But while you might expect restaurant wine rooms or glass-fronted private dining areas to be an expensive addition to the bill, you’re in for a surprise. “We
don’t charge for any of our private dining rooms,” says Alex Kirley of Ruth’s Chris Steak House. “Guests can book any of our rooms at any of our restaurants during the holidays at no extra charge.”
There’s usually a minimum amount the restaurant expects a private party to spend, but no extra charges are added for privacy and exclusivity. Ruth’s Chris in Waikiki and the original Ruth’s Chris at Restaurant Row both have myriad dining options. A new private dining room was created recently at the Restaurant Row location, making it the perfect place for office parties, family gatherings or business meetings.
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And Ruth’s Chris will go one step further to meet your needs. “We’ll open our restaurants for lunch if we have clients who need to hold a special meeting or a function,” says Kirley.
Nothing says “we think you’re special"better than asking the staff to come in just for you.
For more information on holiday dining at Ruth’s Chris Steak House:
Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Restaurant Row, 599-3860
Waikiki Beach Walk, 440-7910
Wine and Imported Cheese at Elua.
Elua Wine Bar at L’Uraku Tower launches its new wine and cheese program this weekend.
Taking its cue from a recent Wine Spectator article about the world’s greatest cheeses, `Elua will offer a plate of three cheeses specifically paired with wine beginning Dec. 12. Each plate will include three cheeses paired with wine for $12. Almonds, olives and other tasty accompaniments also are available as late-night bites.
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Expect to see rare and unusual cheese from Mainland sources, including Pecorino Foglie di Noce, a rustic, firm cheese made from sheep’s milk, then wrapped in walnut leaves rubbed with olive oil. Elegant, rich and triple-creamy Mt. Tam should pair well with a sparkling wine or a Chardonnay, and world-famous Taleggio, the gorgeous nutty, buttery, washed-rind cheese favored by Italians, will be on the menu too. Look for Chef Donato Loperfido to incorporate this into a risotto with asparagus for the winter menu.
The unusual Red Hawk, with its arrestingly pungent nose and wrinkly orange appearance, should be a fun challenge to pair with wine, and from the Jura Mountains of France comes Compte, a cow’s-milk cheese with a sweet and nutty taste and grassy alpine aromas.
During the month of December, `Elua offers its three-cheese plate nightly with a 5-ounce glass of wine for $16.
Elua 341Kapiolani Blvd. 955-3582
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