The Chef's Table

Located in a strip mall that's also home to Costco, Jamba Juice, Starbucks and Panda Express, the Chef's Table seems to be a little out of place.  It's one of the few restaurants that I know of that serves European cuisine in the state -- in this instance, the restaurant's specialty is Austrian food.  The restaurant has quietly existed in the Hawaii Kai Towne Centre for just about 8 years now, and after hearing so much about this place, I decide to pay it a visit.

With a frequent dining partner in tow, we make the drive out to Hawaii Kai (about 20 minutes from my apartment) and since it's a little after 7:00 pm when we arrive, the parking lot is empty.  I was surprised to find that the restaurant was doing brisk business as close to 75% of the tables were already occupied.

After rattling off a list of specials, our waitress brought us some break and left us so that we could look over the menu.  It has been a while since I last ate Austrian food so I had to ask the waitress for a little help in deciphering the menu.  She was very helpful in making recommendations, and after we had placed our orders, the dishes started appearing in a slow procession.

First to arrive was the carrot and orange zest soup (included in the meal).

The soup was warm and delicious and not at all like what I expected.  It was light and full of tender shards of carrot, onion and celery. 

Next was the appetizer recommended by our waitress, the roasted mushrooms in cheese and walnut sauce (US$7.50).

Underneath the cheese were tender slices of mushroom surrounded by a delicious gravy.  I couldn't quite make out the flavors, but it was definitely something that I would come back for.  As we worked our way to the bottom of the bowl we discovered bread there -- great for soaking up all that rich gravy.

Next was the house salad with onion vinaigrette (included in the meal).

(Sorry for the terrible photo.)

For dinner, I ordered the wienerschnitzel (US$18.50).

A lightly breaded and pan fried piece of veal cutlet was served with a lemon wedge, some steamed broccoli and carrots, a mound of red cabbage and some onion potatoes.  The veal cutlet was moist and fork-tender.  The breading was not too thick and the veal had been seasoned perfectly.  The braised red cabbage was tender and slightly sweet, each bite slowly melted in my mouth without my needing to chew.  The onion potatoes were a tasty departure from the starch options we normally see in restaurants here. 

The other dish that was ordered was the beef goulash "paprikash" (US$17.50).

This ragout of beef was served in an onion paprika sauce.  Alongside the goulash was some steamed broccoli and carrots, a mound of red cabbage and a lot of pasta.  The beef here had been slowly stewed and was very lean and tender.  The sauce had a slightly sweet, slightly savory flavor to it -- quite different from the Hungarian-style goulash that I was used to.

The food here at the Chef's Table was worth every penny, it was all delicious and thoughtfully prepared.  Our waitress was helpful and very attentive, frequently coming by to ask how things were.  The one thing that really stood out here was the pacing of the dishes.  At no time did I feel rushed, or hurried, to finish a dish.  Each dish arrived just as we were finishing the previous dish.  The delicious food, excellent service, and subdued atmosphere made for a nice, relaxing dinner.

The Chef's Table
Hawaii Kai Towne Centre
333 Keahole Street Space 2B8
Telephone:  808.394.2433

Comments

[AugustusGloop]

Oh you cannot beat a good schnitzel! Looks like you had a great hearty meal, but what, no dessert? =)

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - Nice post. The dishes look and sound great! It's sometimes really hard to find a good schnitzel, most times they're somewhat tough and dry. That roasted mushroom appetizer almost has a french onion soup look to it, but sounds great.

[Jo]

Oh man does that ever look fantastic. I've never had veal prepared in that fashion. In Spain they do something similar, but with pounded beef. It's my all time favorite steak prep. The lemon is a must! The mushroom dish is VERY interesting. Of note, the bread at the bottom is a "technique" that can be found through out Europe. As I understand it this dates back to the various famine that have swept through this region over the centuries. On the island where my father is from they make a dish called "Sopas Mallorquinas" which starts with thinly sliced, stale, "plain" bread (yeast, flour, water ONLY), layered in the bottom of a tureen then topped with a "wet" sautee of vegetables. In modern times this has a bit of pork or sausage cooked into it. I make a dish similar to the "Paprikash" but with chicken. You start with a dozen onions! WOW, is it ever delisi-YoSo. Trouble is with the sulpher in the onions as it is... ummm... hmmm... Shall we say "processed"? MOST entertaining! ;o)

[Gail]

Hi Reid,

I finally got a chance to stop by your site after a couple of busy weeks. I'm glad you enjoyed The Chef's Table and I'll have to try it again. My first (and only) experience was certainly not as tasty as yours so I may have been there on an "off" day. (My visit was was more than a year ago.) I found the flavors overall, but especially in the paprikash, to be very heavy-handed. The soup certainly sounded excellent. Looking forward to more of your tasty write-ups!

Gail

[Big BoK]

We have an Austrain Inn here too... :)
I think i should go soon .. and try out their food.. and report back.. eh..??

[clare eats]

looks great reid
mm I don't know which part I would prefer how about a...

[chef 'em out]

I've been away for awhile, and now I have to catch upon my required reading to see what I've missed. I see you are still going strong!

[Reid]

Hi AG,

The meal was really nice, especially the wienerschnitzel. I didn't have any dessert because I was too full. I really wanted some of the homemade apple strudel. *sigh*

Hi Kirk,

The wienerschnitzel was great. There is a Swiss restaurant called Swiss Haus in Aina Haina that I really want to try. It's been a long time since I had a meal like this and I thought it was quite good.

I normally don't eat mushrooms, but I have to say that the roasted mushroom appetizer was really good too!

Hi Jo,

I normally don't eat veal period, so this was definitely a treat for me. The last time I ate veal was many, many years ago. We don't have very many European restaurants here, so I have to get to them when I have a chance.

As far as the paprikash is concerned, I was told by our waitress that it uses onions and paprika, as well as other herbs in the sauce. I aslo thought that I tasted a bit of wine in there as well.

Hi Gail,

I'm glad that you were able to take a break from your busy schedule to visit my site.

This was actually my first visit here and to tell you the truth, the food here is quite rich (especially the goulash/paprikash). It seems to be a far cry from the Asian dishes that I normally eat, so the richness may be a little more "refreshing" for me. If you do visit, let me know what you think.

Hi Big BoK,

I think you should! I'd like to see what you could get there! =)

Hi Clare,

?????????

Hi chef 'em out,

Yes, you have been gone for a while. Nice to see you again!

[clare eats]

lol
I meant all of them/ I can't choose.... I think I was alittle tired when I wrote it though. Oh well :(

[Reid]

Hi Clare,

Oh, OK. Don't worry about it. Tired? I think that's something that I understand all too well! =)

[boo_licious]

Ooooo, those mushrooms sound and look good. I love anything with mushrooms and cheese so that's right up my alley.

[Reid]

Hi boo_licious,

I have to tell you that I'm not really a mushroom fan, but when the waitress said it was good, she was right. It was actually one of my favorites of the night.

[Jo]

Think you could come up with a recipe for that mushroom dish Reid? I've been seeing it in my dreams lately! =o/

[Reid]

Hi Jo,

Let me try and I'll let you know.

[Greta]

While it sounds like you enjoyed your meal here, I find some of the combinations disappointing. I was not happy to see that the gulasch was accompanied by noodles instead of spätzle. For nearly $20 I would expect something a little more authentic. It’s not as if they are difficult to make or the ingredients a challenge. I would have also liked it if the menu had included Speckknödelsuppe and some other well know Austrian dishes. I think I will have to limit my Austrian eating to my own kitchen and forgo an visits to the Chef’s table.

[Reid]

Hi Greta,

Welcome to my blog!

I'm sorry that you don't find the food at the Chef Table worth a visit. I enjoy it because it gives me a taste of the generally unfamiliar. If I knew how to cook dishes like this at home, I probably would.

Thanks for the feedback and thanks for stopping by!

[Claudius]

Hi Greta,

I think the restarant is a very authentic one due to the fact that we are here on the other side of the world. I really enjoyed the food there. By the way, Spaetzle are not really austrian thez are German (Swaebisch). In Austria you eat Knoepfle.

[Mav]

I must sadly report that a few weeks or so ago, The Chef's Table closed its doors. Glad I got to visit once.