'Ono Kine Grindz

Café Pesto - Hilo, Hawaii

Arriving back in Hilo after a long day climbing mountains (or should I say volcanos), I was hungry, but the question remained, where to eat?  Hilo doesn't say up late, at least in my experience, and as soon as I took the exit from Highway 19 onto Kamehameha Avenue, I found my answer.

Located in downtown Hilo's historic S. Hata Building, Café Pesto has a reputation for serving contemporary Italian cuisine with a Pacific Rim twist.  It was my first time here, and it was still crowded when I arrived at about 8:00 pm.

(Don't be fooled, this was taken as I was leaving.)

To start, I had the wild greens salad (US$4.95).

On the menu, it said "an eclectic blend of organic baby lettuces, cucumbers and organic vine-ripened tomatoes."  When it arrived, it looked like a plate of nothing special.  I could have gotten a bag of these organic greens at the Hilo Farmer's Market for half the price!  Hey, by the way, where are my tomatoes?

Next, was the pizza luau (9" US$10.95; 12" US$17.95).

Topped with kalua pork, sweet onions and pineapple, this was a twist on the classic "Hawaiian" pizza.  Aww come on, you all know what a Hawaiian pizza is, right?  A Hawaiian pizza is garnished with ham (or Canadian bacon) and pineapple, and sometimes includes onions and green bell peppers.  Here, the smokey-flavored kalua pork perfectly balanced the sweet, but tart flavor of the pineapple and the crust was light, crisp and crunchy.

And finally, the coriander grilled tenderloin and blackened shrimp, garlic goat cheese mashed potatoes, honey buttered Manuka spinach, and Hamakua mushroom jus (US$28.95).

What looked like a great concept on the menu, was actually a mish mash of flavors when eaten.  The beef was expertly cooked and the coriander sauce gave a sort of Middle Eastern flair to this part of the dish.  The blackened shrimp were just that -- blackened and charred with very little flavor.  The honey buttered Manuka spinach was overly sweet while the mashed potatoes and the mushroom jus were just buried under all the other flavors.

On this particular visit to Café Pesto, the service was quite awful.  After setting the plates down on the table, my waiter was nowhere to be found.  My water glass was not refilled until I received the check and no one stopped by to ask how things were.  Given the prices for the food, I'm not really sure if I'll be back.  If I do come back, it might be to have a pizza for lunch after picking up some organic salad greens at the nearby Hilo Farmer's Market.

Café Pesto
S Hata Building
308 Kamehameha Avenue
Hilo, Hawaii
Telephone: 808.969.6640

Angelo Pietro

It has been a long time since my last visit to Angelo Pietro.  In fact, now that I think about it, the last time I was here was when the restaurant's location on Kapahulu Avenue was still open.  Back then, I think that Pietro's was probably the only Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant around. 

When I arrived for a late afternoon lunch, there were quite a number of people inside the restaurant.  As I was escorted to my table, I happened to glance at the other tables around me to see what everyone else was eating -- looked like a wide variety of dishes.

There was an open view to the kitchen and from where I was seated, I could view all of the action.

After glancing over the menu, I had a difficult time deciding what I would order to start with.  In the end, the fried calamari fritti (US$6.95) won out over the raw potato salad.

A couple dozen calamari rings were lightly seasoned, then breaded and deep fried until they were a gorgeous golden brown.  The crunchy coating contrasted wonderfully with the tender and slightly chewy calamari.  Creamy mayonaisse that had been spiked with lemon juice was served on the side and made an excellent accompaniment to the calamari.

For lunch, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and ordered the natto & bacon spaghetti (US$8.25).

For those of you who don't know, natto is a Japanese food consisting of sticky fermented soybeans.  It has an unmistakable odor, texture and flavor.  I have tried natto only once before, and really have to say that I did not really care for it at all.  However, since so many people recommended this dish to me, I decided that I just had to order it.

When the plate arrived, I saw that the noodles were topped by a mound of chopped bacon and garnished with a mound of kizami nori (thinly sliced dried seaweed) in the center.  As I glanced around the dining room, I saw four others indulging in the same dish.  That made me feel a whole lot better.  Holding my breath, I took the first bite -- noodles, bacon and nori.  The noodles were perfectly cooked, firm and springy, though slightly sticky (from the natto, I presumed).  I thought the flavor of the dish was interesting as it really didn't taste like natto at all.  Eating a bit more, I felt that the noodles were a bit too oily, and overall, I felt that the dish was just a little too salty. 

The dishes here at Angelo Pietro bravely combine elements of both Japanese and Italian cuisine.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  While the natto and bacon spaghetti was an ambitious idea, I felt that the dish itself needed a little improvement.  The prices here are about what you'd expect to pay at other Asian-Italian fusion restaurants -- Bistro Sun and Kit 'N Kitchen come to mind -- and the service here was great.  Have I finally come to accept natto?  Well, not exactly.  Will I come back to eat at Angelo Pietro?  Quite possibly.

Angelo Pietro
1585 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite 110
Telephone:  808.941.0555

Bistro Sun

Much like what happened to that stretch of Kaimuki (anchored by Town and 12th Avenue Grill), this section of Moili'ili has seen a few new restaurants open over the last several months.  Restaurants such as Spices , Aki-No-No and Bistro Sun have brought a new flavor to the neighborhood around old timers such as Imanas Tei, Sushi King and India House.  What does this mean?  For the residents of the neighborhood it definitely means more eating options.

As a frequent visitor to Spices, which is located up the block, I have often walked past this place wondering exactly what was served here.  According to the signage, this is an Italian Fusion restaurant.  But what kind of fusion food did it serve?  My curiosity finally got the best of me and I decided to pop on in.

My first visit here was a while back and the visit I'm going to describe here, is the latest and most recent one, just about a week ago.  "Irasshaimase!" (Welcome), is what I heard when I walked in the door at about 1:00 pm.  Glancing around, I found the restaurant to be quite empty.  There was just a family of four at a table in the corner, and a couple seated at the table next to mine. 

The restaurant's decor is whimsical and eclectic.  If you've been to the homes of a few friends of mine, you'd probably see something similar.  A mish-mash of styles much too difficult to describe, I thought it odd to see an artifical palm near the entrance and the string of Christmas lights that went clear across the middle of the walls.

Since I was here for lunch, I noticed a few specials on the menu.  After some thought, I decided to have the "Bistro's Original Daily Pilaf Special (2 choices)".  When I asked what the choices were, I was told that I could select either the Sicilian Pilaf or the Gorgeous Antonio Pilaf.  Just on the name alone, I decided to have the Gorgeous Antonio Pilaf lunch special (US$7.95).

According to the menu, this lunch special includes salad, soup of the day, garlic bread & coffee or ume kobucha tea.  What a deal! 

The first dish to be served was the soup.

It was a tomato based soup with thin slivers of onion and sliced cabbage floating around in it.  On top, was a generous sprinkling of dried oregano (I think).  Although the soup was a little thin, I loved the rich tomato flavor.  It was just enough to start off the meal.

Next came the the salad.

Thinly julienned pieces of cabbage, some lettuce and cubes of tomato were covered in an olive oil and citrus based dressing.  When I tried to coax the dressing ingredients out of my waitress and the manager, I was told that it was a secret.  The dressing was really sour, and while the manager said it contained lemon juice, I thought it was made with yuzu kosho. 

Here was the garlic bread.

Crisp and crunchy, but not really garlic-y.

And finally, the Gorgeous Antonio Pilaf.  Does it look gorgeous or what?

A mound of rice was topped with a corned beef hash sauce, a couple cubes of beef, some cheese and the chef's "secret" sauce.  The rice pilaf, seemed to have been cooked with some tomato sauce before being baked in the oven with the rest of the ingredients.  The cubes of beef on top were fork tender, while the cheese added a bit of saltiness to counteract the sweetness of the "secret" sauce.  The rice itself was savory so there was a really complex flavor party going on here.  In fact, the sauce was so good, I ended up soaking up what was left with those two pieces of garlic bread.  You should have seen me in action.

Here's a closer look at that rice.

Not one to leave without dessert, I ordered Bistro's sautéed banana (US$5.95).

Slices of banana were first pan fried with a little white wine (I think that's what the manager said).  Next, the bananas were "returned" to their peels and topped with a healthy drizzle of chocolate sauce (fudge?).  The dessert wass then garnished with some whipped cream, a couple of mint leaves and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  While I liked the flavor of this dessert, it was from different from what the manager described it to be, so I was expecting just a little more.

Bistro Sun
2671 South King Street
Telephone:  808.946.7580

Salumi Cured Meats - Seattle, Washington

After hearing so much about this place from several Seattle area food bloggers, I decided that I really needed to visit Salumi Cured Meats.  Since the shop is closed Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, I definitely had to make it here on Friday, otherwise, there would be no other opportunity for me to visit during my stay.

When I arrived at the shop, it certainly didn't look crowded.  Upon entering the doorway, I saw quite a long line, and it didn't seem to be moving too quickly even though the folks behind the counter were working at a breakneck pace.

While waiting in line, I noticed the refrigerator that was just inside the doorway.  Inside it was some hanging cheese and cured meats (and a pig's foot!) and a few boxes of vegetables (and someone's flowers).

Finally, it was my turn to order.

The woman here in the photo was the one who took my order.  Our exchange went as follows:   

"Can I help you?"
"I'll have the margherita sandwich please."
"No tomatoes."
"OK.  Can I have the prosciutto, fig and goat cheese?"
"No prosciutto.  It's been crazy today."
"OK.  How about the coppa?"

Turns to the guy slicing the meat...   

"You're not going to slice anymore meat, right?"
Guy shakes his head...
"He can't slice anymore meat today."
"The person ahead of me just ordered the same thing."
"We're not slicing anymore meat.  We're too busy."
"But I came all the way from Hawaii..."
"We can't slice anymore."
"OK.  Why don't you tell me what you do have."
"Meatball and fennel sausage."
"OK.  I'll take one of each...with provolone."

Reluctantly, I walked over to the guy at the register and told him what I was having.  He rang me up while I waited for the sandwiches.  After a couple of minutes they were ready.

After collecting my sandwiches, I made my way over to the communal table in the back past the kitchen.  There was an elderly couple sitting there sharing a sandwich and as I stood up to ask for a glass of water, I noticed that most of the people that were in line behind me magically disappeared from the shop.

Here is the meatball with provolone (US$6.50, add US$1.50 for cheese).

Three meatballs, slightly larger in size than an average golf ball, and three thin slices of provolone were served on thick, chewy bread -- way too much bread if you ask me.  The meatballs were tender, meaty, moist and flavorful, though, I can't say the much about the sauce.  I was hoping for more than just some "tomato sauce" with the meatballs.  However, if that's what it's supposed to be, then they can, and they should (at these prices), do better. 

And here is the fennel sausage with provolone (US$7.50, with cheese add US$1.50).

Two pieces of spicy fennel sausage were served on the same thick, chewy bread and with the same type of tomato sauce as the meatball sandwich.  Although I felt the sausage had a nice flavor, it really wasn't anything to get excited about.

As I was leaving, several minutes later, I noticed those that were in line just ahead of me enjoying their sandwiches at the communal table in front.

After I had walked out the door, I noticed this woman and her children walking out of the shop. 

Right after I was given my sandwiches, the man slicing the meat made his way over to their table with a plateful of sliced meat and proceeded to chat with her for about 10 minutes.  Too busy huh?  After the treatment I received here, if I were to visit Seattle in the future, I'm not so sure that I would eat here again.

Salumi Cured Meats
306 Third Avenue S
Seattle, Washington
Telephone:  206.621.8772
website

Antonio's New York Pizzeria

Hawaii's pizza options are basically limited to the big guys, the national chain restaurants -- Domino's, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, Chuck E. Cheese (for the kids), and California Pizza Kitchen (gourmet).  Of the smaller independent pizza joints, one of my favorites is Antonio's, which is located right across Waialae Avenue from Kahala Mall.  Antonio's serves New York-style pizzas, pasta dishes, calzones, salads, hoagies and Philly cheesesteaks as well as New York cheesecakes and cannoli.

There are many options on the menu here, with most pizzas averaging between $10 and $18 depending on the size of the pie and the number of toppings.  When I stopped by for lunch one recent afternoon, I found the pizzeria mostly empty.

There was just one couple and their two children enjoying some garlic rolls and a large pizza at a table in the corner of the dining area.  After looking over the menu, I decided NOT to order a pizza, but instead decided on having a hoagie.  You're in a pizzeria and you're having a hoagie?  That's just as bad as having a burger at a seafood joint (sound familiar?). 

So to save myself some frustration from having to explain myself, I'm going to start by saying that I did have the pizza here many, many times before.  My favorite is the white pizza, which substitutes olive oil and sweet basil for the usual tomato sauce.  More specifically, though, I usually order the Manhattan Supreme (white sauce, garlic, spinach, tomato, mushroom and Parmesan) or the Antonio's Special (white sauce, garlic, mushroom, pepperoni, black olives, Italian sausage and Parmesan). 

Today, I chose the deluxe hoagie (US$5.99).

A freshly baked 9" Italian roll is stuffed with ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, lettuce, tomato and cheese, then topped with some tangy Italian dressing.  To me, this hoagie was better than any sandwich from Subway.  Filled with lots of meat and veggies, it almost seemed like I ordered a sandwich and a salad.  After the first few bites, I was confident that I had made the right choice.

How's about another look at the hoagie before I take the first bite?

After I was done with the hoagie, I made my way to the counter for a slice of the homemade NY cheesecake (US$2.99).

I had heard great things about this cheesecake so I was really anxious to try it.  The cheesecake is baked in-house by one of the owners' wives and the recipe for the cheesecake comes from said owner's mother.  Dense, moist, and creamy this cheesecake was perfect.  It was served plain and it was complimented by a thin, slightly sweet crust.  It's been years since I've had cheesecake this good, so I'm really glad that I decided to have this for dessert.

Antonio's New York Pizzeria
4210 Waialae Avenue
Telephone:  808.737.3333

Assaggio Ristorante Italiano

Ask me to name my favorite Italian restaurant, and I'd probably tell you that it was Assaggio.  Located at the Ala Moana Shopping Center, Assaggio is probably the Italian restaurant that I have visited the most in recent years. 

Several days ago, I stopped in after a long day of shopping for an early dinner.  Although this is a mid-priced restaurant, the food served here is first rate.  Besides the convenient location, this place is casual and romantic.  (Sorry, no pictures of the interior are available.)

I decided on starting with a salad (insalate).  Of the all salads that were on the menu, I chose the calamari vinaigrette (US$5.90)

Fresh calamari rings atop a bed of romaine lettuce, along with tomato wedges and marinated peppers, carrots and olives, this salad was really delicious.  The dressing was tasty with just the right amount of tanginess to it.  The calamari rings were fresh and perfectly cooked.  They had just the right amount of tender chewiness to them.

I followed the delicious salad with a half order of my favorite dish of all, the linguine chicken anchovy olio (US$15.90, full order US$17.90).

Five succulent pieces of boneless chicken thighs were seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, then pan-fried until the skin was nice and crunchy.  It was served along with a plateful of linguine that had been topped with tons of crispy bits of chopped garlic and anchovies that had been sautéed in olive oil.  The saltiness of the anchovies and the sweetness of the garlic prove to be a match made in heaven. 

For a mid-priced restaurant, Assaggio offers value and more.  The food is superb and the service here is always prompt and efficient.  Whenever I'm in the mood for some good Italian food, this is the place that I always come to.  Highly recommended.

Assaggio Ristorante Italiano
Ala Moana Shopping Center
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard Space 1259
Telephone:  808.942.3446

Kit n' Kitchen

A friend of mine told me about Kit n' Kitchen a few months ago, but I never got around to visiting this place.  Well, this past weekend I didn't have any choice.  Said friend, invited me to lunch and brought me here.

Kit n' Kitchen is located near the University of Hawaii and was described to me as a "Chinese-Italian" restaurant.  I had never tried Chinese-Italian food before, but I was interested.  Once inside a few of the many tables were occupied.  In fact, as I was walking in, a woman was walking out and told me that I would definitely enjoy the food!  How's that for advertising?

After glancing at the menu, we decided to start with an appetizer, the meat en croute (US$3.95).

On the menu, it's described as "our classic meat sauce baked over crunchy toast".  The toast was crunchy and the bread was very light and airy.  There was just enough meat to give the bread some weight, however, to my tastebuds, the meat sauce was quite bland.  I guess I'm used to the rich, "tomato-y" flavors of traditional Italian cooking.

For the main meal, we decided on having a dish each and sharing.  We first chose the roast garlic chicken on rice (US$6.95).

This was pieces of chicken topped with a tomato-based sauce and crunchy bits of garlic.  The sauce was much better than that on the toast, however, I found it a bit too sweet for my tastes.  The chicken was nicely flavored, but I found that there was too much sauce on this dish.  The crunchy bits of garlic added an interesting texture to this dish...

We also ordered the black pepper pork chop on rice (US$7.50).

This was a typical Chinese-inspired dish.  Here the pork chop was pre-sliced, placed on jasmine rice, and topped with black pepper sauce and cheese (!).  While most of the pork chop was tender and juicy, there were a few pieces that were hard and gristly.  There was also quite a bit of fat here.  For me, this rendered about a third of the dish inedible.  The sauce here was very thick and only mildly spicy.  There was actually so much sauce on this that the rice became "mushy".  I normally don't like this type of food to have too much gravy or sauce, so for me, this was overkill.  The cheese, by the way, did little to enhance, or detract, from the overall flavor of the dish.

While I didn't throughly enjoy what I had here today, it wasn't half bad.  There were actually quite a few items on the menu that I found appealing and that I would be willing to try.  I'm looking forward to sampling more of the dishes on the menu, and I'll remember to ask them to "go easy on the sauce" the next time.

Kit n' Kitchen
1010 University Avenue
Telephone:  808.942.7622

The Old Spaghetti Factory

Feeling a bit under the weather, and bombarded with work, I haven't been able to post to this blog regularly over the last week.  Last night, I went to the Old Spagetti Factory at the Ward Warehouse for dinner.  This is a family style restaurant that serves mostly spagetti, but a few other Italian-style dishes as well.

When I arrived, it was not crowded...a bit unusual for a Friday night.  I initially requested to sit near the cable car, but unfortunately there were no tables available in that section, so I ended up sitting in the main dining room.

I ordered the chicken parmagiana (US$8.95).  I also asked for the complete meal (additional US$2.25) which comes with your choice of minestrone soup or salad, beverage of your choice and dessert.

I started with the homemade minestrone soup.

Previously when I had ordered the soup as a starter, it was salty.  The explanation was that they were trying out a new vegetable-based stock.  Today, the soup was great.  The saltiness was gone and it was  very tasty.  Full of flavors and made chunky by the inclusion of lot of vegetables, this soup really hit the spot!

Now on to the main dish...

The chicken parmagiana is first seasoned, then lightly coated in bread crumbs and pan-fried.  It's then topped with marinara sauce and mozarella cheese and then baked.  When this arrives at the table, the chicken is still crisp and crunchy.  It's not overwhelmed by either the marinara sauce or the cheese which is great. 

Instead of the usual spaghetti with marinara sauce on the side, I asked for it to be substituted with spaghetti with browned butter and mizithra cheese.  Sinfully delicious, this is one of their signature dishes.  While definitely not good for the arteries, tonight's spaghetti was done just right.  There have been times when the spaghetti has been "swimming" in the browned butter, but not tonight.  The spaghetti had just a light coating of the browned butter, just enough to give it a slightly rich flavor.  Topped off with the mizithra cheese and a bit of chopped parsely make this one of my all time favorites.  If you've never tried mizithra cheese, it is a Greek cheese that is similar in texture and flavor to romano.

If you're looking for homestyle Italian food, at reasonable prices look no futher than the Old Spaghetti Factory.  I guess that's what keeps me coming back time and time again.

The Old Spaghetti Factory
Ward Warehouse
1050 Ala Moana Boulevard
Telephone:  808.591.2513

La Pizza Rina

Since I had a somewhat healthy lunch today, I thought I could indulge a bit more during dinner.  So I called a friend and headed on over to La Pizza Rina. 

This is a fairly small place that has room for about 35-40 people.  It's usually very crowded, and tonight, there was just a tiny bit of breathing room.

It's been a while since I've been here, so tonight, I resort to having my favorites!  For starters, it's a large antipasto salad (US$5.95).

This salad is huge!  It's a bed of iceberg lettuce, topped with rolled ham and cheese, salami, pepperoni, pickled celery, onions, cauliflower and carrots, black olives, and slices of tomato and cucumber.  Then, it's drizzled with La Pizza Rina's own homemade Italian-style dressing.  This dressing is actually one of the best Italian dressings that I've ever had!  Full of herbs and spices, but not over powered by either the olive oil or vinegar.  Two thumbs way up!

Next, we both decide to order the lasagne with meat sauce (US$6.50).

What makes this dish special is the meat sauce.  It's thick and chunky and is served topped with some melting mozarella cheese.  After I load it up with some crushed red pepper and grated parmesian cheese...it was gone in no time!

The lasagne also comes with a side order of garlic bread.

Tonight, the bread is a let down.  It doesn't seem to be cooked at all.  I normally like it to be served nice and hot with a crisp and crunchy crust, but this arrives at our table just mildly warm and lacking any sort of crunchiness. 

For the most part dinner tonight was a success.  The bread, while not to my liking, can't really detract from the overall satisfaction that I got from eating this meal!  After having both the lasagne and antipasto salad, I remember why this is one of my favorite places to eat homestyle Italian food.

La Pizza Rina
1425 South King Street
Telephone:  808.941.6634