PREMIUM PICK | Vino Italian Tapas and Wine Bar
Show up on any given night at Vino Italian Tapas and Wine Bar and it’s a good bet you’ll find master sommelier Chuck Furuya working the expanded dining room and lounge that he and business partner D.K. Kodama moved to earlier this year. He’s been doing so nearly every evening since Vino opened in 2004, steps away in another Waterfront Plaza space.
Whether you spring for one of approximately 60 bottles or opt for a flight of 2-ounce pours from the Cruvinet wine-dispensing system, Furuya and his staff take the time to share the story of the wine in your glass and gently guide you toward the perfect pairing off chef Keith Endo’s menu of Italian classics.
Swing for the fences with a decadent starter of pan-seared Hudson Valley foie gras paired with duck prosciutto and a sunny-side up quail egg atop freshly baked brioche and drizzled with vanilla maple syrup.
Endo’s preparation of items like Hauula tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower will have you questioning why more vegetables aren’t in your diet — if only more people learned to combine tomatoes with crispy chicharron, Maui onion and pine nuts; or cauliflower with cumin aioli, brown butter and pickled red cabbage, we’d all be eating this stuff a lot more often!
Looking for something more casual? Sit at the bar and you can still order entrees like three-cheese gnocchi with a generous heap of jumbo lump crab alongside roasted alii mushrooms, pea shoots, cauliflower and kabocha pumpkin puree, with a sage brown butter sauce that brings everything together. The mini veal osso bucco is another great bar pick if you’re looking for something to pair with a glass of Furuya’s latest red wine discovery.
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500 Ala Moana Blvd.; 524-8466; vinohawaii.com. Dinner. $$
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Avenue’s Bar & Eatery
12th Ave Grill owner Kevin Hanney has figured out the winning formula for his space at the top of Waialae Avenue. Avenue’s Bar & Eatery has retained key strategies from Hanney’s previous efforts with Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar and Hale Ohuna, but a new executive chef and bar manager add a dimension of creativity that had been missing.
Executive chef Robert Paik spent time at Vintage Cave, and the refined elegance diners enjoyed there is present in his work at Avenue’s — it just looks a little different served up as bar bites and small plates. He also uses locally sourced ingredients and makes his own bread, mozzarella, ketchup and other items.
You won’t want to say no to crispy fried oysters with an addicting harissa cocktail sauce and bacon jam, or chipotle barbecue jidori chicken wings. Burgers made with local beef and a sandwich of Hawaii Ranchers pastrami piled high with aged Gruyere and caramelized Maui onions are other must-try items. Daily specials allow Paik to experiment; think warabi wrapped with prosciutto and topped with hollandaise, or a Thai-style preparation of mahimahi.
I’m also impressed by bar manager Joe Arakawa, who has consistently refined the craft cocktail menu at Avenue’s with his own lineup of unique ingredients.
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3605 Waialae Ave.; 744-7567; avenuesbarandeatery.com. Dinner, late night. $$
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Pint + Jigger
Craft cocktail fans have long known about Pint + Jigger, thanks to owner Dave Thor Newman’s prowess behind the bar. But executive chef Devin Beppu is doing a great job of keeping customers coming back for the food.
You’ll wonder why Pint + Jigger didn’t start serving brunch sooner once you hoist a Monte Cristo sandwich — made at Pint with Texas toast, Black Forest ham, roast turkey and Gruyere cheese all dipped in batter and fried to a golden brown — along with one of Newman’s signature bloody marys or a mimosa with fresh orange juice.
The P+J Breakfast Sammie is delicious in its simplicity, with applewood-smoked bacon and Black Forest ham beneath a fried egg and served on a fresh croissant with garlic aioli and beer cheese. And the Breakfast Chimichanga, made with chorizo, onions, bell peppers, queso fresco, rice, scrambled eggs and black beans, really shines thanks to the housemade Ranchero sauce.
Beppu also delivers with new dinner menu additions like the Triple B Sandwich, made with 16-hour braised beef brisket drenched in Kansas City-style barbecue sauce, smothered with slaw and topped with fried kale. Port cherries add a touch of sweetness to the roasted pork tenderloin, which is served over roasted cauliflower and haricots verts.
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1936 S. King St.; 744-9593; pintandjigger.com. Brunch, dinner, late night. $$
