As if running a business during two years of a pandemic isn’t enough to put a strain on restaurateurs, repercussions of the war in Ukraine is adding to their costs through rising fuel prices and disruptions in shipping and food supplies.
In spite of such difficulties associated with opening a restaurant today, chef Ernesto Limcaco left a cushy job at Chef Zone in favor of bringing one of his ideas to life.
Perhaps best known in recent years for having opened Burgers & Things in Pauoa in 2016, the chef has turned his attention to prime rib. He’s brought the spectacle of the carving station out of the realm of the special occasion hotel buffet to the everyday realm of the downtown lunch crowd with the opening of Prime Roast Cafe.
“People think I’m crazy, but I don’t,” he says. “The world is full of young chefs now, but what about an old chef — I’m 66 now — who still has a lot of mileage left? The fire in my belly is still there so I decided to take the plunge again.”
Through his many years of working in the industry, he made note of the prime rib roast’s primitive lure on people.
“The carving station has a magic caveman effect. Once you turn that heat lamp on, people seem to gravitate to the light, and in this day, anything you can do to engage guests’ senses with smells, visuals and sounds is helpful.”
His new cafe is in the Arcade Building at 212 Merchant St., in the space fronting King Street that was formerly home to Kai Coffee. There are tables for eight to 12 and in coffee bar style, counter stools for about eight more.
At the heart of the menu day and night are prime rib plates. By day, the $23 plate comes with vegetables du jour and creamy horseradish sauce. In the evening, an inch-thick, 10-ounce slab ($30) is accompanied by mashed potatoes, the day’s vegetables (recently a medley of Brussels sprouts, slivers of mixed color bell peppers and carrots), port wine bone marrow au jus and horseradish.
The beef is rare at its core, geared toward those who prize the bloody red of oozing myoglobin. There’s so much meat there, I was fine with enjoying the salt-and-herb-crusted exterior and applying more heat at home to the leftovers.
Once you’ve checked out the main attraction, you can move on to its offshoots. By day, that means the likes of a French dip sandwich ($17); prime rib panini ($14.99) with arugula, melted Swiss, wholegrain mustard and horseradish; or prime rib Philly cheesesteak ($15.50) with mille-feuille layers of beef layered with sauteed onions, bell peppers and mushrooms, and blanketed with a cheese sauce.
Limcaco also brines and smokes the turkey that goes into his turkey panini ($11.50), dressed with cranberry aioli and served with baby greens and housemade pickled vegetables seasoned with juniper berries and ginger.
You’ll also find specials such as a recent offering of Australian wagyu bourguignon ($21) that I was too slow to act on, and sadly, found it gone the next day.
Among every restaurateur’s challenges these days is finding reliable staff, and service can be slow when personnel emergencies leave Limcaco short-staffed. Even so, he aims for slow growth and recently started dinner service from Thursdays to Saturdays, which has been popular with a to-go crowd.
Seating is limited, but those who stay will enjoy pleasant service that accompanies niceties such as complimentary house pickles and fresh baked bread. I enjoyed the chef’s recent offering of toasted herbed focaccia accompanied by olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as well as butter.
Prime rib and fresh catch will be a constant, but otherwise the menu changes monthly. Recent starters have included a combo of delicate housemade chick en liver mousse and rustic duck pate ($15.55), and a cheese platter ($15.55) that included manchego and Midnight Moon aged goat cheese served with Manoa Honey and mead honey.
I loved the classic, buttery offering of New Zealand king salmon grenobloise ($25.55) that was accompanied by Limcaco’s mom’s garlicky fried rice, as well as his light and crisp-skinned duck confit ($26.55) served with a raspberry-ginger gastritique.
Acknowledging that non-meat eaters often control the direction of a group, because most people tend to want to be perceived as accommodating, there was also an Impossible Foods vegan “meat” and white bean cassoulet ($25.55).
We finished with a slice of classic French tarte tatin ($10.55) blanketed with caramelized apple still warm from the oven.
With a couple of my friends vacationing in Paris at the time, for a few hours, I could be with them in spirit.
Prime Roast Cafe
Arcade Building
212 Merchant St., Honolulu
Food: ***½
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***
Value: ****
Call: 808-521-7777
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 5-8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays
Prices: Lunch about $40-$50 for two; dinner about $100 for two
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
