PREMIUM PICK | Pai Honolulu
It’s helpful to have a small arsenal of restaurants you can name off the top of your head that are ideal for a hot date. Not the awkward getting-to-know-someone first date. Maybe not even that tenuous second date. We’re talking about a ready-to-take-it-to-the-next-level type of social engagement.
Pai Honolulu qualifies as part of that collection.
Chef Kevin Lee, former sous-chef of the Michelin-starred Dovetail in New York, is executive chef and owner of one of Honolulu’s most long-awaited restaurants. He has taken the innovative approach of offering a choice of a four-course prix fixe or seven-course tasting menu in Pai’s dining room, with suggested wine pairings. What better way to outflank the multitudinous choices that could sink a romantic dinner.
Pai’s seasonal summer prix fixe menu started with an amuse bouche of mentaiko taramosalata, a refreshing, finely textured spicy cod roe spread on lavosh.
As an avowed avoider of most things corn, I was ready to hate the chilled corn soup, made with turnips, pickled cherries, goat cheese and tarragon. However, the smooth, silky soup won me over with its measured notes of smoky, briny, umami goodness.
The entree of pan-seared opah was textbook perfect with a flavorful crust and pleasingly acidic preserved lemon vinaigrette.
A recent return visit to sample the fall tasting menu revealed a surprise addition: a substitute entree course of 45-day dry-aged striploin steak. The robust beefiness of the moist, tender steak was a sublime combination with the decadent bordelaise sauce. Lee promises 120-day striploin should be available before Christmas.
Meriting mention was the knowledgeable and attentive service from the waitstaff. Operating like a well-oiled machine, you’d hardly guess the restaurant just opened in June.
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Harbor Court, 55 Merchant St.; 744-2531. Dinner. $$$
The Pig & the Lady
Although the restaurant is coming up on its fourth anniversary, this Chinatown stalwart shows no sign of slowing down. And while some might think of it only as a Vietnamese restaurant, the application of French technique and respectful use of local and global ingredients roots Pig & the Lady firmly among the current crop of restaurants representing Hawaii Regional Cuisine.
On a recent visit for dinner, I was reminded why the eatery garners so much attention from magazines and food websites around the country.
The Ora King salmon, marinated in miso and cooked to a perfect medium-rare with crispy seared skin, is served on a bed of yuzu kosho mashed potatoes surrounded by a bright dill maple and mustard sauce. It’s virtually a guilt-free dish as the New Zealand salmon is one of the most sustainable and heart-healthy fishes you can find.
Octopus lovers should not pass up the BBQ Spanish Octopus a la Plancha. Braised and served with a slightly foamy, but not overly rich corn cream, the tender bites of tentacle are accompanied by pillow-soft hush puppies and ogo.
You’d be remiss to skip dessert, considering the dessert bar that beckons like an island of sirens. Among unique selections is the smoked banana suman. Neatly gift-wrapped in banana leaf, the glutinous core of warm coconut sweet rice cake with smoked banana butter is topped with a roasted pistachio crumble. Go all out and get it a la mode with the soft-serve swirl of the week.
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83 N. King St.; 585-8255. Lunch, dinner. $$-$$$
Yakitori Hachibei
Few things are more primal than eating meat cooked over an open flame, although our paleolithic ancestors were never lucky enough to enjoy chicken, beef and pork skewered and expertly cooked over clean-burning bincho-tan charcoal.
Luckily, we face no such temporal disadvantage.
Yakitori Hachibei in Chinatown offers a taste of Hakata-style yakitori, which differs from its Tokyo cousin in that it’s not limited to chicken, and yuzu kosho can be found among your table’s condiments.
Must-try items include the delicate cream cheese tofu with misozuke cheese and the sukiyaki, bundles of vegetables wrapped with thin-sliced beef and accompanied by a raw egg, from Waimanalo’s OK Poultry, for dipping. And of course, the signature skewer, butabara, or pork belly, has a nice bite, with crispy edges and perfect seasoning.
Save room for ramen, served in a delightful ceramic noodle “cup.” It provides a satisfying finish that calms the palate.
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20 N. Hotel St.; 369-0088. Dinner. $$$
