Prima

Best for: Italian
Location: Kailua

After months of wanting to try Prima, a small Italian restaurant that opened up last fall, I finally made the trek to Kailua with Anthony and his friend Justin last week. Prima was exactly how I expected it to be... sort of reminiscent of some of my favorite restaurants in Portland, e.g. Broder, St. Jack, and Grüner -- I'm not sure if it's due to the typewriter font and lack of decimal places and dollar signs on the small menus or the cutesy minimalist decór, but Prima does share characteristics with town, my favorite restaurant in Hawaii. It had to be a good sign.

 

The restaurant looks like a chic cafeteria, with an exposed ceiling, robin's egg blue desk chairs and light recycled wood tables, and an open kitchen that showcases a wood-burning oven.

I had a glass of pinot grigio and shared a boquerones pizza and veal parmesan with Anthony. The boquerones pizza had thyme, white anchovies, chili water, and garlic. The crust was a little dry and too burnt (try JJ Dolan's for the perfect crust), but the toppings were fantastic. Gotta love those anchovies and thyme.




We had reluctantly ordered the veal parmesan because we figured we may still be hungry after just one pizza, and, ironically, this dish turned out to be better than the pizza -- not because of the veal, but because of the spaghetti. It's always exciting when pasta is properly cooked al dente in Hawaii.



Justin had the fried jidori chicken leg and thighs, which came with mashed potatoes and collared greens. Just like my al dente pasta, fried chicken that has flavor beneath the bread brings tears of joys to my eyes.




I regret not trying dessert here, because apparently the pastry chef is a Nobu alum -- is this the same chef who used to create the dolce mascarpone at Nobu that I still fantasize about?? I guess I'll find out next time.

Longhi's

Best for: Americanized Italian food, View
Location: Ala Moana

I've tried to like this place. I really have. There must be something wrong with me because two of my best friends, whose tastes I'd normally trust in a heartbeat, love Longhi's. After dining here a few times, I'm sorry to say that I still don't see its appeal.

artichoke

Located on the third floor of Ala Moana, on the same level as Morton's and Mariposa, Longhi's faces Ala Moana Beach Park and the Pacific Ocean. Thus, theoretically, the view should be breathtaking. However, there are hedges in the way (similar to the hedges obstructing my view at Orchid's), and I am always way too hot to enjoy the view. Longhi's needs to take a note from Mariposa because Mariposa knows how to keep its open-air restaurant cool despite the inevitable Hawaiian sunshine. At Longhi's I can feel like my butt sticking to the black faux leather seat cushion. How unappetizing. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with black-and-white checkered floors, huge spaces between each table, and white walls reminiscent of old Hawaii. The designers of Longhi's obviously had a vision. Too bad I can't say the same for the food.

Longhi's is an "Italian" chain from Maui, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the food is completely unauthentic. The pasta is drowning in sauce, and the noodles are way too soft. Last time I was here for lunch, I remembered that I was disappointed with my pasta on a previous visit, so I made sure to only order seafood and vegetables: longhi longhi salad and clams. Neither dish was very good. The salad was a glorified Caesar salad, while the clams in olive oil were a sad, watered-down version of what my mom can make at home with her eyes closed.

remnants of my clams

I usually order dessert just to give them another chance to redeem themselves. It should be easy; I have a huge sweet tooth. However, both times I've had dessert here have been disappointing. I've ordered a grasshopper (mint chocolate cake) and a chocolate mousse. They tasted like frozen Safeway cakes - those huge slices you can pick up by the bread section. Also, the portions are gluttonous. I know we're in America, but a place as expensive as Longhi's should really work on quality over quantity. This isn't the goddamn Cheesecake Factory.

I did have my first kir royale here, and I'd have to say that it was the best thing I've ordered (although, that may be just because I was so excited to finally have a kir royale). All in all, I have always come with good company, so despite the mediocre food and bad ventilation, I end up leaving satisfied. However, for a worthwhile meal with an equally stunning view and much better food, go next door to Mariposa.

Vino

Best for: Italian tapas
Location: Downtown
Foodgasmic dish: Oven roasted lobster risotto, Pumpkin & sweet potato ravioli

Oven roasted Maine lobster, served with risotto, asparagus, fresh Oregon porcini mushrooms, tarragon buerre blanc and smoked trout caviar. $19

On my first visit to Vino, Mizuki and I sat at the bar and ordered four dishes:

Seared sea scallops, w/ bacon-tomato takana ragout, kabayaki butter sauce & tobiko. $11

 Our first dish was the seared sea scallops, served w/ bacon-tomato takana ragout with kabayaki butter sauce & tobiko. The scallops were cooked to perfection, and the dish came with two melt-in-your-mouth wafers that went well with the sauce.

Waialua roasted asparagus, served w/ roasted Hamakua mushrooms, local organic egg, shaved parmesan, & white truffle oil. $17

Our next dish was Waialua asparagus milanese, served w/ roasted hamakua mushrooms, local organic egg, shaved parmesan cheese and white truffle oil. As Mizuki told me, "It's all in the egg." Why isn't asparagus always served with egg?? The oven roasted Maine lobster was next, and it was served w/ risotto, asparagus, porcini mushrooms, tarragon buerre blanc and smoked trout caviar. Lobster and caviar - need I say more?

Ravioli with sweet fennel sausage, baby spinach, ricotta cheese in a slow cooked Marinara sauce. $8

Our last dish was probably the least attractive, but still delicious. Sweet fennel sausage, spinach, and ricotta cheese ravioli, slow cooked in marinara sauce. By that time, we were so full and still planning on dessert (typical), so we had to pack most of it. Each dish was under $20, and some of the combinations of flavors were new to me.

Uhhh.. sure, I didn't finish my first glass yet, but YES I'll take another free glass - thanks!

calamari, $7

On our second trip to Vino, the bartender remembered Mizuki and me immediately and said, "Uh-oh, here comes trouble." We had brought Jesse this time and ordered some drinks. I had a riesling, calamari w/ pepperoncini balsamic aioli, and the kabocha pumpkin and sweet potato ravioli with pesto marinated prawns, sliced almonds and sage brown butter. Not sure why I ordered the calamari; whenever I get it, I'm never really impressed. It's just fried squid after all. On the other hand, my ravioli was fantastic. The pumpkin flavor was subtle, and the shredded parmesan, pesto, and prawns went together beautifully.

It's not a real dinner unless my friend gets her mussels! "Nona Rose" Cioppino (mussels, clams, Dungeness crab, shrimp, chili flakes, and San Marzano tomato sauce), $22

However, my favorite part about dinner had to be our bartender. It's moments like this that remind me why the bar is the best place to sit while dining out with your girlfriends. The bartender (I feel really ashamed that I still don't know his name) and I got into a pretty heated debate over politics and religion - you know, all those topics to avoid. Sometimes I forget how radical I am in Hawaii for being a socialist and atheist. He joked that I'm not allowed back in Vino until I read Lenin, Stalin and Hitler: The Age of Social Catastrophe. "But we're still friends, right?" he asked. Sure. Capitalist.

Our bartender gave us four free glasses of wine (so I guess I forgive him) -- a dry white wine from some Mediterranean island that I didn't know existed to pair with my ravioli, and a moscato for dessert. Oh, moscato, you're still my favorite wine in the world.

 

Apparently I kept saying, "It looks like Christmas!" I must have been getting a little tipsy from all that wine