Town and Downtown@the HiSAM: Restaurant Reviews

I've had a lot of great meals in Honolulu, but if I had to pick my favorite dinner so far, it would be the one I had at Town. Town is in Kaimuki, a funky neighborhood packed with good restaurants. The bistro menu features mostly local and organic ingredients and the wait staff is knowledgeable about many of the purveyors. The space is cozy and contemporary though a bit noisy.

Aside from the Hawaiian ingredients used, it feels like a restaurant you would find in San Francisco with Mediterranean style selections such as hand cut pasta, risotto, slow-braised meats, a couple of fried appetizers, and cooked and raw preparations of fresh local seafood. But often the dishes have a twist, making them unique and fresh. I loved the mussels cooked with fennel and tomato. So what was the twist? A broth made with the white vermouth Cinzano and a bit of pastina in the bottom of the bowl.

The gnocchi was tender and gooey with cheese and chewy oyster mushrooms, but there are only 12 orders available a night so get your order in early!

Both the crispy fried appetizers were cooked perfectly and not at all greasy. We ordered the salted walu brandade fritters and a frito that had slices of local green Meyer lemon, okra, kampachi and meltingly luscious green onions.

Braised pork cheeks with creamy polenta and bitter greens was a great dish with lots of contrasting soft textures and rich flavors. Sorry for the blurry photo!

The only weak part of the meal might have been the desserts, but only because they didn't "wow" as much as the other courses. We had a panino with chocolate and apple bananas and a pineapple napoleon. Both were fine, but nothing I'd go out of my way to order again.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures of my lunch at Ed Kenney and and David Caldiero's other restaurant, Downtown at HiSAM (Hawaii State Art Museum). The museum is free, so splurge on a weekday lunch, just be sure to make reservations since it is very popular. The menu has many similar dishes to what you find at Town. I was very happy with the tender homemade pasta in the duck confit canneloni, which was served on a bed of bitter greens and topped with a kumquat sauce. Service was a bit rushed and I didn't get a chance to try the churros and chocolate, but I will next time!


Town
3435 Waialae Avenue #103
Honolulu, HI
808-735-5900

Downtown @ the HiSAM
Hawaii State Art Museum
250 S. Hotel St.
Honolulu HI
808-536-5900

Favorite Things 2008

Here is a mishmosh shopping round up, just in case not everyone on your list is covered. I'm including a couple of things I've already reviewed this year, and a of couple new ones.

FYI, if you're the "stay-at-home-and-shop" type, today is the last day for 2-day shipping on Amazon.




Months after writing about it, I am still in love with my Zojirushi 1lb mini loaf breadmaker! It's so easy even my very first loaf was stellar. I'm having fun experimenting with different kinds of flour, gluten, nuts and seeds. Smaller loaves mean fresher bread, everyday. For someone with a small household or not much counter space, this is the ideal bread machine!


I received a Kuhn Rikon Noir Forged 6-inch Santoku Knife in the mail to try out and I adore it. I even brought it on vacation with me! It has a slightly non-stick surface, a very sharp blade and is not too heavy. The Santoko is a great option instead of a chef's knife. This knife, plus a bread knife and a paring knife are all almost anyone really needs. Right now on Amazon there is a special deal, buy this knife and get one of 6 magazines free, including a year of Gourmet or Bon Appetit.


I have tried giving up non-stick pans, but I can't do it, so I have resorted to using various "green" pans. The German-made Fissler Protect Steelux Premium 11.0 Inch Frypan is replacing all of them. I have used it for months without the slightest scratching, flaking or difficulty cleaning. Best of all, the proprietary Protectal Plus nonstick sealing is the first coating to be 100% PFOA-free even in production. It is a very heavy pan and comes with a 5-year warranty. Would I spend over $150 for a pan? I'm not sure, but I am completely happy with this one.




I reviewed this CD earlier this year, and ok I admit it's a bit of a stretch for a food blog, but Putumayo Presents:Acoustic France CD actually comes with a recipe in the liner notes from French chef, Michel Troisgros. It's just happy, fun music that will put you in a good mood and make you wistful about France, if you're not already...

Plate Lunch, Redux

When you come to Hawaii, you have to try a plate lunch. Plate lunches are the ubiquitous "blue plate special" in Hawaii. They consist of some kind of protein like breaded chicken or pork cutlet, beef teriyaki, fried mahi mahi, etc., two scoops of white rice and one scoop of Hawaiian style macaroni salad (which is about equal parts macaroni and mayonnaise!). While tasty, filling and relatively inexpensive, usually somewhere around $5, traditionally they are not very healthy and not very fancy. But that's not always the case. In fact, plate lunches can be healthy, and sometimes surprisingly sophisticated.

Many take out places and drive-ins are offering a choice of brown rice and green salad in addition to the standard white rice and mac salad. There are healthier choices of protein as well, even a fast food chain like L & L Drive Inn now offers "Healthy Plate Lunches" with garlic shrimp, garlic ahi or mahi, salmon patties and grilled chicken.

In Honolulu there are chefs with experience cooking at fancier restaurants who own more casual spots that specialize in plate lunches, offering amazingly fine food for the price, though don't expect table service and anything fancy in terms of presentation. Every time I come to Hawaii I seek out these hot spots. Here are three that that I recommend trying:


First off, Kahai Street Kitchen. Located in an industrial part of Kalihi right across the street from my beloved Ethel's Grill, this take out place has only 2 tables so like most customers you'll probably want to pick up your meal and enjoy it elsewhere. Check out the daily specials online. I had the Hong Kong Stuffed Chicken and it was filled with shiitake mushrooms, lup chong or Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, peanuts and sticky rice. It was outstanding, a perfectly balanced dish and a very large portion that I couldn't finnish in one sitting. I ordered it with salad, no rice and it cost $7.75. My only disappointment was in the salad dressing which didn't taste homemade.


Nico's at Pier 38 is located next to the Honolulu Fish Auction building and there is plenty of parking, though like Kahai Street Kitchen you'll need a car to get there. While there is no indoor seating, there are lots of outdoor picnic tables, some with a view of the harbor. My top pick is the Fried Tuna Belly which comes with two large pieces of ahi topped with a special lomi tomato salsa. This portion for $8.40 easily served 2 people. It was excellent and definitely worthy of a sit down restaurant.

Kaka'ako Kitchen also serves up gourmet lunch plates. Tucked away in the back of the Ward Center Shopping center you'll typically find a line of people waiting to order. I particularly like their salads, like the Ahi Chop Salad, with fresh Nalo greens, crunchy noodle strips and rare chunks of seared tuna, but the prices are a bit higher here and the salad is about $11. Baked goods are really good here though frankly portion sizes have drastically shrunk in the past year or so.

More Cookbooks for Giving or Keeping

There were a lot of important restaurant cookbooks that came out this year A Day at El Bulli, Alinea and Thomas Keller's Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide come to mind. I am not opposed to serious books, but the books I turn to again and again tend to not be the weighty ones. Just like cooking and eating, I like cookbooks to be fun. Today I am recommending two fun books, two thoroughly enjoyable non-cookbooks and two local San Francisco Bay Area cookbooks, one of which actually is a restaurant cookbook, but also much more than that. And by the way, I did not choose all these books because they have orange covers that complement my blog, really, it was pure coincidence!

You didn't think I wouldn't mention my own book, right? I am so proud of my first cookbook, New Flavors for Appetizers! The recipes are very much my style and by that I mean fairly healthy, easy to make, big on flavor, short on fuss. Since writing the book I have made recipes such as the crostini with white beans and kale, the chickpea dip with pomegranate and the spiced lamb meatballs with yogurt dipping sauce again and again to rave reviews. It's a perfect book for entertaining or gift giving, if I do say so myself.









I am an unabashed Ellie Krieger fan so of course, I appreciate her latest book, The Food You Crave. Her recipes are full of flavor and don't make you think "healthy" but rather "tasty." Kreiger uses real ingredients, nothing fake and doesn't shy away from flavor enhancers such as butter, olive oil, lots of herbs and spices and fresh ingredients to make really appealing food. Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce, Miso Glazed Cod, Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce, Snow Pea, Scallion and Radish Salad, and Chocolate Cherry Almond Biscotti are just some of the recipes that tempted me this year.











Like a dim sum parlor, Eat, Memory, a compilation of essays from the New York Times magazine is filled with unexpected delights. My only complaint is that the book was too short. I wanted to keep reading and reading because the stories are so well told. I've often felt food is just a lens through which we see the world and this book explores the emotions that accompany that which we eat. There are stories by lots of great contemporary writers, authors, screenwriters, etc. that just happen to be about food. Some of the stories and essays are punctuated with a recipe at the end, but not all of them. It's not a cookbook per se, but a book drawn from the memories associated with food or in some cases, the lack of food. It's just a wonderful read.









I raved about The Flavor Bible a few months ago. It's a book to go to for ideas, inspiration, and sometimes reassurance that yes, that seemingly crazy combination you came up with does in fact make perfectly good sense. Sneak a peek at some of the signature dishes of top chefs and find out what flavors pair well. I find this book helps me get out of the ruts I sometimes get into with a specific ingredient, always cooking it one way, forgetting to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. Since reviewing it, I have used this book many times in creating new recipes for my wine retailer client. This is hands down the best, and most useful culinary reference book of the year.









Everyone from Michael Pollan to Mark Bittman is saying the same thing, we need to eat less meat. I for one, am eating more beans, especially heirloom beans. While I love cooking beans, I still need ideas for how to make the most of all the wonderful heirloom beans on the market these days. Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo is just the ticket. I love the recipes and appreciate the substitution notes which make the recipes all the more versatile. The recipes go way beyond just chili, soup and dips, there are also appetizers, side dishes and even main dishes. Love beans? You will love this book!

While A16 is a tremendously popular restaurant in San Francisco, I suspect A16 Food + Wine
will have an even larger audience. It features the big, bold, rustic flavors of the South of Italy. The book helps you to recreate the recipes of the region reinterpreted for American kitchens. It's also a wonderful primer for the lesser known, unique and enjoyable wines of the South as well. This is a really handsome, large hard cover book. And yes, both the much loved pizza and Monday night meatballs are in there.

Win the Baker's Delight/Menu for Hope

Once a year food and wine bloggers put together prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle, with the proceeds going to charity. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of your choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

This year I am offering the Baker's Delight (prize code UW18) a fabulous baking kit designed for a home baker or professional pastry chef with brand new cookbooks, a selection of artisanal American chocolate and a set of silicone spatulas.

The package contains four of the years' best baking books:

* Chocolate Epiphany: Exceptional Cookies, Cakes, and Confections for Everyone by French pastry chef extraordinaire Francois Payard

* Baking for All Occasions by much loved author Flo Braker

* The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Cakes, Cookies, Bars, Pastries and More from New York City's Favorite Bakery, your source for bakery treats like Amy's signature scones, White Chocolate Cherry Chunker Cookies, Definitely Devil's Food Cake, Soft Brioche Rolls with Melting Chocolate Centers, etc.

* The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Pastry Professional, an excellent reference guide for every kitchen cookbook shelf

It also includes four pounds of E. Guittard chocolate wafers, a top choice of professional bakers and chefs:

* One pound E.Guittard 72% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, this super-dark chocolate has a smooth mouthfeel and provides intense chocolate flavor. It’s the perfect choice when a dessert is unequivocally about chocolate – flourless cakes, molten chocolate mini-cakes or an unforgettable chocolate fondue.

* One pound E.Guittard 61% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate, the super-rich chocolate flavors last and last, with a refreshing chocolate finish. This chocolate is extremely popular with pastry chefs, and makes a great eating chocolate as well.

* One pound E.Guittard 38% Cacao Milk Chocolate, enjoy bold, rich, milk chocolate flavors with caramel accents, fresh dairy notes and a signature hint of cinnamon that set this milk chocolate apart from all the others. It’s an extremely versatile blend that can be used in recipes ranging from crème brulée to ganache.

* One pound E.Guittard 31% Cacao White Chocolate, this French-style white chocolate has a sweet, fresh cream flavor with nutty undertones and lingering hints of citrus and vanilla. It adds a balanced dairy flavor to any recipe, and stands alone as an extraordinarily smooth white chocolate with rich cocoa butter taste.

To use with your next recipe:

* A set of four silicone spatulas, perfect for mixing, scraping and folding, they won’t chip or crack and can be used can be used to stir extremely hot mixtures

The Baker's Delight prize package is worth nearly $200! A big thanks to Guittard for the chocolate, and to Clarkson Potter, Chronicle Books, and Wiley for the books.

Where does the money go?
The funds raised by Menu for Hope this year will got to a school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. Providing food for the children helps keeps them in school so that they learn the skills to feed themselves and their families in the future. The program in Lesotho is a model program in local procurement - buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. Instead of shipping surplus corn across the ocean, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is buying directly from local subsistent farmers who practice conservation farming methods in Lesotho to feed needy children.

To win this or other fabulous prizes:
1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at Pim's site, the Baker's Delight prize is UW18
2. Go to the donation site or click on the Menu for Hope logo below, to make a donation.
3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone and no one but us will be able to see it.

Click here to donate:

For the US West Coast prizes specifically, please visit Matt at Matt Bites, the West Coast host (and food photographer extraordinaire.)

Malasadas

Hawaii offers a variety of delectable sweet treats. A couple you have to try when you're here are haupia, a firm coconut pudding and malasadas, a Portuguese style doughnut. Portuguese recipes took hold in the islands because laborers from the Azores came to Hawaii to work the plantations in the late 1800's.

Perhaps doughnut isn't the best description because malasadas don't have holes. They are made from a yeast dough, fried and tossed in granulated sugar. The best ones are fluffy and light with a slightly tangy, yeasty flavor. They must be eaten when they are piping hot!

The most famous place to get them is Leonard's in Waikiki but there is also a Leonard's truck that can be found in various locations. Having heard about another place in Honolulu called Champion, I decided a taste test was in order.

While I was rooting for the underdog, I can definitively say, Leonard's really are the best. Champion's malasadas are a bit cheaper at 60¢ rather than 70¢ each, and have a more pronounced tangy flavor but the texture is not quite as good as the ones from Leonards. They are so light and airy! Supposedly the Champion recipe is from Macau, but the man who runs the place used to work at Leonard's so who knows where his recipe really came from.

Both places sells them plain, with cinnamon and filled but be a purist, simpler is better. Some claim the malasadas are best from the Punahou Carnival but I've never been here when the carnival is going on. Next time I'm in Kailua, I hope to try the malasadas from Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop. Why try them all? Professional responsibility, you know.

More malasada links:

Punahou malasadas recipe

Rubbah Slippahs in Italy on malasadas

Leonard's in the Star Bulletin

Champion in the Honolulu Advertiser

Cookbooks for Families & the Cocktail Set

An odd combination, I know, but I promised something for everybody! I'm sure after the kids go to bed there are plenty of parents who could use a cocktail.

Even though I don't have kids, I know when recipes appeal to the kid in me. The books I'm recommending fit with my style completely. The recipes are creative, fun, generally pretty healthy, and most importantly, delicious.

My first pick is Toddler Cafe: Fast, Healthy, and Fun Ways to Feed Even the Pickiest Eater. What could be better than getting a child interested in a variety of delicious healthy foods? The Toddler Cafe is filled with fun recipes for of course, toddlers. But I bet even adults would be tempted by pea green Lilly Pad Pancakes and Knock-Knock Gnocchi made with instant mashed potatoes (almost identical to my recipe, great minds think alike!) If you know someone with a picky kid, this book will surely help get them excited about new flavors and textures.







Real Food for Healthy Kids: 200+ Easy, Wholesome Recipes is another book to tempt young palates. Seeing kids eat junk food and drink soda makes me sad. My parents insisted I eat healthy food and I never felt deprived. As with Toddler Cafe this book features recipes even adults will relish and why not? The authors are none other than the editor in chief of Epicurious and a test kitchen editor for Every Day with Martha Stewart! Recipes like Oven Barbecued Ribs, Chickpea Pita Pockets and Harvest Tomato Tart are no dumbed down versions, but good stuff for kids of all ages.











Technically Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash came out late last year, but it's such an important book I'm including it this year anyway. It's just too wonderful to leave out of the mix, so to speak. Current cocktail culture is a rediscovery of the history of mixed drinks and there is no finer historian on the subject than David Wondrich. He researched the life and times of Professor Jerry Thomas the author of the seminal Bartenders Guide and his discoveries are tremendously important to understanding the origin of many cocktails and spirits. Wondrich brings to life the stories and the many personalities behind classic cocktails of the past. And yes, there are plenty of recipes too.







The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks is another must have book for anyone who fancies himself or herself a bartender. The subtitle of this book really says it all--classic favorites, new ingredients and modern techniques. This is a beautiful tome, but more a practical guide than a coffee table book with over a hundred recipes plus instructions on garnishes, glasses and more. They don't call DeGroff the King of Cocktails for nothing, a focus on fresh ingredients and plenty of background on each drink will help you raise the bar in your own home.