West Oahu leads local food scene into 2018

Every year brings a spate of new restaurants, and while in the throes of table hopping it can be difficult to see the big picture in terms of how Oahu’s culinary scene is shaping up. In looking back on trends and events throughout the year, we can relish the dining experiences we enjoyed, while seeing how they set the tone for the new year.

The biggest development by far was the West Side rising. For at least 30 years there has been talk of a second city in Kapolei. Homes were built, but little else.

Then, food brought me out there. Given the food focus of malls like Kapolei Commons and Ka Makana Ali‘i, I ended up in Kapolei more times this year than in 29 years of writing this column, for openings big and small.

Choices now open to West Siders range from Cheesecake Factory to chicken specialist Bonchon, both at Ka Makana Ali‘i. They include enterprises from longtime industry leaders such as Roy Yamaguchi, with his plantation days-inspired Eating House 1849, to relative newcomers such as Henry Yoon and Jin Hong of the venerable Duck Butt, who created the trendier, modern DB Grill for Kapolei.

They’re poised to become tomorrow’s industry leaders, with innovative, progressive ideas that made them among the first to bring the meatless Impossible Burger to Hawaii.

Koko Marina’s Moena Cafe moved into Ka Makani Ali‘i, and Kalapawai Market, a Windward institution, is now part of the Kapolei landscape with a cafe and deli.

And the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina introduced one of the most lavish buffets islandwide at La Hiki Kitchen. The resort ups the experiential ante with the recent opening of Mina’s Fish House by Michael Mina. A program in the works will make it possible for diners to join chefs on a deep-sea fishing expedition that ends with their catch cooked to order at the restaurant.

The westward trend has met resistance from staunch Honoluluans who refuse to drive west of Aala Park. When I balked at the long drives and openly wished that some of the newcomers had put Hono­lulu first, one West Sider put me in my place, saying: “We want more of the in-town restaurants on the Ewa plain. So many times we ‘settle’ for anything rather than fight the miserable traffic in and out of Kapolei and Ewa Beach. It’s like living in a drought area. Have pity. Don’t envy us.”

Touche. Here are some other things we saw on the plate in 2017:

AVOCADO TOAST 2.0

Basic fat-filled avocado on toast had been a standard of the vegan/vegetarian set for years before entering mainstream consciousness. We know something’s gone mainstream when chefs start putting their own spin on a good thing. So this year we saw a more decadent avocado toast.

Over at Fish Hook Cafe in the Luana Waikiki Hotel, longtime poke star Elmer Guzman tops his bacon-fat avocado toast with buttered lobster, tarragon aioli and Mari’s Garden microgreens.

At Herringbone in the International Market Place, a California-style avocado toast served at weekend brunch includes tomato confit, Fresno chilies, sheets of crispy Parmesan and Romesco sauce.

SMOKIN’

Guzman also showed he’s on top of trends by offering Smoking Gun Nori-Charred Hamachi.

Countertop smoking devices have enabled chefs to add extra flavor to dishes by pumping kiawe or other wood smoke under glass, adding drama to their presentations when lids are lifted and the smoke dissipates, its intoxicating aroma swirling around diners’ heads.

Mauka Makai restaurant in the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas in Kaanapali, Maui, offered an octopus tentacle with smoke under glass that created the eerie ambience of a mystery novel before being plated as the centerpiece of a salad of pohole fern shoots and Kula tomatoes.

Manly, yes, and bars like the smoker guns, too, for the hints of tobacco, leather and barbecue they add to libations.

REACHING FOR TENTACLES

Speaking of octopus, it used to be that any time we saw tako, the tentacles were sliced into bite-size rounds, whether in poke, salads or luau.

It could be because they were too chewy to take on in larger portions, or that the visual effect of a tentacle on a plate would scare diners off.

But in today’s Instagram society, it’s all about the visual. Whether it’s pure shock value or artfulness, dozens of restaurants graced their plates with curvy, tender octopus tentacles this year.

Among the many places you could order this were Senia (served a la plancha, or grilled, with Romano beans, chickpeas and eggplant); BLT Market (braised with marcona almond gremolata and purple spinach); and Herringbone, where chefs famously coated it with spicy, tangy Buffalo sauce, creating an instant hit among those who already love Buffalo wings.

BONE MARROW

Where the fatty, somewhat icky idea of eating the contents of bones may have scared diners before, people are learning to embrace this ancient source of nutrients.

Marrow has come out of hiding in broths, now served in roasted, scoopable form in the bones at restaurants including Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar at Waterfront Plaza, BLT Market, Baku at International Market Place, and even as a breakfast item alongside prime rib on the buffet at Lychee in the Alohilani Resort.

LOTSA FOOD IN ONE PLACE

Noting that diners love freedom of choice, the food hall concept made a big splash with the summer openings of The Street: A Michael Mina Social House, and Duke’s Lane Market & Eatery.

The former brought 13 restaurant and drink concepts under one roof, while at Duke’s, ABC Stores expanded its ambitions with a market, sandwich and pizza shops, and the upscale restaurant Basalt.

Later in the year, Ala Moana Center introduced The Lanai, anchoring the Diamond Head side of the mall with 11 dining concepts ranging from local Ahi & Vegetable and Mahaloha Burger, to Japan’s Brug Bakery and New York’s Sobaya.

A TASTE OF PERU

Peruvian cuisine is the current darling of the culinary world, and Oahu got a taste of it when the Kahala Hotel & Resort welcomed Andina executive chef Dustin Koerner for a summer pop-up, highlighting the Portland restaurant’s novo-Andean cuisine. Enthusiasts learned the secret of great ceviche, while dining on such specialties as lomo saltado and tiradito de conches.

Mimi’s Place graduated from University of Hawaii-area pop-up to a short-lived space at Waterfront Plaza, while San Francisco- based Limon Rotisserie is showing staying power at Ka Makana Ali‘i on the strength of its ceviche, empanadas and excellent chicken served with addictive aji amarillo sauce.

WE’RE ALL FOOD NERDS

Generalization was once the norm. Diners had a choice of Chinese food or Japanese food. With growing sophistication comes specialization and a growing number of niche, rather than generic, restaurants.

In place of broad-based teishoku, newcomers such as Beniya and Maru Sushi focused on omakase, or fixed-price chef’s-choice menus; Hachibei elevated yakitori; and, expanding our experience of Chinese cuisine, Chengdu Taste and Spicy Pavilion have made the Sichuan pepper the star of their menus.

The Honolulu International Film Festival sparked renewed interest in Okinawa and Okinawan fare by screening the film “Jimami Tofu,” sending some filmgoers in search of the delicious peanut tofu at Izakaya Naru. Aloha Tofu also has it available by special order.

LOOKING AHEAD

I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of two new concepts from Kevin Aoki of the Aoki Group. Slated to open in the spring in Kakaako are 1938 Indochine, featuring a fusion of Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian cuisine, and Qing Mu, modeled after Chinese noodle shops.

Speakeasy bars made a splash in 2017, and I anticipate more secret restaurants to open on the heels of yakitori specialist Toridokoro Matsumoto. Just don’t expect me to write about them. Lesson learned after my column sparked a state Health Department search for the restaurant serving raw chicken.

Happy eating in 2018!

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.