Big ideas, Small packages

In the competition for diners’ hearts and minds in 2011, it was no contest: David won over Goliath.

Smaller was mo’ betta in the dining world to all those scraping by on salaries reduced or eliminated via furlough, giveback or layoff. Also as a matter of economics, smaller proved more accessible to legions of social media denizens eager to praise or pan their latest finds, creating buzz for the most affordable restaurants and food trucks that play to the swarm’s search for the next big, small thing: Popper or Puffette, anyone?

Queen of the "power-of-small" concept is Poni Askew, who wrangled up the food trucks to organize monthly Eat the Street rallies, guaranteeing the reign of food trucks in 2011 with no signs of abating in 2012. Even if townies — with their multiple food options — should tire of the event, there’s a whole lot of hungry people in the ‘burbs, as learned the hard way in Mililani in September: The trucks were overwhelmed by an estimated crowd of 6,000 to 7,000, versus the couple thousand the event draws in town.

The first Eat the Street of 2012 is set to take place 4 to 9 p.m. Jan. 14 at Kapolei High School.

Here’s what was on the plate in 2011:

» Japan R Us: Japanese restaurateurs seem to love Hawaii, and we love them right back. If not for them, the Hawaii dining scene would be pretty flat. I could always count on them for fare that was good to extraordinary and well presented, served up in stylish settings, whether the cuisine offered was actually Japanese or not. For instance: Chinese fare served up at Jin Din Rou, oysters at Broadway Oyster Bar, Thai at Thai Herb Kitchen, or Italian, as at Bernini and Happy Valley Pasta & Pizza. Others reviewed in 2011: Sushi Izakaya Shinn (still one of my favorites), Marukame Udon, Nanzan Giro Giro, Yuzu and Tsuku Tsuku Tei.

» Sustainability goes mainstream: Sustainability issues have been part of the chef-farmer-foodie discussion for 20 years, but this year, more than ever, diners were likely to know exactly where their tomatoes and cucumbers came from, with chefs giving ample credit to their farm partners on their menus. A lot of credit for the mainstreaming goes to the farmers markets that popped up in every community and also moved into major malls, from Ala Moana to Royal Hawaiian Center to Windward Mall. Restaurants from the casual GRYLT and Heeia Kea Pier General Store & Deli, to the upscale ‘Ama ‘Ama at Aulani and Shor Grill at the Hyatt, touted sustainability in their selection of greens and the day’s catch. Meanwhile, 50 restaurants participated in Kanu Hawai‘i’s third monthlong Eat Local Challenge in September. That’s a lot of chefs showing their support for locally grown/raised foods toward a more self-reliant and food-safe future.

» Shirokiya expands: In preparation for its 350th anniversary in 2012, Shirokiya did some major renovation work that included expanding its food court over the summer. The Yataimura is now home to a beer garden and 21 shop stands offering an array of sashimi, house-made tofu and teishoku meals, as well as special culinary events such as monthly ramen festivals welcoming the best of purveyors from Japan. There’s seating for 90, but given the instant popularity of the new addition, it fills up fast. The Yataimura and Beer Garden opened at the opposite end of the second-story food section, while its specialty foods section moved into the new Meika Plaza on the lower level, now home to Ginza-style confections, mochi, Yoku Moku and more.

» Pop-ups: The idea of the pop-up is thrilling and promising with its limited-engagement, guerrilla-style format that promises a departure from the same old same-old, both for the diner and the chef, who gets to break out of the constrains of operating in a traditional kitchen and working with a set menu. In early summer we got a taste of what could be with the opening of The Pig and the Lady within Hank’s Haute Dogs, the work of Andrew Le and food writer Martha Cheng. Its last two dates open for 2011 are Friday and Saturday.

By year’s end, Henry "Hank" Adaniya was trying his hand at a popup, bringing his hot dogs, by reservation, to downtown Honolulu. Over in Manoa, chef Robert McGee presented dishes simply prepared on a metal plate at Plancha, with borrowed space from Morning Glass Coffee and Cafe, through November. He’s ready to try his hands at something more permanent in a space of his own in 2012. Over on the Windward side, Zaratez Mexicatessen presented a one-night pop-up at Prima this month.

In spite of the promise, the pop-up can be problematic for chefs in terms of finding a venue and drawing a crowd over time. I imagine there are few restaurateurs willing to turn over the keys to their kitchens, and fewer diners who can keep track of who’s cooking where.

» Shave ice au naturel: After years of zero change, there’s a shave ice revolution going on, with purveyors showing us the way it’s done in Taiwan and Japan, and playing with texture to give us ice that looks like wood shavings but melts on the tongue like fluffy snow (Snow Factory). With more people aiming to reduce the amount of sugar in their diet, the biggest makeover has been in the syrup. People are discovering the joy of healthier shave ice at places like Pacific Place Tea Garden Cafe and Ailana Shave Ice. At Ailana, those not yet ready for change can still get syrup flavors of cotton candy, li hing mui, Dreamsicle, root beer and passionfruit, but there’s also mango made with fruit and green tea made from powdered matcha poured over shave ice made with purified water. In the summer, Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha opened in Aina Haina, offering syrups inspired by its farm partners — flavors like North Shore coffee, coconut and papaya — and including a vegetable syrup of kale and spinach, sweetened with apples.

» Hot-pot love: Sweet Home Cafe’s success fueled an appetite for Taiwanese hot-pot cooking, and you could not escape the lure of shabu shabu. Even big names like Keo Sananikone and Chai Chaowasaree tried their hands at the no-fuss form of cookery. Patrons seem to love the creative and Zen-like aspects of choosing their own unique combinations of meat and vegetables, broth and condiments and swishing them around. By year’s end we had another entry into the scene, Shabu Shabu King, near Sushi King on King Street, with the self-serve format of letting customers choose from an array of ingredients from refrigerators. As many of these places as they are, it’s still hard to get a prime-time seat at any of them.

» Starry-eyed: I wasn’t keeping count, but I dished out more 4-star food ratings this year than in my 23 years of reviewing restaurants combined, leading some to suggest I’d gone soft. Not really. It’s just that more restaurateurs have figured out it’s better to do a few things or one thing well, than offer a vast scattershot menu bound to contain a percentage of duds.

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