Four Seasons’ cuisines boast of Big Isle’s bounty

The Big Island might be called the Napa of Hawaii, with fertile farmland that is home to many of the best edibles in the island chain.

Chefs have used this bounty to their advantage. In the days of Cuisines of the Sun, foodies around the world made an annual pilgrimage to the Mauna Kea Beach Resort to swoon over juxtapositions of regional ingredients as interpreted by world-famous chefs.

Now the Four Seasons at Hualalai aims to be Hawaii’s top culinary destination, and with island-grown bounty from 160 area farmers and fishermen served every which way, its place is assured.

Hualalai is full of dining experiences that go beyond the formality of restaurants to consider lifestyle and the way food experiences meld with memories of places and people.

The hotel has considered the romantic aspects of food and offer people the option of deciding where they want to dine, as if bestowing the power of a genie to grant any wish.

While staying at the resort to cover the “Made in America” event, I tried varying meal experiments, from dining table to casual picnic.

After all, the true test of the resort’s capabilities is in the normal guest services.

Note that prices reflect a top-tier resort reality.

I left wishing this food were available on Oahu.

PAHU I’A

If there could be a formal dining room here, it would be the Pahu i‘a, though “formal” is a misnomer in the open-air setting of this resort. For every guest in full-length dress and heels, there is another in caftan top and shorts.

I came here only for the breakfast buffet, which for $35 includes everything from cereal and granola to an omelet station, hot entrees, bagels, fresh-baked banana bread and fresh fruit including sweet Waimea strawberries and Hilo papaya. Seventy-five percent of all ingredients served on the property have local provenance.

At the omelet bar, ingredients ranging from Hamakua mushrooms to sweet Maui onions could be folded in with two eggs.

The hot stations included favorites such as eggs Benedict with spinach, roasted red potatoes, Portuguese sausage and regular and turkey bacon.

In the evening, explore the treasures of Hawaii island from land and sea, with dishes that include pan-seared Kona kampachi ($45), Keahole lobster curry ($59), roast beet salad with Hamakua goat cheese, kukui nut brittle and Waimea greens ($18), and Kona abalone with coconut and kaffir lime (market price).

BEACH TREE

Here, at what chef de cuisine Nick Mastrascusa deems the piko of the resort, the gathering place for guests and area residents, Italian-style specialties await. This place tends to fill up early because everyone’s there for the show, a lingering sunset of orange and pink overlooking the black-and-white volcanic coastline.

If the dining area is full, you can also get a full meal in the bar area closer to the water and on the path of a torch bearer who lights up the property at sundown.

Mastrascusa, who arrived in 2009 from the Four Seasons New York, is in the enviable position of being in a place where the raw ingredients are so good that they seem to require no effort to delight diners. Of course, it takes a good chef to allow true flavors to shine through, which is what happens with a simple salad of wild shrimp, fennel, avocado and citrus with the barest hint of citrus dressing ($20).

A rustic tomato sauce and Parmesan shavings are all that’s needed to flavor a plateful of pillowy gnocchi with oxtail ragout ($24), no doubt inspired by one of the more traditional offerings on the menu, of pappardelle with wild boar ragout ($27).

There are also pizzas ranging from a basic Margherita ($21) to one topped with wild boar sausage and caramelized shallots ($22), and a vegetarian version with eggplant, mushrooms, roasted peppers and Puna goat cheese ($19).

If I had more days here, I would have loved to also try chef Nick’s paella ($42) and cioppino ($39).

PICNIC BASKETS

If you’re planning an excursion around the island, staffers can prepare a picnic basket, really an ice-filled cooler packed with gourmet eats to go in individual eco-friendly takeout boxes.

There are seven options ranging from the vegetarian “Hamakua” basket ($30), to “Ka‘upulehu Keiki” with a choice of tuna or ham-and-cheese sandwich, celery and carrot sticks, fruit kabob, potato chips, house-made chocolate chip cookie and choice of soft drink for $21.

The cost is per person, but depending on your appetite, one meal can feed two, as with the Big Island Bounty ($48), which starts with a Hualalai maki roll of ahi, avocado, mango and tobiko cut into 10 slices, a Keahole lobster roll, Greek salad featuring Big Island greens, Hamakua mushroom poke salad, fresh fruit, two macadamia nut chocolate coconut tarts and soft drink or water.

Even if you’re not leaving the resort, the meals can be enjoyed on your room lanai, in one of the beachfront cabanas or as a sunset picnic on the sand.

Orders should be placed at least 12 hours in advance. B.Y.O.B.

ALSO AVAILABLE

>> “Dinner on the Beach” packages: Three-course meals are available for up to four people, though it’s much cozier for two as a romantic sunset date, with the services of a personal waiter.

>> “Family dinner on the Beach” packages: Geared toward five to 12 people in a private setting, complete with bonfire for making s’mores. A chef will be on hand to prepare a meal of your choice.

>> Plane picnics: If you run out of time to eat before heading home, like a good mommy, the resort will  pack a meal to go. The cost is much higher than your average deli, but it beats plane meals, if you don’t mind taking your chances with TSA. Options range from a domestic and imported cheese plate for two ($32) to Caesar salad ($18), grilled vegetable and pasta salad ($14), or lobster bacon club on whole wheat ($29). There’s also dessert of double-crusted vanilla bean cheesecake or layered Hawaiian chocolate caramel cake ($9).

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