In a opinion piece, "The New Elitists," that appeared on July 7, writer Shamus Khan described the rise of the cultural omnivore. The old form of snobbery that equated high cost and high art is dead, he said, and the new elites are defined by eclectic tastes attuned to finding the sublime in high and low spots.
With food, that describes a person who might spend $1,500 at a restaurant one night, but find equal pleasure in a $10 burger or hot dog the next day.
He talks about the ability to appreciate the high-brow and low-brow as something new. I’ve always been this way. It’s a form of truth-seeking that’s vital to journalism. While some still believe that a $40 price tag attached to a dish must make it better than a $10 dish, I’ve always known that’s not the case. Some high-priced meals have not been worthy of being fed to a dog.
Because of this preoccupation with food itself, rather than the bright, shiny package, I feel comfortable in spaces ranging from the dingiest dives to palatial restaurants, as long as the food’s good.
It’s rare for me to concede that ambience matters, but in Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza’s case, it does. I’ve seen people walk up to the door and walk away because it doesn’t look ready. Others have been intimidated by the dark imagery on the walls, including a larger-than-life image of Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." As much as I love Heath and loved that movie, I find the image unsettling.
Experience tells us to expect permanent-looking fixtures in a space, especially one as big as the former Brew Moon/Paparazzi in Ward Centre. Operating within Vice Nightclub, which opens late nights from Thursdays through Saturdays, Inferno’s is making do for now with portable picnic tables dressed with necessary pizza accouterments of bottled hot sauce, chili pepper flakes and extra Parmesan.
In the olden days of restaurants, like five years ago, venues were rehearsed and ready from day one, so I never worried about reviewing "too early." But a new breed of young "restaurapreneurs" is taking a grow-as-you-go attitude. So while the pizzas and bar here are open for business, there’s more to come in returning the space to its brewery roots in about two weeks, with the promise of "knock-your-socks-off beer that won’t be for the light-hearted," according to Inferno’s Jonathan Wong. You can bookmark infernospizzahawaii.com for further developments.
I was happy when I learned Inferno’s had a home beyond the original truck. This means those who prize stability would no longer have to chase them down on the street or at farmers markets, although partners Wong and Kyle Okumoto remain committed to the Tuesday night farmers market at Kapiolani Community College and Wednesday night market at the Blaisdell Center.
They built a bigger kiawe wood fire oven at Vice that delivers the same thin, crisp smoky crust. If anything’s lost in translation in the transition from truck to kitchen, it’s the interaction and experience of watching Wong and Okumoto building and firing their artisanal pizzas.
The pizzas themselves have survived the move, still made with fresh, local ingredients as unadulterated as possible. Excellence reigns, from the most basic three-cheese (mozzarella, provolone and cheddar, $11) and Margherita pizzas ($13.50) to the extravagant all-meat (pepperoni, sausage, sopressata for $14.75) and guava-smoked Shinsato pork ($15.50). On the latter, the pork runs sweet with the addition of Kilauea BBQ sauce, with spicy or mild options, plus Maui onions and mushrooms.
There’s also a white garlic clam pizza ($15.50), with chopped clams, garlic, mushrooms, oregano and olive oil, which is sort of like clam chowder in dry form.
There are about 13 selections, and if their combinations don’t thrill you, you’re welcome to add toppings or build your own pizza from ingredients such as Ho Farms tomatoes ($1.50), anchovies ($2), roasted chicken ($2) and white truffle oil ($2.50), in addition to toppings on specialty pizzas.
Wash it down with soft drinks or such specialty cocktails as a fruity Sangria-tini or a Margarita of the Mayans with Zarco tequila, lime, sweet-and-sour mix, Triple Sec and a splash of lemon and Grand Marnier.
For the salad eaters, there is caprese built on beefsteak tomatoes generously blanketed with sliced mozzarella. A tossed salad would also be welcome. And I think that, although it is getting away from their specialty, other finger foods such as chicken wings would be welcome additions in this sprawling environment. Not even Pizza Hut survives selling pizza alone.
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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.
