Serial restaurateur Peter Kim’s newest venture, The Signature Prime Steak and Seafood restaurant, could well be his crowning achievement financially as well as physically.
The physical part is obvious as the white-tablecloth eatery will be located at the pinnacle of the Ala Moana Hotel.
The financial part is yet to be determined, as the restaurant will not open until May 31, but he has "a long-term lease" and a great relationship with the landlord, said Kim, a one-time kicker for the University of Hawaii team who transferred to and graduated from the University of Alabama where the legendary "Bear" Bryant was his coach.
Kim has long dreamed of owning a steakhouse and has thought he could do it differently and make it more affordable.
He has eaten steak "all over the country" and can’t stand having to pay "$13 for a baked potato" at steakhouses with a la carte pricing. So, as with many of his quick-service restaurants, the baked potato (or other side-dish choices) will be included in the price of the entree.
"I want to be an innovator in fine dining," he said. This is restaurant 25 for Kim, who owns or has interests in Yummy Korean BBQ, Lahaina Chicken Co., Mama’s Spaghetti House, Cheeseburger Factory, Steak & Fish Co. and a KFC and Subway.
The Signature is in the space formerly occupied by destination restaurants including Aaron’s Atop the Ala Moana, Nicholas Nickolas and The Summit.
Rather than being a once-a-year restaurant, Kim hopes The Signature will be affordable enough for diners to eat there once a month.
Even if that is not the case, the servers can help guide customers to a "great experience" and stay within their budget for the evening, said general manager Jacque Viloria (yes, she is related, through her husband, to boxer Brian Viloria).
"We serve steak but we eat Spam," she said, causing an eruption of laughter.
The menu by executive chef Ken MacKenzie will offer appetizers in the $11-to-$20 range and entrees from about $35 to $55, with side-dish choices included. All steaks will be USDA prime, the top grade available, Kim said. Cuts will include bone-in rib eye, Porterhouse and a 10-ounce filet mignon, while seafood items will include fresh fish, live Maine lobster, Alaskan king crab, fresh sea scallops and Big Island abalone.
Wines also will be more affordable than is typical. The usual restaurant markup on wines by the bottle is three times retail, Viloria said, to which Kim quickly interjected that his wines "will be nowhere near that."
The elegant Signature foyer has marble flooring with intricate inlaid designs and subtle lighting so as not to take away from the crystal chandelier.
Step into the restaurant itself and the focal point is a white grand piano atop a white glass pedestal right by windows overlooking Waikiki and the blue Pacific Ocean. It is meant to give the illusion of the piano floating on a cloud.
Paintings are the work of Emi Hata, mother of Y. Hata & Co. Ltd. Chairman and CEO Russell Hata, who happens to be Kim’s friend.
About 275 diners can be accommodated at tables and booths in the lounge, restaurant and bar and in private rooms with tables and banquette seating. In addition to regular dinner seating, customers can choose full dinner service at the piano and bar, Viloria said.
Viloria has been deeply involved in hiring, with the restaurant to employ 70 staff members for the front of the house, she said, with up to 85 total employees, Kim added.
Viloria most recently worked in the Las Vegas location of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, a Dallas-based chain of 10 steakhouses.
From her industry beginnings at the Shorebird in Waikiki, Viloria worked her way up and then out, moving to Las Vegas to help open Del Frisco’s. There for 13 years, she also rose through the ranks until she became part of the team that opened new locations.
The GM gig at The Signature was not a tough sell since, as a mother of two young children, she wanted to come home, she said. MacKenzie was recruited from Ryan’s Grill at Ward Centre.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
