Bold flavors fill fair comfort food

Over the years, I’ve presented many socioeconomic reasons for the emergence of small restaurants, little Davids that now run circles around bigger, more traditional Goliaths.

One of the reasons really hit home when, in April, I lost my husband, Christopher Neil, to lung cancer. During the time he was ill, I became more painfully aware that certain restaurants are made for couples. The prospect of an aging population creating more widows and widowers, the decline in marriage — 80 percent of households in 1960 versus 48 percent today — and coupledom in general, seems to favor a certain kind of restaurant that similarly asks for no big commitment.

A Place to Eat came to mind. Its name suggests no more than comfort and basics, and it follows in the Kaka­ako Kitchen tradition of cas­ual gourmet eat-in or takeout cuisine for those weary of cooking for themselves or who want something a cut above fast food.

The restaurant’s white-and-glass interior is clean and comfortable for groups or singletons, and if it ever gets too crowded for your taste, takeout makes the option of walking out with your boxed meal easy.

The menu is small and inviting, and for once, diners also have the option of what goes on the menu through a weekly vote. Last week diners had the opportunity to vote for li hing kalbi or truffle gnocchi to be added as a dinner option this week. Last time I checked, li hing kalbi was winning.

Dishes will be a hit with those who love big flavors and cream sauces. Subtle it’s not.

This is the first time I’ve seen a menu with dishes presented in alphabetical order, starting with adobo sea scallops ($12). Any sense of peppery, vinegary adobo is lost when buried under a mushroom and garlic soy sauce.

Shrimp in a dish of basil orange scampi ($12) was perfectly cooked, and orange zest added a bright, citrusy touch to the basil butter cream sauce, but this dish suffered from the takeout presentation that left the linguine more limp than it would have been if plated.

If you’re trying to add more fish to your diet, mahimahi ($11) is breaded and fried with a macadamia nut crust, coated with a ginger-cream sauce and served with jasmine rice.

Meanwhile, there was little that could help baby back pork ribs ($12), braised in brown sugar and Champagne vinegar with a tangy sweet-sour flavor many prize, but it was too dry for me. Accompanying jicama herb slaw was a nice touch.

One of the best dishes was the blue New Yorker ($12), prime New York steak drizzled with blue cheese herb butter and large chunks of caramelized sweet Maui onions.

Karaage chicken ($11), Kahlua BBQ kalua pig quesadillas ($11), wok-fried soba ($10), Angus beef sliders ($10) and lup cheong fried rice ($7) round out the menu.

There’s also dessert, most recently a croissant bread pudding or a brownie and Oreo ice cream sandwich that’s great to share with friends, if not a significant other.

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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.