Revamped Waikiki bar offers bucketful of flavors

Something’s cooking at the Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel, once home to The Noodle Shop and the comedy/music trio of Frank de Lima and Na Kolohe.

At some point the property went quiet, but now, all of a sudden, there’s been a burst of activity.

Perhaps motivated by the popularity of the poolside Il Buco, an unassuming gem of a wine bar, hotel management has refurbished the street-front Sand Bar and rechristened it Wood & Bucket. Chef Winston Mada­yag worked at Top of Waikiki, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Fresco Italian Restaurant before joining the company.

The name Wood & Bucket is one of the most nonsensical I’ve heard lately. It has no deep meaning save for the fact that most of the interior comprises wood and the menu comprises a bucket of far-flung ideas. That is typically the starting point for the naming of a thing, but in this case that is as far as it got.

Company President Hiroki Shuto was in town to celebrate the bar’s grand opening Jan. 9, saying he’s wanted to make changes since 1987. Given those changes and the redesign, he thought a new name was necessary.

At Wood & Bucket you will find a cas­ual, no-nonsense setting with some classic bar fare as well as more upscale temptations on shareable big and small plates. Night owls will be happy to know it’s open until 4 a.m. daily to serve those late-night or early morning munchies.

Smaller plates register a bit feminine to me due to size and some frou-frou, fine-dining flair, but on a typical afternoon many of the patrons are men who appear to welcome the familiarity of a 10-ounce sizzling New York steak ($17) or sizzling half-chicken ($11) platter.

Because I crave variety, I gravitate toward the small plates with their grab bag of options befitting a bar that serves travelers and locals. Small plates range from Tortilla Espanola ($5), an omelet of onions and potato topped with a couple of anchovies, to local-style lili­koi-sweetened ribs ($7) and kalbi ($7) comprising a few pieces of sliced boneless ribs accompanied by kim chee and a scoop of macaroni salad.

A touch of curry lends interest to seafood risotto ($8) featuring clams, mussels, shrimp and bay scallops. A pair of foie gras-burger sliders ($9) can be downed in two quick bites, but I recommend you take time to enjoy the rich slivers of foie gras.

I assumed pokedon with avocado ($8) would feature a nice dice of avocado, but it was presented as a thin mash that wasn’t worthwhile.

Some of my favorites include a delicious, savory mozzarella-laden roasted eggplant, tomato and tofu lasagna ($6); Asian-style five-spice and cumin lamb chops ($8 for two pieces) layered over potatoes au gratin that were far better than $48 lamb chops I had elsewhere recently; and creamy polenta topped with three pieces of shrimp ($8). The shrimp trio appeared to be mistakenly boiled rather than barbecued as noted on the menu, with just a light trace of ancho chili, but the buttery polenta more than compensated for the lack of flavor there.

Sides available to accompany these small plates include white or brown rice ($3), french fries ($4), broccoli ($4) and onion rings ($6).

Elsewhere, deep-fried calamari ($7) was lacking in crispness, and I was cautioned by our server against ordering the cheese fondue ($13) because the heating device was not hot enough to keep the cheese in liquid form.

On the large entree menu: Kobe hamburger steak ($16) served with demi-glace or ponzu sauce, and loco moco ($13) topped with house-made mushroom-and-onion gravy. Tomato pasta ($12) is served al dente with scant sauce. But if you are hungry for pasta, I would suggest walking 100 feet over to Il Buco.

Before or after a visit, you might also want to check out the hotel’s free ashiyu, or solar-powered foot spa, to rest your feet in its warm water, a pleasant way to end the day.

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

BITE SIZE

Chili touch gives ketchup just a little bit of kick

If you’re looking for some new condiments for your Superbowl Sunday spread, you might want to try Lee Kum Kee’s new Sriracha Chili Ketchup to add a slight kick to burgers and wings.

The new sauce is still more ketchup than hot sauce — with ketchup’s sweet, vinegary tomato flavor and without the burn of straight Sriracha.

It’s also gluten-free and contains no MSG, artificial flavoring, preservatives or colors.

Sriracha Chili Ketchup is about $3.99, available at Longs Drugs, Safeway, Foodland, Times Supermarket and other grocery stores.

Check out a couple of game day recipes using the ketchup or Lee Kum Kee’s Sriracha Chili Sauce at my "Take a Bite" blog: www.honolulupulse.com/takeabite.

"Bite Size" documents the small, the new, the unsung.