In Kaimuki, Angelo Pietro emerges as a family favorite

Around the same time the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement was heating up 25 years ago, there was a simultaneous food movement going on: that of Asians making their mark on Italian cuisine.

It started in the kitchen of Castagnola’s, then came Assaggio and just about every Italian restaurant with a name ending in “o” thereafter. Then Angelo Pietro arrived from Japan, launching what was dubbed a New Wave of Japanese-style Italian restaurants.

At the time it was so new I thought it would take a while for diners to grow accustomed to the lighter, watery sauces and ingredients we did not see in local pastas: nori, corn kernels, canned tuna, uni, etc.

But — surprise — people took to the restaurant’s homey style and budget prices, and the company, which was launched in 1980 in Fukuoka, Japan, took off here, eventually finding a home next to Shokudo on Kapiolani Boulevard before its lease expired last year.

Many other Japanese-based Italian restaurants have followed in Pietro’s path over time, taking a luxurious approach to pastas, but Pietro’s has stuck with its Everyman approach, now winning over families in its new home in Kaimuki. The restaurant is in the space that once housed Kaimuki Grill, between Territorial Savings and Top Nails by Ana. Just look for the little open-mouthed Angelo Pietro chef figure standing outside.

In the remodel, the windows were covered over, which may be an issue if anyone suffers from claustrophobia. Inside, tables are clustered close together, so it’s not the kind of place for a private discussion. Your neighbor will hear all about your sorry love life, mother-in-law problems or money woes.

OVER TIME, Pietro’s flavors and textures evolved to meet the local palate, and the restaurant hews to a menu geared toward uncomplicated, unfussy family dining. But it also unabashedly shows off its Japanese roots with dishes old and new.

By now we’ve seen many of the Japanese-Italian restaurants work their magic with all manner of seafood, but Pietro’s is moving forward in fusing the two cultures’ culinary traditions. Among the new dishes is a yakisoba spaghetti ($13.95) that isn’t much of a stretch from the straightforward noodle dish. It just swaps the buckwheat noodle for wheat spaghetti noodle. Whether you like it depends on whether you like sour Worcestershire sauce.

Also new is a sukiyaki-style spaghetti ($13.95) topped with sliced beef, mushrooms, tofu, onions and cabbage, crowned with sunny-side-up egg, in a sweet-soy sukiyaki sauce, which should please fans of the beef dish.

I’m not that big a fan of sukiyaki, so for now I’ll stick to some familiar flavors like the tarako (salted cod) pasta ($14.25) cooked up mild or spicy by your request.

If you prefer a more classic-style Italian dish, eggplant penne arabbiata ($11.50) comes through with a robust, spicy tomato sauce with garlic, onions and strips of bacon.

A smoked salmon and mushroom conchiglie pasta dish ($15.25) is another of the new offerings. I liked the brightness of the lemon, but the cream sauce was runny, with nothing to bind it to the pasta shells.

One section of the menu is devoted to tried-and-true Pietro Favorites, your basic chicken, mushroom, spinach and shrimp combos that run $10 to $13.75 and are tossed with your choice of tomato, cream or shoyu sauces, or olive oil.

Build-your-own pizzas start at a base price of $7, but there are better places to go for pizza.

Many diners opt to start their meal with Pietro’s signature rainbow salad ($10.25) with colorful layers of greens, carrots, daikon and bell pepper rings.

As a contemporary practitioner of the yoshoku tradition of Western-influenced cooking, there are some hybrid dishes on the menu. The origins of these are a mystery, but we liked them anyway. They include a mixed mushroom doria ($12.25) and shrimp mushroom doria ($12.75). These are risottolike gratins built on layers of rice, pasta, the main ingredients and cheese.

Desserts are tiramisu ($5.95), bread pudding a la mode ($7.50) and house specialty kid-sweet creme brulee ($5.75). I liked the ice cream just fine, at $3.95 a scoop, for vanilla bean, green tea or Kona coffee flavors.

BITE SIZE

At Vino, new dishes mix with favorites

Angelo Pietro is not the only returnee on the scene. After a brief hiatus, Vino is back in a new spot at Waterfront Plaza (Restaurant Row), just across from its former site.

Fans will be glad to see a menu of old favorites by chef Keith Endo, such as grilled asparagus Milanese, osso bucco and oven- roasted bone marrow, while Kakaako’s young arrivistes will find a handful of simple family- and kid-friendly comfort dishes such as dry pastas carbonara ($14.95) and Bolognese ($16.95), and shrimp scampi ($19.95).

Also new is a 650-degree pizza oven paving the way for a killer Margherita pizza ($11.95) and daily specials.

Favorites on a recent visit were Dungeness crab alla chitarra ($20.95), a linguine named after the guitar; and whole crispy branzino ($24.50).

And if you feel a tap on the shoulder, you know master sommelier Chuck Furuya is in the house.

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