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One thing I rarely did pre-pandemic was revisit tried-and-true restaurants, because they were the ones that were consistent day in and day out. But the pandemic affected everyone’s business, prompting changes in menus, formats and even addresses.
Among the most stable of establishments is Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka’s MW Restaurant, which rose to the various shutdown challenges by offering family and frozen meals to-go, as well as baked goods and produce straight from farms. Moving from their popular Makaloa/Kapiolani Boulevard site was the last thing on their minds, until Karr-Ueoka got a call from former Punahou classmate, JN Group president and CEO Brad Nicolai. He needed a new tenant for the two restaurant spaces in JN’s Velocity Honolulu luxury car showroom.
The space, across the street from Blaisdell Center, had been a promising one when it opened in 2017. It was ideally situated to handle preand post-concert and event crowds; instead, it became a revolving door of failed restaurants.
The two spaces provided an ideal situation for the couple, whose other café — Artizen by MW in Hawaii State Art Museum — had been closed since the start of the pandemic because of the absence of downtown traffic. Ueoka said they intended to reopen the space, but due to restrictions on the number of hours they could remain open in the state building, the move to a different venue made more sense.
Artizen by MW reopened in Velocity in February, followed by MW in April.
MW Restaurant
MW’s menu marks a return to the pre-pandemic era, with a full lineup of appetizers and mains, along with a $95 five-course tasting menu offering a range of the restaurant’s greatest hits.
There’s familiarity in dishes of ahi poke nachos ($19) served with avocado salsa and wonton chips, as well as the return of mochi-crusted Mrs. Cheng’s Tofu ($24) and mochi-crusted Kona kampachi ($35), a longtime favorite of mine, served over somen with soy-yuzukosho vinaigrette and housemade banchan.
One of my favorite starters is a trio of meaty crab cakes ($18) served over wasabi koji sauce and topped with a small dice of heart of palm and corn salad.
Newbies may experience some sticker shock upon seeing the prices, but they have been reduced with no reduction in quality. This especially shows in the tender, sustainable Bristol Bay scallops ($40) that are pan roasted and served over braised cabbage with a flavor-enhancing dried scallop gravy, as well as the ethically raised and hormone- and antibiotic-free Brandt brand prime rib-eye ($59). The beef is so flavorful that it requires no sauce, though it’s served with roast potatoes over a pool of irresistible garlic-mushroom stew.
Those who can’t decide on just one main can opt for the dinner teishoku ($45). A recent teishoku featured a Bristol Bay scallop with the evening’s preparation topped with Kauai shrimp and ginger-scallion relish, a 3-ounce portion of truffle-braised short rib, miso honey-glazed butterfish and musubi.
Summer is a good season to visit when, among desserts like the MW Candy Bar combining peanut butter crunch, Hawaiian sea salt macadamia nut caramel and Valrhona chocolate ganache ($14), Karr-Ueoka offers her renowned fruit shave ice ($14) of local Haden, Mapulehu and Rapoza mangoes over panna cotta and tapioca, topped off with a rosette of thinly sliced ripe mango.
MW Restaurant
888 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
Food: ***½
Service: ****
Ambiance: ***½
Value: ***½
Call: 808-955-6505
Hours: Open 11 A.M.-2 P.M. Tuesdays-Fridays, and 5-9 P.M. Tuesdays-Sundays
Prices: About $110-$160 for two for dinner at MW without alcohol
Artizen by MW
Artizen is MW’s more casual sibling, known for its salads and lunch bentos that had been served to-go in a counter service format to suit its former downtown lunch crowd customers. It’s a little unsettling in this new environment, where some diners may expect to see table service, especially during weekend brunch when people want to be pampered.
Artizen is where customers can still come to pick up family meals and frozen food offerings that had been introduced by MW during the pandemic. Ueoka says demand has not dropped as people have grown accustomed to the convenience. Among these save-it-for-later options are dishes like MW chili ($15) and what may be the best laulau you’ll ever taste, made with Mountain View Farms pork and butterfish ($15).
Menus at Artizen change daily, and you’ll find a short list of breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch offerings, plus all-day snacks ranging from smoked fish dip ($10) served with wonton pi chips to a range of salads.
The lunch menu typically includes the Artizen burger topped with charred green onions ($14) and dishes like mochi-crusted fish ($16). Evening brings weightier selections like a mushroom pork chop ($20), miso-braised beef ($18) and, recently, J. Ludovico Farms chicken piccata over linguine ($20).
To finish, Karr-Ueoka’s chocolate chip cookies and other baked goods are sold over the counter as quick impulse buys for anyone in need of a quick pick-me-up.
Artizen by MW
888 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
Food: ***½
Service: N/A
Ambiance: ***
Value: ***½
Call: 808-524-0499
HOURS: Lunch service 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays; Saturday and Sunday brunch 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday dinner 3 to 8 p.m.; Sunday dinner 3 to 6:30 p.m.
PRICES: About $50-$60 for two
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
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