Dining Scene
Donato's shows potential, has a few rough spots
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
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| Chef Donato Loperfido has opened a new restaurant in Manoa Marketplace, Donato's, in the upstairs spot formerly occupied by Shipley's Alehouse and Grill.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser Donato's Manoa Marketplace 2756 Woodlawn Drive 988-2000 Sundays-Thursdays: 5:30-10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays: 5:30-10:30 p.m.
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Touches such as etched glass, an open kitchen and a faux spiral staircase enhance the visual appeal.æThe big, beautiful blonde wood bar is still in the same place it always was, providing a comfortable area in which to wait for a table, enjoy a drink or even eat when the dining room is full or you're alone.
When you do get a table, avoid the smallish slate-floored area at the front; it tends to be crowded, and the chairs there aren't as comfortable as those in the rest of the restaurant. Ask to be seated upstairs for a more serene experience.
On our first visit, Miss A and I tried two appetizers and a salad. The first, asparagi gratinati ($8.95), an appealing-sounding dish of asparagus with Montasio (mild, sweet and creamy Italian cheese) and Parma ham, in a light nutmeg cream sauce, proved to be ultra-rich, but missed the mark. The reason: The term "gratin" refers to something that has been heated in an oven or under a broiler until brown and crispy; this dish lacked that trademark flavorful, slightly crisp crust and came off overly sauced and uninteresting as a result.
The guazzetto di cozze e vongole ($11.50) was much better: fresh mussels and Manila clams in a garlicky white wine sauce. For extra texture and interest, cannellini beans wade in the broth, ready to be scooped out while you're dunking your bread into the dish.
The pomodori e cipolle salad ($7.95) was a tomato and onion combination accented with fresh thyme leaves, excellent extra-virgin olive oil and Chianti vinegar, and topped with small chunks of truffled pecorino cheese. Unfortunately, the Maui onions were sliced so thickly that they were overpowering; they ought to have been shaved or sliced very thinly for best effect, mounded between ripe tomato slices.
A number of wines are offered by the glass. The house white is a 1999 Lagaria pinot grigio at a very affordable $3.50. Besides that, about eight whites and eight reds are ready to be poured. I had a sparkling white called foss marai prosecco Veneto ($5.50) that I really enjoyed. It goes well with almost all Donato's flavors.
We had an unfortunate wine experience when Miss A ordered a glass that turned out not to her liking. The waiter responded by first going off to speak with the manager and then returning to say they couldn't take the wine back because she already had taken a sip. This struck us as both ungracious and incorrect. The usual practice in a restaurant of this quality is to remove the item and replace it with something more to the customer's liking. That didn't happen in this case. Disappointing.
On the entree front, Miss A's nodino di maiale ripieno (stuffed pork loin chop, $18.95) was outstanding — stuffed with Montasio cheese and served with sautÚed onions and a roasted pepper sauce. The meat was juicy and literally fork-tender.
I had the spezzatino di carni miste (a stew of beef, veal, sausage and lamb, $18.95), served in a clay crock with borlotti beans, in a roasted garlic and truffle sauce. The sauce was dark, rich, a bit salty and altogether addictive; however, the meats were chewy and tough. My guess is that the meats were roasted first and then added to the sauce, instead of being braised or stewed in it, which would result in more tender texture.æ
Another night, we enjoyed two daily specials, a fine pappardelle con la papera (wide ribbon pasta with chunks of duck breast, prosciutto, capers and tomato — $15.95) and an excellent grilled swordfish special ($23.95), subtle and juicy. However, there was no mention of prices when the specials were recited by our waiter.
Pondering the contradictory factors — several excellent dishes, an unusually nice by-the-glass wine selection and pleasant surroundings, as against the wine incident and some dishes that suffered from a lack of attention to detail — I consulted with Advertiser food editor Joan Namkoong.
She has visited Donato's twice and reported that she, too, found some dishes very well done and others not quite so — in particular a special in which a chicken breast was breaded and served in a mushroom/marsala which proved to be much too salty for her.
Donato, who had stopped by the table, tasted it and pronounced it merely "savory," but offered to re-do the dish (she declined).
This seemed to personify the somewhat hit-and-miss nature of our experiences at Donato's; there is considerable potential here, but also some rough spots to be worked out.
Send comments, questions and suggestions to ChefMatthew@LoveLife.com
