Holiday meals soothe spirits, please palates
Advertiser library photos
The gift of flavor can be found at restaurants that include, from left, Hoku's at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Marbella on Kapi'olani Boulevard, and Le Bistro in the Niu Valley Shopping Center.
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
The holidays. For better or worse, everybody's feeling challenged one way or another.
Advertiser library photo
Perhaps the most vital gastronomic role at holiday gatherings is this: Without food, plentiful and lovingly prepared, we might kill each another. Even if we can't agree on which of a dozen names to call God, which professions are honorable or how much money is enough, why Sally married such a yutz or how Bob's kids came to be such spoiled punks, or if retiring to California made Mom and Dad ditsy, it is incumbent upon every member of the flock to admit that the grub was good, then join in the consensus that seconds are in order.
L'Uraku chef Hiroshi Fukui displays a concoction of oysters, crab and avocado.
A baked ham inspires truce. A roast turkey levels any and all dissent. The emblem of harmony and good will is manifested in a perfectly cooked leg of lamb. Indeed, a holiday meal opens a window into the true spirit of kin.
Reading my "Larousse Gastronomique," I'm reminded that throughout the Western World, traditional Christmas dishes are handed down from generation to generation, especially on the most important day of yuletide, Christmas Eve.
In France, this feast is called le reveillon, with its oysters, white sausages and tourtiere (meat pie); in Italy, there is a meatless banquet; in Poland, the traditional supper called Wigilia, with three soups, three fish dishes, and noodles, cabbage and cheese pierogi (dumplings); in Armenia, the same supper Mary supposedly ate the night Christ was born (fried fish, lettuce and boiled spinach); in Denmark, roast goose stuffed with fruit, served with red cabbage and caramelized potatoes. Across the world, food traditions are a paradox of intimate mystery and evocative ritual.
No matter how you prepare your own special holiday feast, once that's over and done with, you'll want to get out of the kitchen. I really look forward to sampling many different restaurants in the weeks leading up to New Year's. Here are some ideas for places to visit and dishes to sample. Give yourself the gift of flavor this year.
- At Hoku's, be sure to get festive with the warm lobster and hearts of palm salad, drizzled with truffle vinaigrette — a beautiful salad if ever there was one.
- At Gordon Biersch, get the goat-cheese ravioli, lick-your-plate good, with portobello mushroom, pine nuts and fresh rosemary in a brown butter sauce.
- At Sarento's get a table looking toward town for a glimpse of the colorful, twinkling Christmas lights. A glass of champagne and an order of the elegant gamberoni con pancetta (grilled prawns wrapped with pancetta) will set the mood.
- L'Uraku's baked oyster appetizer is a rich and sexy treat: a voluptuously juicy oyster topped with king crab and avocado, draped with a silky, glazed, browned topping.
- Mekong II on King Street does a perfectly plated pad Thai fried-noodle dish.
- Marbella's grilled salmon pieces wrapped in grape leaves are smashing, served with fresh mint and a cool cucumber salad.
- Tiki's Grill & Bar does one of the finest clam chowders in all the land.
- Bali by the Sea has an outstanding salad of roasted beets, creamy goat cheese, caramelized macadamia nuts and bits of dried pineapple.
- Pineland's kung-pao chicken and garlic shrimp are stellar, perhaps the best one-two punch in town.
- Panda Cuisine's late-night dim sum is awesome, custom-designed for us late-night foodies.
- Grilla's Oreo and chocolate-chip cheesecake is to die for.
- C&C Pasta Co. has one of the best chicken dishes in town — chicken with artichokes.
- Le Bistro's lamb chops are phenomenal, glazed with balsamic vinegar and honey.
- Little Village still has the best black-bean sauce in Honolulu.
- Trattoria's gnocchi all Piemontese (with marinara, Bolognese, pesto or Alfredo sauce) are silky, rich and satiny potato dumplings, perfect with a simple salad and a glass of Chianti.
- The Bistro is an elegant place to wind down and to count your blessings. Get the flaming cherries jubilee or Grand Marnier souffle ...
... and have a Merry Christmas.
Reach Matthew Gray at mgray@honoluluadvertiser.com.
