The Best Sandwich I Ever Had…

Last week, Willie and I were in Hawaii (Waikiki) and we had dinner at Alan Wong. The previous 2 nights we had had dinner on the beach (at Duke’s Canoe Club and at the House Without a Key in the Halekulani Hotel). Both dinners were good, but the view made the food even better. The night we went to Alan Wong, it was raining, which I considered a good thing since his restaurant is not on the beach and I had been thinking “…this place better be good, since it isn’t on the beach!”. Well, not only was it not on the beach, but it was in a nondescript neighborhood on the second floor of a very forgettable building. But, it was OK because the food was, indeed, very, very good. In fact, we agreed that it was one of the very best dinners we have ever had!

[ pics will follow - technical difficulties! ]

The restaurant is one large room with an open kitchen and was filled when we arrived. After perusing the menu, we decided on the 5-Course Menu Sampling with Wine Pairings ($105 / person).

A large party of about 18 people had just been seated before we arrived so it was a while before we got our first course. During the delay, I was watching the kitchen and it was clear they were all really focused on their work. There was no panic – just hard work and it showed in the food. Our first wine, a Sparkling Napa Domaine Carneros, arrived, followed almost immediately by our ‘Appetizer Duo’ and the service was impeccable from then on. (Sorry about lack of detail on some of the wines, but they were not included in the menu detail, so all we had to go on was our waiter’s recitation.)

The ‘Appetizer Duo’ consisted of Soup and Sandwich and Alan Wong’s signature appetizer, Poke-pines. The sandwich, which I would like to have for my last meal (as well as many other meals!) was toasted crispy, buttery bread stuffed with foie gras, melted fresh mozzarella cheese and kalua pig. It was absolutely terrific. I would never have thought of combining these three ingredients, but they were perfect, especially with the heirloom tomato soup which accompanied them. Also on the plate was the poke-pine, which that evening was made with ahi tuna stuffed into noodle dough sliced to look like a pineapple and then fried like a wonton. It was served with a wasabi sauce. This appetizer combination was so good we were willing to forget about the lack of a beach view, the rain, the delay due to the large party and anything else! Talk about starting off with a bang!

Next was the Butter Poached Kona Lobster with crab dumpling and garlic black pepper gravy. I am a big lobster fan, but this dish was my least favorite of the evening. The butter poaching left the lobster very tender, but mine seemed to be a tad undercooked. We had a Vouvray Champalou 2007 from the Loire with the lobster.

Our third course was a Ginger Crusted Onaga, which was a delight. The first bites just exploded in my mouth with bright ginger and panko. It was fabulous. The Onaga came with organic Hamakua mushrooms, crunchy corn and miso sesame vinaigrette. The juxtaposition of the various flavors and textures was amazing. Our waiter told us that Wong is very much into supporting local produce and farms and almost all of their supplies come from the big island.

The portions in all these courses were quite large, which is surprising for a tasting menu. But it made me think about Thomas Keller’s rule about 3 bite sizing. He thinks after 3 bites, your taste buds get worn out and it’s time to try something else. This was obvious with the onago as I saw the fireworks of the first bites dulled after finishing the later bites. (Of course, I could have stopped after 3, but get real!). We had a Reisling Cabinette from Germany with this course, which was quite sweet – maybe too sweet.

The next course was even better; Twice Cooked Short Rib, soy braised and grilled “Kalbi” style. I am a sucker for short ribs and this one was really tender and rich with a complex meaty flavor. So rich, in fact, that I couldn’t even finish mine – and that is saying something! I have never not finished a short rib in my life, but I guess I should have paid attention to T Keller after all! However, as an aside, I took the remains with me and ate it before I went through Security at the airport the next day, and even though it was sort of warm and congealed, it was still fabulous, especially when compared to the Burger King we had before we got on the plane. Ugh! The Honolulu airport needs to work on their food offerings!

The short rib came with gingered shrimp and ko choo jang sauce. I don’t know what was in the sauce, but it tasted great. So did the Beaujolais we had with it and unfortunately didn’t get info about! ARRRGHHH!!

Dessert was also a duo; Chocolate Macadamia Nut torte and cocoanut tapioca with passion fruit sorbet in a ginger basket. I love what Alan Wong does with ginger!! In fact, now that I am home, I am so excited by Chef Wong’s use of ginger that I have his cookbook on hold at the library and am investigating trying to grow some of my own! The torte was crunchy with nuts and chocolate – what can I say – it was chocolate! But I am not a fan of tapioca, so though I tasted it, it just didn’t do it for me like the yummy sorbet and the crunchy ginger basket it came in. Willie, however, loves tapioca and his was gone in a flash! We had a Brachetto D’Acqui Banfi Rosa Regale from the Peidmonte 2007 with our dessert duo.

Just in case we were still hungry, white chocolate macadamia nut truffles came with the check.

If you are visiting Waikiki, we would highly recommend a visit to Alan Wong. They also have a 7 (!) Course Tasting (with wines) but you’d probably have to get in shape for that one! It was one of the best dinners we have ever had and that sandwich…mmmmmmmmm!

Aloha!

-- Sandi W