The Manta at The Mauna Kea Resort

The stroll through the lobby and down the staircase of this once 5-star resort was lovely.  We crossed the gardens and entered what I expected would be a 5-star restaurant.  I had procrastinated too long to visit this very fine dining establishment.  The ambiance was truly spectacular.  Our table overlooked a small, protected lagoon with languid surf and pristine waters.  The staff was so friendly and helpful.  I was eager with anticipation.

I searched the very extensive wine list for the correct choice to compliment what I was certain would be a very diversified selection of entrees.  I selected a 2007 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir from the Sebastopol area of northern California.  It was firm but not too heavy.  The fruits were excellent and it was very smooth.

After a respectful amount of time our pupus (entrees) were served and they were quite tasty.  The soups were delicious, the calamari was tender, the salads were succulent.  Shortly after the first course came the main course.  It was very interesting.  Mahi-mahi was the evening fish special.  Two companions ordered the Mahi-mahi and both found it fishy tasting.  One ordered the Opacapaca and found it very overdone/dry and tough.  One ordered the Stuffed Ravioli and found it beautifully presented but rather tasteless.  I ordered the veal and found it very overdone...maybe even too tough to cut/eat.  Overall I would say that the dinner was beautiful but a culinary disaster.

Lastly, we had pre-ordered the souffle.  It was interesting.  The souffle was very dry.  The combination chocloate and lilikois sauce was excellent but could not entirely save the dessert. 

Overall, the wine list and the ambiance were outstanding but the food was not very good.  In addition, the price of the meal was exorbitant, even by local standards.  This is not a restaurant I will visit again soon.

Bencotto's: an Italian eating adventure in America

Bencotto…a bit of Italy in America

This adventure began with a wrong turn.

I had spent my first day away from the monastery looking for restaurants that I had enjoyed many years ago.  Although I did find one eatery, a burger joint named Rocky’s (a big disappointment this time) most had long ago gone the way of the dodo bird.  I wandered around La Jolla and then back down the coast highway to San Diego.  It was a melancholy drive full of fond memories.

The next morning I arose to a full breakfast and a refreshed perspective.  I boarded my trusty steed and headed for the big city.  Somewhere along the way I got my streets confused.  My left turn sent me up a street blocked by, of all things, a farmer’s market, the Little Italy Mercato.  I smiled, found a parking place (that took a few more wrong turns) and wandered down the four blocks of small farmer’s stalls filled with delicious looking fruits and veggies.  Unfortunately, after my large breakfast I was far from hungry.  I sampled a bit of some very good goat cheese and, as I was considering that purchase, I heard people speaking Italian.  I turned away from the lovely cheeses and headed for the real Italians.  I stood in the far corner of that stall, until they had finished their conversation.  I then stepped up to the Italian vendor and asked if any local restaurants served pasta fresco.  He answered with a sad smile that those days were long gone but then he stopped.  He did recall one place.  He drew me a map.  I was off to Bencotto.  I easily found the place and the posted menu looked very interesting.  I entered the open door and was greeted by an older Italian gentleman.  We made arrangements for me to return for dinner and I was off to spend a little more time at the market.

In the late afternoon I returned to Bencotto.  I elected to sit at the end of a long bar.  My seat had an excellent view of the restaurant.  The bartender said that I could have a full dinner at the bar, so I settled in.  As it ended up, there were three bartenders and each of them had an excellent knowledge of the menu and the wine list.  Their service was excellent and they greatly enhanced my enjoyment of this fine repast.

After I had made my food choices I selected a 2008 Rosso di Montalcino to compliment my meal.  However, with each course one of the bartenders would bring me a small glass of another of their wines that they thought would better compliment that serving.  I wasn’t wise enough to record each of those but they were always correct in their wine choice.  It was a bit like a degustation and I loved it.

My first course was Pecorino di Fossa.  The aged sheep’s milk cheese was semi soft and had just a bit of a bite.  The cheese was complimented with dried Black Mission Figs and Agave Honey.  I would take a small portion of the cheese and top it with a piece of fig.  That was delicious.  The taste and texture combination was perfect.  When the figs were finished I would swirl my small portion of cheese through the honey.  Agave Honey is unbelievable and, when combined with the slightly salty taste in the cheese, was a really mouthwatering bite.  After each bite I would alternative the wine tasting, alternative the wine the bartender thought would be best with the wine I had selected.  Yes, theirs was better but my choice worked, too.

I sat back for a moment and looked about the restaurant, which was now nearly full.  It was a very nice mélange of happy people chatting away over beautiful looking dinners.  Soon my second course arrived.  This serving was a Caprese, which was presented in a way unique for me.  The slices of deep red tomato were spread with a half-moon of pesto and placed around a block of fresh Mozzarella on a large basil leaf.  The plate was drizzled with a balsamic reduction sauce to top off this tasty picture.  The pesto was excellent, the cheese was a perfect texture and taste, but the tomatoes, while colorful, had little taste.  It must not have been a good time of the season.  However, the taste and texture combination, especially when the balsamic reduction sauce was included, was outstanding.  Great tomatoes would’ve made this the best Caprese I’ve ever tasted.

After a brief respite the main selection was served.  My choice was Gnoochi Neri.  While gnoochi is my favorite Italian dish, this presentation was an especially unique rendition.  The gnoochi was infused with ink squid, combined with small shrimp, porchini mushrooms, and placed in a Lobster Bisque Sauce.  This was so delicious.  With each bite I would place my utensils on my plate and allow the smells to rinse over me and allow the tastes to rest on my taste buds.  There was a bit of a taste of the sea from the shrimp and lobster combined with a bit of a taste of the earth from the mushrooms.  It was smooth and rich and, when washed down with a swallow of fine wine, gave me pause.  Each bite was the same and, in the end, I sank in my chair feeling totally gratified.

As the servers noticed that I was spent, they cleared away the debris.  After a time during which they left me undisturbed, I asked for the dessert menu.  I needed something light but as soon as I caught sight of it I knew my choice.  Limoncella would be the coup de grace for this feast.  The sweet scent a lemon coupled with the sharp taste of vodka was a perfect way to finish this evening.  After sipping the first I asked for another and then another.  Now I was a bit tipsy.  I settled my charges, steeled myself and marched straight for the door and toward a great night’s sleep.  I will definitely return one day to this corner of the world.

Not A Wow Experience

Mahina Pizza in the Kona Inn Shopping Village

Perched on the second floor overlooking Alii Drive, this rustic little place is well hidden from the casual walker-by.  Should you wander up the stairs you’ll find Darcy, the owner/chef, happily plying her trade.  You won’t be able to miss her laugh.

Darcy serves up the typical pizzeria fare, with a few salads, a few subs, a custom calzone, and a wide range of pizzas.  My first trip was to specifically try the pizza.  Friends had recommended that she whipped up a delicious pie.  For the sake of diversity, we tried two types of pie.  We split the Five-O (ham, sweet red onion, pineapple, and roasted macadamia nuts) and the Green Flash (pesto base, fresh mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, feta cheese and fresh spinach).

Darcy obviously packs her pies with delicious ingredients.  Both pizzas were good but the Five-O was a bit better.  The sauces were nicely spiced.  The dough was not thin crust but it was nicely crunchy.  Yes, Darcy makes good pizza pies.  I plan to visit again to try the Calzone (except for the stromboli, my favorite Italian sandwich).  I shall report again.

And, yes, the service was very good and by the way, no credit cards.

A WOW Experience

This is a special place for me.  I often praise their food but this entrée on this evening was more than special.

This local farm raised Grilled Boneless Pork Ribeye was simply perfectly done and was topped with the most delicious Smoked Red Onion Jam.  The taste combination was beyond description.  There was a bit of salt and a bit of sweet, which made me want to hold each bite in my mouth just a bit longer.  Following that taste combination with a sip of excellent Cabernet caused me to sit back for just a second before the next taste.

Complimenting those wonderful tastes were a bed of crisp vegetables, including Fingerling Potatoes, Rainbow Carrots, Heirloom Turnips and Haricot Verte, all dressed in a rich Cabernet reduction sauce.

This meal may never be recreated and it makes me so happy to have been at the right place, at the right time to enjoyed such a wonderful dining experience.  Hooray for Chef Wilson!

Yes...Holuakoa, Again

Another Holuakoa Dining Experience

The afternoon rains had stopped.  The sun had drifted below the cloud line and its golden rays spread through the palm fronds.  The air had a clean, crisp scent.  It was a warm, very delightful al fresco evening.

I was seated at my usual table in the corner, just below the kitchen entrance.  Two lovely women along with a quite cute and quite precocious young lady joined me on this evening.  It was a very nice table.

We had agreed to dine family style, so each serving was placed in the middle of the table.  We were given smaller plates for our portions.  We accompanied this with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir (sorry, forgot the vintage) and a fruit drink for the young lady.  Our first serving was a quite large cask of White Carrot Soup with a piece of Bruschetta for each of us.  The soup was quite rich and very smooth.

Our second serving was a bed of Parmesan Risotto topped with sautéed Turnip Greens.  On top of that was a seared Pork Belly Confit topped with a Sweet Red Onion Jam.  The serving was drizzled with a Red Wine Reduction Sauce.  This was quite a combination of textures and tastes.  There is not one thing in this serving that I do not love and the combination of them all just makes me want to plant my face in the dish.

After we’d each been served our portion (I did not allow myself to serve, less I would have taken more than my share) we buffered this course with a large plate of Mixed Olives and Alae Red Sea Salt Crostini.

There was, fortunately, a brief lull, as our waiter, Jonathan, allowed us a bit of time to chat and steel ourselves for the main course.  All of the main course items were delivered at the same time.  The table was full of food.  We had a Hawaiian Pumpkin, Baby Beet and Vegetable Risotto dressed with Fresh Field Greens (rich, smooth, nicely spiced).  Also, we had a Pulled Pork Leg of Pork on a bed of freshly made Tagliatelle, dressed with steamed Rainbow Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas, crisply fried Summer Squash, roasted Heirloom Turnips and freshly diced Baby Tomatoes.  All of this was drizzled with that delicious Red Wine Reduction Sauce (each portion was al dente, with the pork being especially tasty, although the pasta was perfectly done…fresh pasta is so good!).  Lastly but not the least, we had Handmade Potato Gnoochi garnished with Hamakua Mushrooms, crisply fried Hawaiian Pumpkin and Summer Squash chunks, fresh Baby Tomatoes and, of course, Sugar Snap Peas.  This portion was bather in a lovely Sherry and Parmesan Cream Sauce.  Actually, while the pork was the hit of the evening, the cream sauce on the Gnoochi was everyone’s favorite.

As a brief aside, when a local restaurant serves fresh from the local farm food, it is easy to tell what the farmers are harvesting.  In the case of this dinner it must’ve been snap peas, squash, pumpkin, baby tomatoes and carrots.  What a delicious harvest and what a wonderful combination of ingredients.

Yes, we were all pleasantly satisfied.  Therefore, there must be room for, at least, some dessert.  On this evening, as is my usual pattern, we shared a lovely Flourless Chocolate Tarte topped with fresh Whipping Cream.

The evening had been grand.  The conversation was lively, the wine was excellent and the food was, well, outstanding.  We soon took our hugs and were on our way to rest and rise to dine another day.

We Now Love Roy's

Roy’s of Waikoloa

We departed a hula extravaganza celebrating the Goddess Pele, the mother of our islands, and drove a short distance to the King’s Shops in the Waikoloa resort complex.  Roy’s is located at the end of a petite shopping center containing many high-end shops.

The trip from the grassy amphitheater filled with lively Hawaiian chanting and the rhythmic beat of the hula drums into the subdued elegance of this gourmet restaurant was an interesting sensual experience.  The beautiful smile and the warm “Good evening.” which greeted us were more than sufficient to smooth the transition.

We were escorted past the small bar and the open kitchen into a quietly elegant eating area.  We were seated in a slightly elevated area overlooking a large pond and given quite large books that contained the menus and wine list.  We were greeted by, Lurch, our server, which was definitely an appropriate name for this somber server.  Lurch discussed a few things regarding the menu and arranged for our cocktails.

Given that we were going to be having a wide range of food selections, we decided on a Pinot Noir.  The Pinot we selected was a 2007 Radio-Coteau “Alberigi” from the Russian River area of California.  The wine list was very extensive but this seemed like the correct pick, which turned out to be excellent.  The wine had a great nose and outstanding flavors.  We were fortunate to have received their last bottle of this lucky choice.

After finishing our cocktails, cleansing our palettes, and sipping the wine for approval, we began our culinary trek.  We began with Hawaiian Island Wild Boar Carbonara.  This was an excellent combination of textures and tastes.  The boar was perfectly done in a light but tasty sauce, then placed on a bed of perfectly cooked Campanelle pasta and topped with sunny side up quail egg.  It was just an excellent beginning.

The second selection was comprised of deep fried Chicken Spring Rolls placed on a bed of rice noodles laced with roasted peanuts.  On the side was a quite tasty pineapple chili sauce.  This course was not quite as good.  While the sauce was excellent and did a lot to save the dish, the spring rolls were a bit greasy.  This is not a selection we would make again.

Next came a very rich and nicely seasoned serving of Carrot Soup.  The flavor was outstanding, primarily due to the excellent pork stock used in the soup preparation.  This was a perfect selection to buffer the greasy spring rolls from our entrees.

First entrée was a Honey Butter Glazed Duroc Pork T-Bone (actually, a lovely center cut pork chop) placed on a bed of perfectly seasoned mashed Ulu (Breadfruit), covered with an excellent sauce and surrounded by Brandy Apples.  Also, there was a side of the most delicious Creamed Spinach.  The pork was perfectly done.  A bite combining a bit of pork, a bit of mashed Ulu, and dressed with the delicious sauce was just excellent.  Follow that with a taste of the wonderful creamed spinach and you’re just on the edge of Heaven.  A sip of the excellent Pinot and now you’re in Heaven.

How could that have been topped?  Try this!  A lovely serving of Hawaiian-style Misoyak Butterfish served on a bed of Sweet White Rice, dressed with a sizzling Soy Vinigrette and surrounded by fresh Lomi Tomatoes.  The tastes were so different and so great.  It would have been impossible to select one.  We were fortunate enough to have both and to revel in “la difference”.

We did, however, try one more entrée.  We had the Mac-Nut encrusted Hawaiian Shutome(Swordfish) served with white Asparagus Spears and covered with a light sauce.  The fish was dense but moist and tender and the veggies were excellent.

After two pupus and three entrees well elected to skip dessert.  After a nice cup of coffee we waddled on our way.  It’s been a long time since I’ve dined at Roy’s but it won’t be that long before the next time.  Also, I should mention that the service was very good, not rushed, and the ambiance was quite nice.