Pupu crawl
Oct 4, 2006 |
However it was labeled, when the tapas, small-plates, light-bites trend swept menus from Manhattan to Monterey, we in Hawai’i scoffed at the newly zealous with the jaded smugness of the well-seasoned. Pupu, after all, is one of the few Hawaiian words that has joined the ranks of ‘lei’ and ‘lanai’ in gaining mainstream, mainland use. From thrown-together, last-minute backyard gatherings to ‘heavy pupu’ cocktail soirees, a spread of made-to-share dishes is essential to island cuisine. Here’s a selection of premium pupus, all made for plucking up between sips with chopsticks or fingers.
The Chart House, Honolulu, 1765 Ala Moana Blvd, 947-2490 The pau hana die-hards can be found congregating at the Chart House Honolulu during Power Hour, when the value is unparalleled. You may never again wake up early to make it to Mitsu-Ken once you try the crispy garlic chicken ($6.50), tossed in a dark, garlicky, sweet sauce sprinkled with sesame, and served over micro greens with a thoughtful little cup of kim chee. Two stellar pokes pair perfectly with beer: ‘Ahi limu poke ($6.95) comes flanked with zesty touches of pickled ginger and kaiware sprouts, and–vegetarians and the raw-fish wary rejoice–there’s one made with cubed tofu. Go early before the sublime oysters Rockefeller runs out. Special Power Hour prices until 7pm and after 10pm.
Harbor Pub and Pizza, 1777 Ala Moana Blvd, 941-0985 Slink downstairs from the Chart House to the Harbor Pub, dim and sunken below sea level, and serving some of the best pizza on the island. If you can bear the wait, order a Harbor Combo and ask for it extra-well done. The additional time in the oven means a thin-yet-substantial crust that’s blistered and crisp, encrusted with cheese and packed with pepperoni, ham, salami, Italian sausage, bell pepper strips and olives. Sailors have been known to phone in pizza orders when returning to port so as to have it hot when they dock and pour in for the cheap pints.
Bar 35, 35 N Hotel St, 537-3535 Bar 35 also knows that pizza and beer are an inseparable couple, and it’s managed to build both an impressive beer inventory and pizza menu, here dressed up for the downtown office crowd. The small, thin-crusted, free form pies come out of the oven on handled wooden planks (sleek and utilitarian). Over the course of the evening, as groups lose various friends in the back garden, you’ll see them eagerly reappearing when the pizza arrives. The specials sometimes read like after-hours drunk cravings: Breakfast in America is a basic margherita topped with corned beef hash and egg and the Tuna Kick boasts a puttanesca-like mix of tuna, capers and onion.
Side Street Inn, 1225 Hopaka St, 591-0253 We don’t need to tell you that the pan-fried pork chop at Side Street Inn is so famous it’s practically a tabloid starlet of the pupu circuit. Ditto the fried rice. While the pork chop deserves its peppery and juicy fame, the fried rice is an unclothed emperor. On a recent visit the rice was overcooked and mushy, the char siu overly fatty and the whole thing oddly smoky. The best thing on the menu at this perennially crowded spot may be the whole steamed moi–mild, silken, tangled with cilantro and ginger, bathed in soy sauce, and sesame oil, and made for a group (Market price, seasonally available).
Aku Bone, 1201 Kona St, 589-2020 Walking distance from Side Street, at Aku Bone, this good-fun karaoke joint, you’ll find local, straight-from-tutu’s-stove dishes you’d have a hard time finding in any restaurant: Corned beef, onions and cabbage, sardines and onions, to go with $2 sides of poi. They often run out of namesake aku belly and the ‘ahi poke’s market price is a little steep for the portion ($15 recently), so go for the menu’s major value: a sizzling platter of hibachi steak for $12.
Vino, 500 Ala Moana Blvd, 524-8466 When the evening calls for a goblet of wine, overlook the expected cheese platter in favor of Vino’sgussied-up enoteca classic that borrows from the low-brow (and much-loved) mozzarella stick. Vino’s ‘Caprese’ features the usual tomatoes (ripe, Hau’ula-grown), basil and balsamic vinaigrette, and the very unusual addition of fried bufala mozzarella. Exquisite wine list.
Da Big Kahuna, 2299 Kuhio Ave, 923-0033 When you’ve got an appetite that menehune pupu portions won’t satisfy and the gargantuan fishbowl won’t quench, choose the burger, from the full menu of snacks served until 3am at Da Big Kahuna. Better yet, ask for it with bacon, avocado and Swiss cheese and make the very un-local gesture of refusing to share.
Sansei Seafood Restaurant, 2552 Kalakaua Ave, 532-6286 Late nights on Thursdays and Fridays at Sansei are a steal, when the karaoke machines are running and the selected late night menu is slashed by 50 percent from 10pm to 1am for all those old enough to drink. Don’t miss the panko-crusted fresh ‘ahi sashimi, unexpectedly spiked with arugula and served with a soy wasabi butter sauce that is so decadent it could compete with your sake as the evening’s intoxicant.
Tokkuri Tei, 611 Kapahulu Ave, 739-2800 Two favorites to go with your overflowing sake cups at favored ikazaya Tokkuri Tei: The award-winning spider poke, essentially a riceless sushi roll built from ‘ahi, hamachi, salmon, ikura and tobiko with a crispy soft shell crab core and a sweet chili glaze. The trio of grilled oysters is the essence of charcoal and brine, and arrives at the table–as an etymological nod to the literal pupu–in the shell on a bed of rock salt.
