Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Adventures in Dining | March/April 2001

Adventures in Dining
by Janet Snyder

Right Off the Fish Farm

The Seaside Restaurant in Hilo, Hawai i, serves fish fresh from the ponds that lie right under the diningroom windows

The Seaside Restaurant overlooks the fishponds that provide the fresh offerings on its menu.

One thing you learn quickly when you first come to Hilo-its people have a lot of heart. And one of the places you encounter this warmth of spirit is the favorite Hilo hangout, The Seaside Restaurant.

It doesn t take long to get to know the staff, and the Nakagawa family, who have provided diners with ono-licious seafood delights since it opened as the Seaside Club in 1921. Two tsunamis, in 1946 and 1960, swept the restaurant and its fish farm out to sea, but the family persevered.

Ellen Nakagawa, the doyenne of The Seaside Restaurant, says her husband Susumu s World War II Army buddies from the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team helped rebuild the restaurant s fishponds-stone by stone-in the 1980s. "They came on their days off to help," Mrs. Nakagawa says fondly of the guys who, years before, had fought alongside her husband in the Japanese-American regiment that emerged the most highly decorated unit in U.S. Army history.

On a recent night, my husband Art and I secured a table on the lanai to catch the spectacular show that unfolds every night at sundown. A mangrove tree that sits opposite the Seaside s fishpond looks like it s draped with candles as hundreds of snow-white cranes preen themselves before bedtime.

As we enjoyed the view of the sky, an ever-changing mixture of pink and turquoise over a pristine ocean, our congenial server, Noreen, brought us two of the evening s special appetizers: escargots in mozzarella, and calamari strips in batter with cocktail sauce.

Even though we flout wine rules all the time, we stuck to whites at the Seaside. I chose a crisp glass of 1999 R.H. Phillips Chardonnay, while Art picked a Buena Vista sauvignon blanc, which tickled the palate with hints of grapefruit and melon.

We have learned from previous visits that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs when it comes to the Seaside: chef Colin Nakagawa is one generous host.

One reason the Seaside is a local favorite is this generosity, and the fact that once you decide on your entr e, you get the works: salad, rice (two scoops, of course), hot vegetables (usually saut ed zucchini and whatever else that s fresh in the market), plus apple pie.

You can watch the kitchen folks going out back to catch your choice of fish from the pond. Colin s dad, Susumu, now 78, presides over the ponds, where at least seven kinds of fish are raised, including aholehole, rainbow trout and golden tilapia.

We wanted to try something new, so Art ordered a monchong (a kind of pomfret) in a macadamia nut crust with Japanese panko bread crumbs. The fish was first saut ed, then baked, then finished in a wasabi cream with sweet chili sauce.

The beauty of having a companion at dinner is you get to steal from his plate, which I did.

Art in turn swiped some of my Chinese-style pakapaka, steamed in a ti leaf with shiitake mushrooms and ginger, then topped off with hot peanut oil, cilantro and scallions.

"This is where cilantro shines," Art pronounced, as he grabbed another bite of the sweet, white-fleshed fish. I particularly appreciated the use of the subtly aromatic shiitake, which complemented the pakapaka perfectly. We saluted our choices with a woody 1997 Kenwood Chardonnay.

One Seaside trademark is its elegant presentation of vegetables, usually julienned and lightly saut ed with a hint of sesame oil, or served as a finely ribboned nest of crimson beets and daikon radish.

Specials change with the season-and with what the fishermen are catching. If you re lucky, you ll be able to savor Colin s presentation of the regal moi, a fish only the Islands royal citizens were allowed to enjoy in the old days-deep-fried Chinese-style, broiled, or otherwise given the Seaside touch that keeps patrons returning to be surprised once again.

Carnivorous clients are well-served at the Seaside, with some of the tastiest Paniolo prime rib this side of Kansas City. Once a fixture only on the weekends, Colin is now offering them every night of the week. There s also a steak and lobster combination, chicken and pasta for those who must have their spaghetti fix.

Desserts are very no frills, since everybody gets apple pie with their dinners. A dish of Hilo Homemade Ice Cream is also available, in flavors ranging from liliko i (passion fruit) to poha berry, coconut to mac nut.

The Seaside Restaurant
1790 Kalaniana"ole Ave.
Hilo, Hawai i

Open for dinner 5-8:30 p.m., closed Mondays.
935-8825.

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