Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Adventures in Dining | March/April 2004

Adventures in Dining
By JOAN CONROW

Alfresco with Friends

Fresh fish and fresh air are two things one could reasonably expect from a restaurant called Hukilau Lanai. Fortunately, this Kaua'i eatery lives up to its name, and then some, serving near-flawless meals in a setting as comfortably familiar as a friend's covered länai.

Of course, most of us don't have friends who live a lawn's width from the beach and cook like executive chef Ron Miller, which accounts for the boisterously full condition of the dining room. Owners Paige and Russ Talvi and Roberta Wallace-the same folks behind the popular Gaylord's restaurant at Kilohana Plantation-also wanted to keep the prices affordable and offer live music three nights each week, a strategy that has allowed them to attract locals and visitors in near equal measure since their opening two years ago.

The Hukilau Länai is tucked into a corner of the Kaua'i Coast Resort at the Beachboy, a timeshare project in Kapa'a's Coconut Marketplace. It doesn't seem especially promising at first glance, and it's even a bit hard to find. But its nondescript entryway belies a dining room that is at once casual and refined. Indoor tables set with white cloths and small oil lamps are arranged to take in the ocean view, while alfresco diners are treated to a gardenlike setting of lush lawns and flowering shrubbery. The surroundings are so calm and pleasant that relaxation comes easily, and the acoustics favor conversation.

The service was quietly attentive, a feature noteworthy due to its near absence in many Island restaurants. We never felt pestered, neglected or interrupted, which enhanced our overall sense of ease. Everything flowed, and nothing was jarring. Plates arrived and glasses were filled as effortlessly as the birds sang themselves to sleep beneath a darkening sky.

In the end, though, it's the food that matters and Miller, who cooked at Roy's, Honolulu Coffee Co. and Gaylord's, is no laggard. He has a penchant for super-fresh foods grown and gathered close to home, and has spent considerable time meeting with Hawai'i's fishermen and farmers to ferret out the best. That research and his own culinary talent have resulted in an eclectic menu of Pacific Rim dishes featuring powerhouse local ingredients-many of them produced to Miller's specifications.
Kaua'i's Sanchez Ranch free-range beef is ground up and mixed with Big Island-grown shiitake mushrooms for a comforting meatloaf, while small, succulent Medeiros Farm chickens are roasted to simple perfection. K?lauea goat cheese, meanwhile, is combined with purple Okinawan sweet potatoes and a lemon grass cream sauce for a savory ravioli, tossed with fresh greens, mixed with crab for an exquisite fried wonton and baked with mangoes into a delectable dessert.

The fish specials, requiring an entire menu page, are changed several times weekly to showcase the best of the Islands' catch, much as a jeweler places precious gems into his own unique settings. Each dish is wisely based on the premise of perfectly cooked fish, an achievement in itself. We never dreamed nairagi-striped marlin-could be so moist and flaky. Miller was smart to add walu, a buttery whitefish that can hold up to grilling, to his menu, serving it with fresh greens and a Hoisin vinaigrette dressing for a hearty püpü, or adding various creamy sauces for an entree.

It paired perfectly with a tender, flavorful Kaua'i free-range steak, taking surf and turf to a higher dimension. Miller seems gifted with the ability to elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary, and the best example is his warm chocolate cake. This luscious dessert has become almost commonplace, but Miller makes it special by using the only chocolate that is entirely grown and processed on the Big Island. Only civility kept us from licking the plate clean. In fact, we ate nearly every bite placed before us, including tidbits offered by one of our party who ordered from a sampling menu that features six courses, each with a complementing glass of wine chosen from an inspired wine list that includes a number of bottles below $20.

Our meals were finished and we had no good reason to remain, but still we lingered in the caressing warmth of a tropical night. No one wanted to break the spell, but it was pure satisfaction, not enchantment, that held us. How rare it was, we marveled, to dine out without a single complaint. Yet none of us felt our night had been a fluke, and it was the happy prospect of returning that made it possible, at last, to leave.

HUKILAU LANAI, Kaua'i Coast Resort, behind the Coconut Marketplace, Kapa'a. Reservations recommended. Dinner 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Tel. (808) 822-0600.

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