Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Adventures in Dining | October 2000

Adventures in Dining
by Kaui Philpotts

highstyle.com in Waikiki

Diamond Head Grill is fun; it's hip; it's got style in abundance; and the food is delicious

Diamond Head Grill reflects the distinctive style of the W hotel chain-the furniture has gotten cushier and the bar space expanded.

Late last fall, the very trendy W hotel chain slipped quietly into place near the venerable Outrigger Canoe Club on Diamond Head's "gold coast." By December, the stylish David Paul's Diamond Head Grill had become, simply, Diamond Head Grill, and a new chef, David Reardon, was in command of the kitchen. Not a beat was skipped.

Opened initially to attract youngish, wealthy dot-com types on business trips to major metropolitan areas, W Hotel Diamond Head is the first attempt by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to venture into the leisure world with its distinctive and very focused style.

Upstairs in Diamond Head Grill, the furniture has gotten cushier and the bar space expanded. And yes, right smack in the middle of the lounge is "the bed," which W has become famous for in its Mainland locations, allowing the exhausted to get truly cozy along with their pau hana drinks.

I'll admit it. I'm a style slut, and the new Diamond Head Grill has got "it" in abundance. It's fun. It's hip. And Reardon's food is delicious.

My husband, Doug, and I were seated at a booth against the wall - the perfect spot to watch the room. We each ordered a glass of wine from one of the friendliest lists in town (including 11/2 pages of premium wines by the glass, a good selection of half-bottles and two pages of chardonnays), and we settled in to check the menu. I have a little personal yardstick for restaurants. When the bread and butter arrive, before I even lift a fork, I begin to judge the quality. A chef who doesn't pay attention to this first impression just isn't paying attention.

Diamond Head Grill passed with flying colors. The freshly made lavosh was lightly flavored with good Parmesan cheese, and the accompanying aioli was rich with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and capers.

My husband's first course arrived - a thick curry coconut seafood chowder so chunky and good it could have been the entire meal. I would have snatched it out from under him had my more delicate appetizer, a carpaccio of pepper seared Kamuela beef tenderloin, not gotten my full attention. While not the simple, traditional carpaccio that I normally love - this was served with arugula, caramelized onions and shaved fennel, then drizzled with a tangy pommerey mustard vinaigrette - the result was cool and fresh, and left me wanting more.

I opted for their signature fire-roasted 'opakapaka as an entree, and my husband, who never misses good lamb, went for the guava-and-mustard-crusted rack of lamb with braised red cabbage and a show-stopping gratin of roasted garlic, goat cheese and thinly layered potatoes. It arrived pink in the middle and cooked just right in a lamb jus.

My 'opakapaka was cut thicker than usual and cooked to perfection. It sat on the plate surrounded by fat Manila clams in a rich seafood broth. With it were basil-scented mashed potatoes and a light, sweet corn sauce (harking back to Chef Reardon's time in the American Southwest).

You may remember Reardon from his days overseeing the kitchens at The Orchid at Mauna Lani on the Big Island, where his creativity and adaptability allowed him to take advantage of local produce and seafood. Prior to coming to Hawai'i, he managed to secure a five-diamond award for the Laurels at the Sheraton Park Central Hotel in Dallas.

But back to our meal, and Diamond Head Grill's dessert menu. The list doesn't have one boring thing on it, from the www.chocolate.com (chocolate cake oozing from the middle with liquid chocolate, grand marnier and fresh orange that takes 20 minutes to prepare) to the wild berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Doug went for the Fuji apple crumb tart (with a hint of Calvados) and I chose the roasted Kea'au banana tiramisu.

By now the bar was filled with attractive couples who had dropped in for after-dinner drinks and conversation. We decided instead to head on home to catch the late news. We were much too satisfied with dinner.

Diamond Head Grill
W Hotel Diamond Head
2885 Kalakaua Ave.
Waikiki, O'ahu

Breakfast daily 7-10:30 a.m., lunch Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., dinner nightly 6-10 p.m., bistro menu until 11:30 p.m. Valet parking, major credit cards, reservations suggested. 922-3734

www.diamondheadgrill.com

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