I did a lot of interisland travel this year—at least 10 trips I can remember—all for food. There were several notable restaurant openings, but four stood out. They’re the places I would return to again and again—and in some cases, I already have.
One restaurant is tucked in Maui’s ritzy Wailea, which is having a dining moment right now (and ʻOkoʻa Farms just opened a shop there!); two are on Oʻahu and fit comfortably into my weekday budget; and the fourth is a special-occasion restaurant on Lānaʻi whose opening I looked forward to all year.
Koast
Photo: Sarah Burchard
I wrote about Koast in March, two months after it opened, and have returned three times since. It’s my favorite restaurant in Hawaiʻi right now, and, to me, chef Chris Cosentino is one of my generation’s great chefs. His treatment of ingredients, the effort he puts into sourcing and supporting local vendors and his use of spices, global techniques and whole-animal butchery are what make this restaurant so special.
I’m only disappointed at Koast when I feel limited in how much I can order—and I only feel that way when it’s just me and one other person at the table. In times like that, it’s hard to get away with eating everything. Instead, it’s best to go with a group, because Koast boasts one of those special menus where every dish contributes and balances the entire meal. For example, you’ll want to start with something light—maybe a crudo and a heart of palm Caesar salad. If you’re ordering one of the kombu dry-aged steaks, you’ll want a vegetable dish or two, a house made pasta and a fish dish to go with it. At the end, you’ll want to top it all off with a dessert like the flaming pineapple with coconut ice cream, a tart lilikoʻi curd and caramelized meringue. Portions are generous and served family-style, so think of Koast as a celebratory feast for any occasion.
Boarded Up by Chubbies Burgers
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I think it’s safe to say many of us were relieved when Chubbies Burgers returned this year: Every time I drive by, it’s full. But that doesn’t mean you’ll have to wait long for your food. With each iteration of this local smashburger joint—from its inception as a food truck to its current location—the operation becomes more efficient. I grew up on Big Macs, so I always go for The 1950 burger. I also love the crinkle-cut fries that stay crunchy, and the soft serve ice cream is some of the creamiest I’ve had. I swear it’s Hokkaido soft serve, but the employees swear right back that it’s not. For someone who has forgone most fast food joints, I love that the meals here are made with high-quality ingredients. Here, eating feels good.
Ochos 888
Photo: Sarah Burchard
It’s very seldom I see Peruvian food in Hawaiʻi, so when Ochos 888 opened, serving both Mexican and Peruvian cuisine, I was intrigued. And once inside this neighborhood spot on the corner of Kapahulu and Kaimukī avenues, I felt at home. The owner had a Warriors game on, the volume turned up, and the solo diners at the bar were like friends in a living room, chatting with the bartender during commercial breaks, between bites of tacos or lomo saltado.
Our server, an Iowa transplant studying at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, gushed—and rightly so—over the menu. I could tell which dishes were her favorites by the size of her smile when she talked about them.
Since closing the Encore Saloon and The Shack in Hawaiʻi Kai, I’d been at a loss for where to find a good pile of nachos. Ochos 888’s is as good as the ones at your typical taqueria or dive bar, maybe even better, with freshly fried tortilla chips, beans (very important), succulent shredded meat and all the key toppings. But what really impressed me were the Peruvian dishes, especially the Steak and Noodles. Instead of rice and French fires, like with lomo saltado, the steak (prepared lomo saltado-style with tomato and shoyu) comes with a heaping mound of housemade pasta tossed in a bright yellow aji amarillo-butter sauce. Despite the big portions at this restaurant, there wasn’t a lick of leftovers on our plates by the time we were through.
Osteria Mozza
Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi
I’ve looked up to chef Nancy Silverton since 2002, when I graduated from culinary school. She founded La Brea Bakery in California in 1989, which kicked off the artisan bread craze there, and her Osteria Mozza restaurant is an institution in Los Angeles. Campanile, another of her restaurants, was a local favorite as well before closing in 2012.
On Nov. 1, Silverton opened her fourth Osteria Mozza, at the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi. As I walked by the restaurant’s signature mozzarella bar, I reminisced about the evening I dined with my sister at the original location eight years ago; I still think of it as one of the best meals of my life. Here, the bar radiates with the glow of a kiawe wood-burning pizza oven covered in ceramic mosaic tile.
Photo: Courtesy of the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi
I recommend starting with a trio of Mozzarella di Bufala—cheese made from the milk of an Italian water buffalo. It’s served on an inch-thick slab of country bread known as fett’unta, toasted crisp on the outside but still soft in the middle, rubbed with garlic and drenched in premium olive oil. You’ll want to try both Nancy’s Caesar and the chopped salad (trust me). Order a pizza—any pizza—and go crazy with the pasta selections. The Corzetti Stampati with eggplant, olives and ricotta; the Tagliolini da Francescana with Beurre de Baratte and white cow Modenese, and the Tagliatelle with oxtail ragù all linger in my mind.
I’m already planning a trip to Maui, just so I can take the ferry to Lānaʻi and eat here again. It’s not the original, but it’s special—and Silverton is still a legend.
Sarah Burchard is a frequent contributor to HAWAIʻI Magazine.
