GREAT EATS HAWAII: VINO ITALIAN TAPAS AND WINE BAR

Sunday, May 31, 2009

VINO ITALIAN TAPAS AND WINE BAR

HONOLULU, HI

Great friends, great wine and great food. Wow.....what a night we had at Vino's. This place is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii. We have been three times now and all three times were absolutely perfect. The food, wine and service are all top notch. Throw in Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya (photo above) and his stories about wine tasting trips all around the world and you have a very memorable evening. Our friends Tom & Arlene spare no expense when dining. They had Chuck choose the wine and everyone ordered a dish or two to share family style. Family style is the way to enjoy Vino's. Order a bunch of dishes and share them. This allows you to enjoy the many flavors on the menu. The great thing about Vino's is that you have a Master Sommelier (there are only two or three in all of Hawaii) helping you with wine selections. Chuck is a down to earth local boy who does not act the part of Sommelier. He is like an old friend sharing stories about his family, friends and great wine experiences. You can give Chuck a budget when you arrive and he will pick the best wines to meet your budget. Say you want to spend no more than $50 on a bottle. You tell Chuck this is your limit and he will select wines below this price point. I have never been disappointed in his selections. In fact, most of the time I am blown away. Wines from France, Spain, Italy and America that I would never have known about if it were not for Chuck. Enough about the wine, now lets get into the food. We started with the Cheese and Salumi Platter ($13). Three different cheeses served with an assortment of salami meats. This was delicious. The Hudson Valley Foie Gras Bacon followed ($18). This is amazing! Foie Gras served on toast with an apple type sauce. The Foie Gras melts in your mouth like butter and is filled with a richness that is indescribable. We enjoyed two salads. First the Waialua Asparagus Salad ($12). Heirloom beets, Hau'ula tomatoes, Nalo Greens, herbed red potatoes and a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. This is a great salad. The fresh beets, asparagus and tomatoes exploded with flavor. Then you have the contrast of the crusty herbed potato. Our second salad was a Ceasar. Good but not great. When the entree's came it seemed like there was no end. First came two types of Snapper from the Hiroshi's menu next door. This is another great thing about Vino. They have a sister restaurant called Hiroshi's. You can order off of both menus. Our fish came from the Hiroshi menu and was probably one of the best fish dishes I have ever tasted. The fish was incredible. It was smooth and buttery. Not dry and flaky or fishy. Wish I could remember the name of this dish. It is a must try. The House made Three Cheese Gnocchi ($16) followed. Jumbo lump crab, roasted wild mushrooms, sugar snap peas, sage brown butter sauce & Kabocha pumkin puree. Yum.....The Vino's House Made Ravioli ($8) was also delicious. Sweet fennel sausage, baby spinach, ricotta cheese in a slow cooked marinara sauce. I love this dish and the marinara sauce. The Red Wine Braised Shortribs ($20) with horesradish curst, roasted garlic potato puree, rosemary shallot confit and white cannellini beans is the bomb. We also found room to try the Truffled Mac & Cheese ($15). Aged Black Diamond White Chedder, double cream Gouda and garlic cream, mushrooms and proscuitto. This is not your average mac and cheese. Everything this evening was great. By far one of the best dining experiences you can have in Hawaii.