GREAT EATS HAWAII: LA BETTOLA

Sunday, August 20, 2023

LA BETTOLA

ALOHILANI RESORT

2490 KALAKAUA AVE

HONOLULU, HI

808-921-6190

https://www.alohilaniresort.com/dining/la-bettola/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-bettola-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/labettola808/

We were able to get into La Bettola just a few days before the official Grand Opening. The restaurant was only about half or less full and service seemed to be working the kinks out. My Daughter began the evening with a Mai Tai which she exclaimed was the best Mai Tai she has ever tasted. The Toasted or Dried Pineapple in the drink made the difference. She ordered a second Mai Tai later in the meal but the waiter said they were already out of the Pineapple garnish. Our waiter was energetic and attentive but you could tell he was just learning the menu and needed a little more training. Totally acceptable. Since we were not familiar with the menu, we kind of messed up ordering two salads. The Insalata Vegan di Funghi e Rucola with Mushrooms and lots of Arugula plus the Arugala and Burrata Cheese Salad with Prosciutto was just too much Arugula. Preferred the Burrata Cheese Salad with Proscuitto over the Mushrooms, but the Mushrooms were delicious. We decided to order the Risotto al Tartufo e Foie Gras as an appetizer for the table as it is difficult for me to eat an entire plate of Risotto by myself as an entree. This dish was the star of the evening. The large piece of Foie Gras was cooked perfectly and dancing with flavor. Oh my goodness it was so silky, smooth and buttery. Nice portion too. The Risotto was good with a touch of Truffle flavor. A little mushy though. We all loved this dish and damn near licked the bowl. We had to try the Chef's signature dish, Spaghetti ai Riccio di Mari which is Uni Pasta. This dish was invented by La Bettola Chef, Tsutomo Ochiai who is a superstar in Japan because of this dish. Uni Pasta is a favorite of My Wife and Daughter as they order almost every time we visit Arancino at The Kahala. Truth be told, we were putting the original Uni Pasta at La Bettola up against the Uni Pasta at Arancino at The Kahala. What surprised me when the Uni Pasta came to the table was there was not a large piece of Uni topping the Pasta. Perhaps it was there and it melted into the sauce. The dish was silky, delicious and served with perfectly cooked Spaghetti. The vote was 3-0 for the Arancino version. My first choice for an entree was the Spaghetti alla Carbonara al Tartufo. I told my Wife that this is what I want and she immediately pointed out that the Carbonara was made with Heavy Whipping Cream. After visiting Italy several times and taking a cooking class in Tuscany, we learned that you never put cream in a real Carbonara. I passed on ordering the Carbonara and instead went with the Spaghetti al Rags di Manzo with Wagyu Beef Bolognese. I paid extra to add Truffles and this was a huge mistake. The Truffles were not fresh and had no taste. Actually tasted like cardboard and added nothing to the dish. In fact, it took away from the great flavor of the Wagyu Bolognese. Aside from the Truffles this dish was delicious. The Spaghetti all Vongole Macchiato with Manila Clams was perfectly executed with a fresh look and nice flavors.

Was nice that half way through our meal the Superstar Chef himself, Tsutomo Ochiai visited our table and posed for a photo. Very nice of him I thought and it made the evening special.

I liked the food here and cannot wait to return to enjoy the Foie Gras Risotto and some other dishes.