Dining Essentials: Alan Wong’s
What: Alan Wong’s, Honolulu
Where: 1857 S. King Street, Honolulu; 808/949-2526; reservations@alanwongs.com
Why Go: Often hailed as the best restaurant in Hawaii, Alan Wong’s blends Eastern and Western cuisine seamlessly, using fresh Pacific Rim ingredients to give it a distinct island flavor. Highly acclaimed but not snobby, the singular focus on food means accessible cuisine in hearty portions.
The Ambience: On the third floor of an office building, it is unassumingly small and easy to miss. An open kitchen, curly koa wall panels, and dim lighting make it casually sophisticated.
The Cost: Moderate: the average entrée runs $25 and higher, and will certainly not leave you hungry.
What I Ate: Seafood cakes (lobster, scallop, crab, and shrimp), paired with caper mayonnaise and a tartly complementary tsukemono relish; steamed shellfish bowl, with generous portions of Dungeness crab, prawns, lobster, and the like in a bouillabaisse broth; garlic steak with the pipikaula potato gratin, one of the best things I had ever tasted – sweetly soft and flaky with pieces of savory bacon. The dessert was impressively eclectic and incorporated fresh local ingredients, such as the refreshing coconut tapioca with passion fruit sorbet, the macadamia nut brulee, and the whimsical “Coconut” – haupia sorbet in a chocolate shell resembling a real coconut bowl. 
What I Drank: A full-bodied Guenoc Lake County Petite Sirah, paired with the garlic steak, emitted abundant fruit and hints of smoky oak and vanilla. Langtry Estate and Vineyard’s Guenoc wines are produced just north of Calistoga and numerous Napa Valley wineries. (Guenoc Valley is a recognized AVA, and, in fact, Langtry was the first winery to possess its very own AVA). Petite Sirah is appreciated by those who savor ripe berry flavors and a substantial red wine.
Next Time I’d…Reserve a mountain-view table by the terrace.
– Kai Zhang
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