Flavor
| Hula Grill |
| Written by Jo McGarry |
| August 09, 2007 |
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Hula Grill  The big problem with Hula Grill is deciding when to go. Waikïkï Beach offers few destinations as relaxing and as beautifully located as the plantation-style, oceanfront “grill,” and each meal has something spectacular -- the kind of thing that makes dining decisions, whether you’re on vacation or not, tough. Breakfast starts at 6 AM, which means if you get there early enough, you can sip a tropical fruit smoothie and watch as the ocean comes to life at the beginning of yet another perfect Hawaiian day. At lunch, you can order from a menu filled with fresh fruits, salads, grilled fish and steak, while shaded from the intense midday sun by palm trees on the beach and umbrellas on Hula Grill’s lanai. But it’s at night, beneath the glow of a burnt orange sky and blazing tiki torches, that Hula Grill really shines. With surfers paddling the warm waters until well after dark, there’s activity all around the restaurant’s prime beach location. Find a table on the lanai and you’ve a perch from which to watch an evening in Waikiki unfold. Add an excellent tropical drink or two, and a menu that focuses on local produce and fish caught in Hawaiian waters, and you get an idea of Hula Grill. Location is paramount to TS Restaurants, owners of Hula Grill and seven other oceanfront restaurants in Hawaii and California. There’s a familiar theme to each, but while the beachfront location and the tasteful décor is attractive in its own right, it’s another TS trademark that has earned them a glowing reputation here in the Islands – namely, a dedication to using local produce. At Hula Grill on Maui, for example, the restaurant uses locally grown foods almost exclusively, while here in Waikïkï, chef Steve Balantac has farmers knocking on the back door of the kitchen or calling on cell phones from their boats. “Our focus is on fresh fish and regional ingredients,” says Balantac. “One of the great things about Hula Grill is the relationship we have with local farmers and fishermen. We get calls all the time from farmers to let us know that they have white asparagus, for example, or some great spinach, and we use whatever we can.” Balantac is something of a local product himself. He worked in Maui restaurants throughout his youth, knowing he wanted to make it his career. But it was only when he joined Hula Grill on Maui, with acclaimed chef Peter Merriman at the helm, that he began realizing the passion and perfection needed to make a kitchen great. “Watching Peter at work in those early days in Hula Grill, I was so impressed,” Balantac says with a huge smile. “He always gave great direction and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with the food.” Balantac’s “aha” moment came when chef Bobby Masters joined the Hula Grill team. “When Bobby came along, he just blew my mind,” says Balantac of the talented, popular and energetic neighbor island chef who still creates stunning dishes at Hula Grill, Ka‘anaapali. A decade later, Balantac is now emulating his mentors right here on the beach in Waikïkï.  With its emphasis on local produce, Hula Grill is a great example of Hawai‘i’s regional cuisine. When you first sit down, for example, wait staff bring you a couple of bottles of chili oil with warm, freshly-baked bread. The chili oil is instead of the rather more usual olive oil and the hot, peppery, semi-sweet taste is addictive. Appetizers are based on dishes that locals love best. Kalua pork pot stickers are a sensational bundle of plump little won ton cases, lightly browned and ready to dip into a slightly sweet ponzu sauce. Or try the first-rate, incredibly fresh sashimi with wasabi and shoyu; or the sweet and velvety Mauna kea Goat Cheese and Macadamia Nut Quesadillas with their accompanying black bean Maui Onion Relish. Entree specials always include a fresh fish or two – usually with sweet potatoes grown on Maui, or spinach from the Big Island, or roasted vegetables from sleepy Waimanalo just a mile or so around the coast. Shrimp Scampi is a firm favorite too, served over locally made udon noodles – the thick Japanese kind – in place of the more traditional fettuccine or papardelle.  By the time dessert comes around, you’ll probably have all but given in to the sounds of Waikïkï at night; the lapping of waves against the shore, the faint strain of a ukulele, and the gentle buzz of contented after-dinner conversation. So you might as well surrender to the Hula Grill Pie. Personally, I avoid it at all costs. It’s so divine I fear that if I had one bite I’d be back at Hula Grill every day. For breakfast, lunch and dinner. |
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