 |
 |
Stage, a closer look
  |
 |
Note: Scroll Down to see the 1/7/10 Continuation of Stage Restaurant:
Aloha!
1/5/10 - Stage Restaurant at the Honolulu Design Center no longer features the skills of Chef John Matsubara, as he's now moved-on, past a supposedly amicable split-up (it always is, yes?), to the Royal Hawaiian Hotels' Azure. However, current Executive Chef Ron de Guzman is no slouch, having been a large part of Chef Matsubara's team before taking the top position. The students' cuisine is perhaps a touch tamer than the in-your-face flamboyance of the sensei, but is still full of gaudy, visually-pleasing designs and flashy, modern touches, whether it comes to their Happy Hour pupus, desserts, entrees, or seven-course tasting menus.
It's quite the experience walking into the Honolulu Design Center, located on the corner of Piikoi and Kapiolani - you may be surprised at the number of venues happening on any particular evening. I mean, to begin with, it's actually an assortum of trendy furniture design stores, including INspiration, Casa Hoku, and Natuzzi, but outside of that (and Stage itself!), there's also Crema Espresso and Deli, an entire theatre for live entertainment action, the popular Amuse self-pour wine bar, and the Ice Bar, a private room for a more personalized evening:
And here's just part of the furniture area, a place I won't be buying furniture at, no matter how rich I get, I can tell you that much. People in Africa, you know. Nah, just not my style, is all:
The whole package is a kind of mix - there's touches of Downtown artsiness, flashes of upscale haute, and even a bit of clubbishness, at times. And yet, it still remains relatively local-style and low-key, especially within the bar and dining room of Stage Restaurant itself, where, shall we say, less stylish folks can enjoy themselves without getting too wierded-out (know what I mean?). It's just a bit quiter, a little more formal, and a tad more proper there, that's all. Only thing is, you'll have to pass right through a section of the furniture showroom, the Amuse Wine Bar, the Ice Room, and the events theatre to the end of the hall, where Stage is comfortably nestled.
Depending on the evening, on your way to the restaurant, you could possibly be walking directly through a scene just like this, music blaring and eyes a-googling everywhere:
The time is right around 8:30pm, and it comes complete with live music and a very lively, exuberant crowd, which was standing room-only in many areas. It's a mostly middle-aged to older crowd, as wine afficionado's are usually not college-age, yes? The high (mostly) tables offered here are fueled by drinks coming from both the Stage restaurant bar and, probably more so, from the self-pour stations of the Amuse Wine bar, shown here from a different angle, and at a much quieter hour:
Here's how it works: simply purchase a card from the bartender, for however much you'd like to specify, then slip card in, hold glass carefully, press button, and... voila! They're only one ounce pours running mostly between roughly a dollar to $5, sometimes more, but small pours are all the better to sample a variety of different selections, yes?
Be sure to arrive on wine nights, as we did this past Wednesday, when you can input $28 to your card and receive $50 worth of charge! There's also various rotating specials, including as of now, where you'll find 3-oz. pours of Kubota Manju sake, one of the all-time best sakes on the planet, for only $7! Yes, sake is a wine, you know, just made from rice instead of grapes, is all! The deals may change monthly, so check out their website to make sure - www.stagerestauranthawaii.com/events.htm. With folks wandering to and from all the different venues, mixing beer, mixed drinks, wine, pupus, or even full entrees in one fun-filled blur, it can be quite the happening place, indeed!
But my favorite special here comes from the Stage bar, where you'll find $2 draft beers! Yeah, they're not quite the volume of a full 12 oz. bottle or can, but still, at 10 ounces, a very, very worthy spot to throw a few down for super-cheap! The bar consists of a single long counter and matching high chairs, with large, plush, sofa-like chairs and low tables sitting directly opposite, both providing a cozy niche to enjoy Happy Hour specials or to partake in anything else on the regular menu, as well.
Our first time here, though, we stopped-by Stage not for drinks and pupus, but for lunch. The day-time menu is a bit on the small side, with salads and pupus ranging from $6-$15 (except a Kona lobster salad for $24), denouements (lunch entrees) going for $16-$20, and desserts, between $6 and $8. There's also a $25 price-fix menu, with your choice of soup or salad, entree, and dessert. As for a single characteristic of just about every item here, I can safely say it would be this - you won't find anything in typical form, meaning, for example, a Ceasar salad ain't no typical Ceasar salad, it's a spinach Ceasar salad, with bacon, house-made croutons, grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan crumbles, and anchovy vinaigrette. A seared ahi salad ain't just an ahi salad, it's togarashi-seared ahi, Hirabara greens, Okinawa sweet potatoes, haricot verts, grape tomatoes, avocado's, hard-boiled eggs, and red wine vinaigrette. Same thing goes for their calamari, which isn't just calamari, as you can see:
Don't let me catch you saying that that's ketchup and mustard, either! The red slather is a smoothened, house-made cocktail sauce, while the smidgeon of yellow is an aji amarillo, or Peruvian yellow chili puree! There's also a yuzu chili aioli, while the squid pieces themselves are dusted or sprinkled with a graham cracker crust, yukari powder, and chopped shiso leaf. While the sauces were all fun, interesting, and most importantly, delicious, the squid itself wasn't the softest, some parts of the crust arriving too light and, as you can see, torn-off in certain locations. I don't mind a thin crust if the squid was tender and moist, but I think it kinda needed something a little sturdier, seeing that it wasn't. Over-all, it was the sauces that ended-up saving the day for this dish!
Lunch-time entrees include misoyaki or bubu arare-crusted King salmon (latter over a salad), Angus beef burgers, a home-style meatloaf, sandwiches of thin-sliced ribeye steak, batter-fried fish, or pulled pork, and a penne pasta, this one with Parmesan Reggiano, edamame, spinach, mushrooms, thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, and jumbo shrimp in cream sauce:
This pasta was probably exactly what I'd expect from a place like Stage. Unlike a true Italian eatery, with perfectly fatty flavors of cheese, cream, and lots and lots of traditianally-minded luuuv, it was pretty much on the light side and perfect for a more upwardly-mobile lunch crowd. The plump, juicy pieces of shrimp were delicious and cooked to perfection, while the small sprinkles of thick-cut bacon, of course, were the only things on the plate that wouldn't be considered light.
I myself went with a batter-fried fish sandwich, the type of which can change on any given day. Today, it happened to be ahi:
This giant beauty was dressed with red leaf lettuce, bright-red tomatoes, red onion, a lemon caper aioli, and all served on a grilled potato bun, with fries on the side (you may also choose a salad). The bun wasn't exactly the biggest I've seen, but it was the thick slab of ahi that was most impressive, coming covered in a thick, crunchy, yet light batter that was perfectly in sync with such a fat piece of fish.
Except for seared or fried, day-old poke, I hardly ever eat ahi cooked anymore, and me thinks I mighta forgotten, at least until this fine day, exactly what I've been missing! Actually, my avoidance of cooked ahi in the past probably has more to do with over-cooking than anything else, as ahi does have a tendency to dry-out quickly when over-done. Even without a pinkish-red center, this slice of ahi was super-tender, super-moist, super-flaky, and super-dee-lish! The bun was a bit too weak for its contents, and largely an afterthought, with the aioli-covered tomatoes and red onions serving more effectively than the bread as a taste enhancement to this beautiful fish:
Like appetizers and entrees, desserts are rather simplified during the day, but still plenty good to satisfy your cravings. There's a pear cranberry crisp, brownies ala mode, creamsicle panna cotta, cinnamon creme brulee, and house-made sorbets and ice creams. At night, the list grows even more interesting, with sweet-treats like a Japanese citrus-roasted pear with frozen hazelnut custard and fleur de sel caramel sauce; shiso/honey-infused jasmine tea gelee; an Asian Sundae of green tea frozen custard, coconut tapioca, whipped cream, kinako walnut caramel, and mixed berry yuzu compote; as well as the favorite item everyone keeps talking about, de-constructed S'mores! And we ain't talking kids 'n campfires, either! Too bad Aku doesn't order desserts all to often, though, as I don't have a picture to show you, nor a personal quote on how it tasted. I can only pass-on hear-say, which, at least according to what I've been hearing, was all fantastic.
For now, I did break with tradition on this particularly fine day, just to show you another dessert, also one of their good sellers, an impressive apple pie sundae. Two scoops of refreshingly smooth, creamy, house-made vanilla bean ice cream were topped with browned butter Fuji apples, caramel, whipped cream, and an oatmeal crumble crunch. All I can say, is that if their de-constructed S'mores are better than this, all you dessert-lover's better be headed down to Stage real soon!
Yeah, the menu was a bit limited during the day, and at or just below a Jackson for a single entree, I dunno, you make the call. I do believe the costs are justified, however, as this is a pretty darn cool place to hang out, even before dinner - it's roomy, modern, flashy, and well-decored, if not a bit too eccentric, and is one of the relatively few genuine Pacific Rim/Hawaii Regional restaurants open during the day. I know, I know - you can't sample the best of Stage during these hours, but still, you can yet enjoy the over-all quality of the cuisine here, and bathe in the ambience of the atmosphere and vibe, besides. It's just a fun place to be, me thinks.
And what about dinner and pupus? Well, I will give you another shot at the very artsy dining room, but other than that, sorry gang! Gimme another few days! There's just so many shots, I'm gonna split this page in two! But no worries - in no time, you'll see some truly excellent pupus as well as their Holiday price-fix menu, a five-course act Kumi and I enjoyed just before the New Year was out. Not sure what they have now, but judging by our fine evening, I'm sure whatever it is, it'll be fantastic!
Here's the somewhat limited, rather vague, and altogether odd view of the dining room, which is a bit odd in itself, so who cares? Sometimes, I don't have the faintest clue on what art is anymore, but the collection of life-sized horses, naked men, giant spheres of illuminated thread, strange writing, and whimsically-shaped lamps, to name a few articles, does actually work for the better, I suppose:
And with that, gang - take care and Aloha till next time! Dinner and pupus from Stage coming soon!
Aku
------------------------------------------------
1/7/10 Continuation of Stage Restaurant:
I'm back! And as promised, here's the rest of our several memorable trips to Stage Restaurant at the Honolulu Design Center, beginning with probably our favorite set of circumstances available - drinks and pupus! That's because during weekday Happy Hours, from 5-7pm, not only are there 10 oz draft beers for $2 and a small page worth of other drink specials, but they also carry a decent array of fine pupu dishes, as well, all decked-out in the typical stage fashion of glitz and showy glamour! Ok, the pupus aren't normally for a discount, even during Happy Hour, but I'd pay the $8-$15 worth for just about any of them (pan-seared foie gras is the only item priced a bit higher, at $20).
And so, without wasting any more time, let's dive right back in, with this kicked-up ahi dip:
"A" for presentation, no? That's a pretty cool and waaay fun platter to recieve at any little party or get-together, its fingers of won ton-like chips branching-out from a free-form mold of the dip itself. I wouldn't really mind ordering it again, especially when bringing someone new, but taste-wise, it was probably the weakest link of the seven appetizers we sampled here at Stage. The chips were done to a nice crispy-crunchy, but the ahi dip was just, I dunno, maybe a bit uninspiring and ordinary compared to everything else.
The fries, ehem, I mean frites, were a perfect deep-fried treat, and great for a little more bang for your buck. I mean, you know how it is at some of these nicer restaurants, where individual dishes are fancy as schmancy but not enough to fill even a vacant corner of your stomach to satisfaction. No, this basket was not only generous and full, but the fries themselves were crispy and light, arriving with a bbq spice sprinkle and two separate sauces, a zesty ketchup and a creamy chili aioli. And perhaps best of all? Only five bucks, full price!
But the best fried pupu here was, by far, the fish 'n chips. It was not only fawned-over by our party of three, but is also, according to our waiter, an employee favorite, as well. Not only was it full of flakey, tender, delicious white-meat catch of the day, but that golden brown batter was super light and crispy while possessing a good degree of body at the same time. Sandwiched in-between were not packaged taro chips, but house-fried Okinawan sweet potato chips, while three separate compartments contained some spiced salt, tarragon vinegar, and a lemon-caper remoulade for dipping. Normally, I'd prefer fries for chips instead of chips for chips (dang Aussie's, Kiwi's, and Englishmen, calling chips fries!:), but since we already had a basket of fries, it all worked out for the better.
Though the fish n chips were the best fried pupus, that's not saying it was the best dish on the whole pupu menu, as good as they were. No, I believe that distinction goes to their series of fancified sashimi choices, mostly of bright-red ahi, but also one of fatty hamachi. And why were they so great? Well, you know how it is in sushi, izakaya, or other Japanese restaurants, where raw fish is accentuated mostly through just wasabi and shoyu? There, as you know, the power of the dish is steeped in tradition through the purity of freshness, minimalism, and not a whole lotta tampering with the fish itself. Here at Stage, they're shockingly brazen in breaking with tradition, creating some of the most novel, most contemporary, and most modernly fashionable platters of raw fish anywhere!
Check out this row of hamachi - I don't think you'll see something like this in a sushi bar anytime soon:
The melt-in-your-mouth, highly-fatty slices were laid-out flat, protruding from a small salad of radish, radish sprouts, won ton chips, shiso leaves, and cucumber. Two decorative lines, one a thin shoyu and the other a wide wasabi paint, ran alongside, while the hamachi pieces themselves were topped with orange tobiko, wasabi tobiko, and an interesting shoyu gelee. Yeah, it takes some getting used to, this shoyu gelee thing, but as I always say with newer concepts and developments - just flow with it; let yourself go - and then see what happens! If you don't like it, fine, but at least you know you've given it a reasonable chance and have challenged yourself to keep your attitude fresh and your mind, continually growing. Don't be a fogie-stogie unwilling to leave the stagnant waters of your own personal views and entrenched outlooks, which can be rather limited sometimes, especially when we're in a bad mood, myself included!
The next sashimi dish, from ruby-red bigeye ahi, was another visually appealing stunner:
But sorry, gang! This isn't even on their pupu menu, actually! It was really the appetizer course of their Holiday price fixe menu, so don't try finding it during Happy Hour! It arrived with a similiar mound of Asian veggies, but this time with a chive oil, dollop of avocado pudding (no, that's not wasabi!), chili soy reduction, and a mini-pie of cucumber, yuzu cream, and ikura on each slice. Bigeye is definitely my favorite type of non-fatty, red sashimi, its soft, beautiful flesh very much void of suji and much brighter than regular yellowfin ahi.
Our final sashimi appetizer was an ahi cru, consisting of small rounds of crunchy bubu arare, avocado yuzu pudding, concasse vine ripened tomatoes, shoyu wasabi gelee, chili pearls, and a couple of different sprouts and/or mini veggies that I really shoulda asked about and identified:
Without reaching or over-extending, all three sashimi dishes worked extremely well, none of them coming across as pretentious at all, but more part of the natural flow and new-wave, funky-modern appeal found here, not only at Stage Restaurant, but the extended reach of all the venues in combination at the Honolulu Design Center.
But having already covered lunch, pupus, and the party-friendly night-time scene here, lets take a look at dinner. Like lunch, the menu isn't all that big, either, but they do manage to cover at least one item each from the major protein groups - a Shelton Farms roast chicken ($28), garlic ahi ($28), King salmon ($29), shrimp pasta ($29), Kurobuta pork chops ($29), ribeye steak ($36), Mountain Meadows lamb chop ($32), and a Kona lobster/tenderloin surf and turf ($38). There are also soups, salads, and appetizers similiar to what we already covered, as well as a few other entree items, as well.
As good as that all sounds, Kumi and I can scarcely stay away from a price-fixe menu, which, I guess, would kinda be the equivalent of an omakase at a sushi or Japanese restaurant, where the Chef, not you, aligns the very best of his own dishes in succession, based on whatever is freshest and best on any particular day. His finest foot forward, if you will. It also allows you to sample smaller portions of more than one entree item, sometimes even up to ten or more, in a single dining experience! Can't beat that!
And so it was, that just before the new year, we partook of Stage's Holiday Price Fixe menu, which included five separate acts, as they called them (the last act, a dessert, was called an encore, actually), not including an intermezzo of house-made sorbet and an opening spoon of amuse bouche, consisting of local cheese, tomato, chive truffle reduction, and sprouts, paired with a glass of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose:
The entire cost was $75 alone and $110 with pairings. Kumi and I usually order one with pairings and one without, then split the drinks, as you can get pretty darn blasted after five or six glasses of wine, despite their smaller than normal sizes!
Having already shown you the opening act of bigeye ahi sashimi, the second course was a slow-poached lobster, paired with a 3 oz. pour of Kubota Manju sake:
That big ol' tannish-white thingy in the foreground of the first pic comes from a parsnip puree that works really well, almost like a kind of coarse mashed potato, while a few cuts of Waialua asparagus, green onion butter, and sel grey (an unrefined, clay/mineral-infused salt from France) complete the dish. Not sure if they intended it or not, but our lobsters were very much raw in the centers, not that we're complaining. It was actually delicious, coming super-tender and seasoned well, with that creamy kick of green onion butter providing a luxurious finish to a very luxurious tail of crustacean. Paired with the dish was a 2007 Rosella Vineyard Chardonnay, from Morgan Winery in Monterey.
The third act, paired with a 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from Patz & Hall, was a crispy skin Muscovy duck breast. The first shot was already shown at the top of the page, but I kinda like it, so here goes again:
The sliced pieces of breast were gorgeously presented, leaning upon a small pile of braised gobo root and shiitake mushrooms, along with a brown misoyaki paint and teardrop of Port Wine reduction. Seemingly, an excellent dish, but while I did enjoy the thin strips of tasty, crispy, fatty skin, the meat itself was uncomfortably tough and chewy, even for duck.
Our final entree before dessert was that perennial staple of Pacific Rim/Hawaii Regional Cuisine restaurants - braised short rib of beef, paired with a 2007 Turley Ueberroth Vineyards Zinfandel:
As you can see, the bleu cheese butter is beginning to run, mingling with the red wine jus and melting all over the caramelized onions, Yukon herb mashed potatoes, haricot vert, and the beef itself - yum's! This small block of boneless short rib was as fall-apart tender as it gets, but for some reason, the meat was conspicuously absent, both in taste and appearance, of fatty tissue, causing the whole piece, over-all, to pull just a bit on the dry side. I know lots of folks prefer something leaner, but without the extra decadence of globular transluscence, which had no doubt escaped during the long cooking process, I couldn't help but think it was missing that extra element that would have put this dish over the top. I mean, the taste was still excellent, especially with the infusion of all those decadent, rich sauces and seasonings, but without the fat, it's just, I dunno - like a close second-place or something.
By this time, we were already getting pretty darn close to full stomach's, and the dessert would finally seal the deal. Check out this aerated chocolate ganache:
Sandwiched between a crispy meringue, strawberries, and an interesting candy cane ice cream, all the while swimming in a raspberry caramel, this chocolate-lovers treat was pillowy-light and only semi-sweet, which was perfect in combination with the sweet ice cream and caramel sauce. No, I did not get their de-constructed S'mores dessert, which I'm hearing raves about, but this one still did the trick. I love the fact that they make their own ice creams and sorbets here, along with so many other house-made items.
All in all, I'd definitely come back for another visit to Stage. My favorite has to be their pupu menu, but I can see myself enjoying another price fixe course, as well, which has by now probably already changed to something completely different, seeing that this was their Holiday menu and all. And thanks to the expert wine pairings here and also at Chef Mavro's last night, which were beyond excellent, I've begun shedding, once again, my lethargic unenthusiasm and inexcusable procrastination for the appreciation of the grape, having re-established my interest with the help of illuminated folks out there who've provided Kumi and I with tidbits and teasers of knowledge regarding the celebrated culture. We can only take-in so much right now, as the student can only soak-in so much at a time, regardless of how great the teacher is. Nevertheless, I'll pass-on some of what we learned from a couple of truly great sommeliers at Mavro's soon enough.
But really, now - go and check out the Happy Hour at Stage and the Amuse Wine Bar. You'll love the dishes, the specials, and the over-all vibe there, without a doubt. And until then...
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
Post a Comment or just say hello! Don't worry about leaving REAL names if you don't want to! No e-mails will be posted without consent, last names will be abbreviated, and if you don't want me to post all or any part of your correspondence, please state so! Hope to hear from you all!
