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Tango Contemporary Cafe, a closer look
Aloha!
6/4/09 - One of the truly great-little cafe's on the island is located near the Ward Centers, at the bottom of the new Hokua Building. The bottom floor of the upscale condo is dominated by the large, hulking P.F. Chang's China Bistro, but don't forget the tenant over on the Ewa/mauka corner, where Chef/Owner Goran Streng abides over his creation, Tango Contemporary Cafe. I call it truly great because it seems to offer amazingly elegant dishes at, quite literally, standard cafe prices, at least when dining for breakfast and lunch. There is absolutely nothing on the breakfast list exceeding $10, and at at high noon, besides the $15.50 New York steak, the most expensive items run at $12.50, even with such seemingly haute-sounding dishes as scallops and shrimp in lobster cream sauce (which we'll soon see), duck leg confit with thyme jus, pesto-glazed salmon, and sweet Madras curry with shrimp, grilled banana, and mango chutney.
During dinner, prices tick-up slightly, but can still be considered pretty darn cheap by industry standards, that's for sure. Portobello mushroom and crab hash Napolean with spinach, drizzled in a roasted garlic cream and red wine reduction? Sauteed moi with tomato fennel coulis on a ratatouille of vegetables? Mustard/herb-crusted rack of lamb in roasted garlic thyme jus and onion mash? Bouillabaisse of fresh island fish, prawns, and mussels in saffron broth?
Thirty, perhaps just under forty bucks, you say? Try $23.50, tops! And all-this coming from a Chef who's definitely had more than his share of world-class culinary experience, from top Oahu hotels like the Halekulani and old Hawaiian Regent to elite outer island spots like the Ritz Carlton Mauna Lani, Mauna Kea Beach, and Hawaii Prince, as well as around the world, in his hometown of Finland and the super-posh Raffles Hotel in Singapore. With that kind of resume, and with these kinds of dishes, this is the kind of place where you can rest easy about enjoying genuine Hawaii Regional Cuisine at prices not exclusively relegated to special occasions!
Today's closer look comes from two separate visits, the first with mom for breakfast, and the next with wifey for lunch. Breakfast seems a more mellow time, with the crowds a little thinner and a lot more space to stretch out and get comfortable with a coffee or two to kick-start the day. My guess is, it's not always as laid-back as it was on this particularly great morning, but unlike our next visit during lunch, where it was so busy we chose to sit at the tiny table-space afforded by bar-style seats rather than waiting, the crowds weren't a problem at all.
The decor is a perfect match for the type of crowd Chef Streng is looking for, with modern, clean lines and a slightly minimalist approach, but also with a touch of hominess, albeit in a more contemporary way, with flowers situated throughout and a section of tree bark and twig art slicing through the center of the dining room. It's just enough to give you a little nudge of uncomfortability should you decide to walk in with gym sweats accented with fresh wet spots around the crotch and behind, as well as the pits, but also enough to make you stand-out with a suit-and-tie. But then again, you'll probably stand-out at any restaurant on the island with either a suit-and-tie or sweaty gym shorts, so... bad example, I guess... What I'm really trying to say is - not tooo fancy, not tooo casual, but juuust right!
I do love it when, first thing in the morning, your coffee is presented in those super-bright, porcelain-white, solid mugs that steer way-clear of any signs suggesting Wal-Mart or Target. The same goes for the quality of silverware, heavy stainless steel creme dispensers, and other glorified dishes and containers. Besides having paper napkins instead of crisp linen, the settings are about as good as it gets for such a place, kinda reminding me of the always-excellent Cream Pot, over at the Waikiki Monarch Hotel.
Few things entice me more at breakfast than a well-constructed eggs benedict, and I knew this place would not dissapoint. Skipping the smoked salmon, locomoco, and traditional Canadian bacon benny's, I chose a crab hash benedict, filled with real crab, not in the most amazing amounts, but sufficient-enough to get the job done. The delicate poached eggs were done perfectly, mixing with the Hollandaise and soaking into the toasted English muffin base. Right next-door was a rustic blend of grilled, cubed potatoes, onions, and herbs, along with a medley of fresh fruits. I wish I could have done this picture more justice, as the dish, along with all the other dishes here, were beautifully-presented on large, glistening-white plates and as gorgeous as you'd find in any ritzy hotel. Fitting, it seems, as ritzy hotels are where Chef Streng came from.
Mom went with a sweetbread French toast, which didn't much look like any French toast I'd ever seen, but they were, again, beautifully-presented and very quality-oriented. Most orders are on the small side here, but this dish was really small, coming as four thin pieces and a smattering of fruit. They each carried a delicately-crisped batter on-top and were moist, somewhat dense, and light in taste, the accompanying syrup, butter, and decorative smidges of fruit preserves meant to provide the extra oomph.
We also split, at probably about 90-10 portions, a recommended pytt I panna. Swedish for "leftovers in a pan," this skillet or hash-like mix is basically a combination of whatever you had last night, similiar to what we'd do with fried rice or fried noodles. This one came with grilled potatoes, ham, sausage, onions, and a topping of two sunny-side-up eggs.
Along with the locomoco eggs benedict, which comes with an interesting combination of braised beef on fried rice and Hollandaise, this looks like one of the more hearty and substantial offerings for breakfast, its simple mix of meat and potatoes perfect for those not exactly excited about fruit-laden French toast, Swedish pancakes with cream, eggs Florentine, toasted bagels, and other such, uh... woman-friendly ways to start your day.
After nearly two whole plates worth, I'd had it, but not before promising that I'd be back to try lunch or dinner again one day, because with these kinds of dishes, I knew I'd be in for a real treat once again...
The day finally came after several long months, and I was chompin' at the bit, with high expectations and a very motivated appetite. Despite arriving with only the two of us, I almost lost control, the thought of three separate entrees sounding like a legitimate request. I kept my cool, however, and stuck with just two. But a starter cup of soup sounded good, especially when that cup is a caramelized onion soup with melted Gruyere and parmesan cheese and a wide crouton disc.
Actually, I was hoping for the ultimate visual preparation for this particular dish, where the crouton/grilled bread covers the entire surface layer of the soup, a layer of cheese is placed on the bread, and the whole thing is baked in the oven until the cheese begins melting over the sides of the cup. This time, however, it wasn't happening. No worries - the natural sweetness of the onions and deep, intense flavors of the beef broth was all it took to keep the anticipatory mood alive. And each bite of that delicious mix of gooey cheese was a super-powerful punch, indeed - too bad wifey ate almost all of it, leaving me with the soggy toast underneath!
Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese that has varying degrees of potency, but when you see semi-large holes like you see above, you know that it's been aged for at least five to six months or longer, to a more mature, developed taste, as anything pulled before that will be a bit sharper and lacking in any large pockets of air. It is also brined, which, along with the longer aging process, also explains the powerful, savory nature of the cheese. And yeah, parmesan also helps, being a salty cheese in itself!
Most of the lunch menu consists of large salads, sandwiches, and a couple of burgers, but what I really wanted was a traditional, plated entree meal with meat, starch, and vegetables, as I really wanted to see the skills of the Chef in grand form. There were only five entree choices, actually, along with a single daily special. Would it be steak, duck, chicken w/pasta, risotto, or... breaded pork cutlet with Hamakua mushroom ragout with vegetables and fries? Emphasis given, and no doubt, taken, here's the dish I ordered:
Pork is perhaps the least-ordered meat by both wifey and I anytime we visit a restaurant, and I don't even know exactly why I ordered it, except to say it was probably more a process of elimination than anything else - I nixed the duck because I always order duck, chicken sounded a little too common, risotto, too much of a hit-or-miss (at least in my experience), and steak, well... nothing beats a ribeye on your own hibachi! I almost went with risotto, but wanted something to contrast sharper with wifey's order, which is coming up next.
I was not in the least bit dissapointed, however, as this pork cutlet was great, especially when covered in that dark, highly mysterious mushroom ragout. Mysterious, only because I was surprised to find strong hints of what I can only describe as a Chinese five-spice/li hing mui combination that actually worked very well!
The cutlet itself was very simple, and besides being cardboard-thin, nothing out of the ordinary - just done well, not greasy at all, and somehow curiously pleasing. It was as if the Chef used the very steps any mom or grandmother would use anywhere across any European country-side, but with his trained eye, general knowledge, and wealth of experience, cooked it to perfection, making the ordinary so... I dunno... Perfectly ordinary?
Ey, was juss' good, brah - dass' it!
But anywayz, the next dish didn't carry any signs of ordinary at all! Check this out:
It was wifey's Wednesday Special, a beautiful dish of scallops and shrimp in lobster cream sauce over brown rice. Though only getting to sample a few bites, I found this dish exactly what I expected before arriving - sophisticated, delicate, perfectly-matched, well-balanced, and oh, yeah... delicious, even!
The grilled caramelization on both scallop and shrimp produced a fine, slightly-sweet crust, and the sweet, tender, snappy-fresh ocean meat burst-open between my teeth in clean, sensitive separations. Angled cuts of asparagus provided a refreshing touch of green, while tiny portions of red and green bell peppers added a festive dimension to the brown rice, which was itself great, arriving completely void of any stringy, husk-like grains and tasting almost as smooth and clean as white rice!
And that lobster cream sauce? Aaaah, to die for! You know, some of these French/European sauces are so light you can hardly taste them, or have so much rich butteriness without being quite savory enough (having flavor, in a sense!), but this one was about as perfect as I've had anywhere! You could taste all of the cream, all of the rich butter, and all of the savoriness. It was as if someone were to combine a skilled French Chef with an eency-weency bit of the common man, just enough to keep it substantial and real. Absolutely spectacular, is all I can say!
I don't know if you've noticed, but wifey and I seldom order a sweet-cap. It's not that I don't like them, as I can polish-off a good creme brulee, chocolate decadence, creamy cheesecake, or a plain ol' hot fudge sundae with the best of 'em, but it's more the real food that concerns me when visiting a new restaurant, unless the focus of the place is actually on desserts (I do hope there are no pastry Chefs out there reading this!). Nevertheless, we still had room in our stomachs, and just a little bit more time before I had to drop wifey off at work, so we went with our waiter's favorite item, a strawberry mango crumble with cinnamon ice cream.
Though I knew I'd enjoy the Kona Coffe ice cream cake, vanilla bean ice cream covered with Espresso, or chocolate brownie ala mode, wifey and I decided to take a chance with the exotic-sounding recommendation. It turned out ok, but not quite what I expected. It was actually like a bowl of fruits bathed in a hot, oven-baked jam, with a topping of sugary-looking crumbles that were actually not very sweet at all, which was a good thing, since the jam was where I believe all the sugar went! Most items here are made in-house, but the ice creams are from La Gelateria, a small factory tucked-into an even smaller side-street, at 819 Cedar, who also provides Italian-style creams for many other higher-end restaurants and hotels. Big Al first told me about this hole-in-the-wall, a place where you can walk-up and grab sorbets and gelatto's from a small freezer there - here's a map to find the place. It's always nice to skip the middle-man, and get it straight from the source!
But alas, we've come to a close, and I don't have nearly enough time to visit all the great places to eat on the island! What is it with life? Why couldn't I have started this twenty years ago? I'd have eaten at every single restaurant on the island by now!
Oh, well, check back in twenty years - no, more like five - and perhaps I'll have accomplished the mission! We shall see...
As always, take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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