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Zia Cafe, a closer look
Other views on Zia Caffe:
 Cat Toth visits Zia Kaneohe! |
Hawaii Eats blog checks out Zia! |
 Trip Advisor reviews on Zia! |
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Official site of Zia Caffe Kailua! |
 Yelper's on Zia Caffe Kailua! |
Official site of Zia Caffe Kaneohe! |
Yelper's on Zia Caffe Kaneohe! |
Aloha!
8/5/10 - Sometimes, there are restaurants out there (especially bar/grills) that have been so crazy-busy you wonder how they've somehow run aground by the time you next returned. Other times, there are restaurants that are a quarter to a half full on your every visit, yet remain open day after day, year after year, even decade after decade. Zia Caffe happens to be one of them. I guess on weekend evenings the two restaurants comprising this mini-chain can adequately fill-up, but for the most part, they're both pretty quiet, with lots of parking, lots of available seating, and a laid-back, easy-going atmosphere. In fact, these aspects alone, not to mention the food, are probably one of the big draws at Zia Caffe, as Windward-side residents have long-found them both reliable for good, solid Italian meals in a comfortable, non-intrusive, even island-style vibe. Not that the pysical surroundings are very island-style at all - there are no surfboards, Kim Taylor Reece Hula shots, or sweeping paintings of the Koolau's (for the few hard-core artists who dare challenge its rugged, highly-detailed cliffs). Contrare, as the decor is actually decidedly Italian, with flowered vases, wine cellars, hanging vines, and lots of Italian village paintings, so I guess I speak more of the vibe coming from diners and employees, is all!
We'll check out the newer of the two, in Kailua, first. It sits in the same set of buildings that share backs to the Kailua Stream, alongside such establishments as Down to Earth and Noboru Japanese restaurant:
Though dinner menus are similiar at both spots, Kailua has added two big extra's, the first being breakfast/brunch items and the second being a wine tasting on the first Friday of every month, from 4:30pm-6pm. You can find info on featured wines and more from their official site link above. Regarding breakfast, hold on before expecting morning coffee and a sunrise - they do carry omelets, egg skillets, and bread pudding pancakes, but it's actually a brunch menu, and more importantly, they don't open until 10am. There are some very interesting items on this particular menu, things like an apple-stuffed French Toast w/vanilla honey ($8.95), fried rice which is actually a breakfast risotto w/roasted garlic, sauteed sirloin steak, and two eggs ($12.95, and you can also get the risotto in locomoco form, only using an Italian meatball instead of a hamburger patty), and even a chicken parmesan in omelet form, wrapped in three eggs and topped with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, diced pepperoncini, and a side of Tuscan toast ($11.95)! Interesting stuff! There's also soups, salads, antipasti, sandwiches, panini, and various types of pasta, all combining for a plethora of options.
The Kailua location is similiar to Kaneohe in every other way, with both an indoor and outdoor section and an informally Italian decor:
A great way to start any meal here is a bruschetta sampler, arriving at a very economical $8.95. $8.95? Doesn't seem so economical?! When it arrives, though, you'll see that the plate is a lot more substantial than your average bruschetta:
Here's the thing about Zia Caffe - it's not your most sophisticated Italian, and it ain't your most traditionally or authentically correct, either. What it is, is a slightly more rugged, slightly more in-your-face, slightly more rustic taste and feel, as presentations and textures are bold and pronounced in a very American-style way. The four crisped bread bases in our bruschetta sampler were large, a bit dry, and hard-crisp on the edges, although of necessity, they had to have been a bit sturdier to counter-act the wet toppings sitting on-top, including the olive oil/herb mix brushed on each one. The end-results worked well for us, every piece coming with a hopeful anticipation of what's this and all of them combining for an interesting tour of varying tastes and sensations.
Beginning with the foreground piece, we have a delicious roasted garlic spread, thick and tasty but perhaps not quite as full of pure garlic flavor as I would have preferred. Just above that, a classic caprese, with a large slice of tomato, buffo mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, and a topping of some type of shredded white cheese, followed by a very similiar mix, only in a diced insalata form. The final piece, seen better from the following two pics, is easily the most interesting and exotic, a fig and chevre (goat milk cheese) salad:
This interesting piece contained figs, caramelized onions, walnuts, and chevre. The mix worked extremely well, the softened, cooked figs and caramelized onions providing a sweetness that balanced neatly with the creaminess and delicate pungency of the cheese, crispness of the almonds, and rounding of flavors that naturally comes with bread. Standing alone, this bruschetta sampler could be a great meal in itself for one!
Our appetites perked to a highly anticipatory mood, the basic question next fell along the normal party lines every time Kumi and I go Italian - white or red? No, I'm not speaking of wine, but rather, sauces - creamy white or tomato-ey red? Not that I don't care for red sauce, but most times, I fall prey to a marsala wine, butter garlic, or even light olive oil, while the de-facto mode for Kumi is always tangy tomatoes. In fact, come to think of it, that goes for wine as well, as she loves the exotic depths of a Syrah, Pinot Noir, or Cab while I prefer the light sweetness of a Chardonnay, Riesling, or Sauvignon Blanc.
Here's Kumi's choice of a seafood arrabiatta alla linguine:
In Hawaii, except for the most authentic of Italian restaurants, you'll most often find a mix of canned and fresh tomatoes, just as in a salsa when going Mexican. That's just how it is here. That being said, Kumi still enjoyed her meal. But then again, she has no problems whatsoever enjoying a canned or bottled marinara sauce from Costco or Foodland simply heated on the stove and thrown over pasta, along with perhaps a chopping of onion and herbs. I just can't do that. I find the tartness and sharp bite (is it vinegar?) of a typical grocery store red sauce a bit too much, and have to mellow it down with any or all of the following - bacon, sausage, shrimp, mushrooms, even fish cake or imitation crab (you should try it sometime!).
As for the arrabiatta above, it came with decent portions of mussels, shrimp, and clams mixed in a wine garlic red sauce. For something less than a 100 percent fresh tomato sauce, the plate wasn't too bad at all.
The go-to dish I gotta try at least once in every Italian restaurant is a chicken or veal saltimbocca, this one being a chicken:
I mean, how's these ingredaments:
breaded chicken breast cutlet
fresh spinach
ham
melted mozzarella
sauteed mushrooms
white wine garlic butter sauce
linguine noodles
How can you go wrong??? Maybe I would have preferred prosciutto or some other Italian ham, and yes, Verbano's version is my all-time favorite, but I was still happy-happy. The super-crispy edges of the chicken, the plump, juicy mushrooms, the rich, buttery sauce, and that ooey-gooey cheese everywhere assured me of a meal well worth the $17.95 cost.
Here's a cross-section of the different layers:
A few weeks after our visit to Zia Caffe Kailua, we headed-out to Zia Caffe Kaneohe, only a 10-15 minute drive east. This original location sits right on Kam Hwy across from the Windward City Shopping Center (Foodland, 24 Hr Fitness, McDonald's, etc.), in the old Pizza Hut facility of yester-year. Here's a quick set of maps to get you there:
Hours begin an hour later here, at 11pm, which is precisely when we arrived on this beautiful, sunny day on the Windward side. Here's the entrance to the restaurant, followed by a better inside shot and a look at a small section of outside seats fronting Kam Hwy:
Similiar concepts and designs in both stores, ey?
The one thing I like about both Zia locations are that you can pretty much put any type of meal together, using any amount of different types of pastas, sauces, meats, and vegetables you want. I mean, there's all your favorite combinations like steak Marsala wine, chicken parmesan, and veal scallopini, but you can mix and match each component, from noodles of spaghetti, penne, linguine, or fettuccine pasta; nine different sauces including creamy alfredo, neopolitan, sun-dried tomato pesto, garlic mushroom, and more; and hard items of various vegetables, meatballs, Sicilian sausage, shrimp, fish, and more. Kumi and I both took advantage of the situation.
Knowing Kumi's all-too-familiar red sauce was, uh, highly discouraged by the camera man, she kindly obliged and chose a spinach pine nut pesto sauce, served over linguine noodles and shrimp:
Hmmm... The shrimp pieces were delicious, sauteed perfectly in a butter garlic sauce. The noodles were perfectly al dente. The pesto? Well... not too bad, not too good. It's not something either of us would order again, though. I expected a little more taste from the green bits included, and I think that comes from the addition of spinach, which kinda muddled the stronger taste of basil normally used. Oh, well...
Since we already went with a creamy white sauce, a red, and a green, I figured I'd go with a clear? Clear as in an aglio olio, which is a sauce made from olive oil, garlic, herbs, and sometimes chili flakes and a sprinkling of parmesan - that's about it! I know a light sauce like this goes better with a thinner pasta, but Kumi already ordered a linguine and I'm always bored by spaghetti. Penne was out of the question, and there was only one remaining choice, fettuccine. For meats, it was a Sicilian sausage. Here it is:
Once again, our reception to this dish was a bit subdued. There was nothing really wrong with either of them, but there just wasn't the kind of flavorful kick or that something extra I'd normally expect from an Italian meal. The sausages above, on the other hand, were definitely a bright spot, as they were delicious. Though well-flavored and fatty, there was a kind of delicateness inherent, perhaps because the insides were just barely cooked, even a bit pink! Scary to see any pink at all in a sausage? Yeah, maybe, but this one happened to work like a charm, its soft, tender centers balanced nicely with the charred outer edges. And no, I didn't get sick at all afterwards!
I think this lighter olio sauce would have been much better with angel hair pasta, which, unfortunately, they don't carry.
All in all, I think Zia Caffe does have its merits. Though there may not have been any hits out of the park with bases loaded, there were still several solid second or third-base hits, such as the bruschetta sampler, saltimbocca, and sausages on the plate just above. And like I said, you don't have to worry about finding parking, getting a seat, and dressing to kill. It's aaaalll casual around here.
Hey, hope your week has been going great! I've been as busy as ever, and recently tried that new Maui transplant that's creating quite a buzz, Da Kitchen. I'm waiting for one or two more return visits before reporting, however, so stay tuned. So many new spots! Zap Cafe, several Asian hotpots, Ka, Kokoro-tei, Izakaya Tairyo - I can't keep up!
Keep up the eats, and I'll check you all out lay'duz'
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
Comments:
frkmode1 (8/6/10) You gotta use Canned San Marzano tomatoes or Miur Glen canned tomatoes. BIG difference to the normal Hunt's, Progresso, or any private supermarket types. They cost a least double but you don't get that tartness you are talking about.
Aku (8/6/10) Aaaah, good to know! I'm glad there are these types of stuff out there! These days, it does seem that there are a lot more natural stuff out there. I just went to Foodland the other day and I picked-up a salsa that, according to the ingredients, came with no additives, preservatives, or other stuff. Surprise, surprise!
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