We participated in Restaurant Week in Hawaii which is a week where participating restaurants create special menus with a portion of proceeds going to The Culinary Academy of the Pacific at the Kapiolani Community College. Of course our participation simply consisted of dining at a participating restaurant… yah, I know. It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it! Vino’s menu consisted of either the Crispy Rock Shrimp with Cioppino Sauce and Fresh Nalo Farms Arugula or the Homemade Seafood Sausage with Lobster Uni Sauce. The shrimp were nice and crisp and considering that it was a tasting menu, the portion size was quite large. We’ve tried the seafood sausage on several occasions and it was as good as ever.
The 2nd course was a Wild Mushroom and Waialua Asparagus Risotto. I’m a stickler for good risotto since I often make it myself and Chef Keith’s lived up to the billing.
The entrée selection included either a Fennel-Mudica Crusted Hawaiian Swordfish with Fresh Chanterelle Mushroom Sauce or a Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Broccoli Rabe and Fresh Linguini. The fennel mudica gave a little more depth of flavor to the swordfish and fresh mushrooms are always good while the braised short rib was “tendah as buttah” and paired very nicely with the Papapietro Zinfandel (they also make a great Pinot Noir).
The meal was rounded out with your choice of an Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce or a Chocolate Panna Cotta. The apple tart (and the sour cherry tart) are ALWAYS good while the chocolate panna cotta was like the love child of chocolate cheesecake and chocolate ice cream.
Both menus were just $35 or $45 with wine pairings for the first 3 courses. Not just a bargain but a bargain helping a good cause. And if you missed out, Vino’s sister restaurant Hiroshi offers a 3 course plus dessert for $35 on Sundays and Mondays and the selections change every month.
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