For what seems like an eternity, we've shied away from the original Formaggio in Market City for a multitude of reasons. The primary reason is that Lyle Fujioka sold the enoteca years ago (along with Fujioka's Wine Merchants) and the wine list was never the same - where else could you order Marquis Philips Integrity by the glass? INSANE!! It also turned into a hip, happenin' place that the young & beautiful frequented... (not yours truly is neither on either measure). And lastly, it wasn't equipped with a deep fryer so we couldn't order those truffled fries that Patrick Okubo originally placed on the menu at the Kailua location. So we "made do" with what we could. Namely visit the Kailua sister location when truffled fries beckoned... So we ATTEMPTED to pay homage to Whole Paycheck Foods... I mean Whole Foods at their newly christened Kailua location... but lunch called (and it's a lot cheaper to eat, then shop if you catch my drift) so we visited Formaggio Grill in Kailua first. Of course... we HAD to start with the Truffled French Fries.
I also sampled a glass of WA state Merlot... a little thin if you ask...
We then progressed to the Chopped Florentine Salad. Nicely julienned cabbage and radicchio with orzo, Kalamata olives, capers and macadamia nuts with a Balsamic dressing. All the major flavor sensations (sweet, salty, bitter and sour) along with contrasting textural qualities (crunchy, creamy, crisp)...
We then split the Pesto Pancetta Pizza with its cracker-like crust, creamy pesto-Caesar dressing nad salty pancetta and hearty shrimp...
And the Sicilian Prime Rib Panini which had a great rosemary flavored ciabatta and great mushroom, onion and mozzarella topping but unfortunately was a little lacking in the Prime Rib department. With crisp sweet potato fries, it would have been perfect with a little more... meat.
I sampled this with a glass of Argentinian Malbec which hit the spot! Though our sandwich lacked in meat, it was another great none-the-less with great service so we'll be back... Unfortunately, Whole Foods in Kailua is still packed-to-the-hilt on weekends so we ended up at R Fields... not a bad proposition since they had a nice aged bottle of 1998 Leoville Barton on the shelf...
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