For roughly the past year, Chef Keith Endo at Vino has really been on a tear in the kitchen cranking out specials literally on a daily basis. I'm not sure if it's because of those trips to New York or if he found some unknown new source of inspiration but you know what? I'm not complainin'! In fact other than the Vintage steak on the regular menu, we hardly ever order off of the regular menu anymore.
On one evening we sampled the Sous Vide Beef Tartare with red jalapenos, crispy shallots, pressed lemon oil and quail egg...
And the Braised Short Rib and Foie Gras Angolotti on Port wine demi-glace with Swiss chard...
On another evening it was the Squid Ink Arancini with lemon-pepper aioli...
And the Italian Beef Bruschetta with spicy house made giardiniera...
And yet on another evening it was the Grilled Jumbo Madagascar Shrimp Scampi with shrimp truffle sauce...
And the Fried Fresh Oyster with Thai basil yuzu aioli...
And these were just a small sample of the specials in March! He also created a Homemade Poi Gnocchi with braised taro leaf, lomi tomato and salted salmon...
And a Kalua Shinsato Pork Shoulder with pumpkin ravioli...
And followed it up just 1 week later with Big Island Abalone Crudo...
And Grilled Flat Bread with sous vide Vintage steak...
And at the last Ultimate BYOB, he created a Wild Mushroom Bruschetta with truffle egg...
And offered a Chocolate Pistachio Semifreddo with espresso creme anglaise...
And just 2 weeks ago at our last visit, we sampled a bowl of Fried Potatoes with chorizo aioli with crumbled chorizo that wasn't even on the special menu, Chef Keith was just experimenting with the dish that evening...
Along with Smoked Hudson Valley Duck on a ginger carrot puree...
Grilled Fuji Apples with crispy pancetta, guanciale and maple aioli...
And Roasted Cauliflower with truffle puree and Brie...
And these daily specials aren't just limited to the Vino side - Chef John Iha of Hiroshi is also creating hordes of daily specials (which we've also sampled) with Asian flair. So in the 10 years that Hiroshi and Vino have been open, I can honestly say that RIGHT NOW is the most exciting time to be dining at both restaurants! And by now, I don't have to tell you if we'll be back. It's just a matter of when and how often in 1 week...
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