Déjà Vu all Over Again

I was just about to submit my June column when I received a notice through social media that due to the loosening of restrictions and gradual return of tourism that both Sansei and DK Steakhouse would be re-opening in their original location in the Waikiki Marriott. However, it also stated that the day after this column hits the newsstands, Vino would be closing though classic Vino dishes would be making the move to Sansei and DK Steakhouse. Since I started writing for the Hawaii Herald highlighting the original closing of Vino back in 2015, it seems that in the words of baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra “it’s like déjà vu all over again”. The Original Vino Long after Black Orchid then World Café shuttered, Sansei moved into the corner unit at the original Restaurant Row. The side room that eventually opened as Vino was originally used as overflow seating for Sansei or storage. Then when Sansei found a new home in the Waikiki Marriott alongside sister restaurant DK Steakhouse, owner “DK” Kodama repurposed the space as a Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas and used the original Sansei storage space as Vino Tapas and Italian Wine Bar. And it was on our initial visit to Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas that we met Master Sommelier, Chuck Furuya who was just the 10th American to pass the rigorous Master Sommelier exam. I remember ordering a bottle of demi-sec (off-dry) Domaine Huet Vouvray and when Chuck uncorked the bottle, struck up a long conversation about wine as he probably didn’t have a lot of diners order a Chenin Blanc based wine usually relegated to box wines in the US but was perfect with the Asian fusion cuisine at Hiroshi.

Since that fateful evening in 2003, we made countless visits to the original Vino – on occasions, three times in one month – both for date nights or with the countless regulars we befriended during regular Vino dinners. Chuck also hosted regular special events at Vino whether it was a visiting winemaker or a themed pre-set dinner menu including special wine pairings with each course. While Vino was still at its original location, a Chef Keith Endo sighting was as common as seeing the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot as Chef Endo was as reclusive as people get. Normally, you might see him peering through the round windows of the service double doors just to see how busy the dining area was and if he saw you looking at him, he’d quickly backtrack to the inner sanctum of the kitchen. Back then, Chef Endo didn’t even describe any of the specials he created and simply left it to the servers or Chuck.

However, the main reason why we returned time and time again is that the Vino staff eventually became family. Chuck Furuya was like your offbeat Uncle who always had to tell you a new joke and he was the resident punster. Eventual general manager Ann Taketa enjoyed chocolate as much as we did so we always shared new chocolate bars at each visit. Mixologist Brent Kawano knew that I always ended the evening with a Negroni, shaken not stirred (like James Bond) served still with that fine ice line of a recently shaken cocktail and we shared tips on how to create the perfect libation. Noted English poet, William S. Gilbert stated that “It isn't so much what's on the table that matters, as what's on the chairs” which is a mantra we still live by but our frequent trips to Vino was because “It isn’t so much what dish comes out of the kitchen or what wine is in the glass but who serves or pours it”.

Then in 2015, Vino announced that they wouldn’t be renewing their lease with Waterfront Plaza as the kitchen needed major upgrades that they weren’t willing to invest in – they did state that they immediately started looking for a new location. Of course, we immediately booked a table on that last evening and though they closed their doors once service was complete, it almost was a celebratory atmosphere with “DK” Kodama present thanking the regular patrons complete with a cake with a caricature of Chuck Furuya seated on his sand chair smoking his usual cigar – you see once the evening’s service concluded, while the wait staff divided that evening’s tips and the kitchen was cleaned, Chuck would take his sand chair outside and have his evening cigar on the sidewalk fronting South Street. Of course, after second guessing where Vino would re-emerge for at least a month, they announced that they simply would be re-opening just across the breezeway at Waterfront Plaza in another 5 months. The New Location

Once Vino re-emerged 5 months later in the spot that was literally about 50 feet away, they also revamped the menu. During the downtime, Chef Endo took a trip to Italy to gather new ideas for future dishes. Vino also purchased new kitchen equipment including a pizza oven and they also started baking their own bread. The new space also had a main dining area, a slightly sunken smaller seating area which we dubbed “The Cave” which we also requested when there was at least six of us as it seemed a little more secluded as well as two private rooms that could be booked on their own or used as overflow seating. Chuck also allowed us to bring in our own wine and even if we insisted, never charged us any corkage fees – he simply asked that we take care of the wait staff, so we always left a 20+% tip plus $10 per bottle opened and always left the leftover wine for the staff to enjoy. I often uncorked one of my bottles and simply sampled a half glass, placed the cork back in the neck and gave the bottle to GM Ann “for you and the staff once you close”. Because I always closed our evenings with a Negroni, I had a custom etched bottle made for “Ryan’s Negroni” with the pour levels of Campari, gin, white and red vermouth and left it with Brent the mixologist. Vino even offered “Ryan’s Negroni” as the special cocktail of the evening and with each subsequent visit, noticed that the fill level was dropping so other diners were also ordering the “my” Negroni.

During the 2nd iteration of Vino, Chef Endo did a 180 and started to walk the dining room with Chuck to explain his rationale for creating a special. He also continued his trips to Italy and Spain and those new cooking ideas manifested as the Vino Underground pop-up dinners where Chuck let the Chef create his own themed dinners whether Italian, Spanish, local foods or anything in between. The once reserved Chef was now as gregarious as they come even doing final preparations for each dish right in front of his dining audience. We also hosted our 25th Anniversary Party in the larger private dining room in late 2019…

At this time, we also noticed that Vino seemed to develop a new following – so much so that we always had to make reservations even for a two-top table. At the old location, we frequently could just walk in without reservations and promptly be seated. However, though reservations were now a necessity at the new location, Ms. S and I always scanned the crowded dining area assuming that Vino would continue until we were too old and decrepit to go out on date nights anymore… Then COVID-19

Once the pandemic started, owner “DK”Kodama consolidated Sansei and DK Steakhouse operations at Vino first just offering take-out then eventually offering inhouse dining once the shutdown was lifted. Since it became a worldwide pandemic, we’ve only dined inhouse at Vino on two occasions. The first was just before Oahu started the mandatory shutdown at one of the last Vino Underground diners. The second was in July between the two COVID-19 peaks Oahu experienced and it was mainly to retrieve an empty double magnum Champagne bottle we had all guests and servers sign at our 25th Anniversary Party along with my Negroni bottle. It was right after the first shutdown that Chuck Furuya informed staff that he was retiring (Chuck currently does wine podcasts with his son Kale and Zoom sessions with various winemakers) at which point, most of the regular servers were furloughed. Chef Endo left Vino in August and moved to Zia’s Caffe in Kaneohe. Then late last year, mixologist Brent moved to The Row, Kakaako, formerly the Row Bar by Tamura’s purchasing the business after the Row Bar permanently closed. And just recently, general manager Ann Taketa decided to retire though once Vino closes on June 5th, the DK Restaurant probably wouldn’t have had a position for her. So, unlike the first closing which we assumed was temporary anyway, we haven’t booked our final table on June 5th as it probably will really seem like a funeral. Ms. S and I likely will spend a quiet evening at home on the 5th, uncork a bottle of Champagne, remember the good times and the friends we made at Vino and give a final toast to that place where everyone knew our name…