The Refined: Hiroshi

Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas carried a lot of hype about it. It was a new concept for Hawaii, certainly (tapas are the small-portion dishes native to Spain), and also for the culinary community (as not many places were serving up "eurasian" tapas). It was even featured in Food and Wine magazine a while before it opened. I had read about the little molecular gastronomy dishes (foams, gels, etc), and was happy to see foie gras on the menu. It's no surprise, then, that I was expecting good things to come to the table.

I recall getting a call from my friend who had recommended the restaurant to me beforehand) after dinner. "Well, what do you think?"

"It was...pretty good."

"...You didn't like it, did you?"

"No...it was, uh, pretty good."

I meant it. It was pretty good in every way possible.

Dinner started with a small plate of rice crackers, served with a wasabi aioli. It was pretty good. I wished that they were warm, though. The aioli was quite addicting as well. It was a unique way to start off the meal; however, I was disappointed when the crackers stopped arriving after two stops. I had remembered getting served what seemed like a loaf of bread at Spago in Beverly Hills.

The first app to arrive, the seared ahi, was also pretty good. It came with little smears of fruity raspberry reduction, along with the prerequisite microgreens perched on the of the slices. The reduction was good with the ahi, bringing out the gentle flavor while adding a burst of flavor. But it wasn't anything mind-blowing (Hell, is there anywhere that makes an original seared ahi?).

The second was the deconstructed "Dip and Eat Caesar", which came with fresh, crisp leaves of romaine, along with a small bowl of grated parmeggiano and, interestingly, a foamed caesar dressing. This was, thankfully, more than pretty good. It was new and creative and, most importantly, delicious. The foamed dressing looked like whipped cream and had a lively, light texture in the mouth - a curious expression of the traditionally strong caesar flavorings of anchovy, egg yolks, and garlic.

The third was the butter-poached Kona abelone. Yes, the abelone was tender, as the server promised, but I thought the flavors were strange. The seaweed salad was fine, if a little bland. There were little garnishes of picked daikon. What was that strange flavor enveloping the abelone, though? It wasn't the foamed citrus vinaigrette. It was...

Shiso.

It was a wrong move in my opinion. The shiso drowned out the subtle ocean flavor that mingled with the buttery flesh. So close, yet so far...ending up in the grey realm of "pretty good".

This would become somewhat of a motto for the rest of the meal.

My filet with foie gras and a peppercorn relish was pretty good. Just pretty good, though. The foie gras was nearly nonexistent (at least give a good slab, you teasing bastards!), and the peppercorns were far too brutish in flavor. The vegetables that accompanied it reminded me of the cafeteria combination - peas, carrots, and lima beans. Boring. The veal and foie-gras demiglace was dense and velvety and exploding with flavor - in fact, it exploded all over my palate, preventing me from enjoying the steak with any sort of regard for subtlety.

The rib-eye was large, fersure, but it was only decent (cut too thin, with too much connective tissue). It also came with a boring selection of cooked veg, which was arranged prettily, but didn't taste particularly original.

The crisp moi was pretty good as well (especially the broth, which was rich and savory), but the fillet was far too small for something costing nearly 30 bucks. Is it a stretch to imagine that if you order such a dish, the fish will be substantial? It arrived with a plate of white rice, looking a little sloppy and out of place for the environment. Not a deal-breaker, perhaps, but could it have killed to fuss with the presentation?

At least service was friendly and prompt. Our waitress never forgot to check on us and get refills for our various beverages. It's good, because there's nothing worse than bad service at an expensive restaurant (in my opinion, it's the one thing that can debilitate an entire meal). Dessert was also quite decent, if not mind blowing. There was a flourless chocolate cake involved, which was slightly cloying (what else could you expect?) but in sort of a good way, if that's possible. The lemon cake tasted like an over-the-top lemon poppy muffin, and the POG cheesecake was both original (POG is a very local taste) and merely average (the cheesecake itself wasn't anything better than what you'd get at Costco). Again, there wasn't anything really wrong with what arrived. It was all just...missing the polish needed to excite.

I can't tell you that I wasn't disappointed. Hiroshi is an example of what happens what a decent idea doesn't always come through on the plate. I'm guessing things will improve. Maybe it was a not-so-great night. I hope the restaurant succeeds in the long term. But fine-dining scene is a dangerous one. I was wowed at Alan Wong's. Not so much here. If only ever dish had conjured up the same curiosity and surprise as the caesar.

The food isn't bad in any way, shape, or form at Hiroshi. The meal was pretty good. But the potential for greater work is there. It can do better than pretty good. A lot better.