Saying ‘mahalo’ for an evening at No Ka Oi

DINING OUT

Two friends and I recently had an absolutely fabulous dinner at No Ka

Oi restaurant on Main Street. My dining companions, Renee and Grace

(both teachers at my son’s elementary school), were dying to try No

Ka Oi, based on rave reviews from friends and acquaintances.

We dined on a Tuesday night so we could take advantage of Locals

Night Out, a winter promotion in which approximately a dozen downtown

restaurants offer a 20% discount on dining to Huntington Beach

residents.

Inside the cozy confines of No Ka Oi, the long wooden bar, woven

bamboo placemats and island artwork blend together to create a warm,

kickback feel. The easygoing vibe carried over to our server Claudia,

who was laid back yet extremely attentive (a rare combination).

No Ka Oi describes their offerings as “Hawaiian/Asian influenced

fun food,” and the fun starts with the pupus (appetizers).

We shared the vegetable avocado hand roll, their most popular

pupu. Avocado, carrots, tri-colored peppers and cilantro are wrapped

in a flour tortilla, sliced into fours and served with a basil-pesto

spread. One bite was all it took to understand this item’s

popularity. There are 15 enticing pupus, including steamed manapua

(Hawaiian sweet pork stuffed buns) and caramelized rock shrimp (which

could double as an entree) served with seaweed salad.

Our entrees were artfully presented. My macadamia nut-crusted

halibut, which was topped with a papaya-mango salsa, was leaning on a

mound of purple mashed potatoes, with asparagus and carrots fanned

out underneath it like feathers on a peacock. The garnish was a

jaggedly cut lemon, topped with a raspberry, both resting on a small

pile of confetti carrots.

After admiring the beauty of my plate, I finally conjured up the

courage to dismantle this masterpiece, one forkful at a time. The

halibut, briefly pan-fried before being baked, was just as pleasing

to the taste as to the eyes. The suggested wine pairing, a pinot

grigio, was a fine complement to my dinner.

Grace opted for the grilled swordfish, which was as aesthetically

appealing as my entree and equally tasty. The grilled swordfish,

topped with a Thai fruit salsa, sits atop a bed of linguine that is

tossed in a peanut dressing. A fried spring roll wrap doubles as a

bowl for the linguine, like a tostada shell.

Renee went for the grilled Asian cured salmon with a

strawberry-basil relish accompanied by an awesome macadamia nut

risotto. Renee thought the salmon was “good, a little dry, but good.”

While we feasted only on seafood, No Ka Oi also serves up some

Asian barbecued beef short ribs that are marinated, grilled and then

slow roasted. The short ribs use “prime” beef and come with wasabi

mashed potatoes. They also serve a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon

that is first pan seared, then finished in the oven. No Ka Oi calls

this “the almost world famous” pepper steak.

For dessert, we shared a macadamia nut creme Brule. Several

flavor-bursting blueberries and a sliced strawberry skated atop the

thin, crunchy, sugary top, which was browned, but not burnt. The

sweet vanilla flavored, pudding-like delight got a little soupy

toward the bottom, but was still a nice finisher.

No Ka Oi is introducing a new dessert that’s sure to be a big hit.

The pear puff pastry is a pear cooked in red wine, stuffed with

caramelized walnuts and chocolate and served inside a puff pastry. It

is then drizzled with white chocolate sauce and caramel. I’m

definitely trying this next time.

Grace wasn’t planning on having coffee with dessert, but changed

her mind after catching a whiff of the black lava java coffee.

Dennis, the owner of No Ka Oi, has a coffee farm in Hawaii. The

coffee beans, which he grows without pesticides or herbicides, are

harvested in Hawaii, and then roasted here.

No Ka Oi not only provides gourmet dinners, but killer breakfasts

as well. The cooks use Hawaiian sweet bread for French toast; use

only real maple syrup; fly in Portuguese sausage from Hawaii; and

serve (surprise?) macadamia nut pancakes. For lunch, it offers

seafood sandwiches and large burgers with house-made potato chips.

While I’m glad locals are getting discounted meals at some

restaurants this winter, I’d love to see our local teachers, who so

profoundly shape and inspire our children, get a year-round discount

at most restaurants.

* JOHN VOLO is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, e-mail [email protected].