OK, dont judge, but even though we only had an hour til our dinner reservation at fancy-schmancy Alan Wongs Restaurant, I really wanted to try the famous
Leonards malasadas in Waikiki.
Theres almost always a line, but we were lucky enough to be the first in a wave of customers, so we didnt wait long.
Malasadas are Portuguese doughnuts, but they seemed way better than regular doughnuts to methey didnt leave that greasy mouth coating, for one thing. The plain, unfilled ones come covered in sugar, cinnamon sugar or li hing (sweet and sour sugar). The custard choices are vanilla, dobash (chocolate) and haupia (coconut), with a rotating fruit flavor of the month. In February it was pink guava. We couldnt decide, so we bought a dozen and vowed to share them with The Roots (which almost didnt happen after we tasted them).
There are only a couple of benches, so we took our box of hot, fresh malasadas to the car. We each took a bite, looked at each other in ecstatic surprise, and then45 minutes before our dinner reservationdevoured half of the box, swapping flavors so we could try them all. (Dont worry, The Roots: I promise we didnt slobber on your malasadas!) Maybe we were just hungry and didnt know it, but oh my goodness, we couldnt stop eating them, they were so good. Patrick kept exclaiming, I could eat the whole box! My favorites were coconut and plain.
Thirty minutes later we rolled up to the valet at Alan Wongs, sheepishly brushing malasada sugar from our pants as we got out of the car. Id been warned that the restaurant was in less glamorous part of town, but looking around it was easy to feel like youd taken a wrong turn. I didnt even see a building tall enough to have a fourth floor with a restaurant on it until we rounded the last corner. Look for the understated sign and the valet stand.
Theres barely a lobby, just a few feet of tile and then the narrow elevator that seems like it only goes one place. At the top, the elevator door opens to reveal a bustling and inviting space, with cheerful hostesses greeting you from their stand.
I was immediately impressed by the friendly service. Alan Wongs is one of the top restaurants in all of Hawaii, with some of the highest prices, but the warm Hawaiian hospitality shines through. They maintain some of the flourishes of fine dining while still projecting a welcoming vibe that makes you feel like you belong there no matter who you are or what youre wearing.
Id noted our anniversary on our reservation, and I was delighted to see theyd personalized our menus and had the staff sign them. But I got giddy when I saw they were made out to Carrie and Patrick HaywardI love it when people think he has my last name!
One section of the restaurant is a glassed-in terrace with views of the hills (no ocean view here, folksthe focus here is the food!), but I didnt mind that we were seated inside. As we looked around, we realized that pretty much everyone around us was celebrating something. Alan Wongs must be the go-to special occasion place in Honolulu!
We were too busy eating to get any other pics, so heres one from the Interwebz
© Honolulu Magazine
The reason we picked it over the other top restaurants in town was that we can do impeccable French food or killer sushi or complicated haute cuisine any day of the week in L.A. What we wanted was a fine dining experience that was uniquely Hawaiian, and Alan Wongs fit the bill. Plus, President Obama eats here every chance he getshow can you go wrong?!
If you can imagine it minus the snipers and presidential motorcade and plus a bland rental car covered in malasada sugar, youll know what Alan Wongs looked like the night we ate there...
© The InterWebz
But I think what really endeared the restaurant to me was that they let us SPLIT one tasting menu instead of forcing us both to order itsomething Ive never encountered in fine dining! It was a fantastic opportunity for us to sample a lot of different dishes without breaking the bank or our tummies.
I was so excited, I decided we should spring for the $6 butter tasting. Yeah, thats right, a
butter tasting!
Normally you get your choice of rolls from the basket of the roving bread guy, plus a crock of compound butter. With the butter tasting, they bring you three different types of organic/locally sourced/small batch/blah blah blah SWANKY butter! All three came from Oahus Naked Cow Dairy. One was salty, one was mild, and one tasted like cheese. I liked them all!
The Tasting of the Classics menu started with two appetizers. The Chopped Ahi Sashimi and Avocado Salsa Stack on Crispy Wonton, Spicy Aioli and Wasabi Soy was very good, with fresh, snappy tuna and a lovely ripe avocado.
But my favorite (I think my favorite thing of the whole night) was the swankiest grilled cheese and tomato soup youll ever eat - Chilled Vine-Ripened hamakua springs Tomato Soup, Grilled Mozzarella Cheese, Foie Gras, Kalua Pig Sandwich. There were two distinctly different tomato soups swirled into a yin and yang, with a tiny sandwich so rich that even I could only manage a few bites. The acidic tang of the soup perfectly cut the buttery richness of the sandwich, though.
Our next course wasnt on the tasting menuId seen it on the regular menu and could not resist ordering something called Poki-Pines! It was crispy wonton-wrapped ahi poke balls with avocado and wasabi sauce.
These were also fantastic: crunchy and creamy and salty and tasting of the ocean. Normally you probably wouldnt order these and the ahi and avocado salsa stacks, but we cant get enough sushi, so we were A-OK with it!
Next came the Ginger-Crusted Onaga, Long-tailed Red Snapper with Miso Sesame Vinaigrette, Organic Hamakua Farms Mushrooms and Corn.
Another home run! Like the other dishes, this one had a perfect balance of flavors and textures, with soft and crunchy and salty and sweet all in one bite.
The Butter-Poached Kona Cold Lobster with Keahole Abalone, Eryngii Mushrooms and Green Onion Oil was really nice, but I wish Id had the menu in front of me so I could remember all the different things I was eating. Ive had abalone a few times now, but I still feel like I dont really know what it tastes like cuz its always just little crunchy slivers.
Another very cool thing the restaurant did was let us get a tasting portion of one of the entrees on the main menu that Patrick had been eyeing before we decided on the Tasting of the Classics. That way we didnt feel like wed missed out on anything!
The Macadamia Nut-Coconut-Crusted Lamb Chop with Asian Ratatouille, Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes and Red Wine Lamb Jus arrived along with the last tasting menu item. Im no lamb connoisseur, but I do know it was tender and juicy. But the best thing about it was the coconut macadamia topping. Its like dessert! as my dad used to always say (mostly when he was trying to get me to eat fruit).
Interestingly, the last thing we had was our least favorite, even though it had sounded like it would be our favorite: Twice-Cooked Shortrib, Glazed and Grilled Kalbi Style with Gingered Shrimp and Ko Choo Jang Sauce. Its just cuz it was so spicyif Id known, I wouldve asked for it to be prepared mild or with the sauce on the side or something. But since I dont speak Korean, I had no clue that Ko Choo Jang means Will Melt Your Eyeballs...
When we eat in fancy places, Patrick always reminds me that the desserts never live up to the meal, but I always order one and be disappointed anyway. (Its usually something like a smear of unsweetened dark chocolate accompanied by cocoa nibs that could pass for coffee grounds and a tooth-shattering sugar decoration.)
Dessert Menu
But this one turned out to be fantastic! The Waialua Chocolate Crunch Bars were layers of chocolate macadamia nut crunch and bittersweet chocolate mousse that tasted kind of like a swanky Kit Kat bar, but with a delicate, dissolving crunch rather than the soggy-styrofoam texture of the popular candy. And you could actually taste the chocolate in the chocolate mousse. They came with a double-chocolate mini cookie and a thing that I dont know what it was... like a brown-sugary nut ball thingy? It was tasty!
I guess it did still come with a smear of chocolate and a sugar decoration, but this was the kind that sticks to your teeth instead of shattering them...
Our waiter also surprised us with an anniversary dessert that was perfect for Patrick, a strawberry tart.
On top of that, we were sent home with a free box of Alan Wongs signature chocolate-covered macadamia nuts! We were soooooo full but SO glad wed picked this place for our one nice meal. I think it was probably the best meal weve had anywhere in years. And it cost us about what we would have paid for ONE persons meal and center-section seating at the Paradise Cove Luau. I was so happy wed opted for this instead.
On the way back to Aulani we stopped at the Target, which is just off the highway and only about 5 or 10 minutes from the resort. Patrick had forgotten his swimsuit (on a trip to HAWAII!) so we had to pick one up. And also a cheap plumeria hair clip for me (which I delight in telling people came from Hawaii... from Target), and some bottled waters to have in the car on our road trip, and some more granola and almond milk for Patrick, and a copy of
Lilo & Stitch (which we were shocked to realize we dont own), etc., etc. You know how it is with Target. Somehow we managed to get out of there for less than the $50 that you always end up spending at Target no matter how short your list is when you walk in.
By the time we got back to the resort, Nate and Jensey had arrived, so I took them their malasadas and spent some time catching up with them in their room. They were put one floor up from us and one room over, so they actually had a view of something besides the roof, lucky stiffs! Hopefully a shot or two of their view will turn up in the photos they took.
Up Next: Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and Touring the North Shore with the Roots!
Yeah, I'd never been that interested in Hawaii before, I think cuz we're not beachy people, but now that I've been, I can't wait to go back!
joining in!! Cant wait to see the Roots beautiful pictures!! 
My mouth was watering the whole time reading and looking at the pictures from your post. 
Thank goodness for Target!
Whenever Chauncey and I finally make it to your neck of the woods we need to have you work your magic and help plan something like that for us. 
