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Weekly Eater
Nadine Kam
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NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM
Formaggio Grill combines the comfort of home with a trendy, upscale environment.
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Formaggio fits Kailua well
I was recently invited to speak at Oahu Country Club about this column. I usually turn down such requests because I get tired of rehashing thoughts and traumas that are a matter of public record here. Plus, I never know how hostile the audience is going to be. Everyone in Hawaii, after all, is probably related to a restaurateur.
This time around, I was greeted with, "So you're the one who killed Formaggio in Kailua."
"Wasn't me," I said, noting that Formaggio Grill is very much alive and bringing up one of the points I wanted to make, which was that critical and public opinion often diverge. There's nothing wrong with that. As I told the group, I stopped writing to my tastes about 15 years ago to stave off the suicide/murder threats, and now merely try to paint a picture for people as to what to expect and whether they belong at this restaurant.
This place is buzzing at night, for good reason. Having spent a decade in Kailua, there have never been many fancy, dress-up type restaurants in this beach town. Only Assaggio's and Baci came close. Formaggio Grill, done up in warm, earthy red-orange, the color of New Mexico adobe, understands its place as a neighborhood restaurant, elegant enough to command the prices they're asking, but still casually inviting to the person off the beach.
On the weekends, don't even bother trying to come from Honolulu. They don't take reservations for small parties and to drive over the mountain and through the tunnels only to be told to wait 45 minutes, after expecting a wait and trying to explain the drive situation in making a reservation, is a deal breaker. I don't wait.
NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM
The restaurant spawned a fast-food offshoot, Burgers on the Edge, on Kapahulu.
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Kailua's become a lot richer in the past three years, so there are many who could afford to splurge on comfort food at steakhouse prices. But not everyone is so well-to-do, and Formaggio seems to have become the go-to place for special occasions, with people stretching their budgets to be part of the convivial environment.
On a recent weekend, for instance, I saw all but two tables opting for $16 pastas and panini, or sharing $14 pizzas, rather than springing for $30 entrees. One group of six girls celebrating a friend's birthday were huddled over a single order of the market-priced Seafood Tower a la Ritz, comprising boiled, chilled lobster, prawns and crab legs, along with scallops, oysters and clams. They ordered dessert on top of that.
No doubt the dining strategists leave more pleased paying $15.99 for creamy farfalle and duck ragout -- the duck only slightly overcooked -- than I did paying $32.99 for garlic steak doused in Bordelaise thickened into an unattractive black.
See, in tough times, people don't stop dining out. They just get more creative in ordering and share more, and the restaurateurs know this, promoting "family-style" dining, the only way I might feel compelled to order the Mediterranean seafood salad, which, for $18.99, is a mix of shrimp, scallops, crab and a few pieces of lobster club plopped atop mesclun drizzled with a refreshing citrus vinaigrette with tangerine accents.
One of the best dishes I tasted was a house specialty of beef bourguignon ($16.99) an upscale stew of red wine with pancetta, onions, potatoes and mushrooms, also easily shared.
Like I said, dining is steakhouse style, so you'll pay extra if you want anything else with your filet mignon ($29.99) or rack of lamb ($37), such as brocco-flower mashed potatoes ($6.49), sauteed or creamed spinach ($5.50) or a wild mushroom medley ($7.49) needlessly buried in cream sauce. The civilian in me admits the extra fat tastes great, but the critical side demands more finesse for the buck all around.
NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM
Formaggio Grill's Seafood Tower a la Ritz was enough for six women to share, with dessert.
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Burgers on the Edge
890 Kapahulu Ave. (fronting Safeway) / 737-8866
Out of Formaggio has emerged a fast-food phenomenon, Burgers on the Edge, the first of what I assume will be many having landed in front of the beautiful Safeway on Kapahulu Avenue.
The main attractions are half-pound burgers of 100 percent ground chuck ($8.49) and wagyu beef ($12.49). The price seems steep until you consider the add-ons, which I consider to be better than the burgers. The ground chuck is particularly dry and flavorless, so spring for the wagyu if you can.
With your burger, you are invited to choose one of 10 cheeses, one of 12 sauces, and four other toppings that range from the expected tomato slices and grilled onions, to thick slices of portabella mushrooms, apple wood-smoked bacon, mesclun, pineapple salsa, roasted red peppers and scorching jalapenos.
One source of irritation to a lot of people is the foccaccia-like bread that serves as a bun. The burger patties are round, the bread is square and angular, and because it dries so quickly, you'll find the points jabbing your mouth even as it crumbles around the burger.
If you can't eat red meat, there are portabella ($7.49), ground turkey ($8.49) and chicken breast ($7.99) options. If you feel guilty about all that meat, you can also order a very basic Caesar salad ($8.99).
Next to the toppings, what I like most here are the french fries ($2.89), with the deep, earthy flavor of truffle oil and sprinkling of Parmesan.
Restaurateur Wes Zane has come full circle since his days with the health-conscious Mr. Goodburger, no doubt having found people pay a lot of lip service to healthy cuisine, but what they really want is an all-beef burger with all the trimmings.