MEMORY is a curious thing. Tucked in my brain -- along with acknowledgement of chef David Paul Johnson's culinary prowess and the success of his Maui restaurant Lahaina Grill -- is the obscure recollection of his calling card of about 12 years ago. David Paul's an enchanting experience
The card, advertising his then catering business, was a 5-by-7-inch photo of a French maid -- torso only -- holding a tray. For a prudish Honolulu, it was provocative and signaled a rare attention to detail.
Next thing I know, the risk-taker had moved to Maui. Now he's returned to find a town starving for culinary adventure. With his new restaurant, David Paul's Diamond Head Grill, overflowing with bodies of the sated, Johnson hasn't had a moment's rest. He said it won't sink in that he's home "until I get to go hiking in Manoa or ride my Harley on the North Shore." Sorry David, it's gonna be a while. Everyone wants to go to David Paul's.
The experience is enchanting from the moment one enters the Colony Surf Hotel lobby, done up in neo-Asian simplicity and elegance. The second-floor dining room is warm and open, with a circular feel. Tables are close but I didn't feel as claustrophobic as at the boxy Lahaina Grill, where the tendency is to feel closer to the stranger at the next table than the person across from you.
A sinuous metal ribbon carrying lighting winds its way along the ceiling. Glass sconces add additional color and light.
Officially open not yet a week, service is already wonderful. Johnson, a stickler for service, ensures it by giving guests a rating sheet. However, on Maui, the result is that waiters work with drill- team precision that is too cold and choreographed. At Diamond Head, service is people- friendly; I hope it stays that way.
THE food is also people-friendly. Though creative enough to please most foodies, Johnson doesn't overmanipulate. The result is balanced cuisine as palatable as it is theatrical -- New American comfort food at its best.
The menu, at its heart, doesn't stray far from Johnson's meat-and-potatoes Utah roots. From the first course, you may be in for a hefty dose of spuds.
A hot appetizer of twisted tiger shrimp ($12) comes wrapped in Yukon gold potatoes. Moving on to entrees, you'll find a napoleon of hamachi, lobster and eel ($30) constructed on a base of mashed potatoes with a hint of wasabi. Veal scaloppine ($29) is also served with mashed potatoes dotted with morsels of Kona lobster and hedgehog mushrooms.
Portions are of the size where if you order appetizer to dessert, you won't feel overstuffed. Credit Johnson's lighter approach to sauces. It doesn't get any lighter than a sorbet of reduced balsamic vinegar that tops an appetizer of singing oysters ($10).
So go ahead and order salad and soup if you want. I tried the braised ham hock and white bean soup ($8) and I wasn't sorry.
Again the curious recollection: The shrimp ($25) drenched with tequila butter and served with reddened "firecracker" rice, was a far more extravagant dish than the soup. Yet it is the memory of the soup -- the ham hock shredding at a touch, the goat cheese tortellini warm and comforting -- that brings a smile.
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to midnight for dinner; 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch Mondays through Fridays beginning Monday
Prices: About $75 to $90 for two without drinks
Call: 922-DPDH (3734)
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
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