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The Weekly Eater
THE last time I wrote about Cafe Monsarrat, a reader complained in a letter to the editor that my review was "lukewarm," which summed up my feelings exactly. His last words were, "Cafe Monsarrat deserves a follow-up review." Monsarrat change stellar
Well, a little more than a year later, I'm back and I'm loving it, baby. A new chef has made all the difference. I'm only sorry I didn't try Scott Nelson's food before the January James Beard Award nomination period ended earlier this month. He'll be on my list next year.
There'll be detractors for sure, among them customers who liked the former chef's menu and can't fathom the changes. I don't expect everyone to understand this -- certainly not the letter writer above -- but it is rare to find someone like Nelson who understands that good food is simple food, prepared in such a way that brings out its essence. There are too many chefs who believe it's palatable to make pork taste like li hing mui or beef taste like prunes. That's fun, that's entertaining and has a place, but don't expect me to call the result great cuisine.
Nelson's food is understated and sophisticated. Strangely enough, he honed his craft in New Orleans while working for the master of BAM!, Emeril Lagasse, at Nola, Emeril's Restaurant and Delmonico's. Most important, he learned anything worth doing is worth doing right, down to making a house Worcestershire sauce and taking three days to prepare the Pineapple-Worcestershire Roasted Duck ($26), which is soaked in brine 24 hours, poached to render the fat, marinated, air-dried 24 hours and finally slow-roasted for six hours.
CAFE MONSARRAT
Food 
Atmosphere Service Value Address: 3106 Monsarrat Ave.
Nelson knows not everyone appreciates the work that goes into bringing such a dish to the table, but says, "A house should be self-sufficient. By making everything in-house, you know products are going to be better."
BY now, I have seen so much faux-New Orleans food on menus here, I didn't expect much when I ordered the Gumbo ($7). I was amazed by the depth of flavor achieved here.
The Oxtail Risotto ($10) was a clever play on our oxtail soup tradition, dressed with crunchy peanuts and cilantro. Cafe Monsarrat turns this isle-style comfort dish into a world-class delicacy I'm craving right now.
It's easy to make a good meal of appetizers like those above, plus offerings of two Pan-Seared Scallops ($12) with housemade angel hair pasta stirred with lemon butter, or a Kiawe-Grilled Portobello ($14) topped with stuffing and foie gras, accompanied by tart, sweet slices of roasted Fuji apples.
In addition to the Roasted Duck, entrees include a Jambalaya ($21) that paled next to the other dishes, but was perfectly fine as leftovers once the competition was removed. Tournedos of Lamb ($27) are tender and delicate, with sugarcane skewers replacing the bone.
Nelson has assembled an able team in sous chef Marlowe Arcelona and pastry chef Steve Brown who makes an excellent crepe ($6.25) filled with port-macerated berries.
The menu changes again in early March to welcome lighter plates for spring. That means the risotto goes bye-bye. I tried to stop him.
"I know the seasons are not distinctive here," says Nelson, "But change keeps me going."
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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:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com
