The Weekly Eater Nadine Kam

Slow down and savor
the Formaggio experience

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THE data that enters our brains on a daily basis often sticks there, random bits of trivia, information and misinformation that don't mean much without a filing system. Maybe the megabytes up there don't add up to enough storage space, so if I seem confused, you can understand why.

Mucking up the works these days is Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," which I rented a week ago. The documentary never quite answered the provocateur's question of what makes America such a violent nation, where more murders occur annually than in any other developed country.

I needed a moment of clarity. I needed to, finally, pay a visit to Formaggio. Now, to some that may seem counterintuitive. Formaggio, after all, is a wine bar, and law-enforcement types will tell you that overindulging can impair reasoning. But it's also been said that "wine is wont to show the mind of man" and "in wine there is truth." I sought the latter.

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KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM Deborah Fitzgerald, left, and Patti Jubell enjoyed wine, pupu and good company at Formaggio.

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Forgive me for prattling on. Must be the wine. Moore and Johnny Depp have been lambasted for criticizing this country's leaders, and Depp has been trashed for having run off to France. But anyone who wants to live on a human -- not supersized -- scale, would do well to step back from our daily fray.

That's where Formaggio comes in. It is primarily an oenophile's dream, created to allow clientele of Fujioka's Wine Merchants, next door, to sample before purchasing. To be clear, food here is a bit player, assigned to cleansing palates, enhancing the wines, assuaging appetites of designated drivers, and preventing patrons from getting overly buzzed.

This is the place to find wines with the other kind of buzz and the ones -- in the name of full disclosure -- that owner Lyle Fujioka writes about in his monthly "By the Glass" column for this paper.

Accompanying the wines are cured meats, cheeses, salads and sandwiches perfect for pau hana or post-concert, theater or film dessert or repast. It takes a while for food to arrive because there are as many hungry souls as wine enthusiasts. I found myself looking at the time and was ashamed. Typical American behavior.

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KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM A prosciutto trio, front, and antipasti de la casa.

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IT WASN'T LONG before the wine started working its magic. Romanced by "Under the Tuscan Sun's" premise, I opted for one of the "Wines of Tuscany," the Antinori Tignanello 2000, an earthy red of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon, hinting of blackberry and cherries.

There are more than 40 wines available by the glass, and 34 by the bottle. Bottles range from $23 for William Fevre Fourchaume Chablis, to $375 for Château Mouton Rothschild 2000.

A typical menu offers its wine prices in two columns: by the glass and by the bottle. I didn't read the print at the top of the columns indicating "taste" and glass. So I ordered a $24 glass, when a 2-ounce taste would have been $8.50 and allowed me to sample two to four more wines. (Three tastes add up to a glass.) My fault for not reading carefully, but waiters could be more conscientious in discerning whether newbies understand the pricing.

There's no confusion with the Formaggio selections, listed at $5 by the glass. My friend opted for Sergio Mottura Orvieto 2001, a brisk citrusy and peachy white.

To accompany the wine we ordered the prosciutto ($13.95), chef's selection of cheeses ($13.50), and escargot to complete a very wonderful, relaxed, European-style supper.

The experience was more of a ritual than typical marathon of courses. The wine set the mood, allowing us to slow down and focus on the nuances of the various hams: Italy's delicate and supple prosciutto di Parma, Spain's aggressive and robust jámon serrano, and smoky gran speck.

It was no different with the cheeses, though more variation would have been nice. A couple of Italian cheeses were too similar in texture. Holland's silky Boerenkaas, a cream-added farmer's Gouda with a cocoa rind, was a nice counterpoint to a bold dry Jack from Sonoma, aged to give it a sharp, nutty, edgier presence. Warning: Ordering this dish will give you one more thing to obsess about. Just as with wine, there is a lot to learn about cheese.

These things we tend to miss when dining American-style, which would involve stuffing these ingredients into a super-sized sandwich for quick consumption. Next time you eat a sandwich, think of all you may be missing between the layers of bread. There's much to be said for slowing down and savoring each bite and moment at the table.

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Formaggio Market City Shopping Center, 2919 Kapiolani Boulevard / 739-7719 Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 5 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays, and 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays Cost: About $12 to $40 for two glasses; add about $25 for food

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See some past restaurant reviews in the Columnists section.

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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:

	excellent;
	very good, exceeds expectations;
	average;
	below average.

To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com

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