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Cafe Olive worth dressing
up for in Wahiawa

SOLDIERS returning from Iraq over the next few months can look forward to a warm homecoming from friends and families, and those who live in Wahiawa have a new place to celebrate their reunion.

The culinary landscape in the Central Oahu town has changed in the time they were gone to include such newcomers as Cafe Olive and the takeout joint Maui Mike's Fire-Roasted Chicken (read all about it in "Short Attention Span Eater" in our next Weekend edition). But it's Cafe Olive that represents an upgrade from the usual hole-in-the-wall Wahiawa dining scene.

The restaurant's still pretty small, seating 48 max, but the checkered tablecloths and clean wood-and-glass decor almost makes a person feel like dressing up for dinner. You don't have to. It's still a come-as-you-are kind of spot, but those celebrating a special occasions need not feel forced to cross the gulch to Mililani.

It appears to be an Italian restaurant, but owner Lisa Choi embraces the "Hawaiian-style" small-community philosophy of offering something for everyone, from pastas that comprise the bulk of the menu, to local and Korean specialties.

She'll be the first to admit she's a newcomer to the pasta biz. Korean food would have been her first choice because it's what she knows best, but there are already several competitors on the scene vs. only one other pasta restaurant.

"I think I picked the worst time to open," she said, about having started operations last August when business was slow due to the soldiers' absence, but she's benefitted from the timing as well. "We were warming up in the slow time; now we're ready."

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F.L. MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Patrons enjoy lunch at Cafe Olive, which has more ambience than most of the restaurants in Wahiawa.

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START WITH the classic Caprese ($6.95) appetizer of fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, or oven-roasted eggplant ($6.95) served chilled with chopped tomatoes, basil as fresh as homegrown, and feta cheese.

There was a vinegary cast to the eggplant that made it more acidic than savory, a trait that repeated itself on the spicy barbecue pork ($6.95). It was still palatable, just slightly different from what local palates expect, so enamored are we, instead, of fat and sugar.

Similarly, those who've grown accustomed to the Mililani Assaggio's way with garlicky tomato sauces over the years, will likely find Cafe Olive's tomato sauces tart. That might be fine for diners who think Assaggio's sauces heavy-handed. You'll just have to let Choi know what you think. She's always open to constructive suggestions.

There's not a lot of difference among the various red sauces so puttanesca ($7.95 regular/$13.95 family) doesn't have quite enough anchovy or garlic power to make it stand apart from the red sauce accompanying scampi checca ($9.95/ $16.95). If you like to sample off friends' plates, you can escape the redundancy by ordering lemon scampi or lemon chicken ($8.95/$15.95) instead.

My favorite dishes were the eggplant and kim chee fried rice ($6.95) topped with a poached egg.

Desserts are also a treat. You can't miss with the tiramisu ($3.25) or mango cheesecake ($3.75).

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F.L. MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Lisa Choi and chef Timothy Brownson show off shrimp and chicken pasta dishes at Cafe Olive.

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Cafe Olive 71 S. Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa / 621-7997 Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m . Saturdays, Sundays and holidays Cost: About $25 to $40 for two