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Food’s grand, service
needs a hand

Before opening its doors, the Grand Cafe & Bakery, on the site of the former Wing Coffee Co. building on Pauahi Street, teased passers-by with its menu and the claim of presenting "foods and recipes of the 1920s."

I read the menu: ginger butternut squash soup, kiawe-smoked turkey breast club, roasted veggies on grilled foccacia. 1920s? I wasn't there, but having read countless cookbooks, I don't think so. The fancy ingredients are of this generation. Of course, from the street and at night, you can't read the fine print and asterisks that guide you to the old-fashioned comfort dishes of meatloaf and mac-and-cheese, even if the latter does have the 21st-century moniker of "M + 3Cs" -- shorthand for white cheddar, Parmesan and Monterey Jack.

The Grand Cafe -- a symbol of old Americana and Territorial Hawaii -- stands out as a novelty, even in this most exotic and storied corner of Honolulu. That's quite an achievement. Even my very Chinese mom broke from her usual weekend dim sum routine for a taste of what Grand Cafe has to offer.

The original Grand Cafe & Bakery was founded by Ti Chong Ho in 1923 at 106 N. King St. (now Bank of Hawaii), and who would have guessed that what worked for downtown Honolulu more than 80 years ago would still work today? Comfort is in high demand, whether through stress-busting spa treatments or feng shui water fountains we bring into our homes for their soothing sounds, so comfort food is a natural.

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Samantha Choy's homemade apple pie, made with two kinds of apples, and chocolate-peanut butter-banana cream pie are among the divine desserts at Grand Cafe & Bakery. She and chef Kevin Dee are two to watch.

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THE RESTAURANT AND bakery has the ambience of a trendy diner apropos of its proximity to Hawaii Theatre and the ARTS at Marks Garage, ground zero for the First Friday events that have brought some night life back into the area.

Of course the pastry counter is right up front, luring those who peek into the cafe windows for a view of sticky buns ($3.25) filled with fresh pecans and coated with caramel, croissants and scones ($2), danishes ($1.75), blueberry cheesecake and breads. Those without willpower should not look into this Pandora's box of good and evil.

Right now the restaurant is only open for breakfast, lunch and perhaps First Friday dinners, and it's got more business than it can handle. The buildup of interest led to a rush -- if you call about 30 people a rush -- over two days last weekend, that the novice staff, of earnest but ineffective 20-somethings and older women who seem more accustomed to being served than serving, was ill-equipped to handle.

It was bad enough Friday night, but the scenario Saturday morning was like a car wreck. Staffers milled about in shock, not knowing what to do or how to be useful, or as aimless as extras on a movie set.

You had to feel sorry for them, and at one point, spying four lunch plates sitting out on a counter for about half an hour, I went up to check if it was my order. It wasn't, but I would have helped deliver them to their rightful tables ... if only the staff knew who had ordered them. That set off a flurry of fruitless note-checking. For at least 15 more minutes, the plates were still sitting out, getting colder by the minute.

While I was eating, the people sitting behind me rushed out uttering, "Never again." The people to the side of me left a dollar tip for show. And the restaurant ended up locking up at 12:30 p.m. instead of 2 because the staff couldn't handle the 15 or so people remaining.

Usually I don't mention slow service at a new restaurant if I expect them to work out the kinks. But I don't know if that's the case here. There seems to be no grand plan for dealing with a full house.

THAT'S TOO BAD because the food is really good. For breakfast there is little out there that compares to Grand Cafe's "Remember when ..." fresh corned beef hash ($7.95), with large chunks of cured corned beef, topped with an egg cooked to your liking. The dish might be retro, but I'm sure it didn't taste this clean 80 years ago when grease and lard were kitchen staples.

Those with a sweet tooth need look no further than the Island Bananas Foster French Toast ($6.50), meal and dessert in one with bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar, rum and banana liqueur.

They'll also make you a Grand Omelet ($6.95) with aged Vermont white sharp cheddar and Swiss cheeses, ham, broccoli and shallots (there is a vegetarian option), or a Downtown quiche ($6.25) with bacon, Maui onions, spinach and the same cheeses.

Late risers might skip the breakfasts in favor of more substantial offerings, such as the loose-packed meatloaf ($7.75) of beef, pork and veal wrapped in bacon and topped with red wine au jus, which is rapture for meat lovers. The Grand Cafe hamburger ($6.25) pales in comparison with this and the hash.

For vegetarians there is the roasted veggie sandwich ($7) and glorious butternut squash soup ($5) mentioned earlier.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the young Culinary Institute of America-trained chefs Kevin Dee (executive) and Samantha Choy (pastry) can do with a dinner menu, and hope they get to that point. These are two to watch on the culinary scene.

But first, staffers in the front of the house must get their act together.

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Grand Cafe & Bakery 31 N. Pauahi St. / 531-0001 Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays Cost: Less than $10 per person for breakfast and lunch