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No sparkle in
this diamond

David Paul's Diamond Head Grill opened in the Colony East Hotel with a lot of promise as one of Waikiki's destination restaurants in 1998.

Along the way, the hotel took on the W brand, ditched the David Paul name to become Diamond Head Grill, and became a casualty of style over substance, taking a back seat to the W's thriving club and party scene. It's just easier to extract money from kids with bottles.

Restaurants may be costly to run, but they can bring prestige. Toward that end, W Honolulu brought in Guillaume Burlion, of the Wild Boar in Nashville, Tenn., a restaurant that carried AAA's top five-diamond rating, and his own La Vie en Rose Bistro in New London, Conn.

He arrived with the intention of bringing home all five diamonds, but mining's tough work for a kitchen that might regularly be able to produce two diamonds and a piece of Cubic Zirconia.

Blame it on the low unemployment rate, but staffers aren't particularly in service-oriented mode. The first time I went for dinner, I wrote if off as an off-night, and returned later to see if time had improved the situation. It hadn't. I arrived to find the hostess had abandoned her post to talk shop with co-workers, and stood in the doorway for 15 minutes without a single waiter -- many passed by -- or bartender signaling her or offering a seat while they summoned her.

Service is pleasant once you're seated, even if servers are zipping around the room at speeds more comparable to in-and-out coffeeshop service.

BLACK is the fashion at the W, where black tablecloths and waiters in black give the room a bleak 1980s feel, but then again, '80s style is making a comeback.

Diners are immediately offered ciabatta bread and red pepper aioli -- emphasis on mayonnaise of the sort you might keep in a large jar in the back of the fridge. I couldn't eat it. Next came an amuse bouche of chopped shrimp and cucumber rounds, which was refreshing if too easy for a restaurant of the caliber DHG wants to be.

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RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Diamond Head Grill server Tamara Lynch holds a plate of Ahi Tartar with Caramelized Shallot Relish, served in a crown of marinated cucumber, with Osetra caviar and a Parmesan cheese crisp.

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On my first visit, I tried ordering the seared foie gras ($18), but received the lobster foie gras and truffle egg ($16) instead. I didn't send it back, but wish I had because it was a high price to pay for comfort food. The foie gras and lobster were negligible, stirred into an egg-white custard and served in the egg shell. The highlight is the fingernail-size square of truffle served with it, though I know a lot of people would just swallow it without a taste.

On my second try, I did get the foie gras, with slices of poached pear in a port reduction, and wasn't disappointed. It's the most decadent of the "pupu" offerings, unless you're into raw meat and want to try the duet of bison and Black Angus tartare ($11).

The shrimp tempura ($13) is worth a try, although it's wrapped in a baby romaine wrap that wilts against the heat of the shrimp. Granted, the French chef is still getting to know local ingredients, but lack of attention to this kind of simple detail is telling.

The tempura is accompanied by an oil-cutting lime-and-patis-infused vinaigrette served in a stylish martini glass, and dotted with green onions and flecks of mint that deliver a burst of flavor without overwhelming sensitive palates.

My favorite dish here may be the simplest, the DHG Salad ($9) of a vine-ripened tomato, skin and center removed to serve as a bowl for 'Nalo greens and artichoke hearts dressed in a sharp sherry-walnut vinaigrette. Paired with a special of lobster bisque, this would be a thoroughly satisfying meal, demonstrating that good food needs no bells and whistles.

You won't go wrong with the black trumpet mushroom-crusted Colorado rack of lamb ($39) or the Chilean sea bass ($31), the best of the entrées I tried. Again, the fish was not overprocessed but simply roasted until crisped on the outside, and served with roasted vegetables in a yellow tomato infusion.

Duck breast ($25) is elegantly braised in lavender honey and orange marinade and sliced thin, arranged over potato "jewel" boxes filled with a purée of purple sweet potato. The potatoes forming the boxes are undercooked, so it's really like biting into a box.

The paella ($33), tempting as it might be with its mix of langoustine, lobster, prawns, scallops, clams, mussels, chicken, chorizo and Cajun sausage, was memorable only for being dry.

For dessert you might try the Floating Swan, incorporating wings of superb meringue. If you're not into such light edibles, the Okinawan sweet potato-haupia cheesecake may be more your style, or allow 20 minutes to prepare a warm lava cake ($9) served with honey gelato.

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Diamond Head Grill W Honolulu, 2885 Kalakaua Ave. / 922-7374 Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; 6 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Cost: $90 to $100 for two without drinks