Prima

Elle took Umami to Prima his birthday (thanks, Elle!).  It's (very) loosely an "Italian" restaurant, but people that think they're going to an upscale Spaghetti Factory are in for a suprise.

Consider, the first dish of the evening, Fennel Panna Cotta ($11):

Fennel Panna Cotta

The idea here is to take some of the panna cotta, the puree, the fennel stem marmalade, and the coffee salt all in one bite, giving a complex sweet-savory, creamy-crunchy hit of fennel.  Good fun.

Or, the "Buffalo" Clams ($17):

"Buffalo" Clams

With celery, duck confit, and Franks Red Hot Sauce indicated on the menu, Umami and Elle expected a play on Buffalo Chicken Wings.  And that's exactly what these were, spicy and hot, and intensely flavorful.  They were a bit like Portuguese-style steamed clams, with the duck confit substituting for sausage.  Oh, and there was some ogo included, for some oceanic verisimilitude and some welcome crunch.  Very good dish.

Pappardelle

The Pappardelle ($16) consisted of, well, pappardelle, covered with a generous amount of a meaty curry bolognese that reminded Umami of the Thai-Laotian standard, Larb.  It was interesting that the curry presence was almost stronger in the nose than in the taste.  People watching meat intake should beware, it's a lot of meat.  (It's really good, though, so taste it at least).

Grilled Opah

The Grilled Opah ($21) was adequate, but not a must-have.  Of interest, though, was the opah belly rillette, which is the cube in the upper left.  It's essentially opah belly cooked in fat and made into a paste.  Umami and Elle used it as a spread on the crackers.  It was great with beer.

Bread Pudding

The Bread Pudding ($6) sounds promising:  brioche, streusel, konbu, bacon, maple, vanilla ice cream.  (Okay, Umami and Elle were roped in by the bacon.)  But the dish wasn't quite working, as the brioche lacked substance, it was too loose and, eventually, soggy.  Too bad, too, because the flavors were there, they just couldn't be properly enjoyed.

All in all, a very fun and, as Elle would say, "delightful" meal.  (Thanks again, Elle!).  Umami will be back.  

Prima

108 Hekili St

Kailua, Hawaii

888-8933