By Tamara Palmer
There is a small handful of hole in the wall restaurants serving approximations of Hawaiian food in town, but last night’s opening of Liholiho Yacht Club (871 Sutter Street) brings a true taste of island food life that didn’t exist here before: The honest to goodness glory of an incredible potluck dinner.
Chef Ravi Kapur, who is a partner in the restaurant in conjunction with Nopa owners Allyson Jossel and Jeff Hanak, has honed the Liholiho aesthetic over the course of almost three years of pop-up events at places like State Bird Provisions and Citizen’s Band. His new, permanent spot feels sunny and fresh with its blue and white tiles, blond wood benches and tables, and a beautiful picture of his mother taken in the ’70s anchoring the bar. Walking to the seats in back, you’ll pass through a bright, open kitchen, a dream realized after years spent cooking in the kitchens of Boulevard and Prospect, neither of which have a view into the dining room.
The menu is eclectic but harmonious, and there are many ways to build a meal here since there are small, medium, and large plates; most range from around $12–37.25, though super high-rollers can consider the one true splurge item, an ounce of Bulgarian osetra gold caviar, served with furikake-spiked brioche and French onion ($120). (Please invite me if you do that, though.)
One essential starter is the tuna poke, a duo of crisp nori seaweed crackers piled with raw tuna, sesame oil, radish slivers and slightly spicy sauce. The supple texture of the fish (and its non-fishy flavor) let you know that the chef is not pretending to know how to make Hawaiian style food.
We ordered two of the large dishes, which isn’t really necessary if you’re a normal eater who’s picked out a few of the small and medium ones. But there were no regrets in ordering big: we tried a New York strip steak accompanied by mushrooms, caramelized onions, sunchokes (see photo, top), and kale chimichurri sauce and a twice cooked Berkshire pork shank with pineapple, Thai basil, and fennel.
The meats were both tender and juicy and worth trying depending on your carnivorous mood, but do know that the pork doesn’t need a knife, which makes it a more effective vehicle to sop up all the sweet, spicy, and tart flavors.
This is not a place with very many savory options for vegetarians, though my Hawaii-born dining companion says that’s pretty consistent with Hawaii itself. Still, a salad of cold roasted carrots, crunchy toasted quinoa, and pistachio was pretty remarkable, and Brussels sprouts are on the menu because it is an unwritten law that every restaurant in San Francisco must have them on the menu right now.
Right now there are three desserts on the menu and we ordered two of them because this research is strictly for the people. If you’ve eaten relatively lightly, the chocolate cake, which has a flowing buttermilk filling and addicting candied macadamia nuts, is going to be a satisfying meal-ender.
If you’ve pigged out, you should still try the stunning Baked Hawaii, a vibrant remix of the staid old Fifties Baked Alaska dessert that swirls marshmallow-like boiled icing around caramelized pineapple ice cream and a thin vanilla shortbread crust.
It’s pretty easy to #getjag here, which is Liholiho’s hashtag equivalent of getting turnt up, crunk, hyphy, or however you’d like to express your particular way to party. Cocktails like the Surfer Rosa (Hibiscus Vida Mezcal, Punt e Mes, Benedictine, lemon, and soda) and the Castaway (Hidalgo Manzanilla, Green Chartreuse, and salted Falernum) are both thoughtful and intoxicating. There are also eight beers on tap (and another seven in the bottle from companies like The Bruery, Russian River Brewing, and Almanac), wine and sake, and they can make you a pretty lovely fruity purple drank without alcohol if you tell them you’re not drinking but want something tropical.
The bill arrived with a cold shot of a five berry herbal tea, which serves as a palate cleanser and digestive aid. Before the glass was drained, we were already daydreaming about the next visit to the Yacht Club.
Photos by Tamara Palmer
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