Paesano's Italian Restaurant - Aiea

Paesano's Restaurant
808-485-8883
98-1277 Kaahumanu St. #119
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
Daily
lunch: 11:00a to 2:00p
dinner 5:o0p-9:30p

After work on Saturday Nick and I wanted to have a good meal, good wine and relax. We had a rough day and wanted a relaxing place with some good food....we chose Paesano's in Aiea. The atmosphere was OK but the food...that's another story.

Before I begin this review i have to say that for me its hard to eat Italian food out. I come from an Italian family. My mom can cook really good Italian food and I learned from her. So as someone whop has had the best of the best for me its hard to judge Italian food. However, Nick who did not grow up eating Italian food like I did says he did not think this food was the best, it was not Italian and he probably would not go back.
We arrived at 5.15 and there was plenty of parking. A few tables all ready there. We sat in the back, it was private and lots of room. The restaurant was clean. The staff was super friendly and took pretty good care of us. Our food arrived in time and was hot.
So we decided we were going to have red wine...what is a Italian meal without wine. Our server did recommend a good American red wine that went well with our food.

We ordered Spideni appetizer. Which I have to say was not what I am used too. Nick makes this bread and what we got was not at all what we make. It was on very thin bread. Bread you can tell is frozen and par baked. The bread was brushed with garlic and topped with cheese and a anchovy. It was not attractive at all. And when we ate it all you could taste was salt. Way to much salt. We know parm cheese and anchovies are already salty but this was way to much. Left me very thirsty. Thank God for the wine!!

We then ordered the Cesar salad for 2. Hoping it would have been done table side it did not. The portion for 2 was not that big and it was just Cesar salad. nothing to write home about. The croutons looked and tasted like something from a box.
The service at this point is really good. They were on top of filling our wine and water. Although at one point our server, smelled like he went and smoked a cigarette. Not a good smell! I just hoped he washed his hands.
Our dinner arrived, very good portions for the price and it was hot.
Nick ordered the special of the day, Fillet cooked with portabella mushrooms and onions with a red wine reduction sauce, this came with a side of shrimp scampi and veggies.
The fillet was cooked rare, however the meat at some spots were very chewy and touch. but the wine reduction was oh so good!! The wine complimented this very well. His scampi was bland and the shrimp was over cooked. And for me the pasta was overcooked.

I ordered the Cioppino, the Italian seafood stew and by far on of my favorite seafood dishes. The portion was big, had lots of broth. The stew was filled with shrimp, lobster (which was cut from the shell) fish,scallops, mussels, and clams. The seafood was all cooked well. But the broth was not spicy and had not to much flavor. And I was taken back by the sugar snap peas in it. The side of garlic bread was very sad. Again very thin cut bread with butter and garlic powder brushed on it.

Time for dessert and of course we had to get a cannoli. In my search for a real cannoli here I was hoping yet again this would be it. Cannoli alla Sicilian, i am thinking this will be a REAL cannoli. We also ordered tiramisu. I judge a Italian restaurant by a few things and one is the tiramisu. We also ordered dessert drinks.
I usually do not drink wine with dessert but today i was feeling like I wanted a dessert wine. The server gave us the menu and i asked him about desserts wines. I guess he was as clueless as i was because he did not know anything about the drinks. He told me grappa was a wine so I ordered it. Then when it came out I actually googled it to see what it was because this was not wine. Grappa is actually brandy made from the residue of the grapes after they are pressed. Anyway, it was a way to strong for me so Nick drank it.

Back to these desserts...again for me being a Italian and a pastry chef...I am expecting the highest quality desserts! The cannoli actually looked good. The shell was really good. Not like most places that buy them from the same company. But the filling...it was NOT a traditional cannoli. Very American, with ricotta cheese. But it was very grainy. Not smooth at all for a cheese filling. Iam still in search of the traditional cannoli!
The tiramisu - which in Italian means The Pick Me Up Cake, because of the sponge cake soaked in coffee. Nick hates this dessert because he does not like coffee and he liked the tiramisu. Do you see where I am going? The cake was not soaked at all in coffee. You should not see white cake at all. it should be saturated with coffee syrup. And the whip cream on top was from a can. Really? How hard is it to make fresh whip cream?
I was disappointed and this place is nothing to write home about. When we left there were only 5 table full, now I know why.

HAPA DOG - WAIKIKI SHOPPING PLAZA

HAPA DOG/THE SANDWICH SHOP
WAIKIKI SHOPPING PLAZA - FOOD COURT
2250 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu HI 96815
Phone: 808-923-1191

A few weeks ago Sunshine's Cake Creations was approached to sell pastries for Hapa Dog which is located inside The Sandwich Shop at Waikiki Plaza. This is not about the pastries (that's another blog on our company website) But about the Hapa Dog. I met owners Daniel and Micheal awhile ago at an event i was attending and I am so glad they contacted me. Not only because i am selling my pastries there but because they took the Hot Dog to a new level! We are not talking about boiled hot dogs you buy from a pack at the store. We are talking about a 1/4 pound hot dog! I call it the amercian hot dog meets local flavors!!
The first hapa dog I had was called the Wassup Dog - 1/4 pound dog with thinly sliced jicama, wasabi mayo, nori flakes and green onions. Different yes, but the flavors are meld together to give you a hot dog eating experience you never had before.
Nick's first Hapa Dog - The Sunrise - 1/4 pound hot dog (did I mentioned these are grilled in front of you and everything is made to order) The dog is cut down the center and filled with bacon and shredded potatoes and topped with an egg, yup, an egg, either sunny side up or scrambled. Wow! who said you could not eat a hot dog fro breakfast? This one was so good I had to get it again.
There are all kinds of different Hapa Dogs to choose from and they carry daily specials! In fact on Wednesday March 17, for St. Patrick's day they will have the Luck Of The Irish Dog, Beef, cabbage, the works!!
You have to check this place out.
They can also be found on Facebook!

FENDU BOULANGERIE

Fendu Boulangerie
Manoa Marketplace
2752 Woodlawn Drive
Honolulu, HI 96822-1855
(808) 988-4310
Hours: 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday
closed Monday

My first love over anything is bread. I love all kinds of bread but baguettes have to be my all time favorite. When I worked for The Hotel Sofitel I really learned how to make the perfect baguette. The whole process for me was amazing. Its a very soulful process. Taking very simple ingredients and making this awesome product, a little piece of heaven is something I am in love with. But what I loved the most was taking the bread from the oven. The smell just would flood the kitchen and the sound, oh the sound. it was like the bread was talking to me...the crackling noise that it made. And the way they looked with the crunchy crust and the beautiful markings and the beautiful light brown color. Oh the baguettes, how I miss them! Well not anymore since I have discovered Fendu Boulangerie.

This is a real french bakery tucked away in Manoa marketplace. A real jem! The first time i walked in there was a few months ago and i fell in love with the rustic decor and the cuteness of this bakery. With 2 cases filled with all kinds of yummy pastries and desserts, I was in heaven. I mean I bought almost one of everything.
I first noticed the bread baskets against the wall the were full of rustic, beautiful bread just waiting to be bought. And then I noticed the croissants. Again I am very picky when it comes to these types of pastries. I was trained by the best so I know what the best is. I have to admit I was skeptical. I mean I have been let down so many times before. So i bought only 1 of everything. I loved that there were lychee danish and bostock. I will explain what these are later. But back to the croissant. I purchased my items and Nick and I went and sat outside while we waited for the fresh out of the oven baguettes that i remember.
I opened my bag os goodies and started with the lychee danish. I took my first bite and it was so flaky and so flavorful. Just a perfect little danish. Of course the lychees are from a can this time of year but you could not tell that from this danish. the lychees were so sweet and tender. So after i got over how good the danish was i was so excited for the croissant. But would it be everything I expected?
Oh how it was and more....
This croissant had beautiful color, perfect curve and when I pulled it apart, it was so light and flaky and all the layers, there were so many beautiful layers of buttery goodness. This croissant was so good we went and bought 6 more to take home. But would they make it home? I don't think so.
I also tried the bostock. for those of you who do not know what this is, Bostock comes from eastern France and it consists of a brioche (high butter content sweet bread) loaf that is sliced, dried, soaked in rum syrup, covered with almond frangipane and some sliced almonds before being baked a second time. I never see this anywhere so I was excited to see it here. And it was so good.

We also bought some bread which of course is not like mine but it was really good. had a nice crunch and good flavor. Of course we had to eat a piece right out of the oven.

We have gone back several times since that first day. I have tried there speciality sandwich's, made on all there fresh bread. We event tried some their pizza and everything we had was consistently yummy.
The service has always been good. We found that the place does get busy on the weekends so waiting in line will happen. But it is so worth it once you taste the pastries. This chef really has been trained correctly and you can tell him and his staff love what they do!
If I see him I will thank him personally for being a little piece of France to Hawaii!
Go check it out for yourself and let us know what you think.
Next time HAPA DOG! The hot dog meets Local style!!