HONOLULU’s annual Best Restaurants celebration was held on the Alohilani Resort’s Swell Deck on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. Guests dined on dishes from 53 by the Sea, Arancino at the Kāhala, Chef Chai, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Michelle Karr-Ueoka from MW Restaurant, Merriman’s Honolulu and Noi Thai, with special dishes from Square Barrels and Herringbone Waikīkī for VIP attendees.
The noodles resemble ramen, but the preparations are Italian-ish, with a good dose of Filipino and other local flavors, like garlic ‘ulu and a lechon malunggay pasta—plus a fried chicken that beats KFC.
It would be perfectly poetic to say that the local chef’s newest restaurant, Goen, which opened last fall, conjures the past just as Kailua’s developers are erasing it.
