It’s a Mod, Mod World

The cutting-edge Mac 24-7 mixes cool interior design with warm comfort food

Mac 24-7 Bar and Restaurant, located in the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel, is one of the coolest restaurants in town. The enormous space features a dining area with nearly two-dozen tables in addition to a long Jetsons-like bar, with enough room for another dozen patrons. With silver beaded curtains, sleek, flat-screen televisions and orange-suede padded walls, Mac 24-7 looks as it were lifted from the pages of modernist lifestyle magazine Dwell.

MAC 24-7 Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel 2500 Kuhio Ave. Open every day 24 hours a day 921-5564

The menu, however, may have been torn from the bosom of Rachael Ray. Mac 24-7 serves Modern American Cooking around the clock, every day. Get it? The selections include such mid-century classics as Meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes ($16), White Cheddar Mac and Cheese ($12) and Angus New York Steak ($28). There are also some HAC (Hawaiian American Cooking) dishes: Mac Loco Moco ($13) and Sumo Saimin ($12).

I was immediately drawn to the incongruity of the place: cool and mod interior design, warm and comforting food. The restaurant boldly clashes cultures with the lush, tropical garden outside and the faux-koa-filled hotel lobby next door.

It’s just so damn cool. But how is the food?

On my first visit, I ordered the Fried Chicken and Waffles with country gravy ($16), an ultimate comfort food that seems to be a combination of African-American (fried chicken, waffles and maple syrup) and Pennsylvania Dutch (stewed chicken, waffles and gravy) traditions.

I found the fusion a little too rich for my blood. The chicken featured a thick, soft, powdery crust, which easily fell off the skin in sheets. The gravy, flavored with rosemary and tarragon, was slow and luscious. I wouldn’t have minded the fat-on-fat if it had been accompanied by more flavor and texture. The fried crust was very lightly flavored. The chicken inside lacked any seasoning at all.

I requested a side of maple syrup, but that made everything gooey and overly sweet. I finally stripped the remaining chicken breast of skin and crust and enjoyed it with a little salt and pepper.

FRYING HIGH: Mac 24-7 piles fried chicken and a pepper on top of a corn-filled waffle base. photo: Jimmy Forrest

I ended my meal with one of Mac’s Killer Cupcakes: Haupia ($12), which featured coconut pudding both inside and out as well as whipped cream and shredded coconut. Served on a personal cake pedestal, the rich, buttery pastry worked well with the creamy but not-too-sweet haupia.

I returned the next morning intent on ordering the Elvis Pancakes ($11), which feature peanut butter and bacon. However, when I got to the restaurant, I was seated next to a family of four, that had only managed to eat two-thirds of their single order of Pineapple, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Pancakes ($11). Although they were raving about the cakes, which were as big as Frisbees, I just couldn’t see myself ordering all that food.

Instead, I went light and opted for the Bento Breakfast ($13). The meal, served in a black lacquered box, featured grilled salmon, Japanese pickles, a boiled egg, steamed rice and a dark bowl of miso soup. It was satisfying, straightforward and unremarkable. I washed the whole thing down with a smooth and pleasant Strawberry-Mango House-Made Smoothie ($5).

Being someone who now wears sensible shoes, I really enjoyed soaking up Mac 24-7’s retro-modern atmosphere, pretending to be cutting edge and cool. But none of the comfort foods I sampled during my two visits really warmed my stomach or my heart.

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