The Italian Job

A trek into Waikiki and Taormina Sicilian Cuisine yields satisfying and delicious results

A worrisome indicator of my advancing age (besides a bad back and failing eyesight) is my knee-jerk reaction when I hear the words “Waikiki” and “dining” used in the same sentence: “too expensive, too crowded, too fast, too slow, where am I going to park?” Jeez. Pretty soon, I expect to be yelling at the TV and chasing small children out of my front yard.

In defense of grumpy old men islandwide, Waikiki, with a recent invasion of chain restaurants, is beginning to resemble Downtown Disney, if Downtown Disney sold Prada, that is. However, I’ve found another very good reason to venture into urban tourism’s heart of starkness. It’s a place called Taormina Sicilian Cuisine, located along the new Waikiki Beach Walk.

I’ve never been to Sicily nor the rest of Italy, so I can’t attest to the authenticity of Taormina’s upscale cuisine. But I do know fast and efficient service when I see it and good food when I taste it.

TAORMINA SICILIAN CUISINE 227 LEWERS ST. Sunday through Thursday:  11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 926-5050

We visited the Taormina for lunch on a cool, overcast Thursday. The restaurant occupies a narrow, multilevel space that is tastefully appointed with dark woods, suede wall panels, heavily textured stone and tile. To tell you the truth, I didn’t get a good look at the surroundings, because as soon as we arrived, we were whisked off to the covered lanai outside. There we were greeted by our waiter, who was armed with a Palm Pilot-like device, ready to take our drink orders.

I’m not sure if it was due to wireless technology or old-fashioned hustle, but, within minutes of ordering, we received our drinks and appetizers. We had ordered the Antipasti Misti ($17) and built our own plate, choosing four different items: ama ebi, baby octopus and artichokes, cauliflower and garlic and caponata, a sweet and tangy stew of eggplant, onions and tomato. We chose well.

Eating ama ebi without shoyu was a pleasant surprise. Without salt, I tasted the shrimp’s natural sweetness, head and all. The cauliflower was grilled, so it had a nice, smoky flavor while the baby octopus was almost as tender as the artichokes. Both had an herby richness thanks to a pesto-like sauce.

For my entrée I had the Fresh Sardine Bucatini ($18), hollow, straw pasta that was sautéed with saffron, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Japanese sardines. It was delicious, both salty and fishy at the same time – in a good way. The pasta, which was nicely cooked, was infused with a little citrusy tang, a nice contrast to all the sardine and salt. The portions were generous and the dish was attractive.

My dining companion ordered the Wagyu Beef Panini Burger ($20), a looker of a hamburger on olive focaccia and accompanied by chips and field greens. To preserve the quality of the meat, the kitchen cooked the burger medium well. But my guest wasn’t as impressed with his entrée as I was with mine. I concurred. No matter how high the quality of the beef, once you stick it into a grinder, it comes out to be, well, ground-up beef.

Nevertheless, we had a pleasant time, finishing our meal with a big, fat Cannoli ($8). After lunch, we crossed the street to the Embassy Suites hotel, where we discovered that our valet parking was free. It brought a big smile to a grumpy old man.

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