The View From Space

While celebrating our 26th Anniversary at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (@hawaiianvillage) we were treated to dinner at Bali by the sea by our friends Ed and Kiki Kaanehe.  Ed is known affectionately and respectfully as “Chief” to everyone here at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

We had no idea what they had planned for us.  Turned out it wasn’t just dinner, it was a wonderful culinary experience.   Meal preparation was under the direction of Sous-Chef David Shue and consisted of 3 appetizers with the main course of our choosing.

Naturally we started off with drinks.  This one’s called a Hawaii 5-O and was created by one of Hilton’s in-house bartenders (notice that I started on it before I thought to take a pic of the drink).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first course was an oyster with a host of great ingredients that I didn’t catch during Chef Shue’s presentation (You were expecting some sort of food critic write-up?  I was overwhelmed by the experience and savoring the moment).  All I can tell you, and this is coming from someone who NEVER eats oysters, is that this dish was absolutely delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second course was Beef Carpaccio.   Again Chef Shue provided a running commentary on the exact ingredients and preparation, and again I sat there in awe of the artistic culinary delight placed before me.  (That means don’t ask me what all the other stuff was on the plate because I don’t have a clue).  All I can say is that this dish too was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the third course I was actually paying attention.  This one consisted of lightly seared Tombo on a sliver of pineapple with 5-spice and some sort of wasabi sauce (Okay so I wasn’t REALLY paying attention).  What can I say?  The fish was nicely done with a slightly cooked outer ring and an oh-so-tender sashimi interior.  The slightly spicy wasabi was nicely balanced with the pineapple and 5-spice.  This was my favorite of the 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s on to the main course.  I chose the Pepper Seared Sashimi Grade Ahi.  While similar to the above appetizer it presented a totally different taste adventure.  This was much more spicy with the pepper seared into the outer ring of the fish.  One thing that did remain the same was the quality of the fish used.  It was outstanding, firm yet tender and vibrant with color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And after all that, Chef Shue graced us with dessert.  A Pineapple Tart (topped with an Almond Creme and Macadamia Nut ice cream), a Chocolate-Chocolate cake (ok that was my description, I couldn’t find it on the menu), and finally what I think is the Waialua Farms Chocolate cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least was the Green Tea Creme Brulee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Big Mahalo goes out to our friends Ed and Kiki Kaanehe for such a great evening out.  Special thanks to Bali Sous-Chef David Shue for treating us to such a wonderful culinary experience.  Finally, the night wouldn’t have been such a wonderful experience without the efforts of the staff at Bali’s.  Our waiter Andreas even took the extra effort in getting my wife Laurie and her friend Kiki a front row spot on the lanai to watch the Friday night fireworks.  Mahalo and Aloha to all that made it such a special night.

Oh and just to let you know, the appetizers weren’t on the menu.  So don’t spend too much time looking for them.