FORKED UP

SPICY AHI BOWL
815 Keeaumoku St. #J101, Honolulu
Phone number (808) 947-4444
website freshahiofftheboat.com

Fresh Ahi Off the Boat looks and feels like Ahi & Vegetable. You’ve got your bowls, your bentos and a few salad and sushi options, all revolving around ahi in all its fishy glory. But this still-new establishment is focused more on its gourmet bowls: the Poke Pop Pop with crunchy tempura flakes, or the Hurricane loaded with veggies and layered with its specialty black rice. But we’re traditionalists, so we stuck to the basics. The spicy ahi is pulverized and mixed with a generous dose of sesame oil, in addition to the standard mayo and spice. Not bad, though not memorable, either.

RIGATONI MODERN NORCINA
725 Kapiolani Blvd. #C112
Phone number (808) 593-2626
website lacucinaristoranteitaliano.com

When Metro wrote about La Cucina several weeks ago (read Jaimie Kim’s review at metrohnl.com), we featured its Trenette Norcina. Well, here is that dish’s modern cousin: al dente rigatoni cooked with sausages and mushrooms in a light white wine sauce. There’s a rich, spicy zing to things, but we found the sauce to be refreshing (given that it is largely sans butter and cheese). It’s also just the right size to ensure that you will be able to eat that Cr me Brulee Cheesecake after dinner …