Bernini Honolulu – Photo: We Heart Hawaii
I heard about this cute little restaurant from a friend, so four of us gave it a try one evening. We finally located it, and I must say, the exterior lighting and appearance of the eatery was very classy and attractive, (reminiscent of Taormina Sicilian Restaurant in Waikiki).
The interior is tastefully decorated as well, very upscale, and attractive. My only criticism of its interior decor and lighting would be to either get rid of the refrigerated display case and its bright fluorescent lighting immediately inside the entrance.
Or, if this display case is necessary, install some cool temp. incandescent lighting inside to highlight whatever you want to emphasize. The fluorescent lighting in the case wages a battle with the rest of the very classy lighting throughout the restaurant.
Now for the important topic — the food:
We first tried a sampling from their Antipasti selection and chose the Chef’s Selection of the Day $28.00 — A trio including Tuna Carpaccio w/ Sicilian Lemon Sauce, Porchetta – Homemade Slow-cooked Pork Ham, and Venetian Style Marinated Octopus and Potato Lightly flavored with Anchovy.
We also ordered Grilled Scallops with Eggplant in a Balsamic Reduction Sauce $14.00 All antipasti selections were quite tasty, however a little sparse with respect to volume. We ordered a bottle of Prosecco, (Flor Prosecco), to accompany our antipasti ($39.00) , which was quite good.
The main dishes we ordered were all under the “Pasta” heading and were all spaghetti offerings including Ricci de Mare – Fresh Sea Urchin – Peperoncino Style $26.00; Vongole Bianco – Fresh Clams in a White Wine Sauce $22.00; Chicken Carbonara – Creamy Spicy Chicken Sauce $18.00; and King Crab – in a Tomato Cream Sauce w/ Broccoli $24.00.
All were prepared superbly and were enjoyed by all four of us. A bottle of O. LeFlaive Bourgogne Blanc “Les Setilles” Chardonnay $62.00, which was acceptable, but little on the light / shallow side. In retrospect, I think the Trefethen Chardonnay $65.00 may have been a better selection.
Dinner was capped off with a couple of Sambucas $8.00/ea, which we all shared. Very enjoyable.
The pizza menu at Bernini looks absolutely fantastic as do the pizza’s themselves, (as we saw several being delivered to tables adjacent to us). About 12″ in diameter and with a nice thin crust.
Although we never tasted any, they certainly looked appetizing. I guess there is always a next time — and there certainly will be.
I highly recommend Bernini to everyone who enjoys well prepared Italian food.
Bernini Honolulu
1218 Waimanu St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 591-8400
Bernini Honolulu
Author: Val Patacchi is a freelance writer and avid traveler.
