It’s all about bringing an array of Mediterranean taste one tidbit at a time at Bar Acuda, Hanalei’s flagship restaurant of refined taste and organic simplicity. About to celebrate its fifth year running in October, it’s been an exciting challenge
It’s all about bringing an array of Mediterranean taste one tidbit at a time at Bar Acuda, Hanalei’s flagship restaurant of refined taste and organic simplicity.
About to celebrate its fifth year running in October, it’s been an exciting challenge for Executive Chef Christophe Lebiet, whose lilting accent clues one into the exotic land from which he hails: a French island of about 800,000 people located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. Its name? Reunion.
“It is very similar to Hawai’i,” Lebiet said. “The formation of the island, the same produce, same fruit.”
Though he was born and raised on Reunion, Lebiet traveled a bit through Southeast Asia and France before ending up in Los Angeles and other areas of California for about 10 years, working in restaurants throughout, including Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach.
Five years ago he moved to Kaua‘i and right away aligned forces with Bar Acuda owner Jim Moffet, and he has been executive chef ever since. “It has been a great experience — awesome,” Lebiet said.
Bar Acuda was only a couple months into its run when Moffat, who also owned the restaurant 42 Degrees in San Francisco, brought Lebiet on board.
The focus, Lebiet said, was not only to bring guests delicious, local and fresh food, but the experience of dining “tapas” style, the communal way in which pupu are enjoyed in places like Spain and throughout Europe.
Finding the best ingredients and inspiration for the menu meant cultivating relationships with fisherman and organic farmers — something Lebiet has taken great pride in.
“For the past year and a half, we change our menu depending on what farmers have to offer for us,” Lebiet said. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, Cristophe, I’ve got ono, or mahimahi. …’ We change it twice a week and go with the flow and try to focus on using as local products as we can — organic, of course — and we try and work with North Shore, Eastside and even South Shore farmers.”
Using cultivate.org, a Kaua‘i network of island growers and farmers, Lebiet said he looks at what farmers have on a weekly basis in determining the menu.
“For example, this week I know they have fennel,” he said. “So we might say, ‘let’s get some fennel,’ and (Cultivate) collects it and delivers it for us.”
Perhaps that’s a bit of an oversimplification in describing just what a difference fresh ingredients, such as some fennel, can make. But sampling the Bar Acuda tapas menu and tasting the Mediterranean olives with citrus and fennel or house-cured chorizo sausage — made with chipotle, smoked paprika, fennel seed, chili powder and four kinds of chilis — demonstrates just why fresh ingredients are key.
No stranger to the food industry, Lebiet has been creating morsels d’art for some 15 years. His tried-and-true favorites on the Bar Acuda menu include the seared sea scallop with mashed potatoes and truffle reduction sauce, the slow-braised pork shoulder with polenta fries, gremolata and apple cider reduction and the aforementioned house-cured chorizo, he said.
As for Bar Acuda’s signature dish? Lebiet says it’s the Kilauea honeycomb served with Kunana Farms goat cheese, Mizuna greens and crisp apple.
But it doesn’t stop there, and that’s the beauty of tapas. You don’t have to just settle on one dish. Being decisive isn’t necessary — just come hungry and curious.
“Tapas is our concept,” Lebiet said. “We want customers to come and share and try a bunch of tapas — it’s not like, ‘I’m going to order this for me, and you order this for you.’ It’s a grazing thing. A variety of small dishes shared amongst friends.”
Par for the course would be ordering at least four or five tapas for the table, he added. If that’s not your cup of tea, they have adjusted the menu to include a few entrees as well, he said.
“We have a couple (of entrees) because a few people have asked us,” he said. “And we have some specials. This week will be organic roasted half chicken, which is delicious.”
Another tapas highlight not to be missed comes in the classic Iberian peasant tradition, the Portuguese salt cod bacalao with garlic, cream potato and crostini.
And to be sure, for your final course, other melt-in-your mouth tidbits include the chocolate pot-de-crème with coconut macaroon and real whipped cream, the roasted apple-banana ice cream with macadamia nut shortbread and, for anyone who has been to Italy and knows the lemon-drop style après meal limoncietta, the house-made limoncello served with a side of lemon-anise biscotti is the real thing.
• Bar Acuda is open daily at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6p.m.
• For reservations, call 826-7081
