When La Cucina Ristorante Italiana was opening up, I got really excited.  A lot of people in Hawaii are excited for an Olive Garden to open up in Hawaii but I don’t see what the big deal is.  The first time I got to try Olive Garden, I was super excited and thought everything was great!  Now that I’ve been to Olive Garden a few times, I am no longer a fan.  The last meal I had there was terrible and I will never forget it.

Anyhow, La Cucina Ristorante Italiana is very busy and they do not take reservations for less than 4 people.  This restaurant is also a one man kitchen so the wait for food takes a bit longer.  It’s a small space and there are only two tables against the wall that seat 2.  I went on a weekday right at 5:30 pm and got a table, thank god!  By the way, the street parking fronting these shops open up at 5:30 pm as well…I lurked around the corner until it was 5:30 pm exactly and made a run for it…lol.  Ohhh let’s get to the food pictures!

As Ina Garten would say, GOOD Olive OIl and Balsamic Vinegar for your bread

This is the bottle they leave at your table for water refills. Love it.

Crostini Al Porcini – A nice slice of melted mozzarella lays hidden underneath a mixture of porcini mushrooms, basil and truffle oil. Delicious!

Trenette Aragosta – it usually comes with tagliolini but I really wanted to try the trenette style pasta. It was a great choice.

I always try to get a fork shot of the noodles. Delicious looking right?

I can’t wait to get back to this restaurant and try more dishes.  I gotta admit, the difficulty in getting a table has prevented me from returning as of yet.  If you’re going to take your guest to any Italian restaurant in Hawaii, you need to get them to this restaurant.  I really want to try their Osso Buco but have read that you need to order this ahead of time and I assume they will only put in this order if you have a reservation.  So when you get together a table of four, do it!