After hearing all the hype, my friends decided to go to Elua—located in the old L’Uraku space on Kapiolani Boulevard—and graciously invited me. Boy, was I happy to get THAT invitation!

Elua is the Hawaiian word for two, so that is the theme of this restaurant. It involves two cooking styles, French and Italian, by two renowned chefs, Philippe Padovani and Donato Loperfido, respectively. The menu, split in two (French on the left, Italian on the right), features wine pairings for all items, although you could order by the glass.

When I raved about my meal to media maven Pam Davis, she laughed, “If you drizzle white truffle oil on anything, it will taste good!” Not to say that it was that simple, but if you’re a truffle freak like us, you will love their liberal use of our favorite ingredient on their dishes.

We did our best to save room for dessert. My favorite dessert for a Euro-inspired meal is always Isle Flottante, a.k.a. Floating Island. It’s light, sweet, and hits the spot without overfilling you. Val is a chocoholic, so you will always see her finish her meal with something rich & decadent. This was truly the epitome of a “happy meal,” and this dynamic duo have created a culinary match made in heaven.

Be warned, though, it’s not necessarily cheap—it’s a nice choice for a special occasion meal for lunch or dinner…but it’s good enough that I’d make the splurge to go again. After all, I need to get my quota of foie gras in regularly!

Elua Restaurant & Wine Bar
1341 Kapiolani Boulevard
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
808-955-ELUA (3582)
http://www.eluarestaurant.com/