Hidden Treasures: Hilo Bay Café
By Devany Vickery-Davidson
Hilo Bay Café sits in an unpretentious strip mall in a busy Wal-Mart shopping center, and regardless of what the location suggests, they are consistently producing some of the finest and most innovative food on Hawai’i Island.
The restaurant is a collaborative effort birthed by a group of Island Naturals (a Big Island natural food store) employees who wanted to do something interesting and different for the people of Hilo. Owner Kim Snuggerud is not a typical restaurateur. She does not schmooze the customers or micromanage the staff, instead remaining in the background, orchestrating the operations and allowing her exceptional staff to efficiently run the show. Kim questioned the original group about their ideas and eventually the master plan of Hilo Bay Café (HBC) was born as a wine bar that served interesting food with a regional spin. In 2003 the small, 70-seat restaurant opened under the creative tutelage of Chef Joshua Ketner whose skills were being underutilized at the deli of Island Naturals. He is still at the helm and has matured and developed into one of Hawaii’s premier chefs. With the help of a consultant team, the restaurant became one of Hilo’s foremost dining venues and today they set the bar in Hawai‘i for creative food made with local, mostly organic ingredients. The restaurant also strives to meet a sustainable ideal, recycling and using compostable products whenever possible.
Chef Ketner provides innovative creations for HBC and is constantly keeping his eye on food trends, some of which can be applied to local cuisine and some which just do not seem to work for the café’s clientele. While Kim Snuggerud supports her café’s local and organic philosophy it is not always easy to achieve, even on an island with so much agrarian history. Still, she finds ways to incorporate local fish, produce and meats into their menu. Processed goods take up surprisingly little shelf space in the pantry at Hilo Bay Café. Everything that can be made from scratch is, even if it requires extra time and attention from the back-of-the-house staff. Local breweries add to the mix of beverage choices, as do brews such as Guinness on tap. The house French onion soup, three-cheese fondue, blue burger, chicken salad, house-made sweet potato flax burger and the kalua pork sandwich remain on the menu and a customer outrage might ensue if they were removed. Local farmers and producers are encouraged to stop by the restaurant and show their wares by appointment. HBC would love to be 100-percent local. They are even instituting a new art and music policy to that local vibe.
Luscious Hilo Homemade Ice Cream (varying flavors) headlines the dessert section of the menu, which also features warm apple and caramel tart, molten chocolate lava cake with Kona coffee ice cream, sake poached Asian pear baked in a frangipane tartlet with pear sherbet, or marbled cake with pistachio gelato, chocolate sauce and pistachio mousse.
While many favorite dishes have a regular spot on the menu, customers also appreciate the specials so that they can dine at HBC over and over with a new experience every time. Daily specials include at least one cocktail, a few special brews, three to four appetizers, three or four entrees, including a seafood, meat and veggie option, plus a dessert or ice cream. Stars of the regular menu range from their $9 free-range blue bay burger to their $16 grilled kulana rib eye steak with tomato comfit, arugula, gorgonzola fondue potatoes and demiglace. The slow-roasted BBQ ribs with panillo bread pudding and local veggies are a mainstay of the menu and a favorite of the owner as well.
During our interview, Chef Joshua took time to offer me a few of his favorite dishes, all of which were absolute winners. The king crab in rolls of hearts of palm wrappers with wasabi cream ($7) were incredible. The roasted eggplant with parmesan custard in a well-orchestrated timbale ($10) was both beautiful and delicious. The ahi carpaccio was something that can only be found in Hawai‘i, where we have access to the best and freshest ahi. Other specials featured this week included king crab-Hamakua mushroom risotto with truffle oil and pea shoots; a mushroom Wellington-roasted portobello, gorgonzola and red pepper baked in puff pastry with mashed potato and asparagus; olive oil poached opakapaka with lemon, red salt, fried capers whipped potatoes and burre blanc; and petit filet mignon with saffron aioli, tomato comfit, arugula and gorgonzola. Many of the entrees carry a price point of less than $20. Even the keiki are included in the menu choices for only $5, which is rare for a fine dining restaurant.
An interesting fact: Kim Snuggerud explains that there is a sort of magical component to the restaurant. Of the staff of 30 people, there have been 15 pregnancies develop in the last few years. And when an employee of Island Naturals was having problems getting pregnant she came over to Hilo Bay Café and did some filing, and the “magic happened” for her as well.
Hilo Bay Café is located in the Wal-Mart Shopping Center on Highway 11 in the strip between Office Max and Wal-Mart. Because of the restaurant’s size and popularity, reservations are suggested. Call 935-4939. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. till 9 p.m. and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. You can also call for takeout in sustainable containers. More information about Hilo Bay Café can be found at www.hilobaycafe.com. ❖
Photos by Devany Vickery-Davidson
