Book review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of AchillesThe Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first realized a few pages into this book that Achilles was going to be the hero of this particular novel, I did a mental eye-roll (I may have even done a physical eye roll). Achilles has never struck me as being anything but an arrogant, petulant and sulky “hero” during the Trojan War who got his comeuppance too late as far as I was concerned.
That the author managed to convince me that there may be more to this Achilles fellow than I had previously given him credit for is a testament to her writing, her imagery, her characters, and (possibly) her imagination.
The plot isn’t much of a surprise, but the characterizations are the author’s own, and it’s a testament to her detailed writing and her passion that they are convincing. The author’s writing is lyrical and vivid and a complete pleasure to read. I strongly urge you to read this, if you have any interest in Greek mythology at all, and I very much look forward to her next book!

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Restaurant review: The Pig and the Lady (Honolulu)

I’ve already called dibs on being the lady, but it is so very easy to be the pig at this delightful little restaurant, which is currently the hottest restaurant in Honolulu. The restaurant is located in the middle of Chinatown. Chinatown is perfectly safe and vibrant during the day. During the evening, it’s a little sketchier looking, but it is still perfectly safe. And The Pig and the Lady is well worth the effort.

It’s difficult to describe the cuisine accurately. To say that it’s Vietnamese fusion food only scratches the surface of what the kitchen is capable of. We went first for dinner and then tried it for lunch. You can’t go wrong with either meal, but the dinner menu is definitely the more innovative of the two.

We started dinner with a variety of small plates, called Piggy Smalls on the menu. There were savory beignets served with parmesan cream,

savory beignets

savory beignets

parmesan cream

parmesan cream

smoked eggplant served on puffed rice crackers, and

smoked eggplant

smoked eggplant

fried potatoes, along with a side of home-made pickles.

fried potatoes

fried potatoes

house made pickles

house made pickles

Out of the group, the savory beignets were our favorite, although everything was very good.

Entrees included their signature dish, which is pho French dip and Manila clams. This is a French dip banh mi served with a yuzu pho broth containing braised Manila clams and taro. You dip the banh mi in the broth to eat. The banh mi was delicious, although I’m not sure the clam broth wasn’t better. Either way, it was all fabulous!

pho & clam broth

pho & clam broth

We also split a braised lamb served bo kho style, which means a lamb shank cooked with southern Vietnamese spices and lemongrass, butter roasted carrots, pickled shallots, and herbs. I’m not sure which entrée was better—better not to have to choose!

braised lamb

braised lamb

Dessert consisted of kaya beignets, which are beignets dusted with coconut powdered sugar and a bit of espresso powder, and

dessert beignets

dessert beignets

P&L soft serve

P&L soft serve

P&L soft serve

Our waitress recommended that we try lunch, as the menu for lunch is slightly different. While lunch is a little more traditionally Vietnamese, it still offers the kitchen an opportunity to give its own individual twist to traditional dishes.

Jim had the pho French dip, which is a banh mi served with 12 hour roast brisket, thai basil chimmichurri, and a pho au jus. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

pho banh mi

pho banh mi

I had the pho-sta, consisting of hand cut pasta cooked with pho broth, parmesan, mung bean and other traditional pho flavors. Loved it!

pho-sta

pho-sta

The restaurant itself is an interesting mix of families, singles (mostly at the lively bar), and a smattering of food-obsessed tourists. Reservations are recommended if you don’t want to deal with a long wait. (It fills up quickly.) We highly highly recommend this restaurant!

The Pig and the Lady is found at 83 N. King Street in Honolulu (www.thepigandthelady.com).

 

Restaurant review: Chef Mavro, Take 2 (Honolulu)

For our second dinner at Chef Mavro, we went with the 4 course menu and added the parmesan black truffle risotto as a fifth course (yes, we do indeed live to eat).

The amouse bouche was once again the delicious watercress soup with “egg salad sandwich.”

watercress soup with "egg salad sandwich"

watercress soup with “egg salad sandwich”

We started off with the meli-melo, a salad containing hearts of palm, pickled hibiscus, avocado purée, and baby beets. I’m not a huge salad fan (I’m of the same philosophy as Ron Swanson, the character from “Parks and Rec” who says, “Salads are the food my food eats.”), but this was delicious.

meli melo

meli melo

We then had the snapper, served Asian style, with shitake mushrooms and ginger, topped with fried cilantro and green onion on basmati rice. While I liked the opah from the 6 course menu, this was fabulous (and better).

snapper

snapper

Our next course was the parmesan black truffle risotto, which was just as good as the first time we had it.

black truffle risotto

black truffle risotto

The entrée dish was duckling served with fennel and winter citrus and star anise duck jus. It was really wonderful.

duckling

duckling

confit

confit

(Jim substituted his duck for the lamb loin, served with cranberry preserve and sunchokes.) The bite I had was excellent.

lamb

lamb

And, after the palate cleansing melon in champagne gelée, we had the coconut déclinaison, which was a coconut pound cake served with coconut-shiso sorbet and a coconut sauce with basil seeds. This may not sound like it would work, but it most certainly did.

coconut déclinaison

coconut déclinaison

What we like about Chef Mavro is that not only is the food delicious, it is also beautifully presented. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the chef himself will make the rounds in the evening to chat. They were amazingly wonderful meals!

Chef Mavro is at 1969 S. King St, Honolulu (www.chefmavro.com).

Restaurant review: Chef Mavro (Honolulu)

We have been regular diners at Chef Mavro whenever we are in Honolulu (which is more often than I am willing to admit). Last week, when we were there, we took the opportunity to dine at Chef Mavro twice. (I know, I know.)

The first time, we picked the 6 course menu. In addition, it was BLACK TRUFFLE season (calloo, callay!). So, this is what we had:

The amouse bouche was watercress soup with an “egg salad sandwich” on the side. It’s difficult to get watercress flavoring in a soup strong enough to taste like watercress, but this was the exception. It was delicious!

watercress soup with an "egg salad sandwich"

watercress soup with an “egg salad sandwich”

We started off with the foie gras, which was served as a parfait, accompanied by pineapple relish, toasted pine nuts, and a huge side of toasted brioche. Yummy!

foie gras terrine

foie gras terrine

Next up was the opah (snapper), which was served with red beets, pickled Japanese cucumber and topped with a coffee flour rye bread crumble. Highly delectable.

snapper

snapper

The lobster was next. This was accompanied by a house-made kabocha confit and served with kabocha and a crustacean essence purée. It’s one of Jim’s favorite dishes here.

lobster

lobster

We substituted out the cheese course in favor of the parmesan black truffle risotto. It was everything a black truffle risotto dish should be (which is to say heavenly).

black truffle risotto

black truffle risotto

We also upgraded to the Australian Tajima wagyu medallions, served with an eggplant purée, charred leeks, and an island green pepper corn sauce. Yum, yum, yum.

wagyu

wagyu

The palate cleanser was melon served in a champagne gelée.

melon in champagne gelee

melon in champagne gelee

And the final course, dessert, was chocolate. This time, it was a chocolate bar, served with a burgundy poached pear and sorbet. Even for not being a huge chocolate fan, this was delicious.

chocolate dessert

chocolate dessert

Book review: Holy Warrior by Angus Donald

Holy Warrior (The Outlaw Chronicles, #2)Holy Warrior by Angus Donald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Outlaw Chronicles series (starring Robin Hood and narrated by Alan Dale) is gritty historical fiction at its best. At the end of the first book, Robin Hood makes a vow to go on crusade and help retake Jerusalem. In this book (the second of the series), Alan Dale accompanies Robin and discovers that a holy crusade is not all that it’s cracked up to be. War is war, no matter how pure the goal is, and it is violent and bloody and miserable. Not to mention that petty jealousies and feuds are exacerbated by too many monarchs and nobles in too close of quarters. To add to the complexities, there is Robin in all of his moral ambivalence. And to further layer on an already complicated situation, there is Nur, the beautiful slave girl, who loves Alan and is loved by him.
Alan is defined by his loyalty to Robin, but even his loyalty is tested through the political calculations and shifting alliances of the Crusade. There are no unflawed heroes in this book–each character has his or her own idiosyncrasies and secrets that define that character’s choices. There may not be a character in this book that you can like without reservation, but they are all memorable, and you will find yourself thinking about each and every one of them long after you finish the last page.

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Book review: Render Unto Caesar by Gillian Bradshaw

Render Unto CaesarRender Unto Caesar by Gillian Bradshaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gillian Bradshaw is an underrated historical fiction writer. I have read most of her books (I’m still working on the rest of them), and she does an excellent job integrating a compelling plot with interesting characters set in a historical time period. She does especially well with the Roman Empire, where many of her books take place.
In this particular book, we learn much about the intrigues surrounding the Roman Empire and the relationship between Rome and her colonies as a result of an Egyptian merchant who inherits a large debt owed by an important Roman politician. As a result of the merchant’s attempt to collect this debt, there are attempts made on his life, and he gets sucked into the vortex known as Roman politics. In between the assassination attempts, we learn about slavery, the gladiator school, and the role of women in the Roman Empire (among other things).
I don’t think this is one of the author’s best books, but she is such an excellent author that it doesn’t matter. Her characters are interesting, and the historical detail well-integrated into the novel. If you’re interested in this time period, this is a definite recommended read!

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