My friend invited me to dinner at I'o last week. She works at I'o's sister restaurant, Pacific'o, which is right next door. I've dined at both restaurants in the past and have loved the food served in each establishment.
I hadn't been to I'o since dining there with Paul last summer. He had been working at Pacific'o as an intern from the Culinary Institute, and he was the best person to eat out with because he would order multiple appetizers and multiple entrees and multiple desserts so he could best sample a menu.
On this most recent visit to I'o we ordered conservatively.
We started off with the Refresh, a vodka cocktail with muddle mint and strawberries.
My dining companion is a vegetarian, so I got these Crab Cakes all to myself. This appetizer featured goat cheese with roasted bell peppers on top of a miso aioli with a green papaya slaw.
We also ordered the Waipoli Road salad. The salad featured amazing, crisp greens and vegetables from the restaurant's own farm in upcountry Maui.
I'o's speciality is serving small plates tapas style, so you can try several of their specialties. We got the O'o Farm Beets, Green Bean Gremolata and the Heirloom Carrot risotto.
The risotto is carrot juice infused with baby heirloom carrots and mint oil.
The Green Bean Gremolata was an amazing savory dish with sauteed Kula beans tossed with Italian parsley, garlic, bread crumbs and lemon zest.
The O'o Farm Beets that we ordered featured roasted heirloom beets in a farm pesto with feta cheese, macadamia nuts and raisins. I loved the puff pastry "bowl" the beets were served in.
For dessert we shared the chocolate macadamia torte. It was served with a dollop of lilokoi whipped cream, fresh strawberries and a strawberry sauce.
As you can see, it didn't take us long to finish it.
We ate our dinner outdoors, but the interior of I'o is lovely.
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