KIMBALL JUNCTION -- "Hapa" is a Hawaiian term for an individual of mixed heritage, initially coined to describe children born to the state's growing population of Hawaiian and Caucasian couples.
Its use has grown to mean "half and half" in many situations. For owners of the new Hapa Grill at the Redstone Village in Kimball Junction, the name helps define the food and atmosphere, which is Asian fusion with fresh influence from the Pacific Islands.
Hapa Grill is the newest venture of the Latitude Restaurant Group, which is becoming a force in Utah dining with its three Mikado restaurants, Kampai in Park City and the E Center's Harry's, and will soon extend its influence to Sugar House, at the former site of L'Avenue. (See below.)
Hapa opened in early spring, catching the end of the traditional "mud season" for skiers and a "down time" in the Park City area, with summer tourists a couple of weeks away and only locals out dining and looking for entertainment.
That helps explain the small number of customers on two recent visits to Hapa Grill. But that meant attentive service as we ordered several items from Hapa Grill's "small plates" menu, with 20 intriguing choices.
One is the signature "Tosh's Prawns," named for Toshio Sekikawa, the Latitude group's executive chef, who was lured here from a successful 30-year career creating sushi in San Francisco. The plate, an impressive tower of crispy, tempura-fried prawns with a delicious citrus aioli, is one of several dishes offered at most, if not all, of the Mikado family of restaurants. Likewise with the sushi; the fish for all of the restaurants is from the same source, according to Hapa Grill chef Stan Battle.
Having favorably reviewed a variety of the terrific sushi at the Salt Lake City Mikado, we tried some items unique to Hapa.
The Poki Tuna was a colorful, fresh mix of sashimi tuna, papaya and avocado dressed with a touch of sesame oil and served in a martini glass. The Maui Wowi, Hapa's custom maki roll, is a tasty combination of crab, shrimp and scallops topped with a luscious unagi sauce.
Each plate is visually perfect, and Hapa's presentation of Asian lettuce cups is among the prettiest, with a half-dozen lettuce leaves, each with a tasty bite of ribeye steak, pine nuts and scallions, circling a centerpiece of flash-fried rice noodles that don't taste like much, but look like a fragile work of art.
Artful presentation and delicious flavors are Hapa's strong suits. Value is its short suit, at least with some items.
Small plates range from $4 for edamame or Asian fries -- addictive ginger mashed potatoes wrapped in flour skins and deep fried -- to $12 for the Maui Wowi or several other fresh-fish treats. But the portions for many of those might be best described as "minimalist." The fries come in an order of four ($1 each), and a single, small crab cake is $8, though it is mostly fresh crab and macadamia nuts, without heavy breading. And the Poki Tuna's presentation is deceiving. It looks like a reasonably sized tuna and fresh fruit cocktail for $9, but after a couple of bites you discover that a half lemon in the bottom of the glass means it is less than it seemed.
The sandwich and entree portion of the menu offers better value, with a Hapa jerk wrap made of chicken, vegetables and a creamy yogurt sauce for $8, including a side of tangy slaw or Asian fries. In the same price range is a taco wrap made with lettuce, ground beef and rice; a Hapa burger; a grilled chicken or even a po' boy sandwich made with prawns.
Specialty dishes likewise seem reasonably priced, from Hapa curry made with seafood, vegetables and tofu for $9, to the most expensive item on the menu: filet mignon for $20, which is in line with other nice restaurants.
Several choices for children, including shrimp tempura or chicken teriyaki, all about $6, add to the attractiveness of Hapa for area families.
Though I question the value of some of Hapa's small plates, for the most part I appreciate smaller portions. My seared ahi salad with jalape-os and a wasabi dressing, a terrific combination of flavors, was just right; I ate every bite and had room to share a delicious dessert of chai tea crŹme brulŽe.
Hapa Grill offers a menu of sushi and Asian fusion dishes, with an exotic touch of Hawaiian freshness and a comfortable atmosphere for dining with family or friends.
Comings and goings
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More than a few diners have been saddened to learn that L'Avenue closed its doors on Mother's Day. Larry Pontarelli, general manager of its sister restaurant, Tuscany, said L'Avenue's chef Franck Peissel will try his hand at another dining venture in a small, renovated structure on the Tuscany property in Holladay.
Fans of L'Avenue will be kept posted of new developments with recorded messages at 801-485-4494, and those who leave their names and addresses at the end of the recording will be among the first invited to Chef Franck's new creation, due to open in late fall.
The Latitude Restaurant Group has purchased the L'Avenue property and will launch a second Harry's steak house there. The first Harry's, on the third level of West Valley City's E Center, opened last year.
In another business "passage," Panini closed its doors last month, on Friday the 13th. Calls to the company about its unlucky fate were not returned.
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Nancy Hobbs is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Hobbs welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at nhobbs@xmission.com%%Hapa Grill
In a nutshell: Asian fusion food combined with some of Hawaii's exotic flavors, served in a comfortable, trendy setting at the new Redstone Village. This latest member of the Mikado family also offers sushi and a few "family" favorites, such as Asian fries and Tosh's Prawns.
Where: 1571 W. Redstone Center Drive, Redstone Village at Kimball Junction; 435-575-HAPA (4272)
Hours: Lunch served Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., reopening for dinner at 5 until 10 p.m. Open Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m.
Prices: Moderate, from $8 to $20
Liquor: Full liquor service
Reservations: Accepted for parties of eight or more
Child's menu: Yes, several items at
about $6
Takeout: Yes
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Outdoor dining: Patio opening soon
Parking: Streetside parking in the Redstone Village
Credit cards: All major
