Dusty Grable’s Lady Elaine Just Opened at Mānoa Marketplace. Here’s What That Means

Photo: Melissa Chang

At Lady Elaine, ras el hanout rib-eye is on the menu, along with harissa seafood stew, ‘ahi crudo crowned with olive tapenade, and roasted, paprika-dusted carrots you’ll want to order every time. What’s not on the one-page menu? Anything traditional from any Mediterranean cuisine—which in this valley feels like a refreshing breeze.

Photo: Mari Taketa

Lady Elaine opened last Friday, the second Mānoa Marketplace eatery this year from veteran restaurateur Dusty Grable’s Lovers + Fighters. The group opened the smaller Little Plum steps away in the old Bank of Hawai‘i space in June. By our count, that gives the valley only its third and fourth full-service restaurants and its second and third with bars. Which means plenty of Mānoa folks have been eating and drinking at Little Plum, a family-friendly place with a modern local menu inspired by Mānoa’s demographic. Will they do the same at Lady Elaine?

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Here, rose-colored walls display a trio of wood pieces by local artist Aaron Padilla. It’s the old Hanaki/Tokoname/Around the Corner space, vacant for years and transformed now into an open dining room flanked by the kitchen and bar. Tables are generously spaced—Grable says not all have arrived yet—so the restaurant seats 60 for now. When the tables come, that will go up to 75; and when the outdoor liquor license is approved, there’ll be another 25 seats on the lanai in front.

On the menu, what’s listed under Grains & Vegetables are sides—six dishes ranging from olive oil-drizzled Breadshop bread with herb jam butter ($12) and a mixed green salad with apple and candied walnuts ($16) to the paprika roasted heirloom carrots ($16) and a plate of blistered Ho Farms tomato spaghetti ($23).

The Ocean section’s four choices include the ‘ahi crudo ($22), a shareable appetizer; and the harissa stew of fish, clams, shrimp and squid ($30). Of Land’s three options, turmeric chicken skewers ($32) are an à la carte app, while the rib-eye ($35), cut into chunks atop mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, and the pimenton lamb ($38), three medium-rare chops with broccolini, can be entrées. Keiki choices are chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwich or spaghetti, all $13 and including a small salad.

‘Ahi crudo. Photo: Mari Taketa

Dishes we’re still thinking about and would drive into the valley for are the supple, sinew-less ‘ahi slices under thin drizzles of olive oil and tapenade; the lamb, soft and gratifying though without much hint of Spanish paprika; and the punchy carrots in their tangy pool of parsley yogurt. A charred cabbage wedge is well-seasoned but mostly crunchy, so best if you like the vegetable’s different temperaments.

The coconut panna cotta dessert isn’t panna cotta at all but whipped coconut cream topped with fresh orange and pear; it’s light and rich and rewarding without dairy funk. The full $14 price of this and the ricotta fritters with lemon curd and cinnamon go to the kitchen staff, which helps offset the reality that they get no tips.

Roasted baby carrots. Photo: Mari Taketa

The other reason to drive in is the bar. Cocktails are by Ku‘ulei Akuna, the mastermind behind those at Little Plum and before that, Wild Orange and Quiora. Her eight cocktails ($18) anchor the menu’s back page, but there are also four that pay homage to other local mixologists, including Dave Newman’s 72-hour cold brew Talventi and Alicia Yamachika’s gin-and-cynar Inconceivable (both $16). Hayden Butler’s wine list spans the Mediterranean and Old and New Worlds; all of them are available as 2- or 5-ounce pours or by the bottle. Mocktails include the milky Daniel Tiger ($8) with cardamom and a Frosted Flakes wash.

Lamb with charred orange and romesco verde; behind, crispy potatoes side dish. Photo: Mari Taketa

As with any new restaurant, expect small tweaks. The difference between Little Plum and Lady Elaine is more than a matter of menus. It’s a mood thing, and a pocketbook thing, which is in line with what’s at the heart of each: Do you want what’s familiar and comforting, or do you want to venture?

Open daily except Sunday 5 to 9 p.m., 2756 Woodlawn Dr., (808) 888-3030