Italian-inspired appetizer is ‘ahi-mazing’

Tuna Bruschetta ($12.95)

Starting today, May 22, customers dining at Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar are in for a special treat. Tuna Bruschetta ($12.95), a new appetizer, is making its debut.

According to executive chef James Donahue, this dish brings a fresh approach to the menu. “It features sashimi-grade ahi and it’s combined with shallots, chives, ginger apple and honey vinaigrette, sliced avocado and arugula micros (microgreens),” Donahue explains.

“Bruschetta is a common Italian appetizer,” he adds.

“We always have traditional food — like Bruschetta Siciliana with tomatoes and eggplant — but this is different. We get a lot of ahi through here, and it’s nice to have something that’s raw.”

Tuna Bruschetta also will be available during happy hour for $6.95. Happy hour is from noon to 6:30 p.m. daily, Donahue says, and several different items are on the menu for customers to enjoy.

Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese ($15.95)

“There will only be one toast (instead of two), but this will still have a lot of tuna for about $7,” he confirms.

While Tuna Bruschetta is a newcomer to the menu, several other dishes reign as tried-and-true favorites, such as Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese ($15.95 for lunch).

“The meat sauce is slow-cooked for six hours and has pork, beef and ground veal, and it’s cooked with bone marrow,” Donahue says. “They roast the bones first, then they add the marrow to the actual sauce while it’s slow cooking. Our pasta is fresh and made in-house daily.”

Because the restaurant prides itself on its homemade pasta, customers can look forward to even more pasta entrees in the future.

“It just makes sense to get gnocchi on the menu,” Donahue says. “We’ll have more pasta and more choices for poultry, like duck. It’s details like these — the ambiance, our pasta that’s made in-house daily — that sets Il Lupino apart.”

Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar

Royal Hawaiian Center
2233 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki
922-3400
Breakfast/brunch: 8-11:30 a.m.;
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.;
Dinner: 5-10:30 p.m. (Friday-Saturday, dinner until 11 p.m.)
illupino.com