When patrons enter Beachhouse at the Moana — located at the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa — they are awestruck by the breathtaking views of Waikiki Beach and the restaurant’s veranda setting. Once they sit down, however, guests quickly realize that the eatery’s beautiful beach setting is just a small part of what makes it a great place to indulge.
Not only are the food and customer service fantastic, but the passion behind executive sous chef David Lukela is apparent throughout the entire menu.
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- 36-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye Steak ($150). MISSY ROMERO PHOTOS
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- 36-ounce Prime Porterhouse ($89)
With a background in medicine, Lukela’s journey as a chef began in 2010 and his career has quickly escalated ever since.
For this week’s Dining Out, Lukela highlights three specialty dishes. For starters, Local Beet & Tomato Salad ($14) presents a plate of freshness, offering a variety of tomatoes — from heir-loom to locally grown ones — red and yellow beets, goat cheese, macadamia nuts and crispy quinoa. It’s all dressed with black garlic vinaigrette and topped with island-sourced microgreens.
As for the main courses, Lukela now emphasizes high-quality steaks on his menu. 36-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye Steak ($150) and 36-ounce Prime Porterhouse ($89) both shine, and are each made to serve two people.
“I want to be in the same breath as the Morton’s, the Hy’s, the Ruth’s,” says Lukela. “I want us to be recognized.”
Lukela will receive more than recognition for his juicy and perfectly seared steaks. The Tomahawk Ribeye will have customers jumping out of their seats just by the impressive looks of it. The softness of the meat is perfectly joined with two sides of your choice, peppercorn, cheese and bear-naise sauces, and bone marrow lathered in pesto.
Both the Tomahawk Ribeye and Prime Porterhouse are seasoned with a simple mix of salt and pepper, as their natural flavors speak for themselves.
From there, it gets even better. Just two weeks ago, Lukela introduced Beach-house’s Salt Program, offering four salts with every steak dish. This fun addition to ordering steaks includes ‘Nalo Farms Fresh Herbs, Maui Onion Sea Salt, Alaea Sea Salt and Pure Hawaiian Sea Salt.
“We let the customers finish the steaks at the table,” explains Lukela. “It tells a story. Salts in Hawaii are important, it’s a very important part of the culture and very relatable because everyone uses it. You can come and have fun and interact with the salts,” he adds.
Join Beachhouse for an unforgettable and tasty experience. “Everything is elevating and I really feel like the restaurant is picking up momentum and I want to continue it,” says Lukela.
Beachhouse At The Moana
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa
2365 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki
921-4600
Daily, 5:30-9:30 p.m.
Honolulu, HI 96815
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