A Taste Of Italy

Culatello & Papaya ($23)

Masterful Chef Ryo Takatsuka’s vision springs to life at Noe Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina.

Here he creates intriguing dishes that keep customers returning often for cuisine that can be best described as Capri-meets-Oahu including flavors from Italy’s famed Amalfi Coast.

His hands-on approach to cooking focuses on dishes with top quality meats and seafood, locally sourced vegetables and homemade pastas, accompanied by Italian wines, spirits and creative cocktails with names like Piccante ($18) and Napua. The chef even handpicks the restaurant’s elegant plates which feature Southern Italian flair, to best represent each of the dishes he carefully prepares for guests.

Tagliatelle ($29 individual size, $44 family size)

From his childhood home in the coastal Japanese city of Toyama, Takatsuka developed his fascination with the culinary arts. Shortly after high school, Takatsuka made a bold move to Tuscany and spent 10 years in Italy mastering the craft of Italian cooking at acclaimed eating establishments.

A Wine Spectator and OpenTable award-winning romantic indoor-outdoor restaurant, Noe says benvenuto (welcome in Italian) to customers with beautiful open-air views and comfortable seating for all types of gatherings.

Some of the eatery’s customer-favorite menu items include Whipped Ricotta, Market Fish Amalfi Style “Acquapazza,” Porterhouse Steak for Two, and Maccheroni Neri.

So, next time you are seeking the ultimate Mediterranean meal, make Noe your destination, and you too can mangia bene (that’s Italian for eat well).

TANTALIZING TREATS

A wondrous appetizer available at Noe is Culatello & Papaya ($23), which skillfully marries the flavors of Italy and Hawaii. This dish utilizes Culatello, a delicious special Italian variety of ham. Chef Ryo Takatsuka marinates the ham in white wine for two weeks to tenderize and further flavor this succulent meat. He then artfully wraps the ham with slices of papaya, goat cheese and a polenta lavosh cracker underneath. Light splashes of a mouth-watering calamansi puree sauce are sprinkled along the plate.

Additionally, a popular signature dish at Noe is Tagliatelle ($29 individual size, $44 family size). Takatsuka makes his own wide, flat tagliatelle pasta noodles in-house. He cooks up the perfect pasta, adds three kinds of mushrooms (cremini, alii and portobello), truffle paste, butter, and Parmesan cheese to the mix, and finishes the dish with shaved seasonal truffles.