HANALEI — Iti wine bar hosted its grand opening on Dec. 16 and has been thriving since, offering a new, intimate venue in Hanalei. It is located in the same century-old building as Tahiti Nui, a North Shore relic and
HANALEI — Iti wine bar hosted its grand opening on Dec. 16 and has been thriving since, offering a new, intimate venue in Hanalei.
It is located in the same century-old building as Tahiti Nui, a North Shore relic and restaurant and bar for decades.
“Nui in Tahitian means large; iti means small,” said Rana Townend, manager of the wine bar, who collaborates with owner Christian Marston, his daughter Nanea Marston (currently in Italy), sommelier Hollywood, and Chef Mauro to pull off the chic, warm atmosphere with over 50 wines, and a unique tapas menu serving food until 11:30 p.m. six nights a week.
“This is the VIP room at the Nui,” Townend said, adding Tahiti Nui and Iti are “totally different experiences” and complement each other. “This is a nice place you can sit and talk and have a conversation.”
Along with the conversation, savor premium wines at a range of amounts and prices. With almost all the wines you can order a bottle, a glass or a “taste”: a two ounce pour, which allows you to sample a variety, or be the pilot of your own wine flight. Iti offers a range of flights (small samples of wines based on a theme) as well on its menu, and will help you create your own, say a flight of pinot noirs, or wines from one region.
“It’s constantly a learning experience,” Townend said of the complex world of wine, who added Hollywood, a wine expert who has been a great help with wine education. Townend likes to ask customers what they like in a wine, because everyone’s palate is so different, and then suggest one to match their preferences. Iti’s happy hour is from 6 to 7 p.m., where you can purchase a glass of wine from bottles opened the previous night for the taste price.
Beer drinkers, don’t panic with all this grape talk. Iti serves three distinct brews on tap: Italian beer Peroni, Stella Artois, and Deschutes organic ale. They also fix fun drinks like cappuccinos, espressos, lattes, and select liquors. Townend revealed she can make a mean lychee martini.
The tapas menu at Iti is a fusion of Italian, Japanese, and Californian cuisine, said Chef Mauro, a native of Italy who has been a chef for over 25 years and owner of his own pasta company.
“This is a funky place, we don’t want to be too fancy,” Mauro said of the food. His menu and presentation is creative and pairs with a range of wines, or any beverage for that matter. Take the Ono roll, a panko-crusted, seared and sliced piece of ono, served up sashimi style over a glaze of shoyu and bed of greens ($16), easily shared with two to three people.
Other best sellers on the menu are the lamb chops with lime cilantro sauce, Townend said, as well as the mini or the large cheese plate, which pairs perfectly with wine tasting. The Ahi Carpaccio is an original and tasty way to eat raw tuna, served in a large, thin piece drizzled with aioli, spread onto toasts that line the perimeter of the plate.
Considering the success of the family-operated Tahiti Nui, its little sister establishment Iti will also be a hit for years to come. Inside the cozy, chocolate-colored walled room fronted by white French doors, it feels more like a home than a bar, and it feels like you too are part of the family hanging out there.
