When one door closes, another — and hopefully, better — one opens. Such is the case in Savage, where a former Perkins has become Pau Hana.
The south-metro newcomer is owned by Lake & Irving's Chris Ikeda, who brought a pop-up version of his Minneapolis restaurant to the space during the pandemic and decided to make it permanent.
Ikeda spent a decade cooking in Hawaii, and those influences are what drove him to bring Hawaiian Regional Cuisine — a style of cooking that uses local ingredients to blend all of Hawaii's historical influences — to the Twin Cities metro. And the name? It comes from a Hawaiian term that means "done with work," and on the islands is used to describe drinks after work with friends.
Location: 14435 Hwy. 13, Savage, 952-447-1322, pauhanamn.com. Open 4 to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thu., 4 to 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
The vibe: Miraculous, considering it used to be a Perkins. The space is light and airy, with a wood-fired oven and snazzy bar as the focal point. There's not a bakery case in sight. A sizable covered patio — a south metro rarity — is coming soon.
The food: Those familiar with Lake & Irving will notice some underlying similarities, such as the KFC (Korean fried cauliflower), roasted beet salad, smoked wings and a handful of entrees and salads.
On the appetizer side, although tempted by the KFC, we went with what was different, and tried both the poke stack ($16) and salmon tartine ($12). We wouldn't hesitate to order either of them again.
The list of entrees and sandwiches is on the shorter side, but there's nothing missing. We ordered the Ahi Loco Moco (seared ahi tuna, hefty coconut shrimp on sushi rice and topped with a fried egg and Japanese curry sauce, $27) and Misoyaki salmon (a crisp fillet served on a bed of fried wild rice with miso vin and hoisin barbecue sauce, $28), and we are still talking about the latter. (Both are also on the Lake & Irving menu). The Kalua pork sandwich ($16), with fried onions, pineapple sauce and a housemade barbecue sauce appears to be a favorite.
And then there are the pizzas. You can choose your own toppings, but you're better off ordering one of the seven combinations on the menu. Anything with the miso corn cream gets a thumbs-up.
If you have room for dessert (we didn't), there are three befitting of the island cuisine, from Haupia pie (chocolate and coconut cream with candied macadamia nuts and toasted coconut) to passionfruit semifreddo.
Drinks: Rum and tequila fans will have no complaints — more than 50 tequilas and 30 rums are available. A well-curated beer (including four local brews on tap), wine and cocktail list has a little something for everyone. Except those who prefer their piña coladas and margaritas blended — they are on the rocks only.
Plan ahead: Walk-ins are accepted if there's room, but it's best to make reservations. On the horizon: Pau Hana Express, the restaurant's quick-service and takeout operation. Details and menu yet to come.
To tip or not to tip: There are no service charges. The bill just includes the three Ts: total, taxes and tip.
