Cattleya Wine Bar

The lesser half of the world food traveler duo was invited to Cattleya Wine Bar in the Halekulani Hotel for a belated birthday celebration by a friend. Cattleya is a new venue, now open from 4 to 7pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.I suppose I should have been better prepared but I thought Cattleya was located in the area used for High Tea. Of course they didn't have our reservation but escorted us to Orchids as Cattelya is inside the Orchids restaurant, using the raised space used for larger parties and when the restaurant needs more seating for diners.A large, communal table dominates the space and we found ourselves the only patrons on Thursday evening. Our server, Kale, was very personable and helped us with the wine list and ordering food.My host drinks white wines and I helped her select a 3oz pour of Montevetrano Bianco. I was going to start with a glass of sparkling wine but decided upon a rosé, selecting the Ame du Vin from Provence. Unfortunately, it wasn't available so Kale suggested the Marisa Cuomo Rosato from Amalfi. It was nice yet austere, probably a result of the limestone and dolomite on which the vines are grown. I thought of a pinkish version of a wine from Chablis.We started with the Charcuterie Plate, consisting of three types of meats, assorted cheeses, olives and baby carrots accompanied by a basket of lavosh and breads. The prosciutto was the best of the three and I liked all of the cheeses and olives. I just wish the plate had some fruit to pair with the cheese.We went with the Kona Lobster and Kahuku Shrimp Gyoza. There were four large gyoza on the plate, accompanied by a dish of spicy Ponzu sauce. The gyoza was brimming with lobster and shrimp meat and we thoroughly enjoyed them. I was going to order a red (because I like reds) but Kale suggested the Kellerei Cantine Terlan Pinot Grigio. It was a nice Pinot Grigio; I think I would have preferred something drier. There are 8 whites on the menu, from Italy, Spain, France and Turkey. I want to return to try the other wines.We ended with the Truffle Fries; I was going to order the Prime Beef Tartar but the charcuterie plate was very filling. Kale suggested the 2020 Terre Nere Etna Rosso; I finally got my glass of red. It was fine; balanced with luscious red fruit. I don't often drink Italian wines, but these wines opened my eyes to another part of the world. All 8 reds are from Italy.Final thoughts ... I enjoyed our time at Cattleya. There are 28 wines available by the glass; 17 from Italy. You can get all but the sparkling and dessert wines in 3oz, 5oz and 8oz pours or by the bottle. The other two are by the glass (8oz for sparkling, 5oz for dessert) or by the bottle. There are 11 food choices; I would like to see more than one fresh seafood option and perhaps something like bone marrow or foie gras. I want to return with the better half of the world food traveler duo to sample other wines and dishes.

Cattleya is located within Orchids restaurant at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. The experience was upscale yet approachable, creating a great environment for sampling every wine on the menu!My wife and I dropped in on two different nights during our Hawaii vacation and ended up checking off every wine on the Cattleya menu. It's not as bad as it sounds as we would share 3 oz pours and would finish the night off with a full pour each of our favorites. I particularly enjoyed the Tenuta La Pergola "Il Goccetto", as I lean towards the red side of the spectrum but appreciated that this one is served chilled.Kale (pronounced Kah-Lay) was a welcoming host and guide as we adhered to our primarily liquid diet for dinner. I respect folks that are knowledgeable in their craft and Kale was certainly knowledgeable about the wines he introduced us to. It was the perfect amount of narration to describe the wines without overloading us with information.Having explored Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles, it was refreshing to see a wine list populated exclusively with non-California wines. There's nothing wrong with CA wines and they are certainly my go-to, it just seems silly to travel to Hawaii and drink wine that is all over my own neighborhood. Although there were certainly some wines we preferred more than others, we didn't encounter any wines that we didn't enjoy. Credit to whoever put the wine list together for finding some real gems with a great value proposition.The only real downside in my opinion are the limited hours. 4PM to 8PM isn't exactly my drinking sweet spot, but for Cattleya I'm more than happy to make an exception. It's also a natural transition to mosey on over to Lewer's Lounge down the hall when it's time for Cattleya to close. I wish I could have gotten a glass of the Il Goccetto at Lewer's, but hey, you can't have everything.

Wanna play wealthy tourist?The gem of Waikiki has reopened and with it, a new wine bar befitting of the elegant property.Located within Orchids, Cattelya offers a very well selected, Italian focused, wine by the glass (or bottle) and wine centric small bites. From a lambrusco (off dry sparkling red) from Emilia Romagna to bright and acidic wines of Liguria to a chewy red from Sicily. Wines entertain.The bites, excellent. From a bruschetta simply rubbed with a fresh, vibrant Kamuela tomato, hints of basil and garlic then drizzled with EVOO to a solid artisanal cheese board made complete with house made rosemary lavosh and local honey to a crudo of sashimi grade hamachi finished in lemon and orange zest and EVOO, it all oozes simplicity but pairs so well with the wines on offer.Blame the pandemic but lacking the crowds of "proper" visitors to our islands, the bar isn't at its full potential. No tasting flights or amuse to glass pairings offered at this time.Service, Halekulani excellence. Friendly and proper.Prices in line. $15-$20/glass. Plates, average $25.Note: Dress code, elegant resort attire. No T-shirts or flip flops.For those wanting to enjoy an elegant night out in Waikiki, Cattleya is an excellent start.

Cattleya Wine Bar at Halekulani is one of the few wine bars that offer moscato in their menu. That easily puts this place at the top of our list! Also, we really love the ambience/atmosphere of all Halekulani restaurants. Hours: Monday-Saturday at 11:30am to 9pm and Sunday at 4:30pm to 9pmParking: first four hours of valet or self parking is complimentary with validationCattleya Wine Bar offers sparkling, Rose, White, and Red wine. We were able to try the Rose, Moscato and a Red Wine. My husband and I really enjoyed the Moscato! For food, they offer Mediterranean-influenced tapas-style cuisine. We tried the Truffle-Parmesan Fries, Charcuterie Plate, Kona Lobster & Kahuku Shrimp Gyoza, Bruschetta, and Ahi Tostada. All were really delicious bites!Great place to relax and "wine" down ;)

Nina - thank you for the great service yesterday. Visiting from the Big Island and sorta stumbled on this place. Amazing food, lovely ambiance and great service. Wine selections by the glass were limited but nicely curated - for reds, two Italian and one Lebanese. Great attention to detail. Look forward to our next visit.