Dinner at the Car Dealership

1962 Fiat on display at Velocity

Right around the corner from our (less upscale) apartment is Velocity, Honolulu. It is a new development with high end condos anchored by a high end auto and motorcycle dealership on the first floor.

Lotus

They sell Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar as well as Ducati and BMW motorcycles.

They also have several classic autos on display in the showroom.

Dessert!

 

But, we're not here to go into debt over four wheels (or even two).

Sandwiches and cheese. You can also get paninis

Inside the showroom is the restaurant Italica. They bill themselves as gourmet street food and I have to tell you, that description is very apt.

Croquettes, arancini and lots of other treats

We've enjoyed street food all over Italy, from arancini and
sfincione in Sicily to Christmas cookies in Torino to roasted chestnuts in Rome, not to mention the gelato in every corner of the peninsula. Italica reminds me of the kind of lunch and late night places you see all over Rome. They have a big display case containing giant slabs of pizza, antipasti, open faced sandwiches, fresh fruit and the like.

Cocktails, a good start

We started with cocktails. Like, many apertivi in Italy, ours contained Campari, which means your drink isn't too sweet, which I like. They called it Rosso Antica which translates to Ancient Red or Traditional Red. Red wine, Campari, and soda over ice, how can you go wrong?

Lots of pizza choices

In Rome, we were amused at one location where you ordered your pizza, not by the slice, but by the 100 gram unit (about 4 ounces). At Italica, they had six kinds of pizza to choose from. They all looked good, but I opted for the zucca e funghi (squash and mushroom), which was fantastic. They put the room temp pizza in the oven for a minute to crisp up the crust, which was just perfect.

The kitchen has a window out to the street

Karen got the eggplant parmesan which is served in the same ramecan in which it is prepared. It was a bit small, but quite delicious, and for six bucks, you can't beat it!

Outdoor seating. You can sit inside, too

Italica is right across the street from the Blaisdell Arena, so it's a great place for a pre-show dinner or after show drink. There is also word that a second Italian restaurant will be opening in the building shortly. Stay tuned.
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