It all started with a text from a friend asking if I ever ate at Fête (pronounced "fate"). I replied "No" and she replied back "The chef/owner (Robynne Maii) just won a James Beard award". I had a daytrip to Oahu coming up with dinner plans at Piggy Smalls but wasn't keen on their limited menu so I ended up canceling them to try Fête. Congrats to her as she's the first female in Hawaii to win AND the award hasn't been won by a Hawaii chef since 2003!

ATMOSPHERE: Due to last minute reservations (a must, BTW), we had to sit at the bar which ended up being very entertaining as we had front row seats to watch cocktails being made. It's a small, cozy space with flexible seating for no more than one large group. A small room to the side where the open-view kitchen is offers a few tables but the fluorescent lighting coming from the kitchen clashed with the otherwise warm ambiance.

MENU: Mix of American, Asian and Italian dishes with a farm-to-table concept.

BEVERAGE: Spicy Kitty - $13.00 Perfectly balanced sweet & tart vodka-based mixture came in a ceramic cat mug with one of its ears covered in salty-spicy togarashi. I took it as a play on a margarita and licked the ear prior to taking a sips.

FOOD: Fête Spreads - $10.00 Delicious and a great bang-for-your-buck app! Nicely toasted and chewy sourdough bread slices were ready for three different spreads - ricotta cheese drizzled with honey, mac nut tapenade (my fave) and caponata (a thick medley of seasoned and spreadable veggies). The bread was a bit burnt but I liked their crunch and charred flavor.

Basil Caesar - $15.00 The subtle basil flavor was a surprisingly welcomed addition to the otherwise mainstream Caesar salad but for me the crispy shallots (think French-fried onions) set it over the top.

Korean Bavette - $27.00 This cut of flank steak is supposed to be tender especially since we opted for medium rare but it was anything but. While flavorful, we couldn't eat about 60% of it as we spit out loads of tough, gristly meat. Such a waste! On the up side, the fried rice was tasty with a nice crunch to it, similar to being cooked in a clay pot.

Kampachi - $42.00 (special) A tad pricey for the portion but I guess fish are prone to inflation too! The filet was warm, perfectly seasoned and seared with medium firmness. A creamy-savory orange sauce pooled the plate and complimented the fish nicely. Accompanying sides were moist sweet potato mash flanked with crisp plantain chips and sautéed veggies.

DESSERT: Olive Oil Cake & Vanilla Ice Cream I don't have a sweet tooth but took a bite of the warm and moist yellow cake just to try it. It was good but a bit too sweet for me. The vanilla bean ice cream was mainstream. Their rocky road ice cream was sold out so it must be homemade and good!

RESERVATIONS: I booked via Open Table a day ahead and got bar seating reservations for 5:30pm on a Saturday as no other times or seating options were available.

SERVICE: Greeting was immediate and professional. Harry, the bartender, took great care of us as we sat at the bar for dinner. Server Josh also was terrific and recognized my spouse as they used to work together on Maui.

OVERALL: A perfect end to my daytrip to Oahu. Everything was excellent sans for that bavette steak.