Cafe Pesto

Cafe Pesto Restaurant Review:

Located in Hilo Downtown's historic S. Hata building, right on the Bay, this well-established Italian eatery has adopted distinct Asian flavors and fresh island ingredients in a sly menu of gourmet pizzas and seafood specials. We recommend starting with the fresh-baked focaccia topped with Greek olives, pesto and goat cheese from Hamakua or, our favorite, rosemary-Gorgonzola. In fact, we love that creamy, tangy Gorgonzola recipe so much we also recommend the shiitake and oyster mushrooms pizza with artichokes, topped with the same sauce. Don't pass up the risottos: The Island seafood risotto, simmered with black beans and sweet chili, includes Pacific lobster, tiger prawns and fresh fish and is served with a citrus-ginger vinaigrette. Try to leave room for dessert---the ganache, a chocolate torte with raspberry purée, is divine.