Two James Beard award-winning chefs, Hugo Ortega and Michael Mina, have joined forces to open a new restaurant at Waikiki's International Market Place.
Ortega, a Houston-based chef, and his wife Tracy Vaught run H-Town Restaurants, and their endeavors include Xochi, Hugo's, Caracol and Backstreet Cafe.
Mi Almita Cantina, a Mexican restaurant with Hawaiian twists and focus on seafood, opened at the end of June as one of the multiple dining concepts housed in Michael Mina's The Street Food Hall. Dishes include ahi tuna crudo tostada, Kauai crab campechana, line-caught blue marlin al pastor tacos, and Kona lobster tamales.
Like International Smoke from Ayesha Curry, another The Street resident, Mi Almita started as a pop-up experimental concept at the Mina Test Kitchen in San Francisco. The success of the pop-up led to the announcement of Mi Almita Cantina in Honolulu as well as a larger version scheduled to open in the Beverly Center in Los Angeles in 2019.