"For 1" Dining in Oahu
There's a lot of posts re:restaurants recs in Oahu, but I was wondering if anyone had any specific recs for 1-person dining. I'll be there on my own for a couple of days and was wondering if anyone could provide some recs (cheap to expensive) where a person can feel comfortable on their own. Thanks in advance.
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I just returned from my trip to Oahu and wanted to thank everyone who responded. Here’s a brief overview of some of the restaurants I experienced during my short trip. (btw, I had no idea that the food in Oahu was going to be sooooooo good!)
Ocean House at the Outrigger Waikiki – Although it didn’t come up as a rec, I ended up here on my 1st night b/c it was close to where I was staying and had a stunning oceanfront view. The food and service were fantastic. I had the pan-seared onaga lightly dressed with a shoyu/ginger vinaigrette and citrus beurre blanc, served with jasmine rice and bok choy. The fish was fresh and perfectly cooked (not overdone, which so many restaurants get wrong on here on the mainland!). My server never rushed me and made me feel very welcome.
The Pineapple Room – As suggested, I went here for lunch. I had the grilled ahi burger, which was delicious. The fish was a bit overdone, but its freshness and the dish altogether made up for it. The service was ok: not good, not bad. I guess b/c it’s a lunch crowd, they aren’t as attentive.
Ola at the Turtle Bay Resort – I ended up here for lunch as I was exploring the north shore. The restaurant is built right on the sand, and has a beautiful view of the small secluded beach. I had the fresh fish of the day Hebi served with Mesclun salad, with julienne carrots, beets and grape tomatoes. It was my first time trying Hebi and it was lovely: mildly flavored, firm, fatty fish. It was slightly underdone, but I don’t mind having fish served medium. Service was friendly.
Kakaako Kitchen – I’m not exactly sure what the hype is about this place. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the food for what it was (food for good value), but it is no different than any other take-out places. I had the crispy fried sweet chili chicken, which came with rice and tossed salad. The sauce drowned the chicken pieces and was a bit too salty (needed more sweet chili). To me, it was regular foodcourt food, but perhaps I just ordered the wrong dish.
Arancino – I read about this Italian restaurant in one of those free brochures you get around Waikiki. Since it was close to my hotel, I gave it a try. It was getting busy but they were still happy (or at least it seemed) to seat a solo diner. I had the proscuitto and arugula pizza, and it was excellent. I was in Italy in fall 2005 and the pizza brought back memories of that trip. All the ingredients seemed like they were freshly imported from Italy. Much is to be desired regarding the restaurant’s décor, but a great food experience nonetheless.
There were so many other rec’d restaurants I wanted to try but given my short stay, I couldn’t. I will definitely have to make it back to Hawaii sometime soon ;)
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re: goop
Bill Hunt
Feb 12, 2007 05:32 PM
Thanks for the report. Sorry that my "second" for AW's Chef's Counter was posted so late. Glad that you found good service as a solo diner. I am often in that same position, as my wife is constantly in meetings and at functions around work. I am on my own in SF, DC, LV and many cities up and down the CA coast - though never in Hawai`i, so I only have a tiny bit of a feel for how a restaurant would respond. I'm relieved, that you encountered good service and mostly good food.
Hunt
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Just saw the Shrimp Truck yesterday - not quite as scenics as North Shore's, but was wondering how it was, compared to Romitti's. Only ever had lunch at the Pineapple Room & had the best burger & coleslaw ever there & delicious tapioca fruit dessert. Was disappointed for the first time at Mariposa last month - the lobster sandwich was a let down. Won;t stop me from returning though!
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manomin
Feb 3, 2007 09:42 AM
The Mermaid Bar at Neiman's is nice although I'd take Mariposa anyday. Mermaid just
redid their menu to include custom salads, pick from a list of many things and they
will make it for you optional protein is on another list to add. If you get to Kailua there
is a nice menu at Morning Brew in the little shopping center where Times supermarket
is quite relaxing and delicious. -
I find myself in the same predicament every night now that I have moved here.
I don't know from where you are coming, but here in Honolulu they still subscribe to the idea of "the more, the better". In San Francisco, lately I had detected a hint of a move to "quality over quantity", maybe because of the obesity epidemic, very visible here.
The Pinapple Room has been a disappointment. Five visits in five months confirm that they are exceedingly slow and the food is uneven. So far the fish has always been good, so stick to it.
I've had a goat cheese salad with a big chunk of cheese totally flavorless. How can you manage to get goat-cheese with no flavor, is a mystery to me (unless, of course, is
heavily diluted, to make it amenable to those that don't really like it but are not willing to admit it because nowadays goat cheese is trendy).I've had a NY steak ordered "rare" that it was not even "medium-rare", just "medium"; when I made a fresh cut for the waiter to see for himself, all I got was a blank stare. On top of that, the steak was cold (well, actually lukewarm). The hilarious part was when I overheard the manager asking the next table what was the complaint about (I did not complain, mind you, I just answered truthfully the waiter's formulaic question "And how is everything tonight, sir?". Eventually, he got the table right and paid me a visit, offering to get the steak redone; and, what, having to wait another 45 minutes? Forget it.
If you like espresso, do not even consider it there. They use the services of a Starbucks-wannabe coffee bar that is just outside, and it is simply terrible.
The places I've enjoyed the most are Hawaiian Ono (inexpensive), On Jin's Cafe (nicer than it sounds), Hau Tree Lanai (I like eating outdoors and the food is not bad at all). The single time I've been at 808 Kapahulu was good too.
Kakaako Kitchen is good, too, but it is take out. Another one similar but smack in the middle of Waikiki, is the bombastically named Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood Company, a bus parked in an empty lot at the corner of Kuhio and Kaiolu: pretty good food in a styrofoam container.
I hope this helps!
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John Manzo
Feb 1, 2007 12:43 PM
Shokudo, one of the high points of our recent visit to Hawaii. Delicious, inexpensive Japanse fusion with great service for singles at the bar. It's near Ala Moana Center.
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Chef's Counter at Alan Wong's!! I was also comfortable on my own in the Pineapple Room for lunch one day...
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re: torta basilica
Bill Hunt
Feb 12, 2007 05:24 PM
I strongly second the Chef's Counter. You will be made to feel, as though you are part of the AW aikâne, "family friend."
Another place, that comes to my mind is the House Without a Key, at the Halekulani. It's set around the pool, and the performance stage. Very relaxed atmosphere, though the total experience was a bit less than I had expected, having dined at La Mer (upstairs) many, many times. If I were dining single, it would be a fun place with good entertainment.
Considering the elegance of both Chef Mavro's (just one block from AW's on King St) and La Mer, a single diner would be very pleased.
Sorry that three of the four recs. are at the high-end of the dining spectrum.
Hunt
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