Buzz's in Kailua - Lunch

[manomin]

I have never been a giant fan of Buzz's, almost sacrilege on our side. However a recent lunch
to celebrate my birthday has changed my opinion. I had the crab sandwich and fries. The sandwich
our waiter pointed out was not as described on the menu it had changed (for the better). An amazing
amount of snow and king crab sat atop a long piece of baguette with only the slightest spread of
herbed mayo on the bread. Fresh beautiful tomatoes sweet and full of flavor were layered on the
crab meat with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese which was melted. The crab was flaked as well as
full pieces from the claw were quite obvious. It was a marvel and just the thing on a humid day.
The fries were extremely crisp and while seasoned not heavily. My dining partner (Yoshio) had
the burger which was excellent as well. Cocktails were consumed of course. I had 2 Kailua Passions
which is lilikoi frozen with a large float of dark Meyer's rum on top. Yoshio had I think it was called
a Flurry but she substituted rum for the original tequila and had a salt free rim. Our server was
friendly, energetic and full of information. What a fun afternoon! I would go back for a repeat
of this meal.

Afterwards we drove to Kalapawai Market (the original location) and had a great round of iced
espresso and perused the wine selection which has some nice Italian offerings in the mix.

[Rizza]

Im heading to Maui in a couple of weeks, and my best buddy is trying to persuade me to visit her in Kailua too. Just seeing Kalapawai in print makes me want to book the inter-island flight right now. How I love that little green store. But I've actually had some really nice experiences at Buzz's too. Mmmmmmmmmm...Kailua.

[KaimukiMan]

being a confirmed townie, i have to admit it has been a long time since i sat on that lanai and stared out at the mokuluas, but sure do have good memories of it (yes, the food too)

[manomin]

So today I again ventured to Buzz's for lunch. I am happy to report consistency is in place with the crab sandwich now served with a great side salad. The sandwich remains as described above and delicious. Another in our party had the burger which was also cooked to perfection and accompanied by their seasoned fries that were neither too salty or too spicy.
The blue cheese dressing on the side of a house salad was definitely not too heavy but full of flavor and nice sized chunks of cheese. We had a pupu of calamari and this is one calamari that others must try to stand next to. The flesh was velvety soft, moist and melted in the mouth. The caper sauce was well balanced and brightly flavored with capers and lemon. I highly suggest this as an appetizer.

One thing I'd never noticed before is when a potential patron approaches without a shirt having come straight from the beach they are not turned away by staff due to the shirt policy. Instead they are given a blue/white aloha print short sleeve shirt and warmly welcomed to dine. That's cool!

Again, I am encouraging both visitors and residents alike to visit Buzz's. The staff and management have a great sense of energy and urgency to keep the guest fed and happy.
I must get myself there for dinner one evening!

[Bill Hunt]

Hey, the shirt is a nice touch! I'm used to the paper, and '70s reject jackets, plus paper ties, in some other restaurants, with dress-codes. This is class, and should be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, we have never made it to Buzz's. Question: is this affiliated with Buzz's Wharf on Maui?

Just curious,

Hunt

[KaimukiMan]

from everything I can find, they are completely unrelated.

[Bill Hunt]

Mahalo. That was what I assumed, but I've been surprised by some affiliations in the past. I just learned that The Beach House (Kaua`i) and The Plantation House (Maui, Kapalua) are part of the same group. Not a bad thing, but something that I did not know.

Hunt

[dare2d4l]

I frequently bike to Lanikai from Kailua, and I thought I would give it a shot today at lunch. The opakapaka was one-note, oversauced, and generally boring. plus they charged me $15 for it....ouch. I never try these oceanfront restaurants even when I lived in LA, but I figured there's not that many restaurants in kailua :D oh well, fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on me again.

[Moonie]

I wouldn't be too snooty... It's good enough for a Presidential visit. I read an article that said Clinton visited that location and Obama either may have or will. :) hehe... I guess Presidents don't Chowhound enough.

[Bill Hunt]

I'm not sure that a Presidential visit is an endorsement, or an indictment. Over my decades, I've been to many of the restaurants, that they have dined. A very few, while they were dining there. To date, very few of these have impressed me.

There are a hundred people on this board, whose opinion I would value more, when it comes to food.

Now, have not done Buzz's, so I cannot address it directly. OTOH, I do believe all reviews posted by Manomin, and would follow him/her anywhere, that they like.

Hunt

[Moonie]

After seeing your one-sentence appraisal of El Mariachi (one of my fave restaurants), I'm going to have to trek out to Buzz's now that I see your report. I'm moving to Kailua so this will be a good excuse to try it out at lunch. I always hit the crowds at dinner and get disappointed in the service. I love a good crab sandwich.

[manomin]

Thanks for the kind vote of confidence! I stand by my report. The sandwich was really good and
I was very impressed with our server, he was very good! I have never enjoyed dinner there
and other lunches have been uneventful for me until that one. I forgot to mention that my friend
had dessert. It's like an ice cream that is lime flavored (?) with toasted coconut all over it, that
was very good too although I am not a dessert fan.

I recently had El Mariachi and again was pleased as well. It's easy to carry out from there since we live close by. I hope you enjoy your crab sandwich experience! I also really like Assaggio in Kailua for either lunch or dinner. It's so civilized to have a beautifully made martini and one of the tableside Caesar salads and one of their entrees. I'm always amazed at the amount of patrons at lunch enjoying martini's and said salad! Very civilized! ;-)