When it comes to best views, Sam Choy’s has it. Above Keauhou Shopping Center with a view from Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area to the north stretching 17 miles to  the south the view is unparalleled in all Kona.  The ambience is open-air, our favorite. With the bar being a center point of the restaurant the place is a bit noisy with tv sounds of football in the background. Leise is not a fan of the noise. I enjoy it. As we settle in I relax to the flavors of a good Bloody Mary.

Award winning panoramic view from Sam Choy’s Restaurant

We decide to keep it lite tonight and stick with pupus (appetizers). We order the “famous” fried poke, the “famous” baby back ribs with coconut char siu glaze, fried calamari, and big island pineapple salsa and tortilla chips. I start with the chips… they look like taro chips and pineapple salsa. The first chips are tired and stale. The chips after that get a little crisper.  The salsa is good.  How do you hawaiianize anything?… Add pineapple. The poke is fantastic!! The calamari is a little soggy. The dipping sauce for the calamari is like a thousand island dressing which has been doctored up a little, but not enough to bring me back or have me order it again. The baby back ribs have good flavor and they come off the bone well, but they don’t fall off the bone and they are not very juicy. The Bloody Mary, the poke, and the view are the highlights of our evening.  Leise also ordered a strawberry coconut frozen drink. It is wonderful.

Sam Choy’s “famous” fried poke

Sam Choy’s “famous” baby back ribs with coconut char siu glaze

Sam Choy’s fried calamari

Sam Choy’s big island pineapple salsa and tortilla chips

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As we listen to the rare sound of thunder we wonder if we have time to finish eating before its time to put the top up on our convertible car. Heh heh. With the great view, light breeze gently caressing your skin, and the pretty good food and we will probably come back and try different food selection. For ambience I give Sam Choy’s 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 3 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 3 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 3 surfboards.

Aloha,

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com

Award winning view from Sam Choy’s Restaurant 1

It’s a busy Friday night and we are at Splashers Grill in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i. Set across the street from Kona Bay and Kona Pier the feel of the place is great. It is open air. It is noisy, but in a fun busy way. The restaurant is upstairs with no windows so you feel the Kona breezes which are relaxing and soothing. While waiting a short 10 minutes we opened with a virgin piña colada and strawberry daiquiri which were tasty.

We start with Crab Cakes appetizers. They are made in-house and served with a roasted bell pepper sauce. The crab cakes are not gourmet. The individual flavors are not distinct and kinda muddle together.  They do have good flavor though. The roasted bell pepper sauce tastes very fresh. I am loving it. Leise says there okay.

For the main course I order the Catch of the Day, Machong grilled. I love Machong. I’m so excited. For side dishes I ordered the fire roasted corn and the clam chowder. Leise ordered the New York Strip with the corn and mashed potatoes. She says the steak is really good. The clam chowder is very creamy. They used a lot of flour as a thickener and it tastes and has the consistency more of a gravy than a soup. It would be great for biscuits and gravy. The flavor is good but not amazing. I wouldn’t order the chowder again. (I didn’t finish it). The fish is wonderful. The corn with roasted peppers is delightful. Just enough spice to make it pop and it tastes quite fresh. The mashed potatoes have great flavor and consistency. Interestingly, the cheese on top didn’t melt. I don’t know if they used a low quality cheese or the dish was cooling when the cheese was tossed on top.

The steak is divine!!!! The steak is grilled to perfection, juicy, full of flavor. It is a nice thick cut. To say anything more would detract from the wonderful experience.

The grilled Machong is fantastic. There is a sauce which came with the fish that tastes like 1000 island dressing. It will never touch this fish. The dish also came with lemon wedges. The fish is so good on it’s own that it would be an offense to the gods to use such training wheels. It is impressive to me that the fish was prepared so wonderfully that I became lost in the flavor and almost forgot to mention how well it was prepared. If I were to be critical I would say it was a touch dry. Whereas driving an hour north to Waikoloa Beach we could have Machong at Roy’s where the flavors would dance on your tongue and it would be twice as good, but it would also be twice the price.

We are both full. Leise even has about 1/3 left over but we did not want to disappoint you by skipping dessert. So we ordered the Harvest Carmel Apple Cake. With fresh pieces of apples, cinnamon, and spices baked into a cake and topped with cream cheese frosting, caramel, and toasted pecan pralines it is pretty good.

The outdoor atmosphere here is so very relaxing and the food is good quality and thus we will be back again. For ambience I give Splashers Grill 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 3.5 surfboards.

Aloha,

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com

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We are at Evolution Bakery & Cafe today in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. This is a sister cafe to Uptown Bakery & Cafe in Kelekakua and Uptown Downtown Bakery & Cafe in Kona behind Hilo Hattie’s off Palani Road. Both of the other cafes we dearly love.

I started with a couple juice drinks. First is the Third Eye Opening: organic carrots, apple, and ginger juice. It is wonderful. Second is the Mermaid Magic: organic local kale, local cucumber, celery, apple, melon & local Hawaiian spirulina. I drank almost all of the Third Eye in one continuous drink. It’s very refreshing. I took a large draught of the Mermaid Magic. The 2 minutes latter my entire consciousness opened up. I found myself staring out through the buildings to the ocean. Just staring and my mind opened into realms not ventured before. As I take another large draught of Magic I feel my essence relax as I contemplate my Athena wrap. I think I shall try it. It taste like a fresh Greek salad in a tasty gluten free wrap. It’s quite interesting.

Leise ordered the gluten free pancakes with mixed berries which comes with 100% pure maple syrup. Her’s was quite tasty. She said their food is good but not inspired and sour cream or whipped cream would help. What I mean is, when my wife cooks she understands all the layers of flavors and textures that it takes for a meal to dance on your tongue. She also understands how important the visual experience needs to be. I am not saying their food isn’t good, it’s just not extraordinary.

This is the way the Athena Wrap arrived at the table

I ordered the Athena wrap: non dairy cream cheese, local non-GMO tomatoes, organic spinach, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, red onion & daiya on a gluten free wrap. Mine looks great. The onions and the Kalamata olives were the best part of the wrap. The flavors are good, but it is lacking that wow factor. It tastes like a very fresh and healthy Greek salad in a healthy but not flavorful tortilla.

This is after my wife spent 2 seconds cutting it with a plastic knife and plating it properly. They just need to spend a little time on presentation.

The outdoor seating is nice but limited. The noisy motel style air conditioner is annoying thus detracting from the experience. The food is good. The juice drinks are very fresh. Knowing how much more we enjoyed the sister cafes I doubt we will come back to this location other than as a matter of convenience. For ambience I give Evolution Bakery & Cafe 2.5 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 3 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 3 out of 5 surfboards.

Mahalo,

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com

Blue on Blue… Really? If you own a restaurant and haven’t gone to culinary school and learned plate presentation then a least read a book about how to do it.

Today I am flying solo. Leise is off doing her stuff and I have a couple hours free time and I am hungry. We have avoided El Maguey in the past because we drove by and just judged at the place from the outside. Once again in Hawaii I am learning to not judge a book by it’s cover. I love Mexican food. Being born and raised in San Diego, California it is part of my soul. I recognize this as I walk in this restaurant and just past the counter and cash register you can see the small rectangular kitchen with a large table in the middle which 4 Mexican women are preparing food.  The only language I hear spoken is English. The walls are adorned with the caballero ropes and hats and colorful blankets and skirts which have come to symbolize Mexico. Releasing a sigh, I smile. I am home.

I order a Dos XX Lager and Chile Relleno a la carte. Chile Relleno is the quintessential mexican dish for me. If they get this wrong everything will be bad and i won’t go back. If they get it right, they have earned repeat business from me. I don’t want to get to full. I know Leise will want to eat when I pick her up. The waitress brings me chips and salsa. The salsa is caliente. Thank you God. The chips are hand made corn chips tasty, crisp, and fresh.

Today I am flying solo. Leise is off doing her stuff and I have a couple hours free time and I am hungry. We have avoided El Maguey in the past because we drove by and just judged at the place from the outside. Once again in Hawaii I am learning to not judge a book by it’s cover. I love Mexican food. Being born and raised in San Diego, California it is part of my soul. I recognize this as I walk in this restaurant and just past the counter and cash register you can see the small rectangular kitchen with a large table in the middle which 4 Mexican women are preparing food.  The only language I hear spoken is English. The walls are adorned with the caballero ropes and hats and colorful blankets and skirts which have come to symbolize Mexico. Releasing a sigh, I smile. I am home.

I order a Dos XX Lager and Chile Relleno a la carte. Chile Relleno is the quintessential mexican dish for me. If they get this wrong everything will be bad and i won’t go back. If they get it right, they have earned repeat business from me. I don’t want to get to full. I know Leise will want to eat when I pick her up. The waitress brings me chips and salsa. The salsa is caliente. Thank you God. The chips are hand made corn chips tasty, crisp, and fresh.

Aloha,    James Christopher

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We have arrived on a Thursday just past 5:00pm. The location of Kamana Kitchen is right next to Daylight Mind Coffee Company, so it’s right next to the water. We are immediately seated. The place is empty. We have heard mixed reviews from friends, but it looks like they have a great menu. We are excited. Leise is very familiar with Indian food so she orders for us.  We decided to keep it light and food combine by going vegetarian. It was a good choice. Everything smells heavenly and everything tastes so very fresh.

We start with Vegetable Pakora: A mixture of shredded vegetables dipped in a special seasoned batter and fried. It is light flaky fried shredded vegetables served with two side sauces: a tamarin sauce and a cilantro, ginger dipping sauce with a little jalapeno which is fantastic. I am in awe. I am trying to remember when I have Indian food which tasted so fresh.

Our second appetizer is Vegetable Samosa: Two pieces of a delicious combination of potatoes, peas, herbs and spices wrapped in a crisp pastry. The potato inside is surprisingly fantastic with a perfect blend of hot spice. Not too thick or heavy. The flaky pastry wrap is crispy and still melts in your mouth. Any Indian meal would be remiss without a Mango Lassi. The mango lassi has a very strong cultured flavor. The taste and texture is, again, fantastic. Nice too thick a consistency, but smooth and easy to drink.

For the main course we ordered two dishes medium heat. Starting with Malai Kofta: Croquets made from soft homemade cottage cheese, potatoes and vegetables simmered in a delicious rich sauce infused with almonds. This single dish was worth the price of admission. Myriad flavors dance on my tongue with waves of flavor making me search for a proper description. This dish is mind blowing it is so good.

We also order Palak Paneer: A flavorful blend of spinach and cubes of delicate homemade cottage cheese. It has a light smooth flavor. Good, fresh and the spinach is not over powering, but not overly impressive. It’s just simply good. Leise loves it, but she loves the fried cheese. With the homemade sweet chili mango chutney the contrast is actually quite nice.

We complimented the main courses with Raita: Homemade natural yoghurt with grated cucumber and roasted cumin; and Mango Chuntey: Sweet and sour sauce made with raw mango.

To round our the the meal we ordered Onion Kulcha: Enriched white flour bread layered with chopped onions and fresh coriander. For a truly great experience, use the bread as a utensil and with your thumb and first two fingers scoop up the food with the bread. The experience keeps it fresh with no metal utensils in your mouth.

Leise just made it official, this is the best Indian food we have ever had. That is saying something knowing that she lived in New York for a while. Wow was that a great meal!

Portion were more than ample. We are full and only ate about half the food. We, of course, left a little room for dessert. We are letting dinner settle a bit. I find myself lovingly rubbing my belly in a clockwise circular motion with a smile of complete satisfaction. I never rub my belly in public… Again, I say wow.  The various spices are still dancing on my tongue. Wow! I finally look up and notice the waves from the ocean on the rocks just 30 feet away. I know it is an amazing meal when it can take my mind away from the ocean ambiance. Wow!

We finish with Pistachio ice-cream. It’s more of an ice milk made of ground up thin frozen milk and pistachios. Interesting. The flavor is good.

The only complaint I have is I felt like they were trying to move us along versus let us comfortably recline. The check was brought to us as we were packing up the take home food. I handed the check back to the gentleman as we ordered dessert and there was no push after that.

With the amazing food overshadowing the light breeze gently caressing our skin and  the waves on the rocks nearby, we are truly enjoying this experience and will come back again, very soon. For ambiance I give Kamana Kitchen 4 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 5 out of 5 surfboards. For food flavor I give 5 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 4.5 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 5 surfboards.

Mahalo,

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com

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We have arrived at Roy’s Restaurant in Waikoloa Beach right before closing.  At the behest of the manager Brian we are back again. We stopped by last month for pupus but had to run. The pupus were really good and so we vowed to get back. We haven’t been avoiding the place because of the price, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Not being familiar with Roy’s menu and trusting Brian’s knowledge, I tell him to bring whatever he feels is best, “We are looking for dinner for two and keep it light.”  I do not want a heavy meal, the last thing in the day and then have drive home.

The restaurant has an beautiful feel to it except for the noise level, the hard surfaces make it quite noisy. When you are outside the restaurant and the door opens, you can hear the noise loudly outside. We start with pupus (appetizers) of Big Island Beet Salad with candied garlic vinaigrette dressing, sprinkled with local pomegranate and roasted pumpkin seed, all on a light bed of greens…  It is wonderful.  The diversity of flavors and the light complexities dance like starburst fairies in the back of my mind.  On the side they bring a bowl of edamame which has a perfectly balanced Szechwan spice, light yet lingering. These are complimented by the fresh passion fruit juice to drink. This is a very nice start.  They have set the tone and our expectations are high. I hope they don’t disappoint.

For the entree we are brought the Jade Pesto Steamed Kona Kampachi and the Lemongrass Crusted Hawaiian Manchong.  Both are local fish dishes.  Starting with the kampachi the flavor of the fish is fantastic and with great texture that melts in my mouth. The bok choy is lightly steamed to perfection in a sesame sauce lending the right amount of flavor to the dish. I love bok choy. Topped with thinly sliced light Chinese noodles and lomi lomi tomatoes and a pesto sauce which uses no basil or pine nuts. It’s actually a cilantro scallion pesto. Instead of using salt, being Asian, Roy uses an oyster sauce.  Wow, it is delicious.

The Monchong is equally amazing.  First flavors response is more hot spices, I love it. Other than the first 3 bites at one end of the fish which were a little dry, the fish is baked to perfection. The appearance is beautiful. The balance of flavors is fantastic. The peanut sauce sneaks up on you and is tempered by the snow peas and balanced with coconut sauce. With about 25 different ingredients the mix of flavors is amazing. The perfectly cooked noodles on top are also light which contrasts the power of the spicy peanut sauce which has grown in strength and impact. I find myself slowing down my eating to savor each bite and all the flavors dancing in my mouth. I find myself pausing to truly analyze the depth and dance of the subtle flavors as one yields and fades in favor of the next. I just noticed that the snow peas have the same Szechuan spice as the edamame. Wow. I was not expecting that. I find myself at a loss for proper description because of the complexity of flavors which intermix in a symphony of magnificent flavors.

Leise just commented that she can’t believe we ordered dessert also. I now understand why I often see people waddling out of here. Roy’s has very smart management. The waitstaff brings you the dessert menu before you receive your main course. They inform you that certain desserts, including their signature, will take 25-30 minutes to prepare.  Thus you check your watch and realize it is better to order sooner than later so you don’t end up waiting around for your dessert.  This is a very good tactic. We probably would have not ordered dessert, because of how full we were by the end of the entree. That would have been a mistake.

As we square off with the dessert I find myself praying over my food in gratitude. I don’t think I have ever done that in the middle of the meal. Wow.

Big Island Coffee Cake is amazing!!!!  With pineapple and maple bacon. They take the maple bacon fat and put it into the batter and then fold some strips into the batter before baking it. I just tasted the bacon flavor. It’s nice and subtly bold. The Coffee Cake is served with light Lemon Creme Fresh. The lemon compliments and balances the pineapple nicely. The pineapple flavor isn’t just when you bite the pineapple pieces. It is a theme throughout the coffee cake.

Leise ordered the Creme Brûlée.  It’s a vanilla creme brûlée, again baked to perfection, topped with fresh pineapple, blueberries, and Waimea strawberries.  It is very smooth and creamy.  Seldom, if ever, will I back away from a good dessert. I did marry a pastry chef for a reason. I actually just pushed away the coffee cake with two bites left.

Roy’s was such a great choice. Brian’s meal choices for us, which he notes are their best dishes, was perfect. With fresh fish deliveries are 6 days a week so the food is very fresh. The entire meal was punctuated by the boldness of subtleties. Sadly for Roy’s, Brian is changing employment. He starts at Three Fat Pigs, Ippy Aiona’s restaurant at the other end of the Kings’ Shops in a few days.

With the amazing food and drink we truly enjoyed this experience and will come back again. For ambiance I give Roy’s 4 out of 5 surfboards, because it is so noisy with all the hard surfaces. For food quality I give 5 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 5 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 5 surfboards. This is one of the best meals we have ever had.

Aloha,    James Christopher

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