It's been said that the first rule of real estate is location, location, location. That's the theme behind this compilation as well. At these restaurants, you will not only enjoy the food, but also the view, whether it's of a city skyline at night or a lush, natural landscape. The eyes have it at these top 10 view restaurants in Hawaii, presented in alphabetical order.
It's been said that the first rule of real estate is location, location, location. That's the theme behind this compilation as well. At these restaurants, yo... more
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1
CanoeHouse
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, 68-1400 Mauna Lani Dr., Kamuela, HI 96743 / 808-885-6622
Feet away from lapping waves, this remains one of Hawaii's most romantic beachfront restaurants. The open-air deck offers ample opportunity to see the famed elusive green sunset flash. Under the direction of chef Deeann Tsurumaki, the CanoeHouse's East-West Pacific Rim cuisine is a mix of exotic flavors and fusion nuances. We like the Keahole lobster appetizer served with avocado, sweet corn from Hilo, and a delicate chilled tomato coulis. The entrées play with local ingredients, such as a taro brandy purée for the filet mignon, kiawe honey for the rack of lamb, and Hamakua mushrooms for the blackened ahi. A wine has been pre-selected to complement each dish (Angeline Santa Barbara Pinot Noir for the ahi, for example), but make sure to browse the wine list, which might have rarities. For dessert, you may encounter a delicacy such as a trio of coconuts, which consists of a flan, baked mochi with lime sauce, and a white chocolate-rum tartlet all with coconut. Keep in mind that, although mostly satisfying, CanoeHouse dishes change often.
2
The Gallery Restaurant
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, 68-1400 Mauna Lani Dr., Kamuela, HI 96743 / 808-885-6622
A casual clubhouse gone upscale and elegant, the open-air Gallery Restaurant on the famed greens of the Mauna Lani Frances I'i Brown Championship Golf Course features a koa wood bar and oceanview tables caressed by the breeze. At lunchtime, this is the place where a local business clientele gathers to see and be seen. The menu, which changes regularly, features Hawaii Regional cuisine influenced by Mediterranean flavors, with an emphasis on pasta and fresh fish: We love the macadamia nut-crusted ono with crisp blue crab cakes on wilted spinach in a lemon-caper butter sauce, and the goat cheese ravioli with grilled vegetables in a roasted red pepper coulis. You may find local heart of palm in dishes, or items such as heirloom tomato soup. Do try the white and dark chocolate swirl cheesecake before teeing off. The wine list has a strong selection of California vintages. Reservations are a must for dinner.
3
Ihilani
Four Seasons Resort Lana'i at Manele Bay, One Manele Bay Rd., Lanai City, HI 96763 / 808-565-2388
The best restaurant on Lanai features contemporary Italian cuisine in an elegant dining room, with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop. You'll find baked bay scallops with wilted spinach and a muscato zabaglione sauce, sirloin carpaccio with white truffle rémoulade, and phyllo-wrapped seared ahi loin to start. Wild mushroom and ricotta cannelloni comes in a light, creamy truffle sauce. Kona lobster is served whole, with risotto, zucchini and Parmigiano. Osso buco is slow-braised, served with risotto Milanese and garnished with gremolata. The open-air terrace set-up offers a splendid view of the dolphins bobbing in Hulopoe Bay.
4
La Mer
Halekulani Hotel, 2199 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815 / 808-923-2311
Since 1983, La Mer has been Honolulu's premier French restaurant. Former chefs include George Mavrothalassitis and Philippe Padovani, who have gone on to open their own restaurants. Yves Garnier, who cooked at La Coupole in Monaco for 20 years and at The Ritz-Carltons in San Francisco and Palm Beach, took over the kitchen in 1995. Fresh local ingredients---moi, opakapaka, Nalo greens---form the foundation of Garnier's dishes, but the flavors and techniques are solidly French. And why not? La Mer fans know this is the place to come for classic Escoffier-leaning cuisine, for a change of pace from the many Hawaii Regional options available. Garnier uses precious French delicacies such as generous slices of black summer truffles from the Vaucluse, fanned out on a disc of warm, dense potato salad shot through with shallots and softly chewy pieces of Parma ham; sprinkle some fleur de sel from Brittany on top for a salty crunch, and the blend of textures is distinctive---it's haute comfort food. Hawaiian fish get French treatment---the (inherited) signature dish of three different daily catches (perhaps moi, opakapaka and onaga) baked in a rosemary-scented salt crust arrives as three extremely moist morsels. The accompanying overwhelming mustard sauce and unimaginatively prepared vegetables that smack of hotel cooking are examples of the kitchen's occasional missteps. Garnier goes Gallic all the way with a wine list managed by longtime sommelier Randy Ching and a cheese tray offering selections such as Reblochon and Camembert. Desserts may include the Island Fantasy, a nugget of pistachio ice cream encased in coconut sorbet accompanied by slices of mango, all under a lacy dome of spun sugar. If you've eaten at comparably priced restaurants in, say, New York or Paris, you may feel La Mer is outrageously steep, but it's not cheap to import Vaucluse truffles and Hudson Valley foie gras, and the attentive service is impeccable. Plus La Mer has something Le Bernardin never will: a seductive open-air space overlooking the Pacific. The low-lit rooms lined with carved wood panels ooze a seaside glamour that evokes Waikiki past---you half expect to see Clark Gable and Carole Lombard sitting around the corner. As you sip your Cabernet Sauvignon you can hear the lulling shorebreak, and the strains of Hawaiian tunes accompanying former Miss Hawaii Kanoe Miller performing the hula at the historic House Without a Key below.
5
Lahaina Store Grille & Oyster Bar
744 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761 / 808-661-9090
The only restaurant on Maui to offer rooftop dining, Lahaina Store Grille & Oyster Bar provides a striking bird’s eye view of the ocean, the slopes of Mauna Kahalawai, and the island of Lana’i. Or simply feast your eyes on a plate of caramelized sea scallops over vegetable risotto with a basil-lobster sauce or the Kona shrimp glazed with sweet tequila on a Molokai sweet potato chile relleno topped with vanilla cream. For a hearty lunch we recommend starting with the spinach-artichoke dip with grilled flatbread and local Surfing Goat Dairy cheese. Move on to a butter lettuce wedge topped with Gorgonzola cream and Maui onion confit. Then wrap it up with Grandma’s meatloaf, grilled with fried baby beans, horseradish, mashed potatoes and a wild mushroom demi-glace. Or try the club sandwich with grilled veggies that are drizzled with roasted garlic aïoli and topped with provolone cheese on focaccia bread. LSB&OB has a 3,000-square-foot dining room, complete with an exhibition kitchen and 47-foot raw oyster bar. Opt for the oysters Rockefeller, or get exotic with the yuzu-ponzu shooter with spicy daikon and five-spice-sugared rim. On any given day, you'll find at least six selections of various oysters from around the world.
6
Michel's at the Colony Surf
Colony Surf Hotel, 2895 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815 / 808-923-6552
Michel’s, after a period in the doldrums, has emerged as renewed force in the local dining scene. That’s great because the location is incomparable: an elegant room that’s opens on one side directly on the beach, with the surf pounding the shore only 40-feet away. Dinner here is a sort of sunset beach picnic with linen, china and chandeliers. The kitchen under Hardy Kinscher improves each week: fresh opakapaka with a delicate potato crust on a bed of fresh spinach, duck two ways (roasted sliced duck breast and leg confit), shellfish salad with lobster and scallops wrapped in pancetta. You can still get classics here like Caesar salad, steak tartare, escargot and beef Wellington. But the new menu is worth investigating. Under Philip Shaw, the wine list has also improved with a remarkable collection of New World Pinot Noirs. Soufflés, of course, for dessert, with Grand Marnier as the favorite. In addition, Michel’s is a welcome addition to the late night Waikiki scene, with a special menu after 10:30 p.m.
7
Sarento's Top of the I
Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel, 1777 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96815 / 808-955-5559
Like its sibling, Aaron's Atop the Ala Moana, Sarento's has a dazzling view. While there's an emphasis on special occasion (attentive waiters in tuxedoes, lobsters, inflated prices), executive chef Marc Anthony also prepares contemporary Italian cuisine. Dishes include carpaccio del giorno (salmon, filet mignon), house-made pappardelle Bolognese, lobster ravioli, and kiawe-smoked pork chop dressed with onion jam and balsamic mustard. An extensive wine list, with an emphasis on Italian bottles, of course, complements dinner nicely.
8
The SeaWatch Restaurant
100 Wailea Golf Club Dr., Wailea, HI 96753 / 808-875-8080
No question this restaurant has one of the best views on the island, an unobstructed look down the Wailea Golf Course to the ocean with Molokini Crater and Kahoolawe Island in the background (during the winter you can watch humpback whales cavorting). SeaWatch is the creation of Roy Dunn and Mike Hooks (Plantation House Restaurant is the other). Forget the terrific view, forget the elegant open-air restaurant decorated with plants, pastels and a white baby grand piano centerpiece. What you'll remember is the food. A good starter is the macadamia-nut-encrusted brie. For breakfast or lunch, try the crab cakes Benedict. A popular entrée is the Island Catch & Tiger Prawns tossed with Roma tomatoes, garlic, white wine, lemon and capers, served over linguine. The American-based wine list is both well-priced and interesting.
9
The Challenge at Manele Clubhouse
Four Seasons Resort Lana'i at Manele Bay, One Manele Bay Rd., Lanai City, HI 96763 / 808-565-2000
This golf clubhouse overlooks Sweetheart Rock and Hulopoe Bay. If it’s not windy, dine outside, though the interior, with its marine murals, is also quite attractive. There’s the usual golfer’s fare at lunch (well, maybe a place for a casual but excellent dinner), with multiple small plates for grazing. Choose among shrimp and spicy green papaya with wasabi chili sauce, grilled and glazed baby pork back ribs or fresh fish or shrimp tacos with crème fraîche.
10
Village Steak & Seafood
Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, 2005 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815 / 808-949-4321
Relocated to the mezzanine level of the Hilton’s Rainbow Tower in the space formerly occupied by Golden Dragon Restaurant, this intimate eatery offers limited indoor seating but boasts an abundance of outdoor seating along a wide deck overlooking Waikiki Beach, the lagoon and those beautiful sunsets over the Waianae Mountains. Chef Andrew Yagami heads the show and arrives in Hawaii after a tour at The Beverly Hills Hotel. His convivial personality sets the tone for a delightful dining experience. The menu offers a buffet hybrid and à la carte menu. Both are done well. The buffet offers chowder or salad and desserts served alongside an unlimited spread that includes prime rib, stir-fried noodles and more. The à la carte menu explores a wider range of chef Yagami’s team’s talents and showcases the first-rate selection of Prime New York steak cuts and Black Angus filet mignon along with fresh island fish. Best time to dine is on Friday nights when the sunset is followed by the resort's weekly fireworks show. The best tables are outside with unobstructed sunset and lagoon views.
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