reviewing the food & entertainment pleasures of Honolulu
First impressions are important, but a faux pas at the end of a restaurant visit can really mar the experience. Last night we met friends to try out the new Yard Houseat the new Beachwalk in Waikiki. They don’t take reservations and as it was 7:00 on a Saturday night we expected to wait. We were told it was to be an hour and ten to an hour and twenty minutes before a table would be ready. We wondered through some of the shops nearby and then went to the Yard House bar for a drink. The have 100 beers on tap. The bar was crowded and jumping. Classic rock/pop was playing and everyone was having a good time. Just deciding on a beer took a while and then standing in line took a while also. But, we knew we had time to waste, so none of us were trippin. Finding a place out of the way of the servers was problematic, but we managed. Some of us had another beer and finally our beeper went off. It had been an hour and thirty minutes. The took us to a booth that would seat 8 easily. We had witnessed a group of 3 in a even bigger booth. It wasn’t unusual to see a couple in one of these huge booths either. This must contribute to the wait time. Oh well, it’s how they do things here.
The menu is big and varied, from entrée sized salads to steaks and chops to burgers. Our server showed up to collect the previous table’s tip with no intention of paying any attention to us. However, Howard didn’t let her get away from the table. We ordered more beers, which then took 20 minutes or more to show up. We ordered our food. Time passed. The server kept coming by and saying “no beers, still? I’ll check.” Apparently, she’s not the one who carries them to our table. The food showed up in a fairly reasonable amount of time fresh from the kitchen. I had the Chicken Garlic Noodles, with asparagus, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, smoked tofu and edamame. They were excellent. Lot’s of different flavors that worked well together. It could be improved with a nice sprinkling of herbs over it all to brighten the flavors. Still, I did enjoy it and brought half home. John had the Roasted Turkey Pot Pie. It came in a huge round bowl, covered completely with puff pastry, a whole lot of puff pastry. It was pretty. (Sorry no pictures!) It tasted as good as it looked. Ed had the New York Steak Salad. He loved it. I had some of the steak and it was tender with a nice grilled exterior, perfectly cooked and seasoned. Howard enjoyed his Ahi Steak Sandwich with side salad instead of fries. I wasn’t a fan as there was a strong tarragon flavor to it, probably in the mayonnaise.
We were all about half done with our food when our server showed up again and asked if we’d be having dessert. Dumbfounded is how we all reacted. Our plates were still half full and we were being given the bums rush. None of us had the presence of thought to challenge her and say that we might make that decision when we were done with our main courses. So, we just said no to dessert. Which we would have anyway, but still. Well, there went her tip. We split the bill on two credit cards and wrote notes on the back about the dessert issue. The evening was long and full of fun, nobody worried about waiting for table because we enjoyed the atmosphere and music. Then at the end, we felt that all they wanted to do was to get us out and get another table of guests in our place. I’ll give them another chance mainly because I’d like to explore the menu more. The food was good after all.
Yard House
226 Lewers St., Honolulu HI 96815
Phone: 808-923-9273 | Fax: 808-923-9274
Food: 11am-12am Bar: 11am-1am or later
From the Yard House website:
CHICKEN GARLIC NOODLES
Calories 1410, Fat 93g, Saturated Fat 37g, Cholesterol 305mg, Carbs 84g, Protein 63g
ROASTED TURKEY POT PIE
Calories 2020, Fat 125g, Saturated Fat 31g, Cholesterol 360mg, Carbs 132g, Protein 91g
NEW YORK STEAK SALAD
Calories 760, Fat 51g, Saturated Fat 11g, Cholesterol 305mg, Carbs 23g, Protein 56g
AHI STEAK SANDWICH
Calories 695, Fat 35g, Saturated Fat 8g, Cholesterol 110mg, Carbs 42g, Protein 54g
Sunday, March 11, 2007
