An Annie's Update

Annie’s ( www.anniesislandfreshburgers.com )

For a burger joint this is quite a nice culinary experience.

Passing south through Kainaliu village you would find the Mango Court Shopping Center, a small strip mall situated on the makai side of the road.  In the midst of the shops you will find where Annie plies her trade.

The ambiance is interesting.  Although the eating area is totally enclosed the makai windows, when opened, give the essence of al fresco dining.  The diners may overlook a parking lot bellow but the ocean appears to be within reach.  The restaurant is small but is not too noisy.  The service is friendly but not overwhelming.

The menu is full of burger variations with a couple of vegetarian sandwiches.  I have eaten at Annie’s a number of times and my overall impression is that it has its excellent features and it has some features that are not so great.  The first thing to report is that it is no value.  The food is good but the prices are high.

Regarding the food, the meat (local grass-fed beef) is very good.  The toppings are fresh and very tasty.  A really excellent topping, which is applied too sparingly, is Annie’s Homemade Pickles.  However, the buns (a very important part of the burger sandwich for me) are problematic.  The normal hamburger buns are very good but the chibbata-type buns are dry and undermine the sandwich.  Of course, that’s just my opinion, but it has proven true each time I have eaten with Annie.  The fries are excellent and the portion is large.  However, the onion rings have too much breading and are greasy.

The bottom line for me is that, if I want to spend a little extra for a burger and fries, I will gladly sit down to Annie’s Ultimate Classic Burger with extra pickles and an order of fries.  My experience has been that that is an excellent meal.  One additional comment is that, while I love meat and I like my burgers bloody, friends have reported to me that all of Annie’s servings are rare.  So, perish the thought, if you want a well-done burger this may not be the place for you.  I will recommend Annie’s, with a few caveats, and will definitely eat there again.

Merriman's of Kamuela/Waimea

The long drive through the lava fields that cover the middle of our island was punctuated with lively conversation and bursts of laughter.  We eagerly anticipated a delicious dinner followed by the wonderful music of the Black Cuban All-Stars.

We were the first to be seated but the room quickly filled.  Although there are two alcoves bracketing the entry, the room is configured like a dining hall with the kitchen and bar areas at the room’s far end.  It was interesting how varied the age of the diners was, with multiple groups of younger people interspersed with small seatings of older patrons.  As the room filled the noise level rose rapidly.

The service was very prompt and extremely attentive.  The staff was impressively knowledgeable regarding the food’s preparation as well as its origin.  Nearly all of the dishes were prepared primarily with locally sources products.

The wine list is both extensive and impressive.  We sipped cocktails as we perused the menu and the wine list.  After we had heard the special preparations for the evening and selected our dinner entrees I chose what turned out to be an excellent 2007 Littoria “The Haven” Pinot Noir.  It had beautiful legs, was very smooth, and had rich berry and mild oak tastes.

For our appetizers we selected three things.  First we had the springs rolls stuffed with succulent locally grown grass fed beef, placed on a bed of herbs and lightly dressed with a light sauce   This tasting was quite dense and not what we expected from a spring roll type dish.  The herbs were excellent but the sauce was lost in this serving.

Second we had the Ahi appetizer.  It was comprised of tuna presented in three different ways.  The first was encrusted katsu style.  The tuna was obviously a lower grade cut but the overall taste was excellent.  The second was uncooked shashimi grade cuts of tuna to be dipped in shoyu and wasabi sauce.  It was like eating slices of rich butter with a little kick from the wasabi.  I would place a small bit on my tongue, allow it to rest a moment, close my eyes in utter enjoyment of this most delicious of total taste and texture sensations.  The third was a poke (pronounced po-kay in Hawaiian) of shaved Ahi, sauce and herbs combined to create a very nice, mouth-watering bite.  Although this dish was not particularly well presented it is impossible to undermine this tasting, given that the quality if the tuna is of high grade.  As you may know, the quality of the tuna is determined by the time of the year, for the best tuna is generally gathered during the winter and spring in the cooler waters.

We selected entrees of pork and lamb to broaden our tasting experience.  The pork was a center cut pork chop covered with a deliciously rich hunter sauce filled with mushrooms and placed upon a bed of buttery rich herbal mashed potatoes.  A small slice of pork dipped in the hunter sauce and topped with a portion of the buttery potatoes was simply an outstanding taste sensation.

The lamb cut prepared on this evening was lamb shoulder.  The meat was nicely sliced and placed on a bed of herb-enhanced polenta garnished with feta and fresh vegetables.  The polenta was lovely, although it was a very small portion, but the meat was not a particularly good cut.  The vegetables were al dente but the overall presentation was not of the highest quality.  This was certainly the low point of what had, heretofore, been an excellent culinary experience.

We finished with a cup of Kona coffee and a large portion of Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake, which we shared.  We sat back for a few moments as we awaited the check.  We decided that, given that we had eaten at this fine restaurant many times over the past 20 years, the quality of the total dining experience had noticeably declined over the past few years.  The food was good but not of the quality of many of our other culinary experiences.  We will return because it is the best on our island but we have come not to expect too much.

Mi's Italian Bistro, an update

Each time I dine at Mi’s I want to comment that it is not an Italian Bistro (I’ve never had mashed potatoes in Italy), but I look at the menu selections and decide against such a comment.  Maybe it should be a trattoria.  I don’t know.  The bottom line is that the food is always nicely presented, well seasoned and delicious.  The service is always very good and the ambiance is pleasing.

During my last visit my guest and I began with a very tasty Shrimp Scampi bathed in a delicious garlic butter sprit zed with lemon.  The large shrimp were placed on crostini and topped with pieces of fresh basil and arugula.  What a great start.  I accompanied mine with a nice glass of Chianti and my guest had a buttery chardonnay.

Our second course provided mixed reviews.  My entrée was a perfectly done thinly sliced Veal Parmesan Picatta placed on a bed of garlic-mashed potatoes.  The serving was garnished with crisp haricot verte and drizzled with a lovely sauce.  The sauce was white wine and butter perfectly complimented with lemon, capers and onions.  A small piece of veal topped with a bit of mashed potatoes and lightly dipped in the sauce was an outstanding taste and texture sensation.  The light Chianti was excellent with this serving, too.

My dining companion was not as impressed with her selection.  She chose the Pappardelle of Beef.  In her opinion, and my sample reflected her determination, the meat was of poor quality.  The texture was too dense and, even with the delicious sauce, had little taste.  The sauce was a Chianti demi-glaze.  The serving was on a bed of very nicely done fat egg noodles.  The course was garnished with perfectly sautéed Alii mushrooms, snow peas, sweet bell peppers and garden onions.  With a better cut of meat this would have been an excellent selection.

We finished our dinner with a rich Flourless Chocolate Torte dressed with a Wailua Chocolate Grenache, which we shared.  This heavy but lovely dessert topped what was a very nice dining experience.  I will certainly recommend and return to this cozy little restaurant in south Kona.

Tommy Bahama's Tropical Cafe at Mauna Lani

I had a nice lunch there yesterday but I must say that there are much better places close by (e.g., Monstero) and I will not be likely to return to TB's for some time for food.  However, it is an excellent place for before dinner cocktails on your way to another restaurant.

The ambiance is excellent.  It is an open air restaurant with panoramic ocean views over the top of the palm trees.  The place is nicely appointed and the music is soothing.  The service is friendly but not particularly attentive...twice we had to ask for silverware.

The food is good but not memorable.  The crab cakes (Crab Calloway...good name) are light and are served on a nice bed of Asian slaw with a drizzle of sweet chili mustard.  Actually quite tasty.  The St Croix Chopped Salad is large but without much taste despite the relatively fresh ingredients.  The South Beach Cuban Sandwich was very nice although without much pizazz.  The accompanying grilled Yucca Fries made a nice taste and texture accompaniment but couldn't rescue the overall meal.