mmm-yoso!!!

New to the Rotation (You can probably guess) - The Market At HFS and Zgara Grill

Yes, you can probably guess which places are now on our "rotation". And, I'm pretty sure after this pandemic is over these two places will still be frequently visited by us that I didn't even write "Pandemic Rotation" in the title.

I'm sure you already read my initial posts on HFS and Zgara as those two posts probably had the most comments I've seen in a while.

Anyway, here goes:

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market:

Geeez, the Missus has me going at least twice a week, sometimes three times, you can tell She's been missing "home". Here are a couple of things I've noticed.

1 - There's more variety on the weekends.

On Saturday, they have two lines for poke. And, there's often something different on offer; like on this particular weekend.

Yes, it's the "Pretty Much Just Ahi"...….just seasoned with salt, sesame seeds, green onions. The quality of this fish was quite good.

The Missus added a bit of shoyu and wasabi to Hers......I didn't need anything.

On one weekend there was bluefin shoyu poke.....that was ono!

The item I've seen every weekend was the Hawaiian Ahi. It has a bit of limu in it, not much, but enough for you to get a taste.

2 - Of course weekends are also kinda busy.

I usually get to HFS right before they open and have noticed over the last couple of weekends, there's a line to get in before they open. It's getting longer every week.

I guess word is getting out.

3 - Don't forget to get Da' Card.

HFS has a card that will earn you a stamp for every $10 purchase.

After 10 stamps; you get a free medium poke bowl.

Sad thing is; that you gotta be ova' the increment of $10...….if you spend $29.99, you only get two stamps. Oh well.

Still, that's my third full card ready to go.

4 - Speaking of Medium Poke Bowls.....

If you're not going to eat the bowl right away - get them to split it for you. They'll separate the rice from the fish.

There's no way I can finish all that rice. In fact, the Missus and I will split the rice, so this works out perfect......only thing is, She is making me order brown rice now!

Also, this is a nice way to try smaller portions of other "stuffs" like the tako or albacore....the sesame albacore isn't bad and once they had kimchi tako that was pretty good as well.

So there you go.....I know I missed something, but heck, that just means I can do another post, right?

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Covid-19 Hours:
Daily 10am - 4pm

Zgara Greek Grill:

Right now, since they've reopened on Morena, Zgara has been a twice weekly stop for me. I know I'll eventually try some of the other stuffs on the menu....but the pork gyros was already my favorite from their days in PB. And upon walking into the shop, I'm fixated on that beautiful rotating pile of pork.

So, I'm sticking with that for now.....

I'll let you folks tell me what else is good on the menu.....

Not much else to say. And while I've heard that "ChrisW" said I had a moment of "uncontrollable incontinence" (my translation) when confronted with my pork gyro; to be perfectly clear, I didn't. Though it did get mighty close there. I'm not quite that old yet.

Still, his might be well worth peeing in my pants for.....

I spoke to the owner on my last visit since I've seen him there every day. He told me that finding someone who can make his food the "right way" is difficult to find; so he's working everyday for now. A definite win for us, but I hope he doesn't burn out.

I had a "FOY" who asks to remain anonymous send me this screen shot a few weeks back (thanks!) - from back in 2015! I had forgotten all about it. It still holds true today:

Hmmmm…….I think I know what's for dinner.

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun - Thurs 11am - 9pm
Fri - Sat   11am - 10pm

So, there you go....I think you'll be free of more posts from HFS and Zgara for a while......I've just kinda stopped taking photos since I've been going to both places so often.

Hope everyone is keeping safe and in good health!

The Market At HFS (Hawaiian Fresh Seafood) - Finally, Some Decent Poke!

I'm not quite sure how I heard about Hawaiian Fresh Seafood.....having combed thru my emails, I'm thinking it was via the "coconut wireless". Anyway, I decided to head on over to a business park in Sorrento Valley, off of Mira Mesa Boulevard, to this Seafood Wholesaler's retail market; a la Catalina Offshore.

This is one of those places that you probably wouldn't stumble across. There is a small outdoor dining area and on the side of the building you'll find the retail entrance.

And from here you just follow the signs to the retail area.

I recall being told that during these times; and I'm referring to Covid-19, the Seafood Market operation will sometimes run out of product. So, I made it a point to get there just right after they open at 10am. And wouldn't you know it; there was already four people ahead of me at different stages of being served.

I'm not sure what the Hawaii connection is with this company; I read that they have their own fishing fleet. And guess what? The really nice young man taking care of me is from Ewa Beach! As I spoke, he immediately asked me where I was from...… He is currently going to college here in San Diego.

I took a look at what was offered....it's kinda obvious that I wasn't going to be getting any salmon.....I was, after all, missing "home" and was to get something with Ahi.

So, I got the two scoops poke for $12.99. It's so simple; just like our favorite places back home, this ain't no "chi-poke" shop. It's just poke and rice. I got the Shoyu Ahi and the California Ahi.

First thing I noticed was the quality of the fish; no "sugi" (connective tissue), the fish had the perfect, slight buttery-meatiness to it. The Shoyu Ahi had been nicely seasoned, not overdone, but well coated, not overly salty; the texture as quite good. There was a bit too much mayo on the California Ahi for me; and just a bit too much "stuff". But man, the texture of the fish is what got me. Let's not get too overblown with this....this isn't as good as our favorites back home; but it's good enough to be at what I call "good supermarket" level for the islands.

To put it frankly; this makes the stuff at the place that claims to be "1-1/2" to be closer to "1/3"...….you know the word "one" and the word that sounds very much like "third".

I decided to return the next day and hit the place up on my way back home to check on Frankie to grab some poke for the Missus. She's been kind of bummed that we can't travel and especially aren't really able to go back home to visit Her parents. Spending our entire time (14 days) in quarantine would just not do it for us.

This time I even took notice of the fresh fish available......that premium grade ahi looked pretty good.

I ended up getting four 1/2 pound portions for us to sample.

Clockwise from the top - Kilauea Volcano Ahi, Spicy Ahi, Spicy Cilantro, and Shoyu Ahi.

Of course, the hands down favorite was the Shoyu Ahi. Even though it was "less dressed" than before, we just loved the meaty-tender Ahi, no off flavors...….I looked on that "four lettered" site and someone complained that the Poke only had soy sauce flavor to it....well, duh.....

The "Volcano" was quite spicy, fish was good, in fact, it was good quality across the board.

Fish nicely coated, not overly salty.

Both Spicy Ahi Poke had a bit too much mayo for my taste. I'm not the biggest fan of this style, but the Missus enjoys it, and of course has "trained me well" in making the stuff.

In the end; it's all about the fish for me and this place has delivered on both my visits. And I've been told that they sometimes have Ahi Limu, which I'm hoping is true. For now, I'll be happy with getting the Shoyu Ahi Poke.....which, for me, an ex-pat Kama'aina who isn't able to have a fruitful visit "back home" right now, means the world.

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Covid-19 Hours:
Daily 10am - 4pm

The Pacific Seafood Mariscos Truck

I noticed that this Taco Truck is again parked in the lot of V-Outlet, so I thought I'd go ahead and do the post.

A couple of months back, I noticed a Mariscos Truck parked in the lot of V-Outlet.

It's been a while since I recall a Mariscos Truck in the area. So, after a bunch of delays, I managed to make a visit.

It seems to be a nice husband and wife team running this truck. Their young daughter helped mom put the sign and up kept herself amused on the wall in back of the truck.

On this visit, I decided to get one fried and one none fried taco....I really wanted a Gobernador, but didn't see it until after I ordered ("Governor"), so I got a fish taco and a shrimp a la diabla and ate on the hood of my car.

The woman kindly offered me some consommé......

Super hot, though lacking in seafood flavor and too much celery.

The beer battered fish taco was the better of the two.

The tortilla was basic, but decent. The batter on the fish was light and crisp. The fish while not being of the highest quality (what do you expect for two bucks?), was moist and tender. The cabbage was crisp; the tomatoes in the pico….well, wasn't fully ripe, but the textures were nice. not bad.

The Shrimp al la Diabla, wasn't my favorite.

Well, this wasn't very spicy, though those cebollas de habanero had quite a kick and added to the taco. The taco was quite hefty, though there didn't seem to be much shrimp in this and it was fairly greasy and really lacked flavor. The double tortilla was a good idea, but this was just mediocre overall.

Well that fish taco wasn't too bad, so on my next visit a couple of weeks later, I decided to go with something fried (shrimp taco) and the "Governor" (Gobernador). I was again graciously given a cup of the consommé, which tasted the same as on my previous visit.

The Beer Battered Shrimp Taco was probably the best thing I've had from this truck.

There was a good portion of shrimp, like the fish taco, the batter was crisp and fairly light......as before the pico de gallo left something to be desired, but this was pretty good....I'd have it again.

The Gobernador; while not as bad as the Shrimp Diablo left something to be desired.

I did enjoy the avocado, but again there was too much vegetables and "stuff" compared to shrimp, which was overcooked and on the rubbery side. It also was on the greasy side and fairly bland.

Overall, some nice folks, the food is definitely not on par with the Mariscos Trucks in the South Bay. The shrimp taco was decent....I think staying with the fried stuff here might be the way to go.

And yes, I just passed by today and the truck was in the parking lot.

Pacific Seafood Mariscos Truck
In the Parking Lot of V-Outlet
3020 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Eating (and drinking) in the Time of Covid-19 - Chicago Fire Grill, Bay Park Fish, and Beer From Harland

How is everyone doing? Here are a couple of stuff-to-go and a couple of cold ones. I'm not going to go into the food much here....it's just not the time for that.

Chicago Fire Grill:

I went to grab a quick lunch for the few souls who are still in the office....plus I wanted to see what "words of wisdom", George, the owner had. Anyway, upon getting there, I ordered from the doorway....George asked me if I could hear him......I told him, "I could hear you from Orange County....."

We all had a zillion calls during the day and with all the self-quarantine, it actually felt good to get out for 20 minutes to grab lunch and scurry back to the office and yet another call.

George says that he'll hang in there; though he wasn't totally sure about the hours....he's trying to keep it going at least for lunch.

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

Bay Park Fish Company:

During my short shopping stop at Seisel's, I saw this sign in front of Bay Park Fish.

And while BPF has kinda fallen from favor for us over the years; it along with Siesel's were the subject of one of my first posts back in 2005. So I went in and placed an order before I went to Siesel's. When I got out of Siesel's and walked over, my food was ready...….I decided not to take the 30% off and also tip a bit...….it's almost like my responsibility.

Got the shrimp torta and smoked fish stack.

Currently open from noon to 5pm for take-out.

Bay Park Fish Co.
4121 Ashton St.
San Diego, CA 92110

We've been trading food with Frankie's favorite auntie "Alle", who lives close by. One day, she had gone on a "beer run" to Harland and graciously gave some brews.

Here's the Harland Japanese Lager.

And something really special; the Harland MoMo Mochi IPA.

Nice, slightly fruity, mildly sweet, in the session IPA hoppiness scale....very nice Hazy IPA made with...well "Momo" (peaches) of course.

Thanks Alle!

Be safe everyone!

Point Loma Seafoods (yes, more visits)

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog with posts of places to eat in and around San Diego as well as the world.  Today, it's a San Diego post. Cathy is writing while Kirk is adjusting back to this time zone.

There have been plenty of posts about this (since 1963) San Diego institution. My latest post was in 2018.  So, here's another one. We stop here whenever we are at the airport, picking up or dropping off.
 There is a fresh fish counter for convenient purchases, with a restaurant menu above. THIS is a link to a current priced menu.
When you walk in, there is a white board (which is back) with some current specials, which are not on the regular menu (seasonal items). You step up to the counter, order and pay and your number will be called. 
 You grab your own beverages and find a seat, indoors or upstairs or outside.
 The 'Combo"-Bay Shrimp and Crab salad is market Price ($17 this day).  A very large portion (the photo doesn't show the depth of the container), Mixed greens, great portions of fresh Dungeness crab and plenty of (quite large) Bay shrimp.  The house made dressing is perfectly complimentary.
  A bowl of New England clam chowder ($4.92/$5.30 with tax) is made using a wonderful recipe with whole chopped clams and potatoes, celery and onion (and of course, real cream). Again, my photo doesn't show the size of the bowl properly, but this and the salad were easily shared as a nice lunch.   When you order the fried clam plate (it's listed on the black colored white board at the door, this day for $26), a container of Ipswich Belly Clams is pulled from the glass counter and given to the kitchen so they can begin the frying process, which is perfect.  A nice cornmeal and flour based breading, fresh clams; nothing more needed. The Mister craves these, a childhood treat when growing up on the east coast, when he could grab a bag of fresh fried clams to munch on while riding his bike to and through Rhode Island. The fries are thin and perfectly crisp, the slaw here is unique-bell peppers along with the fresh, crispy cabbage and light sauce- flavors so fresh and unadorned, letting the ingredients shine.  
 The Combo Seafood Plate ($17.50) Two pieces of cod, Two shrimp, one crab cake.  A little bit of everything, perfect fried.  Just so satisfying and perfectly fresh and flavorful.  The tartar sauce is (also) made here and complimentary to the fried items.  The cocktail sauce has a nice bite of horseradish and we only use it for the smoked fish.  

A San Diego Institution still around for a reason. 

Point Loma Seafoods 2805 Emerson Street San Diego, CA 92106 (at Scott Street) (619) 223-1109 Website Open Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 10-7 (these are winter hours) 
 

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina

La Catrina has been somewhat of an enigma for us. I first noticed this shop on the corner of University and Herman, in the former location of Tostada's while walking around the area when the Missus was getting Her hair done one day.

A few days later we dropped by for dinner and really enjoyed the tacos......

And the Missus loved the salsas as well; especially the version with chili de arbol and nuts. It was spicy and complex, really heightening the experience.

So, I was thinking we'd do a couple of more visits, then I'd do a post.....except, the menu kept changing, the Rib Eye and Bone Marrow tacos we'd enjoyed changed.....

Then the rock shrimp tacos; which were delicious on a previous visit, were suddenly not fried on one visit.....

On the next visit the shrimp were nicely battered and fried, but now came with fries.....

And then, to top things off, we went twice during hours posted on the place's website; only to find them closed. Sigh.....

So, after three actual visits and two aborted visits, I basically called it quits.

Until we recently got back from Mexico City. The Missus really wanted some tacos....actually She missed the great salsas we had. So, after checking out the hours on La Catrina's website, we returned. And so far so good.

There was one dish we've had at La Catrina on every visit. It's the Carnitas and Octopus Cazuela; a shareable portion of porky, rich carnitas, and nicely prepped octopus.

The flour tortillas served is a bit inconsistent at times; but when you get it slightly charred it just brings the flavors up to another level. I never thought the combination of carnitas and pulpo would work, it does in this case as the octopus adds a very nie texture. And yes, the Missus loves the salsas....

When things are right; there's a wonderful combination of textures, along with the richness of the pork, the acidity and slight pungency of the onions and pico de gallo, all brought together by the charred flour tortilla and picante salsas. And while it's not always been perfect, it's never been bad.

What we also did on our two recent visits is get whatever Happy Hour or special is going on.

There's usually the Rock Shrimp Tacos.

Which were 2 for $7 during our most recent visits. And the last time we had them; the layer of queso on the tortilla had been wonderfully griddled, forming the perfect, crisp, nutty-milky shield for the tortilla. The shrimp were crunchy, moist, and quite well, but not overly seasoned.

This last time the Fish Tacos were 3 for $8.

The Missus loved these. The fish was perfectly fried, crunchy exterior, the flesh moist, with a mild sweetness. It went well with the smooth and creamy guacamole and of course the salsas.

On our previous visit the Rib Eye Tacos were 2 for $7. While the portion of meat was quite generous, we didn't for these very much.

The meat was tender, but hadn't been seared properly and lacked color and the flavor a nice caramelization brings to meat. It was moist, but also seemed on the greasy side and hadn't been seasoned enough for our taste. The queso had not been griddled enough so it was soft and didn't protect the tortilla from all that juice and grease; causing the taco to lose its integrity and fall to pieces. Maybe you'll have better luck with this one.

Something we tried twice but didn't have much luck with at La Catrina is the Ceviche.

Both times we tried this; the fish had been chopped into fairly small pieces and had been overly "cooked" in the lime juice making it mushy. Also, we found the ceviche to be way to sour and salty both times. We haven't tried it on recent visits, so maybe......or maybe not.

We really enjoyed our last two visits to La Catrina; it seems we've found what works for us and what we enjoy. The staff here has always been friendly, welcoming, and quite nice. I'm hoping that all the inconsistencies we ran into are over. I'm also hoping the place survives. Perhaps it's because we eat at a rather early hour; but we've rarely seen more than one or two other tables filled during our visit. There's so much potential here.

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours (as of this past week):
Tues - Thurs 4pm - 10pm
Fri - Sat    Noon - 1am
Sunday       Noon - 9pm
Closed on Monday

Seasurf Fish Co (Del Mar)

Thanks for stopping by to read today's issue of mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.  Kirk and His Missus are continuing their vacation and Cathy is writing this post.

In early October 2017, when The Mister and I were leaving Bushfire Kitchen after a lovely lunch, we saw signage across the parking lot about some sort of seafood restaurant 'opening soon!'.  There it ended.  Until a few weeks ago when I was driving and heard a special ring tone from my mobile phone and needed to pull off the freeway to respond immediately.  So here we were in the same parking lot... Seasurf opened in late October 2017 and was the fourth partner of a group of Los Angeles/Culver City/Santa Monica based restaurants named Sea Salt Grill.

It's a walk up, order, pay type place with your food brought to your table.  There is indoor and covered outdoor seating.  The menu is varied with Salads, Sandwiches and Poke.  There are Grilled, Steamed and Fried choices as well as Bowls, Tacos, Burritos with interesting 'sides' and 'extras'.  We sat down with the menu to plan this meal. 
 Seaweed salad ($3.99) was a reasonable choice to serve as a palate refresher during the meal we planned.  Fresh, tender (I somehow have had a few unfortunate encounters with seaweed texture which I can only describe as 'shredded plastic') with a subtle sesame flavor.   A large, flavorful serving. 
There are two home made soups available ($3.99/cup) and we ordered one of each.  The Baja Seafood Chowder 'cup' (I wonder how large the bowl is) filled with fish, shrimp and sea clams along with tomato, carrots, celery, onion, hominy and potato was really good.  The Fisherman's Wharf Clam Chowder had sea clams and baby clams along with onion, celery and potato.  Also excellent.  Even side by side it was difficult to pick a favorite.  
Of course we chose the Crispy Calamari ($6.99) to share.  The light cornmeal breading and perfectly fried, tender squid was also great.  The tartar and cocktail sauces were fresh made and really tasty.  Kind of sad it was the only fried item we ordered, but in reality it was just enough.
At the bottom of the "Off The Grill" part of the menu was Seafood Cioppino ($13.99).  This was a perfect item to share.  Scallops, clams mussels, shrimp, calamari and fish in a garlic tomato sauce: traditional Italian stew on top of a small serving of rice.  The two pieces of  grilled toast were just enough to sop up the rest of the juices. Such wonderful flavors!

Condiments were not needed for any of this meal. 

So glad we stopped and were able to try a bit of everything. There will be return visits.  

Faye has been here.

Seasurf Fish Co 2650 Del Mar Heights Road Del Mar, CA 92014 Website (858) 280-7100 Open: Mon-Fri 11a.m.-9 p.m., Sat-Sun 12-9

The Fancy Fish (Mira Mesa)(again)

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk is taking some time off and Cathy is filling in with posts about meals she has enjoyed. 

First things first.  I wrote a post about The Fancy Fish in July, 2017.  The menu prices are the same. The only difference noted is there is an $8 Fish and Chips special (along with a few other items) now offered daily, instead of only on Friday (and on Friday, the Fish and Chips is $7.50).The (currently only, but soon to be referred to as 'the first' San Diego HMart is just to the right in the above photo). 

 Walk in, order, pay and your food is brought to your table.  You'll be checked on by one of the owners during your meal. 
The glassed in open kitchen can be fun to watch.  In front of it, you can get your own beverage (from a Stubborn Soda machine), utensils, condiments and, if needed, to-go boxes.
 We decided to try the daily $8 Fish and Chip special (there are other specials, too).  
Two large pieces of white fish, lightly breaded and perfectly fried, served with a good portion of thin cut (also perfectly fried; non-greasy) potatoes and an excellent slaw.  This by itself could be a light meal for two.  But, we were hungry.
Seared albacore tuna salad ($12.50) was the order.
The salad is served in a very large bowl (almost three inches tall) with a choice of house made dressings (Ranch, Thousand Island, Cilantro Lime, Toasted Sesame, Honey Dijon, Berry Vinaigrette and Cusabi (cucumber wasabi; a pleasant, lighter version of straight wasabi).

Fancy Fish is an underrated, gem of a restaurant.

The Fancy Fish 9430 Mira Mesa Blvd (at Westview Parkway) San Diego 92126 (858)586-6228 Website Open Sun-Thurs 11a.m.-9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Lenten Specialties for 2018- fish sandwiches, seafood specials and tuna pie(!)

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog.  Kirk has written the majority of posts this year and needs a break. Cathy finally has the time and energy to write about  various foods she has enjoyed; the blogging will continue, uninterrupted. 

You probably notice each January that fast food places make an effort to showcase some sort of 'new'/limited time seafood based item.  This is perhaps in conjunction with consumers'  'New Year Resolution' to eat less meat and/or the beginning of the 40 day religious season of Lent, which begins on the day after "Fat Tuesday" and ends on Easter, during which some Christians only eat pescatarian meals.  In any case, most of the items shown here still seem to be available. For example, there is the McDonald's Filet o' Fish, which is available at a discounted price (around $2) on Fridays all year.  The squared, solid, breaded and fried fish chunk is topped with a 2/3 slice of cheese and tartar sauce and served on a steamed, soft white bread bun.  Of course, in March, having a Filet o' Fish along with a minty Shamrock Shake is a short-lived flavor combination.  For quite a few years now, Wendy's has offered a North Pacific Cod sandwich (~$4), which is unique and excellent.  The cod is flaky, the fry is crisp and not greasy, the toppings of lettuce, tartar sauce and pickles are just right.  This year, a few locations of Chick-Fil-A offered a fish sandwich and fish strips on Fridays during Lent.  It did not taste like chicken, the sandwich had the 'traditional' CFA topping of two pickles and was certainly different for the chicken-centric chain.
 Popeye's offered a $5 " Shrimp Tackle Box" for a limited time.  There were a dozen spicy battered, plump shrimp, along with seasoned fries and a biscuit in this filling meal. My friend, and fellow blogger, cc, sent me this photo of the Fish and Chips she and Bert had at Fuddruckers.  $10 for three fish pieces and fries.
cc and Bert also managed to try the (real!) crab sandwich offered at Boudin.  The limited offering will be back next year and I'm looking forward to trying it. Then there was the day I was in National City.  There was a sign in the window and I had to stop.   Yep.   Tuna pie- $2.49.  It's been on the menu since last summer, but I never was in the neighborhood...
It's, you know, like an old fashioned Mcdonalds apple pie- fried.  Filled with a warm, creamy tuna (no noodle) casserole, this was a great snack.
Yes, I ate in my car.  It had been a long day and there was going to be traffic on the way home. 
I also bought a taro boba drink.  It was great. Did you know Jollibee is the flagship of Jollibee Foods Corporation, the largest and fastest growing Asian Restaurant Company in the world?
 

Thanks for reading!

Lana'i - Dinner at Nobu

My In-laws had really enjoyed Lana'i so far....there was something about the freshness of the air, the relaxed vibe, and for us, being about 8 degrees cooler than Oahu. After a nice nap; we awoke and decided to take a short stroll.

Dole Park is basically the center of the city. Most of the businesses line the street around the park. As do buildings like the city's district court.

Let me ask you; have you ever seen a Court House that looks like this?

Soon enough it was time to head off to dinner. Initially, I had wanted to try the Lanai City Bar and Grill which we had tried on our previous visit. I'd heard some really good things about the new Executive Chef. Unfortunately, it was Monday and the restaurant was closed. So, I decided to make dinner reservations at Nobu....yes, Nobu, which opened several months after our previous visit.

We arrived for dinner reservations; the dining area is very nice; with great views of Manele Bay.

Our Servers were excellent; professional and yet quite friendly.

I started with a perfectly decent Pisco Sour; though the Missus lamented the lack of "eggy-richness" like what She's had in Peru.

For pupus we started with the Grilled Shishito with Den Miso ($10) and Edamame with Truffle ($12).

We'd have preferred our shishito peppers with a bit more color to them as they weren't "grilled" enough to develop the deep roasted pepper flavor, nor make them more tender. The peppers had retained too much of the chlorophyllic green flavor.  The miso-sugary Den Miso did fairly well on this, but would have been even better had the peppers been roasted/grilled properly.

The Edamame was fine; still very firm and had a light drizzle of truffle oil.....a very light drizzle.

The Whitefish with Dry Miso ($28) was next.

One of Nobu's signature dishes; a firm whitefish is topped with dehydrated miso; olive oil, sliced garlic. The fish was super dry and tough....even for shiromi. The garlic chips make things a bit too bitter and for some reason; the miso powder was very bland.

One of the dishes the Missus, a real mushroom lover, wanted to try was the Crispy Shiitake Salad ($26).

The deep fried mushrooms were really mild in flavor; lacking that sweet-earthiness. The greens were very fresh and lovely, but the dressing had too much rice vinegar for our taste and really over-shadowed the truffle oil in the dressing....you barely knew it was there.

Our favorite item of the evening was the Warm Mushroom Salad($29).

Again; the greens were excellent, crisp, fresh, with a sweet-bitterness. The mushrooms were sautéed to perfection; not overdone, the texture firm yet yielding. There was the perfect balance of seasoning, salt to acid to really bring out the best in the mushrooms.

Our least favorite dish of the night was the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna ($28).

Man, that rice was hard, not crisp, hard, and the centers; which should give way to some softer-creamier rice was also hard. And this coming from a guy who loves Yaki-onigiri. The scrapings used for the spicy tuna was more fishy than we prefer.

Since there were four of us; I ordered the Black Cod Miso in Butter Lettuce ($9/piece - $36).

This was fine; though the fish wasn't as fatty as I prefer. Still, not bad, mild richness, balanced sweet-umami tones. My MIL agrees with the Missus that they prefer my (based on my Mom's) recipe as this was on the mild side for them.

The last dish was the Pan Seared Opah, Crispy Ong Choy, with Truffle Yuzu Soy ($32). Man, this could have been a winnah! However......

We were forewarned that this was going to come out medium; which made my heart sing. Opah is terrible when over-cooked, making it leathery and dry. When this arrived; well, it had been overcooked, and was so dry. The yuzu-soy; though again very light on the truffle had a nice savory-umami-sour-light sweetness and went quite well with the super tender and almost sweet broccoli; which I'm assuming was local.

In the end; our service was great....which is what made the meal, as the food was uneven and somewhat disappointing; especially at this price-point. The Missus and I have had several meals at different locations of Nobu over the years and for some reason have never been "wow'd" by our meals. Not sure what it is as I've made items (with some adjustments) from a couple of his cookbooks over the years which have turned out well.

Nobu (at the Four Seasons Manele Bay)
1 Manele Bay Rd
Lanai City, HI 96763

Well, at least it was a beautiful night in Lana'i City!