Alan Wong's Restaurant - (808) 949-2526

The service at Alan Wong's was impeccable. Their rolls were delicious, and I really enjoyed The Coconut, their signature dessert.

Lived in Hawaii and was there when Alan Wong's opened. It is without a doubt the best of the best. There are so many things that we liked about the restaurant. Its out of the way place, its definitely different, its upstairs in a building that you would not think a restaurant is in. When you make your reservations they take your name and when you are seated the person who seats you and your waiter from then on uses your name. its like you have been coming there forever. The Manager stops by and ask how things are going. There is usually a "special treat" from Alan, maybe its just a juice drink, or a small appetizer, and that is also followed up by a dessert piece of something at the end. The rolls are delicious, finish one, and the roll boy is there again; the water glass is never empty. My favorite is when the person brings you meal and explains everything on it, rather than some places that when someone brings you the plate they have to ask you what you ordered. The waiters don't start as waiters, they start as the bus boys and work their way up, the learn how to be a waiter and all the different kinds of food that are prepared. When you go to AW's you are treated as someone who has been coming for years, even if it is you first trip there. Yes it crowded, most great restaurants are. And the awards won by AW is overwhelming. And the best part is that AW is usually there. There are some restaurants that the owner, top chef are rarely there.

We entered this meal with much excitement, even spending time to construct our own tasting menu of six courses. What followed after we ordered however, only caused our collective bated breath to shift into sighs of despair. Each dish was cloyingly sweet obstructing all other flavors, which were assembled with no sense of balance. The execution was clumsy and overly complicated, with an end product not worthy of a James Beard award and certainly not a spot in-between Masa and Daniel on Gourmet's top 10 list. There was not a single dish that left us wanting more. Each dish led to only further disappointment, as we sat in the jumbled decor of what looked like a hotel lobby tiki bar. The only redeeming quality was that the service was generally helpful and courteous. Additionally, the kitchen, despite their severe culinary handicap, was prompt.