GREAT EATS HAWAII: CHAI'S ISLAND BISTRO

CHAI'S ISLAND BISTRO

HONOLULU, HAWAII

Enjoyed at fantastic meal at Chai's this week. Great food and time spent with our good friends Tom and Arlene and their son and his wife and two year old daughter. I have always liked the food at Chai's but feel that the prices are just a bit high. I started with the Lobster and Butternut Squash soup ($9). This was a great bowl of soup. Rich and creamy and full of flavor with a lobster won ton in the middle. Perfect starter. The Caesar Salad ($8) was a sight to behold and very impressive presentation. My wife loved the flavor and said she liked it a lot. Two of us enjoyed the de-constructed Beef Wellington ($38). A filet of beef topped with a mushroom and pate in puff pastry. Served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Everything on the plate was delicious but I would prefer a "constructed" Beef Wellington served the traditional way. Really good though. The Wok Fried Prawns ($33) were a huge hit. The whole Snapper ($37) was said to be tasteless. The Veal Tenderloin ($37) review was great. Tom enjoyed the Snapper ($37) and loved it. This is a bit pricey for a small piece of fish in my eyes. Children's meals go for $10 each. One had pasta with sauce and the other had Chicken Fingers with Fries. Keli enjoyed the chocolate Pyramid Cake ($9) from JJ's Bistro in Kaimuki. Other desserts included Sorbetto Sampler ($8) and Apple Tart ($8) and Vanilla Ice Cream with Berries ($6). An evening at Chai's includes live music by some of Hawaii's finest recording artists. This is good if you want to listen to music while dining. If you want to talk I would recommend taking a seat on the outside lanai where the music is more of a background and not overpowering any conversation. Service was really good on this night and the wines were good but a little too high priced. A Duckhorn Merlot goes for $100. The Stags Leap Chardonnay is $70. The wine list is limited and there are some values and lower priced bottles. Chai's Island Bistro is really good if you are not on a budget or paying the bill.

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED BUT CHAI'S OPENED ANOTHER

ON KAPIOLANI BLVD.