GREAT EATS HAWAII: SIGNATURE PRIME STEAK AND SEAFOOD

Thursday, June 13, 2013

SIGNATURE PRIME STEAK AND SEAFOOD - A SECOND VISIT

SIGNATURE PRIME STEAK AND SEAFOOD

HONOLULU, HAWAII

SIGNATURE PRIME STEAK AND SEAFOOD

410 ATKINSON DRIVE, 36TH FLOOR

HONOLULU, HAWAII 96814

808-260-9966

HOURS: Monday thru Saturday 4:30 PM - 10:30 PM

Sunday 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM

www.signatureprimesteak.com

My second visit to Signature Prime Steak was as good as the first I am happy to say. Arrived around 5:30 on a weekday to be greeted again by the smiling hostess who did a great job setting the tone for great service. We headed to the bar to get a drink while waiting for a friend. Was surprised to find that the entire bar was full for Happy Hour. A waiter saw us standing and within a second escorted us to seating in the lounge area where he offered us menus and asked if we would like water. We ordered a glass of Cabernet at Happy Hour price of $7. Our friend arrived and the hostess graciously asked us if we would like to be seated. She escorted us to the far end of the restaurant facing Ala Moana Beach and seated us at a table next to the window. The view was spectacular but the sun was beating through the window and into our faces. A waiter politely approached the window and brought down the louvers to shade our table. As the sun set, the waiter raised the louvers without us even noticing. We started with the Seafood Tower ($49.95). This is a huge bowl of ice that is so tall you cannot see the seafood when it is sitting on the table. You can only see what is on the sides. To view the entire bowl you would have to stand up and look down. Since you eat with your eyes first, this dish misses the mark for presentation. As stated in my earlier post on this restaurant, the lobster in the tower is served cold and is pretty tasteless. We ordered drawn butter on the side and the waiter brought some out within a minute or two. The butter really added flavor. The shrimp in the tower were exceptionally fresh, sweet and delicious. I am not a big fan of the sliced scallop in the Tower. They just lack flavor. Oysters are good but there were only two. I mentioned the above to Jacque the General Manager and she really seemed to care about our critique. Lets see if they make some changes to the Tower in the future. Next up were the Seared New England Scallops ($15.95). Probably some of the best scallops I have ever eaten in Hawaii. Perfectly seared on the outside and sweet and buttery on the inside. Pure Scallop perfection here. I ordered the Iceberg Wedge Salad ($8.95) and asked the waiter if we could split it between two of us. Without a question, he said yes and they brought the salad to the table on two plates. Still a nice portion if you half this salad. I love the Wedge Salad here. The lettuce is served cold and crisp. The bacon is thick and smoky and the dressing is delicious. I would not change a thing about this salad and it is now one of my favorites. We were here on this evening for the special Wagyu Beef that was selling for $75 per piece. Yes that is not a typo. The steak was $75 and they only had about a dozen. Jacque the General Manger explained to us that they were the only restaurant in town with this high quality cut of beef. The steak was served on a large white plate with nothing else but air. Probably would have tried to add something to the plate but you are paying for the meat and it should stand alone I thought. Was it worth $75? Well let me tell you it was delicious. Just enough fat to add flavor and it cut like butter and melted in your mouth. They did not add much seasoning to this steak probably because the meat stands on its own. It was good. Really good but not really worth $75. In a "WTF" moment my rich friend who insisted on picking up the tab ordered a $300 bottle of Opus 1 to accompany the expensive steak. He followed up the Opus with a glass of expensive Scotch that sells for around $80 per glass. This guy rolls big. He also ordered the Lobster Mac n' Cheese ($19.95), Creamed Corn ($7.95) and Truffle Mashed Potatoes ($7.95) for the table. All of the sides were excellent. The Lobster Mac n' Cheese had large pieces of lobster that you could really taste. The lobster really stood out and up to the cheese. Really good stuff. I love the Creamed Corn and Truffle Mashed Potatoes they serve. Had them during my last visit and they were just as good this time. Service again was spot on and probably as good as it gets in Hawaii. Don't know if this was because it was a slow weeknight, but if they can maintain this high level of service people will return again and again. I know I will. Really cant wait for another meal here. Click below to view my first post on this restaurant.

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/06/signature-prime-steak-and-seafood.html