GREAT EATS HAWAII: HERRINGBONE

HERRINGBONE

INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE

2330 KALAKAUA AVE

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-797-2435

HOURS: Monday thru Thursday/Sunday 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Friday and Saturday 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

www.herringboneeats.com

www.yelp.com/biz/herringbone-waikiki-honolulu

www.facebook.com/HerringboneWaikiki/

I have been seeing lots of posts on social media the past two weeks showing incredible photos from Herringbone. The seafood looks amazing. With my Daughter at the Water Park with her friends, I decided to make a date night with my Wife and try out Herringbone. I went online and tried to make a reservation but the only time available was 8:45 PM. Thats past my bed time so we made the decision to go in at 5:00 PM and see if we could get a table. We arrived a bit past 5:00 and found the bar area filled with people enjoying Happy Hour and $2 Oysters until 6:00. The hostess was all smiles and asked if we had a reservation. We said "no" and she took our name and then took us straight to a table on the beautiful outdoor lanai. The restaurant is absolutely spectacular. Beautiful use of materials and color to make this place cool and comfortable. Attire here is casual with many patrons in shorts, slippers and t-shirts. It just feels right. We had a nice waiter and service while slow at times (he apologized) was good. The kitchen got slammed at about 6:00 PM and it took a little longer to get our first course out. The menu at Herringbone is Seafood. You would think that Honolulu has a million Seafood restaurants but there are only a handful of good ones which always amazed me. Many of the social media posts show photos of huge Seafood Platters that look incredible. I just had to try one on our first visit here. The Skiff ($75) included Oysters, Shrimp, King Crab and Kona Lobster. This was big enough for two people and really filled us up on Seafood. Problem is we ordered a bunch more not knowing what to expect. Next came the Buffalo Octopus ($17) which was perfectly cooked (not rubbery) and coated in what tasted like Franks Hot Sauce. This was excellent and I highly recommend it when dining here. As we were mowing into the Seafood Platter and Octopus, a waitress arrived with Ceviche Tostadas ($21) which we did not order. I told the waitress that we did not order the Tostadas and after looking over at our waiter, she said we may keep it as it was punched into our order ticket. Tostadas were good but by now, the Seafood was becoming heavy and I really wanted some meat or anything but Seafood. I could not take another bite of fish and then the Yellowtail Crudu ($23) showed up on the table. More fish....Ahhrrggg.

I took a bite and found it to be drenched in Truffle Oil which totally masked the taste of the fish. Could not eat another bite. We were both were on Seafood overload by now and was craving something different. Ordered the Margherita Flatbread ($18) and while it was a good change from the Seafood, it was quite bland for $18. Overall we loved the Seafood Platter and Buffalo Octopus the best here. Will definitely return to try the fresh fish and maybe a steak.