GREAT EATS HAWAII: PESCA WAIKIKI BEACH

Sunday, February 20, 2022

PESCA WAIKIKI BEACH

ILIKAI HOTEL

1777 ALA MOANA BLVD, 30TH FLOOR

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-777-3100

https://www.pescasea.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/pesca-waikiki-beach-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/pescawaikikibeach/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/pescawaikiki/

I don't think I have been to the Ilikai Hotel for at least ten years. The place has been remodeled and looks pretty nice. Pesca is located on the 30th floor of the hotel but don't take the regular elevators that go to the guest rooms. There is a private elevator to the right of the main elevator bank that takes you right to the top of the Ilikai and restaurant. The views are beautiful. We were greeted and taken through the main dining room where there is a fresh fish presentation. Our host explained that you can choose your fish and have it cooked in a variety of preparations. You must buy the whole fish and pay by the pound. Average weight of the ones we looked at was around 2.5 pounds. Price ranges from around $60 to $80 per pound. We were seated along the windows with a very nice view of the Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon. Tables on both sides were pretty close and you could not help but hear other peoples conversations. Not my favorite way to eat. We scanned the menu and decided we would try a whole fish, pasta and appetizers. We ordered our appetizers and a salad and then talked to the waiter about the fish. He led us back to the display case where he described each fish. My Wife saw the bright red Kinmidai and said she wanted that one. The waiter weighed the fish right there in front of us and it was about 2.5 pounds. We thought that was too big so we looked and weighed other selections. Everything was coming in a 2 to 3 pounds. We decided to just go with the Kimidai which was $78 per pound. To me this seemed very expensive as the fish would cost about $200. Anyway when at Pesca....try the Pesca. Our first appetizer arrived. Scallop Tartar with Langoustines. Looked good with the tower of Avocado, Tomato, Scallops and Langoustines on top. Mashed potatoes on the side did not seem to work with this dish. The flavors were flat without much seasoning and no real sauce to bring this together. We didn't really care for this dish but oh does it have potential if the flavors were there. The table next to us felt the same I think as they barely ate any of theirs. Next up was the Grilled Octopus which was cooked to perfection. Again there were more Potatoes and a small salad with virtually no dressing or flavor. This dish also has potential and while it was good, a little sauce of some sort would have been nice. The Beet Salad was large and filled with delicious fresh Beets. Problem was there was no seasoning or dressing. Just the Beets and lumps of Goat Cheese. I think they forgot the Roasted Potatoes (yes more potatoes) and vinaigrette. There was no dressing at all. Bummer because the Beets were delicious. We ended up taking half of the salad home and added a Balsamic dressing. Perfecto! We wanted to try the Pasta but had a lot of food. The Waiter recommended we order a half order of pasta so we did. The Spaghetti Pescatore arrived and it was just enough for the two of us. Problem was there was virtually no sauce. Pasta was cooked perfectly but there really was no flavor. Just the Spaghetti and seafood. A little Tomato Sauce would have elevated this dish. The savior of the dinner was the fresh fish prepared Acqua Pazza style with Clams, Capers, Olives and Olive Oil. A very nice server deboned and presented the fish at our table with a lazer focused attention to detail. The fish rocked. So delicious. It was perfect. The perfect $200 fish. Yahoo we were happy. Probably one of the best fish dishes of my life. I would return again to enjoy this fish. Loved it! Service was good and the staff was friendly from the time we entered to the time we left.