Iget a lot of local callers looking for places to eat, as well as a few queries from mainlanders charting culinary itineraries for their pending vacations. But few are as desperate as the secretary ensconced in her home office in Kalamazoo, or whereever -- so caught up was I in her plight that I forgot to ask -- while her boss was living it up in Hawaii. A touch of luxury
on the North ShoreIn spite of the fact that she was there, he was here and she had never set toe to sand on any of our shores, he wanted her to make brunch arrangements for his party, and it had to be on the North Shore.
(And he's the one who gets the big bucks?)
Well, the secretary didn't have many options. The only brunch I knew about was the one at the Sea Tide Room at the Turtle Bay Hilton, and I had never eaten there. So we just had to pray the boss would approve.
I never did get a report back on whether the brunch turned out well. For the sake of closure, and future referrals, I had to check it out.At $26.95 for adults, brunch at the Sea Tide Room will cost you about $5 to $6 more than similar fare in Waikiki. On the North Shore, they just don't have any competition to undercut.
A price like that is an invitation to overeat. Maybe at $14.95 you'd be satisfied with a bagel and lox and some fresh cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and orange juice. I know I would. But at $26.95, well, how could you resist adding juicy slabs of prime rib, teriyaki chicken, poke and a couple pieces of California roll?
Let's not forget the crab legs, which here actually have flavor. Most other buffets tend to feature a species of crab that is tough and withered.
FOR those who like to be entertained, singer-guitarist Benny Kai performs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There's also a show of sorts for those who enjoy cooking shows. At the omelette bar you can watch the chef toss eggs with mushrooms, bell peppers, Portuguese sausage and more.
Also on the menu are assorted cheeses, cold cuts and desserts of luscious pear tarts, apple pie and blintzes. The latter -- a mini crepe filled with savory farmer's cheese -- was kept in a warm pan which made the crepe more crispy than tender. But a crispy blintz is better than no blintz.
What I liked best, though, is this place is so laid back. You can forget about the week's traumas in this hideaway. Most brunchers will fill the room between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Knowing that, you can avoid the crowd.
Sea Tide Room
Where: Turtle Bay Hilton
Hawaiiana at Kincaid's
Kincaid's Fish, Chop and Steak House has launched a Hawaiiana promotion celebrating the cuisine of paradise as cooked up by chef James Nalu Miller, for lunch and dinner.Through Oct. 21, Kincaid's will be adding to the menu appetizers such as Bamboo Basket-Steamed Ti Leaf Shrimp Shumai and entrees such as Roasted Lilikoi Duck with Tropical Fruit Salsa.
Entertainment will also be featured 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Call 591-2005 for details.
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com-- excellent;
