The Weekly Eater
ANTONIO'S is in the right place. In the heart of Waikiki, it's the kind of restaurant that happens to tourists when they get lax. The dangers of trying
to do too muchI've been in those situations in cities like Boston and San Francisco, of having made dinner plans only to find myself at the opposite end of town at the end of the day. Rather than getting in another cab or, heaven forbid, walking, I've stayed right where I was and walked into the closest restaurant that seemed sufficiently clean.
Anything will do, you try to convince yourself, because your feet are aching and you're starving. And there's Antonio's, right outside the hotel, covering all the bases in a language you can understand -- lobster, steak, salads, veal and pasta with a dash of Euro-Asian flair.
Few restaurateurs would be willing to take on this unwieldy menu and cavernous space, and I can appreciate the desire to cater to a diverse population. But trying to do too much doesn't work either. What you get is so-so food priced for the Japanese visitor market, in a room with very little ambience.
Food: Antonio's Steak Seafood Pasta
Service:
Ambience:
Value:
Address: Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center; validated parking $2
I would never walk into a restaurant like this on my own time, but I don't want to miss any potential gems. Besides, Antonio's is part of an Italian Festival taking place 5 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, with some free food sampling so guests can taste and make up their own minds.
Seafood is this restaurant's strength and weakness. The fresh sashimi is wonderful, as are lobsters out of a tank, but scallops are cut into skimpy thirds for a Caesar Salad ($11.95), and while tender inside, don't have much flavor. On the outside, the texture is bumpy and dry like aburaage.
One of the menu highlights is the Imperial Euro-Asian Platter ($14.95), which features a rosette of ahi sashimi, three delicious jumbo shrimp in a spicy coconut sauce, some dry beef and chicken brochettes and vegetarian spring rolls, all presented on a long plank that covers the width of the table.
Veal Scaloppini ($20.25) is also worth trying. It's described on the menu as an "award-winning recipe," and I believe it. It's given a light touch, topped with a white wine sauce. It's served atop a Chinese-style saute of bell peppers, carrots and cabbage.
Another of the restaurant's assets is its staff, all friendly, quick, courteous and helpful. When we leaned toward ordering lobster tail combinations ($22.95), our waiter understood we probably did not want the fingerling rock lobsters, steering us instead toward a $24.95 steak and half Maine lobster special. The sweet lobster could have gone without the mayo dressing, but was gone in four bites. I imagine the rock lobster would have been gone in two.
Lucky for them each plane that touches down at Honolulu Airport brings a new batch of faces, who by the end of the week may find themselves so tired and hungry that any form of food will do.
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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:
-- excellent;
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