Lucy's Bar & Grill : When in Kailua...Do As the Locals Do
Where: Oahu || Grouped in: Oahu Food || Tagged:
We were over at the beach in Kailua yesterday and it had been over a year since we had last eaten at Lucy's Bar and Grill. That's about a year too long. Now, I would never say Lucy's has the best food in Hawaii or even in Oahu. But it's a rarity in the islands -- a casual, neighborhood restaurant with upscale culinary aspirations, downscale prices, and the panache to pull it all together. The food there is never perfect or even stunning but I find it to be extremely tasty yet sophisticated enough to be interesting. (Note -- this is another one that is so stealth I couldn't find a pic. We forgot to bring the camera yesterday -- argh).
he ahi tower is the top app -- its a tower of spiced ahi, avocado, pickled ginger, tobiko and other goodies perched atop a round bed of rice. It's basically a self-service sushi thingy, as you take the dried nori wrappers that come with the dish and roll your own. The ahi quality is high and this is fun and filling. They overdo the mayo a bit but you can avoid that by brushing it off to the side of the plate. It's not mixed in. Anything cooked with the kiawe grill tastes wonderful and you can see the glowing chunks of kiawe in the kitchen. They have an open kitchen so there are no surprises, here. I also love the grilled ceasar salad which is basically a very large chunk of romaine lettuce literally grilled over open flames and toped with a rich dressing and cheese. It's a total yum. Some of the entrees can be hit or miss, with flavors not living up to promise. I found the lamb chops cooked Indonesian style to be undistinguished. The kalua pork spring rolls were a little heavy and greasy. But most of the fresh cooked fish is right on target. Our grilled ahi came perfectly seared and sauced moderately so as not to mask the luscious flavor of this Hawaii delicacy. Deserts are good but not great. All told, don't expect five star cuisine. But for a family or a simple night out, this place rocks. You can tell because it packs out and the crowd ranges from windsurfing Europeans in their 20s to older folks. Families love this place due to the outdoor patio seating, casual feel (no blinks at screaming babies) and big tables. A dinner for four with a drink apiece should run well under $200 and the appetizers are so massive that entrees really are unnecessary. Even better, it's only gotten a few reviews in TripAdvisor so it remains somewhat off the radar. Enjoy!
Lucy's Bar and Grill
33 Aulike St, Kailua / (808) 230-8188 / Map
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Comments
murphy said:
We are two locals who frequent many Kailua restaurants, but our past three visits to Lucy’s have ended in terrible disappointment. I was a server for 4 years in college, so I sympathize with wait staff. But, on our first occasion we overheard the wait staff complaining about how they wished they could go home. They proceeded to rush us out of the restaurant by not refilling our glasses, not crumbing our table, and not prompting us to add a next course to our meal. It was only 8pm!
The second occasion, I order a side of vegetables, the server provided me with an empty plate and told me the kitchen had put the side of vegetables with those of my dinner companion’s. I sat their stunned.
THE SERVER EXPECTED ME TO PICK MY ORDER OFF OF SOMEONE ELSE’S PLATE!
We gave it a third try and this time we sat for 15 min, completely ignored by the wait staff and the busser, when I got up and flagged down a server, they were eager to help us and shocked no one else had attended to us—even though we had tried to alert the servers in our area. Although, it was odd that the server was just going to take over a table that was not assigned to their area without consulting with the assigned server—I had lost my appetite.
—12/22/08
Alex said:
Whoa! That sounds awful. Sorry you had to deal with it. Perhaps might be time to do a downhill alert on Lucy’s. The menu had been getting long of tooth. Fortunately, the Tower of Ahi remains pretty hard to mess up. Sigh.
—12/23/08
How to Party with an Infant said:
I’ve always loved Lucy’s. There are always some hits and misses, but lately I’ve been SO pleased. They’ve shaken their menu up a bit and their service is just impeccable, in a casual, cool way.
—01/08/09