Last week I finally got to eat at the Beachhouse. My friend John Heckathorn had told me I had to eat there. He is a picky eater, and he was right. First, let's talk about the hotel. I had read about the renovations. I had not seen them. The old Sheraton Moana used to be kinda sad, a gorgeous building tricked out with kitschy quasi Victorian touches -- more like Epcot Center than a beachfront luxury hotel. With the reflagging to the Westing, the resort has been redone top to bottom. Furniture is more modern, with dark wood setees, lots of more nuanced colors, and just generally comfy stuff. The sight lines seem to somehow have been improved. On to the Beachhouse.

isely, the Moana's new management made two key hires. One is Chef de Cuisine Rodney Uyehara. He was previously the tocuemaster at The Bistro at Century Center, where had a solid reputation for putting a modern slant on Continental classics. Of course, he's also a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and he's worked with Charlie Palmer at Aureole in New York and Roy Yamaguchi in Hawaii - no slouches, those two. Rodney was tapped to oversee the creation of a modern, beachfront steakhouse and he pretty much pulls it off. The meats are, in general, very nice. We had one bad entree out of our bunch. The Australian lamb was phenomal, perfectly cooked and with just enough gaminess left intact to tell you it was truly grass-fed. Actually, I think the surf was better than the turf at the Beachhouse. My snapper was tender, tasty and sitting on top of a magical carrot puree of some sort. A seared ahi entree was equally well executed. The sides were enormous, steakhouse style dishes. The Maui onion rings were crispy on the outside and not too greasy on the inside and I had a chunky escargot that was not the least bit chewy. I'd say, at this point, that Rodney is the hottest chef in Waikiki. The second smart new hire is Keith Malini, the man who mastered the rebirth of the Hanohano Room at the Sheraton Waikiki. Keith is an old-style restaurant man, with impeccable taste and great customer sense -- he talks to you, not up to you or down to you. I was thrilled to hear that he was running the joint. Lastly, the setting is exquisite. It's so unlike most beachfront dining spots. Tables are widely spaced and extremely comfortable. The noise level is not bad. The site lines of the restaurant are clean and elegant. It was the kind of room I just did not want to leave. Downsides? Steaks are wicked pricey. Dessert menu looks fairly uninteresting. Service is still getting up to speed but not bad. The check was stiff. But it's a bargain compared to all the crappy beachfront dining in Waikiki that costs almost as much. I'll be back.

Beachhouse
2365 Kalakaua Avenue / Honolulu, HI
808-923-2861

—Alex, 02/13/08