I had read repeatedly that Merriman’s restaurant in Waimea was the best restaurant in the Big Island, its chef having received quite a bit of recognition for his contributions to the new Hawaiian regional cuisine. I had decided against going as Waimea was a little bit out of the way for us and we had our 2.5 year-old along. So when I read that Chef Merriman had opened a cheaper, more casual restaurant at the King’s Shops shopping center in Waikoloa, just across from our hotel, we definitely wanted to go. Reviews of Merriman’s Market Cafe weren’t as positive as those of its parent restaurant, so our expectations were subdued, but we still managed to be disappointed. The service and casual trattoria atmosphere were fine, but the food was underwhelming in its quality.
We went to Merriman’s Market Cafe on a Wednesday evening at about 8:20 PM without making reservations. The patio of the restaurant (semi-opened to the King’s Shops) was packed but they had some tables inside and they were able to accomodate us there after a few minutes wait (the wait for an outside table was 40 minutes). The inside of the restaurant is busy and informal, somewhat noisy, with plenty of open windows and fans and abstract prints and boxes of pasta and other Italian products serving as decoration. It’s nice and inviting and not in the least formal – perfect for vacationers.
The brief menu concentrates on pan-Mediterranean offerings, including several fish, a few pastas and some more classical dishes. If the menu had any Hawaiian influences, I knew too little to spot them. Prices for main entrees where in the high-high teens to mid-twenties.
We decided to skip the appetizers as there was nothing compelling listed and go directly to main dishes. This was probably a mistake as the entree portions were rather small, clearly meant to be had as a part of a multi-course meal. Eating them alone left us hungry.
Mike ordered a fish tagine served on a bed of cuscus; their fish that night was mahi-mahi. He wasn’t very pleased with it, the fish had been condimented with so much harissa sauce that its was completely overwhelmed by it. You could taste nothing but the sauce. The kitchen really needs to pay more attention on matching a fish to its seasoning, and letting at least some of the fish flavor come through – unless, of course, this is exactly what they were trying to avoid. The cuscus was just cuscus.
My braised ribs were very tasty, but they had been served lukewarm. Indeed, some parts of the meat were cold and either the fat within it, or the butter with which they might have been infused, had started to congeal. There is no excuse for serving a braised dish cold, it’s slow cooked and it can be kept warm on its liquid for hours on end. Indeed, our entrees were brought to us so quickly after we ordered (within minutes) that I suspect that they had not only been pre-cooked (you expect that with slow-cooking dishes) but pre-plated. Otherwise they would have had not time to cool down so much before being served. That certainly should be a no-no for a restaurant of this or any kind.
I had been looking forward to savoring some of the braising liquid with my ribs, but very little of it came with the dish – another disappointment. The ribs were served with buttered noodles, which had been cooked al-dente (never my favorite) and had also started to congeal and stick together. Without much braising liquid to flavor them, they were a little tasteless.
Soft buns were served before the meal witha scoop of harissa, they were fine but not remarkable. Mike ordered a diet-coke but it was so flat as to make it completely undrinkable, he sent it back and got a bottled Root Beer instead.
Service was competent but rushed, our waiter didn’t enquire about our meal until we were half-way through and he then seemed uninterested in the response. We had to fetch someone else to have Mike’s drink exchanged.
All this said, I can see Merriman’s Market Cafe thriving if for no other reason than there is a distinct lack of competition in Waikoloa. Neither of the two other restaurants we visited at the King’s Shops were very good and hotel food is so overpriced as to make more reasonably priced alternatives imperative. That said, it’s sad that Chef Merriman is sullying his reputation by serving such carelessly prepared food at a restaurant with his name.
Merriman’s Market Cafe
King’s Shops
250 Waikoloa Beach Drive
Waikoloa
(808) 886-1700
Daily 7 AM – 2 PM, 5-9:30 PM

As hard as I try I can’t remember the full name of this restaurant shack located in the Waikoloa Highlands Shopping Center, where we had breakfast our first morning in the Kohala coast. This is particularly disconcerting because it had a two-word name, one of which words was “burger”. Still, there is only one shack serving breakfast & burgers (it’s across the parking lot from the supermarket and next to the smoothy place) so you can’t miss it.
We’d gone to Waikoloa Village to visit the supermarket and get lots of drinks (the effort was probably not worth it, you can get most of what you need, albeit at higher prices, at the King’s Shops) and Mike had promised Mika pancakes for breakfast. She was obsessing about this promise and had become very insistent on the pancakes, so we were happy to finally find one place that served them (apparently the only place open for breakfast on a Monday morning at Waikoloa Village). They were kind of expensive at $6 for 3 (very large, thick) pancakes, and they came with margerine and corn syrup but hey, they were pancakes. I’d be surprised if Mika ate even 1/3 of one, but a promise is a promise. I ate the rate and wasn’t thrilled with them, but I’m not a big fan of pancakes anyway.
Mike had an omelette which he thought was OK.

Tex Drive In is another Big Island institution, recommended in particular for its fresh, hot malasadas, dense Portuguese donuts served plain or with fruit or cream fillings. It also serves a variety of cheap food, including burgers, sandwiches, stews and other Hawaiian specialties.
We visited in on a Monday for lunch, before heading to the famed Waipio Valley. We weren’t very daring in our choices, though probably should have been. I ordered a roast beef sandwich, which consisted of a large soft loaf of bread, with cold commercial-type roast beef slices and tomato and lettuce on the side. There were packets of mayo and mustard. The whole thing was OK, though a roast beef sandwich is mostly dependent on the quality of its roast beef and this wasn’t very good. It was a large sandwich and not a bad value at under $6 with fries.
Mike had a fish burger and was quite happy with it, he said it was a better fish burger than any he’s had here. He’d order it again.
We all shared a malasada for dessert (and bought more for the road) and while it was good, its main merit was that it was warm. Otherwise it didn’t taste very different from a donut, though it was denser and somewhat less sweet. The chocolate creme filling didn’t help it at all. Krispy Kreme may be in trouble, but not from malasadas.
Tex is a convenient stop on your way to or from the Waipio valley and for that reason alone I’d recommend it.
Tex Drive In
45-690 Pakalana St.
Honokaa, HI 96727
Tel: (808) 775-0598
http://www.texdrivein.com/

We had considered staying at Volcano Village, though had finally decided it was more practical to stay in Hilo four foray on the east side of the island. Still, we (in particular Michaela) were quite hungry by the time we were finished exploring Volcano park and wanted some chow right away. I had read that Thai Thai served very good Thai food, so we decided to go there for dinner.
Volcano Village is not a village per se, but a road with a few stores and many B&B’s separated by hundreds of feet. Thai Thai was closed to the beginning of the road, next to the True Value store. The restaurant is quite nice, decorated (of course) with Thai scenes, including a large silk hanging identical to the one we have in our living room, and a large picture of the Thai king. That evening the electricity in the whole village wasn’t working well, so we were almost turned away. The hostess (whom I suspect of being the owner) was apparently concerned that there wasn’t enough light to go to the bathroom and/or that the water supply wasn’t working on the bathroom, I wasn’t too clear. Other parties that came after us were turned away (though offered take out) but she allowed us to have dinner once we told her that we were staying in Hilo (couldn’t really do take out, then). We’re glad we stayed, our dinner there was definitely the best we had in the island and the food matches (but does not surpass) some of our favorite Thai restaurants here. Indeed, if Thai Thai was in this area we would go back without hesitation.
The menu was your basic Thai menu, emphasizing, as you would expect for a restaurant in Hawaii, seafood. The prices were a little, but not too much, in the high side, most in the low to middle teans, but portions were very generous. A chicken satay appetizer was listed at $16, more than twice what we usually pay for it, so we decided to skip it this time. Instead, Mike ordered his usual Pad Thai and I had my usual masaman beef. Both were very good. The beef was tender and the sauce was deep and complex, as Mike said, anything in that sauce would taste good. I’d prefer the potatoes to have been cooked a little more, but that’s a pet peeve of mine with this dish. Mike also liked his Pad Thai though found the noodles strange, rather than being flat they were thin and round, like vermicelli. Though the portion was generous, he finished it all.
Service was quite good and the restaurant was almost full when we got there soon after sunset on a Sunday night, it got full while we were there. We didn’t go to the bathroom so I still don’t know if that was the problem.
Thai Thai Restaurant
19-4084 Volcano Rd
Volcano, HI 96785
808.967.7969

Ken’s House of Pancakes seems to be an institution in Hilo. I found the restaurant mentioned many, many times while researching where to eat in the Big Island, and while not all the reviews had been positive, I figured it was worth giving it a try.
We got there early on a Sunday morning and there was a little bit of a wait for a table. The crowded restaurant seemed quite friendly and popular with locals, specially families. The place had a definite “Old Hawaii diner” feeling to it, with its fans, Hawaiian-attired waiters and the already almost-oppressing heat sipping through. If for no other reason, its non-generic ambiance made it enjoyable.
Its menu featured standard breakfast items with a Hawaiian twist, coconut and macademias could be found in their pancakes, and some dishes came with special tropical-fruit syrups. Mike decided on the coconut pancakes, which included coconut both in the inside and sprinkled on top. They were pretty good, even with their regular syrup and Mike enjoyed them. I had the French toast made with Portuguese bread and it was fine, better with the berry syrup than the corn syrup. Our side of Portuguese sausage was very tasty and I highly recommend it. A chocolate milkshake was made with chocolate syrup and was good, though in the small side.
Service was fine, the food came to the table very quickly. In all, if we were in Hilo again, we’d go back.
Ken’s House of Pancakes
1730 Kamehameha Ave.
Hilo , HI 96720
(808) 538-1877
Open 24 hours.

Drysdale’s Two had the advantage of being located at the Keauhou Shopping Center, very close to our hotel, so we chose it for dinner our 3rd and last night in Kona. It was an OK choice, the food wasn’t eatable though not great and not terribly overpriced. Being able to eat outside was a plus (more room for Mika to move around), though you may want to stir away from the feral cats in the area.
The menu featured mostly diner/pub food, with several seafood offerings. Mike decided on the BBQ ribs and he was pleased with them, they weren’t the best ribs he’d had in his life, and the BBQ sauce was generic, but he did enjoy them. I’m not positive on what I had, either a burger or a patty me, something just not very memorable in either a good or bad way 🙂 What I do remember is that the sodas were expensive (over $2 for a large one) and there were no free refills!
Service was adequate, also not very memorable, though I did come out with the sense that I probably wouldn’t go back there again.
Drysdale’s Two Restaurant
Keauhou Shopping Center.
78-6831 Alii Dr #108
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740-2440
808.322.0070
Open 11am – 11:30pm.

We stayed at the Keauhou Beach Resort south of Kona and our second evening in the island we dined at the Royal Thai Cafe. I had read some positive reviews of the restaurant, which made us all the more dissapointed. The restaurant is located at the Keauhou Shopping Center, it’s a nice place but we got take out as Mika had fallen asleep in the car and we didn’t want to wake her. Prices were a little bit high for a Thai restaurant, most entrees were in the low teens.
We got a chicken satay appetizer, panang beef and pad thai. The chicken satay was fine, nothing out of the ordinary but good enough. The panang sauce was a little bit thick and not as deep as the best panangs, but it was pleasant enough. The beef, however, was very chewy and some pieces were completely inedible. There was also a very low ratio of beef-to-veggies in the dish. I was left disappointed and a bit hungry.
Mike’s pad thai didn’t fair better. The noodles appeared to have been undercooked and they had clumped together in a not very appetizing manner. The dish tasted fine, however.
All in all, we wouldn’t go back there.
Royal Thai Cafe
Keauhou Shopping Center
78-6831 Alii Drive
Keauhou, HI 96740
(North Kona District)
Tel. (808) 322-8424

Mike and I just got back from the Big Island of Hawaii, where we spent a week and a half on vacation. Surprisingly we didn’t go out to eat much, we were generally too busy to go out for lunch or too tired to go out for dinner, but we did manage several meals at restaurants. We weren’t expecting much from food in Hawaii and we didn’t get it. The food was generally expensive, pedestrian and not inspired – just what you would expect of a cuisine that must appeal to thousands of middle American tourists. We did have one good meal, at a Thai restaurant in Volcano Village, but even that wasn’t spectacular. Still, I’ll write short reviews of the restaurants we visited in this blog.

We’ve been getting fliers for Red Apple Pizza since we moved into our house almost 5 years ago, but for one reason or another we hadn’t given it a try until tonight. I was pleasantly surprised. I got a large combo pizza (pepperoni, sausage, beef, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives – $16 with a coupon that also gave us a “free” 2 liter coke) and it was pretty good. The crust was medium thickness, it was lightly sauced and all the ingredients were fine. In all it was little bit salty for me, though not for Mike. The toppings separated easily from the floppy crust (you will need a plate to eat this pizza), and I think it would have benefitted from more cheese (but I usually order extra cheese for my pizzas). In all it was good and I’d order it again.
We also had an order of garlic bread with cheese ($3) which was a bit crusty but very garlicky. I’d also order it again.
Red Apple Pizza
14799 #E Washington Ave.
San Leandro, Ca.
510-357-4500
M-T 11 AM – 10 PM
F-Sa 11 AM – 12 AM
Su 12-10 PM