Taormina Sicilian Restaurant in Honolulu – Waikiki restaurant reviews (Hawaii)

Tired of the mostly franchised fair in Honolulu, we seized on the opportunity of trying out the cuisine offered at Taormina on Beachwalk in Waikiki. It was a spur of the moment decision to go, so we arrived for an 8pm dinner. Luckily, the maitre-d was able to accommodate us in only a 10 minute wait, but it was apparent that reservations are the norm and a definite must when Waikiki is at its busiest. The trend of our fellow dining guests was definitely to dress for dinner, which can be a real rarity in Hawaii and was definitely encouraged by the clean, modern and elegant design of the restaurant and the table settings.

Taormina Sicilian Restaurant in Waikiki

The staff members were all pleasant and accommodating and helped to create a pleasant atmosphere. The service is adequate, not highly trained, but definitely friendly. Because of the location of our table we could peak into the kitchen, which normally would have been unpleasant and noisy, but this just added some excitement, and we gained confidence in the restaurant by seeing the spotless, yet busy kitchen. There are several sections to the restaurant making it rather intimate within each area.

My date and I began with a shared Beef Carpaccio. The tenderloin’s flavor was delicate and buttery, together with the capers, parmesan, arugula, and the slices almonds was a nice mix of flavors and textures.  This is perhaps close to a standard Beef Carpaccio and did its duty as any good Antipasti should: set the stage for the main course.

My partner ordered the lobster with porcini risotto, while I had tomato and basil pomodoro.  This is when the experience took a turn.  The risotto was dry.  Risotto traditionally should be very creamy; almost a soup, and my partner described it as deficient fried rice.  And do not expect much nourishment from the two bites of lobster.  Pomodoro is a very simple dish as well, but somehow my pasta was rather oily and was minimal on the garlic.  I could easily describe both of these main courses as on bland side.  None of these reasons prevented us from clearing out plates.

The wine list is however wonderful.  Clearly much time and thought went into this comprehensive list.  The by the glass fare is very good.

After being somewhat disappointed with the main courses, we declined to take advantage of dessert and went on our merry way.

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