Seafood by the Seashore

An authentic evening at Kawaihae Harbor

One of the good things about those fancy, Shangri-La, Neighbor Island resorts is that oftentimes I feel as though I’m on an island all my own. Just park the rental car, pass the sunscreen and point me in the direction of the super pool. However, one bad thing about those getaways is that, in certain respects, I really am on an isolated island—a million miles away from the rest of the nonvacationing world.

KAWAIHAE HARBOR GRILL SEAFOOD BAR • Kawaihae Harbor 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays • 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends • (808) 880-9393

For me, this shortcoming becomes apparent right around dinnertime. Paying a premium price for a premium Pacific Rim cuisine dinner or $18 dollars for a bowl of saimin makes me feel like a stranger in paradise. And that precisely choreographed Las Vegas-style luau? Aaaalooo-ha!

So after eating overcooked, room-service lamb chops, which died on the way to my fancy Big Island hotel room, I decided that my next dinner would be off campus. I wanted something local, something authentic and something with seafood, so I got into my rental car and headed west on Queen Kaahumanu Highway until I got to the Kawaihae Harbor Grill.

The restaurant’s name is somewhat romantic, almost melodious. Driving in the darkness of the Queen K Highway, I conjured up images of thatch-roofed, beachside bungalows and gently murmuring surf. But as I got closer to the restaurant, I remembered that Kawaihae Harbor is a working, industrial port of entry. So the view from my table on the balcony of Kawaihae Harbor Grill Seafood Bar was not an interlude with the tranquil, shimmering South Kohala coastline, but an up-close encounter with several large, steel storage tanks. Lovely, I thought.

After a couple minutes of reflection, I was OK with it. In fact, in a strange way, it was a welcome break from the exclusive, five-star vistas that I had been gazing at for most of the week.

The Kawaihae Harbor Grill and its Seafood Bar are actually in two different buildings. Since I was in the mood for surf and not turf, I chose the bar and its commanding panoramic views.

Surf and Surf: The Seafood Bar’s meaty poke burger, Asian slaw and oyster appetizers. photo: Scott Kubo

I started the evening off with Broiled Oyster Scampi ($13), a provocatively named appetizer, which featured a half-dozen oysters topped with garlic butter and served with French bread. I usually like my oysters uncooked, so I can taste all of the wild, raw flavors, but the scampi gave me a new appreciation for cooked shellfish. The heat had taken some of the ocean out of the oyster. But what the scampi lacked in natural flavors, it more than made up for in texture. Broiling gave the shellfish a rich, creamy mouth feel.

For my entrée, I had a Poke Burger ($11), made with marinated ground ahi and served with a wasabi mayo, lettuce, tomato and sweet onion. It came with a very pleasing Asian slaw of won bok cabbage, red onion and a delicate vinaigrette. The salad was fresh and alive, crisp and peppery, with a little back-end tanginess.

The burger was moist, but firm, holding together beautifully with every bite. It had a strong shoyu flavor, which was held in check by the surprisingly mild wasabi mayo. All in all, a refreshing burger. How many times can you say that?

On my way out, I passed by the restaurant’s bar, which was covered in woven lauhala mats and festooned with a kapakahi collection of Hawaii memorabilia—a mounted sailfish, Tahitian grass skirts in koa frames, a Japanese glass fishing ball and wooden canoe paddles, among many other knickknacks. All of them, I’m sure, were authentic.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Hawaii Business Magazine »