53 by the Sea Oahu, Hawaii Review

53 by the Sea (Oahu).

11/21/2016

- Restaurant Week (November 2016) -
Dinner Menu

53 by the Sea Honolulu Restaurant (Restaurant week Shrimp Appetizer and White wine pairing).

By grilling the Amaebi, it really imparted a smokiness to it. I really enjoyed the combination with the potato salad and Tobiko.

I don't know why it has taken me this long to finally try out 53 by the Sea (~ 4 years after it opened).
Restaurant Week is always a good excuse right?

Once we had the car valet (which is free), service was wonderful from beginning to end.

Since they had a wine pairing for $30, I couldn't resist.

The view of Diamond Head is undeniably pretty.
But it's a gloomy day so didn't get to take a good picture.

I did find a nice promo video from Takami Bridal
(Japanese page only with photos from the overall venue) to set you in the mood.

It's a very popular wedding venue with the Japanese Tourists.

Upon seeing my first course, I was ecstatic to find they had a Sancerre pairing.

They sure know the way to my heart.

The second course was a smoked duck salad paired with a Pinot Noir.

While I really liked the flavors in the duck, I did find that there was too much fat
(that made digesting it super challenging).

53 by the Sea (Restaurant Week), Duck Salad and Pinot Noir pairing.

Duck Salad with Pinot Noir pairing.

For the Entree, you could choose between the Catch of the day or Steak.

I picked the latter.

I requested my Beef Tenderloin to be medium-rare.

53 by the Sea Honolulu (Beef Tenderloin and Cabernet Sauvignon).

Entree- Beef Tenderloin with Potato Puree and mushrooms and veggies.

Most of my meat was slightly over done (medium-well).

But, having said that, I'm guessing it's because it's made using Sous Vie that it's still very tender.

My favorite part of this dish was actually the sauce made with brandy and the mushrooms.

There's tons of garlicky goodness there in the mushrooms!

53 by the Sea (restaurant week dinner) Mac nut Cannoli with custard and sparkling wine pairing.

Macadamia Nut Cannoli with custard, ice cream and caramel sauce. The Brut Sparkling wine went well with the Macadamia Nuts.

By this time, I was already quite full. But the restaurant week menu comes with dessert,
so of course I had to eat it.

The caramel gelato sauce was a good contrast to the cream custard and flaky pastry.

- 53 by the Sea Restaurant Week -

Dinner Menu (November 2016).

Restaurant Week Honolulu (November 2016), 53 by the Sea.

Restaurant Week Menu (November 2016).

On the other hand, my fiance ordered from their regular dinner menu.

- Regular Menu -

53 by the Sea Honolulu, Hawaii (Onion Soup).

Onion Soup- $10. I think we were expecting French Onion soup with the puff pastry but it was good anyway.

Their onion soup was a good portion size. Lots of onions and a nice rich broth (no Gruyere cheese as it's not a french onion soup). It was quite tasty.

53 by the Sea (Surf and Surf Entree), Seafood plate, shrimp, king crab.

Surf & Surf- $39. King Crab, Prawns, Potato Puree with Buerre Blanc sauce.

My Fiance was kind to spare me a few bites of his Surf & Surf entree.
I loved their Buerre Blanc sauce. I would go back just to eat this dish.

- Final Thoughts -

Free Breads and Beer (Kirin; $5). Served at beginning of the meal.

Overall we had a great time and will return.
I'm curious to try their 3-course lunch.

Service was super attentive and great from the very moment you drop off your car at valet.

Attention to detail was very nice. The restaurant staff makes sure to ask if you have an allergies
and they constantly replace your utensils/ plates/ wine glasses with every course.

I thought the wine pairing went well with each progression of the dishes.
While non of the wines paired with the restaurant week menu blew me away, I still think they were
worth the extra $30 (most of the bottles served were around $15-$30 at retail).

We were very impressed with their valet. After paying the check, using the restrooms (they have Toto washlets, lotion and mouthwash), and exiting the building, we found our car already turned on with doors opened for us. It turns out they use a tracking system where they can see which stage their guests are in their meal (appetizer, entree, dessert, check is delivered/ paid, etc.).

We haven't seen that before (that or we need to really get out more). ;)