Arancino di Mare — Restaurant in Honolulu

I made reservations through opentable for a dinner celebrating my five year anniversary. The host and our server both checked if we had a special event that we were celebrating, and offered a slice of their house-made tiramisu.

My partner and I both had the price fixe menu, $75 for appetizer, a pasta course, a steak course, and a sorbet for dessert. I added on another $25 to my menu for wine pairings, and was very happy for it.

The servings for the menu were small but not frugal, and by the end of my four plates (and tiramisu) I was completely full of positively delicious food. Our total before tax and tip was under $200, which was a steal for the quality of food we had (we tipped over 20%). I would sincerely recommend this place to anyone having a special occasion. The prices for quality are way fore reasonable than other expensive food on the island.

Meal breakdown: Appetizer was a trio platter of smoked salmon, papaya and prosciutto, and a mozzarella filled arancini. I'm a fan of all three items, but I was delighted by how perfect the arancini texture was, crunchy exterior, perfectly melty cheese inside. The prosciutto and papaya sold me, the texture of the papaya was a whole rank better than the cantaloupe melon that I'm used to having.

My first course was the uni spaghetti, which reminded me slightly of the best mac and cheese I'd ever have. If uni usually is not your taste (I often think it is slightly too funky), you can still be completely sold on this pasta. The balance was perfect.

The steak I ordered medium rare and this was the most impressive course to me. With a slight tug on the meat, it pulled apart. I usually stick by thinking my homemade steak can't be topped, but the melt-in-your-mouth, pull apart, delicious tender juicy meat made my eyes widen. My partner and I were both shocked in the best of ways. It sits on a bed of dressed arugula, which is a good bitterness to cut through your palette if you didn't get a glass of wine.

Mango sorbet: delicious, and really tasted like pure mango, though without the stringy fibers that sometimes get left behind. Delicious, but not groundbreaking.

Tiramisu: I love tiramisu and it's one of my favorite cakes. They don't skimp on the coffee flavor, but it's not overwhelming. It's more of a custardy tiramisu, which I love. Delicious, but not the highlight of the night.

Finally, the service. Our waiter (James!) was so quick to get to us, to keep us refilled, and there was no need to gesture for the check, it was placed respectfully in front of us, just as we reclined after our meal with happy, full stomachs.

Only negative: the bathrooms are not in the restaurant, you have to go into the adjacent hotel with keycards that the front desk provides for patrons. I didn't need to use it, but I can understand how that would be an issue for some.

5/5 stars,...

It was the best Italian food I have ever had. Didn't expect to find this here in Hawaii. If you want to go, make sure to make a reservation as they are always booked. If you do a walk-in with more than 2 in your party, then you will be waiting at least 45 minutes.

On the food side, everything is superb from the portioning, quality, and taste to the presentation and excitement. yhr food brings this is what you would expect in an Italian restraunt. Our server, Jackie, gave us a world-class customer service experience. The rest of the staff are great too minus the women host at the stand where I asked about the rest room and she bluntly and shortly replied with a "the keys are all gone." No sincerity from her. Asked Jackie about the restroom, where she did say the keys were all in use or missing, but then she gave us her personal key, and she said she must have it back. In short, she cared about us and our experience even after checking out. I would recommend finding a different host as she doesn't fit the restraunts expectations well. My visit was on 12/30/22 @ 5pm - 6:30pm (The man at the entrance checking people in with his tablet did an excellent job at managing reservations and walk-ins.

UPDATE: Made a reservation this year, and it was a much more streamlined experience. Every staff member was working like clockwork right as the doors opened. Their system for reservations is methodical. Chi was our server, and she was delightful, professional, and personable. All of our food was excellent, Chi explained the menu well and quickly, so I was left with no questions. The flow of courses was perfect. The sashimi scallops were my favorite! My girlfriend has a severe peanut allergy, and the manager was informed about it to delegate and they even marked her bowl with a stick that said allergy which was comforting and a great way to communicate with us. I did leave my shopping bag behind where they put it to the side as well and stapled my reservation ticket so they didn't forget. Changing my review from 4 to 5 star. All the staff, food, and ambiance were wonderful. Highly...

Let’s start with the ambience.

The ocean’s beauty is captured in the soothing sounds, a gentle breeze, and the delightful scents of Hawaii, intermingled with the subtle aroma of Italy and scents of Hawaii.

Customer service is paramount. It determines whether I choose to dine here or leave. The staff was exceptional. Despite a 15-minute wait, which is reasonable for a well-established establishment with a full dining house, we were treated with respect and courtesy.

As the host escorted me to my table, I was promptly served bread and water. While perusing the menu, I decided to order a light beer that was recommended.

I ordered a cast iron lasagna and the Bulgonese. To start, how about some of the arancini, those special fried frita balls? They were delicious!

The sauce for fried balls is delicious. It has the perfect hint of Italian spices to complement the cheesy, meaty appetizer.

The bulgonese was incredibly flavorful and delicious! The star of the show, however, was the cast iron lasagna. It had perfectly crisp edges, baked to perfection, and a symphony of flavors that danced on my taste buds. I was so impressed that I had to order an extra to take home. Unfortunately, they ran out, but here’s what truly won my heart with this restaurant.

They invited me back next day to pick up an order of their lasagna. On the house. Now that’s Amoré!!!

I ended the night with a delightful tiramisu and some bubbly. It was a soft, moist, and perfectly sweet combination. Arancino Di Mare… you will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Sincerely, The Bad Chef “Oregon” Thebadchef__...