Taormina Sicilian Cuisine — Restaurant in Honolulu

I cannot understand how this place has good reviews.It is the quality of a regular trattoria in New York at best, but for steep prices that you can only expect in fine dining establishments . First off,I know you rate a restaurants' cleanliness by the restrooms and that should have been my cue to walk out, but no ,l instead proceeded to sit down for dinner.(Restroom was stinky, old and little flies hung out there for the night) When I unwrapped the silverware, a fork with stuck rice in it appeared and dare I say I was still stupid enough to stay (anyone can make mistakes right?? but that fork had been through so many hands it should have been noticed before it got to my table) Server offered no apology and also took pretty long to replace it with a new one, that should have been my next sign to walk out ! We had the clams and man were they gritty! I mean there's a process to make sure the sand is all out, but when you charge 32 bucks a plate I guess the process is too long:)) ?!?!(that was sarcasm btw, no excuses on this one ).The white wine sauce was again trattoria level, nothing special,no personal twist on it, could have been done by any place in Little Italy in New York that would charge half. We also had the truffle carbonara and I am not sure where this guy gets the truffles ,but I never had anything this bland and uneventful. We just had truffles at Hanare in California and the guy scraped one thin slice and it was almost like perfume ,such an amazing symphony of flavors, my mouth still waters thinking about it! This truffle carbonara was so underwhelming,we left half the plate on the table (again, no questions asked from server.) The Risotto with foie gras was actually decent, but the foie gras was overcooked which makes me think it had been previously frozen . We had these 3 dishes because we ordered them all at once and that was also a mistake we made just because of the good reviews .If you still end up here my advice is try one thing first and then go from there if you are still happy. I feel so stupid for giving this business my hard earned money and even more stupid for tipping 20%, but I put myself through college working in a restaurant so I felt like I still had to. If you want to feel ripped off, by all means go here ,but if you don't ,go get some sushi across the street at Blue Fish Sushi and some Mai Tais at the Royal Hawaiian followed by some gelato on the same street with Taormina and avoid this place...

I don’t want to be too critical, because I did enjoy my meal at Taormina, but a number of things detract from my being able to recommend that you eat there.

Primarily the restaurant is overpriced. It’s much more form than function. The $17 glass of Pinot noir was not good. It was warm and I couldn’t have distinguished it from Charles Shaw.

The pan-seared foie gras was okay, but nothing special. The thin, brittle crostini it is served with are incapable of mopping up any of the blood orange sauce, so you lose a lot of flavor there. A thicker, softer bread option would be a big improvement.

The uni pasta is what I came for, and I enjoyed it, but the portion is very small, and it was only okay. You can get a bigger, better version of this dish a block away at Arancino for 20% less. Both restaurants seem to use store-bought die cut spaghetti.

So, based on the quality of the food and the price, I give it three stars. I do not care at all about service quality, so the following notes about service at the restaurant are just constructive feedback in case Taormina reads this.

Taormina’s service is a great example of how trying too hard can be much worse than not trying hard enough. Once seated and presented with the menus, a server will come around and pull those menus out of your hand to deliver a compulsory explainer of the menu that takes over a minute and which does not include one iota of information that you would not have gleaned from a cursory review of the menus assuming you have ever seen a tasting menu or wine card before. It’s really patronizing and puts you on notice that the restaurant expects you to be a tourist rube and not an experienced diner. The other shortcoming that so many of these form-over-function restaurants are guilty of is that I was asked if I was enjoying each component of the meal at least once, including being asked if I was enjoying the starter before I had finished eating the first bite. Pro tip: if someone eating a restaurant really likes the food, they will let you know. If you think you’ve served them something that they should really like and they are not proactively saying something positive about it, they are likely underwhelmed. Asking a patron if they are enjoying the food just puts them in an awkward position where at best they have to courteously lie, or at worst puts them in a position of having to...

Our romantic evening at Taormina Sicilian Cuisine, was a true celebration of love and laughter. This charming Italian restaurant exceeded our expectations in every way, offering us an unforgettable night filled with exceptional food, warm service, and an ambiance that oozed romance.

As we settled into our cozy corner, our culinary journey began with the Beef Carpaccio, a dish that instantly became a favorite. It's safe to say that Taormina serves the best beef carpaccio in town. The delicate slices of beef practically melted in our mouths, and the presentation was a work of art in itself.

The Seafood Bruschetta was a delightful surprise. This unique take on bruschetta featured a medley of fresh seafood that tantalized our taste buds. It's an absolute must-try, offering a perfect blend of flavors and textures that left us craving for more.

However, the star of the evening was undoubtedly the Nero Frutti Di Mare. This linguine dish, adorned with squid ink and a spicy garlic sauce, was as visually stunning as it was delicious. Loaded with shrimp, scallop, crabmeat, clams, and sun-dried tomatoes, each bite was a burst of flavors. It's the kind of dish that's not only delectable but also incredibly Instagram-worthy.

The romantic atmosphere of Taormina added an extra layer of enchantment to our evening. Soft lighting, intimate seating, and a charming ambiance created the perfect backdrop for our special date night. It truly felt like a fairy tale setting.

We owe a special thanks to Shige Sang for always going above and beyond to secure us a reservation. His dedication ensured that our perfect date night at Taormina Sicilian Cuisine was possible.

In conclusion, Taormina Sicilian Cuisine is a hidden gem in Hawaii, offering a romantic and unforgettable dining experience. The Beef Carpaccio, Seafood Bruschetta, and Nero Frutti Di Mare are absolute highlights that showcase the culinary excellence of this restaurant. If you're looking for a place to celebrate love, laughter, and exceptional Italian cuisine, Taormina is the place to be. It's a dining experience that we will...