Nanea Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Kauai

My family and I had a fantastic experience at Nanea on our visit. We were staying at the Westin villas, and had the opportunity to meet Chef Marcelo at a weekly "Fire up the Fun" event where they do a live grilling demo with local ingredients. The food was great and we admired his passion for food and the local culture. We had been to Nanea on our last visit about 3 years prior and had amazing Opakapaka (local pink snapper) that we were still reminiscing about. It seems from multiple accounts that things may have slipped some over those 3 years, but no doubt that this recently hired Chef has brought it back to our fond memories. Chef offered to special order Opakapaka for us since we hadn't seen it at other restaurants, and WOW was it prepared perfectly.

We had the same mango butter daily preparation as all the other fresh catches, and it absolutely melts in your mouth, with a unique Hawaiian flare to it. The mushroom risotto was the perfect opening course, full of flavor and unlike anything we could do at home. The yukon potato mash and asparagus were the perfect complements to the fish, all married together with that mango butter sauce. There were other daily catch preparations you can choose from too which I'm sure are also delightful. This was all finished with a decadent chocolate dessert, paired with coconut Lapperts ice cream that we'd been eyeing on the island but never stopped in. (Menu says chocolate ice cream hut the server wisely suggested the coconut substitution)

The service was also outstanding. We were promptly seated in an upscale but umpretentious outdoor area. Our one year old was well accommodated as well. All around it managed to exceed our expectations, to the point where we were thinking it may have beat Mama's Fish House which is our favorite restaurant anywhere. We highly recommend Nanea and are glad to see such a great place...

Nanea Restaurant features a 5 course meal for fifty five dollars with additional twenty for wine tasting. This is a good deal even with comparison to purchasing the individual components at the local grocery. Each dish is plated artistically and is apitizing, and the server was pleasant inviting and attentive. The first course is a simple Romain Salad topped with pickled anchovy. The second course was a small portion of resoto, under cooked, and missing kale as charaterized on the menu. As placed on the table the truffle oil was strong, but blended well with the overall tast. Third course was fish of the day, Opah, well prepped and cooked but not consistent, as my wife's was not as tasty as mine own. The seasonal vegatable was one leaf of Bockchoy. Fourth course Filet Mignon was cooked to order and tasty, but again did not follow the menu description with brokely substituted for kale. In addition the sauce did not pair well with the meat. The last course was a chocolate brownie cake deconstructed with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. In deconstructed platings of any dish, all components should stand alone as well as in combination. However here the browny cake was dry and could have benefited from a drizzle of warm chocolate syrup. Although the ice cream and whipped cream we're tasty the cake weakened the plate. I have had this meal both with and without the the wine pairing. Both meals were comparable and wine pairings we're well chosen. Again this meal is a good value for the price. But do not expect...

This has gone from 5 star cuisine prepared fresh by actual chefs to an unimaginative menu catering to the burger crowd. The drop in quality and excellent service is so disappointing. Sunday brunch is a joke with reheated frozen potatoes, soggy toast and undercooked eggs that you might find at the “breakfast included” area os a middle class hotel…like a Marriott Townplace Suites. The lunch and dinner menus are identical. The catch of the day is served with mashed potatoes full of too much cream and fat. The catch of the day, mahi mahi, was overcooked and presented atop said potatoes surrounded by what was supposed to be some sort of buerre blanc. The asparagus was yellow, not a fresh bright green. Nothing suggests fresh, healthy island cuisine. The “tropical flavored iced tea” served at lunch tasted foul. Don’t bother to ask for a bit of bread with dinner or a substitution you’ll be rudely refused any “special treatment” by wait staff. Marriott has destroyed what used to be an upscale, healthy dining experience and brought it to the quality of a Denny’s. As far as atmosphere the view of the pool area is obscured by tacky, falling apart garlands. Live music in the evening shuts...