Kaleo's Restaurant in Pahoa

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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Originally posted by DanielP

We must have gone on a bad night. I had the Ribeye. Mediocre at best. ......
And we drive 35 miles.

Aloha, Dan

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Dan try the Koa Cafe up by you. Dan De Luz' wife runs it.

[Kahunascott]

It must have been a bad night the one and only time I took my family to Paolo's. I wish the board of health got there before us cuz'we couldn't have had dinner because they would have shut them down, and we could have saved our money.
Dirty and dust hanging from the broken curtins, holes in the floor and a limitted menu. And very expensive for what little food we got. I think we stopped off on the way home to get a snack for the night. If that's the condition of the dining room I would hate to see what the kitchen looks like?
We wouldn't go back there if the food was for free.

"Many dreams come true and some have silver linings, I look for my dreams and a pocket full of gold" Led Zeppelin

[Kahunascott]

quote:

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Originally posted by John S. Rabi

Interestingly, my friend said the same thing as Dan and she said Kaleo can't even be mentioned in the same book as Paolo's. She said it's a "faceless cusine." (I still have not gone there, so no personal experience yet.)

Aloha,
John S. Rabi ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

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I know you don't come over much but dinner still stands at the Gianunzio (My moms maiden name) house here in HB. We will have to try harder and then you will see real Italian cooking. Even though the chef is a Polack but learned good from mom.

"Many dreams come true and some have silver linings, I look for my dreams and a pocket full of gold" Led Zeppelin

[SofeeKam]

Ate at both Kaleo's and Paolo's and loved it. Paolo's makes simple, good tasting, Italian food. Kaleo's is a refreshing addition to Pahoa. It's like having a Hilo Bay Cafe in Puna. We had the sauteed spinach, Haiku salad, Dynamite Salmon, and blackened tenderloin special. Everything tasted great! Our server did an excellent job answering all our questions about the menu and on her service, talked with the owner, and met with the chef. Thumbs up!

[Royall]

Last night Cathie and I went back for another great meal from Kaleo's. We weren't disappointed. I was curious about the rib eye steak mentioned in an earlier post and ordered it, and Cathie had the tenderloin. I don't usually order rib eye steak because of the amount of fat that it typically comes with but they are always very tasty. The steak that was set before me was a very large portion of meat. It was nicely marbled with fat (my arteries will confirm it) and cooked to a perfect medium rare. The sauce and button mushrooms on top was wonderful. That said I would get the tenderloin that Cathie had next time. It looked to be the perfect choice to serve in a restaurant as it had better shape, less fat, and a better presentation on the plate with sautéed mushrooms, to die form mashed potatoes Juliann cut veggies.

I mentioned the post here on the Punaweb about the problem with the steak and the waitress was very interested in what was said. After the dinner she asked what we thought of the meal and I told her it was great and also said what I mentioned earlier in this post about my take on a rib eye. I think they may drop the rib eye and put the tenderloin on the menu in the future.

As far as Paolo's... Cathie and I haven't been there. The waitress said Paolo has a very dedicated group of followers and that Paolo was in Saturday night for dinner at Kaleo's. She said we should try his restaurant some time but make sure it is on a night he is cooking and go early as the quality of the food may drop off a bit as the evening progress'

Are we affiliated with Kaleo's or paid to right this? No. But I have to say the Kona coffee cheese cake was on the house last night. Maybe it was because of our interest in keeping rare quality establishment in Pahoa or maybe it was because the hard boiled eggs weren't ready for the salad dressing for our first salad choice (We got there just before the doors opened at 5:00).




Royall

What goes around comes around!

[farmgirl]

thank you for the positive review from "da kine" Royall. there is one thing that i, as said waitress in the review, would like to bring more context to, and that is regarding Paulo's. i did say he has a very devoted following. i also said that his restaurant is traditional Italian (which, by the way, Kaleo's is not trying to be Italian, or Thai,or any other specific region. we are a bar and grill with fusion cuisine, or in other words, a variety of dishes for a variety of tastes.)and when cathie brought up kahuna scott's take on the cleanliness issue, i explained that since Paulo's has been here for so long, the man and the restaurant alike have become something of an urban legend, therefore, take the talk with a grain of salt and check it out. that is the context that i wanted to bring to the review. for example, regarding the state of the cooking as the night progresses, well, its part of the legend that paulo likes his wine while he works. but its legend, and as far as i'm concerned personally, a little wine never hurt while i was preparing dinner.
in any case, this waitress has nothing but respect for the man and his creation, and thinks that, if anything, it should be taken as a sign of success that he's been around long enough to be the standard that so many of you will be holding any new restaurant to, including Kaleo's.
thank you all for the positive reviews and feedback.
oh, and the cheesecake was on the house because i thought it was great that you guys were supporting us as repeat customers.


f

[John S. Rabi]

Farmgirl, I personally know Paolo for almost 20 years, ever since my old days when I was Director of Food & Beverage. He has been the Executive Chef (along with Daniel Thiebaut) at the original Palm Cafe in Kona, a restaurant that probably set the standard for fine dining on this island. He became very successful with his own restaurant too. His cusine is Tuscan and can't be compared to anything else here. I don't think Kaleo is a "threat" to him just like he is not a "threat" to Kaleo. I certainly believe Pahoa has "room" for another quality restaurant and I hope Kaleo will be successful with the Pacific Rim cusine. I am eager to try the food and see the service there. As to the "legend," I have never seen Paolo drink while cooking.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[JonP]

My parents were staying at our house this weekend and had dinner at Kaleo's. They both had the tenderloin and my Mom said it was great. I actually sent them there based on this thread. They eat out ALOT and Mom said it was as good or better than Hilo Bay Cafe. Now Carol and I just need to get in there and give it a try.

[Les C]

quote:

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Originally posted by robguz

[snip]... As a vegan, they only had one thing on the menu that could easily be made vegan, the pasta with marinara, which sounded pretty boring, but I'm used to limited choices at restaurants...

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Haven't tried Kaleo's but it's good to hear that there's at least one item that can be prepared vegan. FYI, Rob, Hilo Bay Cafe has brought back the coconut encrusted tofu in the black bean stir fry entre. The former disappeared from the menu a few months back, but it's nice to see it back in this form. The price is a little higher, though. It's vegan at least on the surface, we haven't asked them to confirm it.

[frossie]

I ate at Kaleo's with my husband, baby and visisting mother-in-law last week. I also would compare it favourably to Hilo Bay Cafe - service was definitely faster at Kaleo's and I have had the odd bad meal at HBC, as quality seems to vary from night to night. The waitress at Kaleo's was probably the best we have had on this island - very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the food

I think like many restaurants who are trying to do something different (the late Kaikodo's springs to mind) the starters are better than the entrees, because it's easier to be adventurous with them. So I would recommend going pupu style or having 2 starters and then skipping straight to dessert.

As for Paolo's bistro, I like the atmosphere but my husband is not enthralled with the food/price so we don't go that often. My most common destination in Pahoa was Luquin's, but Kaleo's may change that.