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Sorry I was not aware that there was already a forum going for Kaleo's Restaurant. Here's what I entered under 'A GEM IN PAHOA'. You guys have a great team @ this restaurant......
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I was born in Hilo, raised in Pepeekeo but now live on Maui. Recently I visited Pahoa and stopped to have dinner @ Kaleo's Restaurant. What a pleasant & memorable experience! The food was SUPERB! But more importantly was the friendly atmosphere that was exhibited. From John, the parking lot attendant, to Tammy, the chef, Yeshua, the waitress and of course Leslie, the owner / manager, everyone made me feel like I was truly part of their 'ohana' and that I was being welcomed into their own home for a meal. Randy & Karlson added their excellent music to the already wonderful evening. I have not had as tasty a meal nor felt so special in a restaurant...ever. MAIKA'I to the entire gang @ Kaleo's. When are you expanding to Maui?? I only wish that I could visit more often...Truly, Kaleo's No Ka Oi!
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Guess we'll jump on the bandwagon. Went to Kaleo's tonight and had a great meal. Both Sophie and I had the tenderlion, both cooked as we like. I also had the calmari appetizer and really enjoyed it as I haven't found decent fried calmari on the island until tonight.
Just for perspective, we loved the place as GodMothers and weren't inpressed as Clementines. We'll return to Kaleo's as budget allows.
David
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Friend in town from LA, and looking forward to a great dinner here is our review:
Sunday night 5:45 PM
First of all, as we parked the kid in the parking lot got irritated with us because as we were parking, I stopped to say hi to Kevin from OSMS. There was no one else moving in the lot... The kid acting as parking control was rude to SB.
So we went in. The patio was empty and about 5 tables seated inside. The sound was so loud so we asked to be seated outside so we could talk while we ate dinner and not yell over music inside. (Clemente's had this same problem so we just adapted to sitting on lanai.)
The waitress, after taking our drink order (never offered a wine list) -- telling us that the rib eye, kalbi ribs, salmon, etc and both appetizers we wanted were not available (about 7 items all together) - she completely forgot about bringing our drinks while we rechoose our meals. My friend finally said she was hungry did they have bread or something, so the hostess brought out bruchetta --- and still our drinks not there. Did I also mention that it was so dark out there that I finally asked if we could have a candle (the other tables had them).
Our dinner came way behind every one else's who now was seated on the patio. SB asked for another beer, and before my friend and I could say "and us too..." - she was gone. So when she came back I said I ordered our wine, and she was irritated because she HAD JUST BROUGHT a drink to our table...
We had a pretty mediocre dinner. No one came out to see how our meal went until the waitress brought our check. Water never refilled. It was abvious that the dinner wasn't good, especially when SB leaves beef on his plate! No mention of a complimentary dessert or anything.
So we didnt bother ordering dessert at all at that point. Went to Malama for tira misu cake and ice cream at home!
So my score:
Service 1 out of 5. But kudos to the hostess for the bruchetta.
Food 2 out of 5. SB went for the rib eye or kalbi ribs. He doesnt like fish much. My dinner was okay but not spectactular. Although he did order the tenderloin special with tomato coulis, they didnt bring the one the had ordered (he got the menu tenderloin).
Ambience 3 out of 5. Same as Clemente's was pretty much. Mood lighting is okay but being able to see the menu is nice too.
Cost before tax $105 for 3 of us.
Probably wont go back. I was really disappointed because I had read the good reviews here.
Hey DanP - Sb says he is sticking with your reviews next time! ha ha
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I just returned to Maui after another visit to Hilo where I made sure I revisited Kaleo's Restaurant as I was so delighted with my 1st visit 7 weeks ago and had shared my experience on this forum.
Before my entry tonight, I couldn't help not reading the previous entry by KAPOHOCAT. I must share that my visit last night was just as pleasant as my first and certainly not even close to the comments left by KAPOHOCAT. KAPOHOCAT appears to have taken extra effort & pleasure in trashing this establishment but I cannot help but counter these comments after my experience just last night.
I was greeted by John in the parking lot with a smile & a handshake and he appeared to have even remembered me from 7 weeks ago. It was nothing but continued friendliness from the entire staff thereafter. The manager went out of her way to suggest menu items suitable to my low-carb diet. The salad & calamari appetizer was excellent as was the fish special of the night. The food was just as SUPERB as I remembered and so was the service. I was checked on frequently enough even though it was quite busy. My water glass was never empty. What can I share except that it is obvious you need to visit this restaurant and make your own decsion rather than relying on that of KAPOHOCAT who appears to think (s)he may be the Simon Cowell of restaurant critics.
I'm sure that everyone has gone to a restaurant to find items missing....big deal. My guess is that a smaller sized restaurant like Kaleo's probably keeps their 'fresh' products to a manageable-sized limit due to space & refrigeration confinements. I would much rather be served 'fresh' dishes and even be told they are out of some items rather than be served by a restaurant who has a large surplus of frozen foods but hardly run-out. A busy night or weekend can make a larger impact on an establishment the size of Kaleo's but I personally value their honesty.
I have not agreed with anything mentioned previous by KAPOHOCAT. My 2nd visit was just as outstanding and friendly as my first. To see the same faces also told me that Kaleo's has a good thing going. John, Yeshua, Tasha, Peter, Tammy & Greg, you guys 'ROCK'..... I don't care what KAPOHOCAT says. Obvious 'kudos' to owner / manager, Leslie, who keeps this team performing at an oustanding level and also continuing to see that customers are treated as 'ohana'. Again I say....Kaleo's No Ka Oi!!
Service: 10 out of 10
Food: 10 out of 10
Ambience: 10 out of 10
Friendliness: 15 out of 10 !!!!
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quote:
Originally posted by csmorimoto
Service: 10 out of 10
Food: 10 out of 10
Ambience: 10 out of 10
Friendliness: 15 out of 10 !!!!
I have been a Director of Food & Beverage for 25 years and "sampled" restaurants all over the world. I have not tried Kaleo's yet, but "10" "10" "10" and "15"? There is no such a restaurant in the world, except maybe the Michelin Three Star restaurants in France.
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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quote:
Originally posted by csmorimoto...Before my entry tonight, I couldn't help not reading the previous entry by KAPOHOCAT. I must share that my visit last night was just as pleasant as my first and certainly not even close to the comments left by KAPOHOCAT.
KAPOHOCAT appears to have taken extra effort & pleasure in trashing this establishment but I cannot help but counter these comments after my experience just last night.
Sorry if my experience offended you. I am very glad yours was good. Wish ours was. I wanted ours to be good as I had my friend from LA with us who goes to a zillion resturants. I was not trashing them but giving me experience of it. (Believe me if our dinner had been spectacular the parking lot guy would not have got a mention.) Sorry the 2 other people with me agreed. I would be happy to go back and try again on someone else's dime, or as the case may be, 110 bucks. Believe me when I say that I truly trust Kahuna Scott's experience there because we know him, and his family is down right good cooks!!! If Scott had replied to this and said Cat, go back again, I would probably do that. DanP didnt get trashed when he didnt agree.
I have no alterior movtive other than it was a very poor experience there. Thats it. I didnt see the person who works there who is a member here giving an explanation. What I did find out was the prior Friday night was so busy they ran out of a lot. Thats great for the people there Friday night! But not for our experience.
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We loved Clemente, hated to see it closed.....Best food we had in all of this side...Nice to see another good restaurant open up, Kaleo's'....
The tenderloin is for sure the best as far as the beef goes. Well it should be!!!! The service is great. The guy in the parking lot is also much appreciated, very helpful, and makes one feel better while in side dining. Just one little thing...We would have really appreciated just a little bit of bread of some kind, while sitting and waiting for our drinks/dinner.....we were starved waiting a bit too long for food. A little bread goes a long way....Remember Clemente always had a little bread with a tiny bowl of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic? Was just enough to peek your appetite, but not too much. Ohh well, just my opinion, otherwise, the place is great, happy they are there. Wish them all the best of luck, we will certainly be back for many more special occasions. Best of luck Kaleo!!!!!!
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I went last Friday and was very happy with it again. My mother had the Moroccan fish special and since they didn't have the vegan pasta dish on the menu anymore, they made it for me. Mine was good, not great, but my mother loved her dish. This time we got a wine list. The waitress was great, and we were both very happy with the meal and service. I hope Cat's experience was a rarity.
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Clemente's?! You must be kidding! They served the same veggies and the same cheap pasta with every single dish! I predicted it two years ago that they will not make it. http://konaforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50
Aloha,
John S. Rabi ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"
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We'll get there someday. Sometimes things don't go the same for everyone...I KNOW that Cat was being truthful with her critique - which is totally cool. Sorry that your experience was not the same as others here. Cat's not one to slam ANYONE just for fun. It's not her style.
Carrie
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"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2
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