Ryan "Alcatraz" W.'s Profile

I was really impressed with the food here.  I have a favorite Okonomiyaki restaurant in San Francisco, but didn't expect to find something comparable in Honolulu.  I was wrong.

We went with a group, and there were quite a few children.  I must say that the service was fantastic, and our waiter was really good with kids.  He kept them entertained with the way he made chopsticks for them, his presentation of drink umbrellas and other things.  It was appreciated.

We ordered a few different variations of the house special and a steak entree.  Everything was great.  I can't think of too much more to say, but I would certainly go back.

This is my new favorite restaurant.  Why don't we have these in San Francisco??  We ate here on a Thursday night with a party of 3.  The food was so good that we came back the next night with a group of 14.  Everybody had fun and enjoyed the food both nights.

The Harami is my favorite cut of beef that they offered.  I like the spicy miso sauce, but the others were very good as well.  The asparagus wrapped with bacon was unique and tasty, and the shrimp was also worth ordering.  I didn't taste anything I didn't like, and the crispy rice was delicious!

Go with a group.  That makes it more fun.  You cook the food on a grill in the middle of the table.  The service is excellent, but be prepared to do the cooking yourself.  It is really simple.  I would descibe the cuisine as an excellent mix of Japanese and Korean.

This location is walking distance from most hotels/resorts in Waikiki, and I must say it was the best meal I had in the tourist district.  Prices are very fair, in my opinion.  Without alcohol, the tab on a party of 14 was around $300 and we ate a lot!

This is a nice store.  They had a sale going on when we were there, so we picked up a few things including a new dress and high heels for my girlfriend.  The staff was very friendly.  The location is great in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Women's downstairs.  Men up.  Cheers!

After checking into the Halekulani Hotel, which is just down the street from this restaurant, we started wandering around and shopping in Waikiki.  Once we got hungry, we yelped Sushi and this came up as the closest place.  Since it was lunchtime, there was a 20% off promotion, which sounded great.

The place itself is pretty nice.  Modern and well-designed.  The service was also very good.  Unfortunately, that is not what I go to a sushi bar for...I wanted great fish!  They didn't exactly win me over in this department.  The maguro nigiri was lacking flavor and the cuts were way to big.  The hamachi and kanpachi were better than the maguro, but nothing to write home about.  Granted, I might be a bit spoiled eating sushi regularly in San Francisco, but this wasn't very good.

The poke was average.  I had MUCH better poke at nearly every other restuarant we visited on our trip.  The roll that we ordered was probably the best part of the meal, but I can't even recall the name of it.  Overall, I was really disappointed.  I have always enjoyed good food in Hawaii, but I guess you have to venture away from Waikiki to keep that dream alive.

This is a great little store in the heart of Waikiki.  Lots of cool t-shirts to choose from, among other things.  The guy who was working the night I stopped in was really friendly and helpful regarding sizes, since I was buying for a friend.  I got an RVCAloha shirt.  It fit perfectly and my friend was really pleased.  I will be back next time I am in town for sure.  A+ for selection.  This store reminds me of True of Upper Playground in SF.  Mahalo.

Open 24 hours a day.  This is really handy if it is after midnight and you are staying at a hotel in Waikiki.  Truthfully, this is one of your only food options.  If it is really late (after 2am), it becomes the only thing open other than the one 24-hour convenience store down the street on Kuhio about 5 blocks that isn't even listed on Yelp.  Even the ABC stores close around midnight.

So, I was skeptical.  Surprise!  It was really good and it didn't made me feel poor the next day.  It was as tasty as the ones I got in Philly a few years back, and I tried both Geno's and the other stop across the street that I cannot recall the name of.

I ordered the biggest one because I was going to share it with at least one other person.  I got the 16".  They served it as two 8" sandwiches, which actually turned out even better for sharing.  I also ordered some steak fries.  The total bill was around $13, which was a steal compared to the $18 chips and guacamole that they served after-hours at the hotel.

The only thing you need to be aware of is that this street is a little seedy late at night.  I felt safe when walking alone, but I wouldn't have sent my girlfriend to grab a sandwich for me after knowing what's up.  Mostly, you see hookers which seems harmless, but there are other seedy characters lurking about.  Compared to some of the neighborhoods in San Francisco (another super-safe city) it is a cake walk.  If you have never seen anything like this, or come from a small town, it might make you a bit uncomfortable.

I am not a big fan for a couple of reasons, but nothing major.  For the most part, I just prefer to stay other places.  The Mandalay Bay itself is a very nice property.  It is BIG.  It has a Four Seasons hotel on the top floors of the property as well as an adjoining hotel tower that is THE Hotel.  I have stayed at both of the "other" properties at Mandalay Bay, and gave both 4 stars.

The only real problem for me is the location.  Being at the South end of the Strip (last property) past Excalibur and the Luxor, I do not find the locale prime for walking around and hitting other places on foot.  There is nothing across the street ever since they closed down the Klondike, other than the airport.  For that reason, it gets really quiet, especially late at night.

The casino is huge.  There are tons of tables, tons of slots and video poker machines, and everything is well spread out so you never feel cramped.  I like that.

The restaurants and bars/nightclubs on-property are very nice, and there are quite a few to choose from.  There is a House of Blues, the Foundation Room for invited guests, and Rum Jungle for dancing, to name a few.

There is a shark reef aquarium that is nice to visit, whether you have kids to entertain or not.  The spa is also worth a visit, although I have not been there in years.  The beach area and pool(s) are excellent.

The rooms are nice, but when compared to THE Hotel (a bargain for that much space) and Four Seasons (a truly unique experience) I had to settle on 3 stars for the Mandalay.

This place is fun, the hotel is clean, and they do a nice job overall.  It is connected to the convention center, so it is very conveniently located for those traveling on business.

The room service is pretty good, and did not take very long.  The staff is friendly and very accommodating.  Two people stood out on my most recent visit (last week).  Mike from room service (very friendly telephone operator) and a dealer named Joe made our visit better than average.  They both provided 5-star service.

The rooms are only ok if you are in the old tower.  They are much nicer in the recently renovated tower.  For the price, the suites are not really worth it (you can get a suite in Vegas for the same price) but I must say that I was impressed with the amount of space and amenities the one time I did opt for the upgrade.  The dining table for 10 was my favorite touch.

So, why only 3-stars?  Because I love the Peppermill across the street even more and I gave them 4.  If 3.5 were an option, I would give the Atlantis a 3.5.  Also, the dining options outside of room service are not that great.  I am scared of the sushi bar and raw oyster bar on the overpass, but it is fun to sit up there and watch the traffic go by.

I am a fan of the Venetian, but not Palazzo.  It feels like a big Indian casino tent on the main floor.  You can see from one end of the place to the other!  So much for ambiance.

The shopping at Venetian/Palazzo is very good for high-end items.  A great place to window shop if you are not in the market for million-dollar cuff links.

The Palazzo was home to the 40/40 club, but they ran that out pretty quickly.  Now, it is setup as a celebrity chef's location.  I cannot recall exactly what it is.  The Lamborghini dealership is fun, for a minute.  Vegas is the only place where they charge people to look at cars for sale.  If you don't want to pay, the other option is to eat at the Dal Toro cafe and see the cars for free.  Having eaten there, I can tell you that you are better off paying to see the cars if that is what you want to do.

All in all, a flop in my opinion.  If it wasn't for the fact that the Venetian is such a hit, and the Palazzo is sandwiched between Venetian and Wynn (another hit), it would have closed already.

If you want to play beer pong, gamble on the cheap, and eat at Burger King, you are going to love O'Sheas.  I always stop in to test my luck for a few minutes on my way to Bill's.  It's a fun place with a young crowd and a party-vibe.