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Thank You from the Shake
Family Restaurants |
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We would like to express our sincere gratitude
for to all of our loyal customers and the local community for
their continued support. Through the years, it is this
support from the community that enable us to continue our
Father’s tradition of community involvement and support.
www.sabushakesr.org |
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The Shake Family |
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In keeping with the Shake
family tradition of community involvement, The Fish Hopper
Kona restaurant has also contributed to the following
organizations: |
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West Hawaii
Today |
Monday, February
2, 2009
Restaurant Helps Out Salvation Army
The Fish Hopper Seafood and Steaks Restaurant recently donated
$500
to the Salvation Army Kona Corps and Community Center. |
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Hawai'i Island Journal Review: |
Fish Hopper is Tops!
Steak, seafood and an akamai waitstaff!
by Carrie Kuwada Phipps
When it comes to a great first
impression while dining out in Kailua-Kona, the Fish Hopper is
at the upper crust of my list. This eatery opened four months
ago at the old Ocean View Inn location on the Ali'i Drive
strip in Kailua-Kona; it offers excellent service, fabulous
sunset and bay views, is a great venue for people-watching and
has a lot more than just great local seafood.
On a recent visit, three different staff members
enthusiastically greeted Mark and me before we were ushered to
our table for dinner. Immediately impressed, we recalled the
innumerable times that we had entered a dining establishment
or place of business in town and been completely ignored.
The restaurant has been renovated into a relaxed and casual
Polynesian Style décor with earth tones, large comfy booths at
the rear, and a bamboo-roofed bar. Gone are the old screens
and louvered windows that once blocked the stunning views of
the bay. In its place were open-aired walls inviting the
outside in and the inside out.
This is the newest one of seven restaurants owned by Sabu
Shake and family. The other six, including the original Fish
Hopper, are all in Monterey, California. The family's 30 years
in the restaurant business were clearly evident, especially in
the well-trained staff. Our waiter, Jonathan, was totally on
top of it; he knew exactly what it took to provide A+ service.
Besides the steaks and the fresh, local fish, menu items
include fish flown in from the mainland: seasonal Dungeness
crab, Sand dabs from Monterey, Petrali Sole, fresh Alaskan
halibut, Corvena sea bass and wild salmon.
We started with the Chef's Sampler Plate ($16.95) - enough for
at least two - featuring their Fire Roasted Artichoke with
Roasted Garlic Aioli, a Dungeness crab cake and calamari. The
generous platter, beautifully presented, was absolutely
delicious. The marinated artichoke was excellent, the calamari
rings plump and light, and the crab cake was crispy on the
outside and moist and succulent on the inside.
A Poached Pear Gorgonzola Salad arrived next, with candied
walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette dressing ($9.95). We told
Jonathan we planned to share this large salad, so he served it
already divvied up. Topped with three thick slices of poached
pear, generous amounts of walnuts and Gorgonzola, the sweet
and savory salad was a delight, both beautiful to look at and
a knockout for the palate.
I debated between the Sand Dabs (which I've never tried) and
the Stuffed Jumbo Prawn Pasta, but the pasta finally won out.
My $23.95 platter included three jumbo prawns stuffed with
crab meat and served over angel hair pasta and tossed with
portabella mushroom, fresh spinach and tomatoes. The shrimp
were cooked perfectly, and the sauce was light yet rich with
white wine, butter, and garlic. The finishing touch was a
dusting of Parmesan cheese which Jonathan hand-grated. This
was paired with a glass of full-bodied red wine (Ferrari
Carano), and the combination was really out of this world.
Mark ordered up the Seafood Cioppino ($29.95) which contained
one-half of a Dungeness crab, jumbo shrimp, scallops, clams,
mussels and fish in a tomato broth with fennel. The broth was
extraordinarily good: buttery, rich, and savory. This dish was
most stunningly presented in a large white bowl that looked
like a giant saimin spoon. Mark kept commenting throughout
dinner - and throughout the next week and until today - how
great his Cioppino was.
All servings were generous, and we both had another meal or
two with the leftovers.
To finish the meal, we ordered a Triple Berry Mango Cobbler
with Vanilla Ice Cream ($7.95) and the Macadamia Torte for
dessert. The cobbler was excellent, with the perfect amount of
sweetness. The Torte came with a macadamia nut crust and a
layer of caramel and was topped with chocolate and caramel,
but it was my only disappointment of the evening as the
caramel layer was crystallized, and this particular dessert
was a little overly sweet in my opinion.
If you're looking for quiet romantic ambiance, the Fish Hopper
won't cut it, but if you're looking for some great and
creative food, great service and killer views of the bay right
in town, hop on over. Beyond the great seafood and steaks,
they also offer prime rib nightly, as well as Alaskan king
crab, their award-winning clam chowder (which is their
specialty and an original family recipe), and some very
creative Polynesian drinks. Their signature Bucket of Fire
serves two or more and contains four different types of
alcohol (vodka, two rums, brandy) and is served as a flaming
volcano! Great wine pairings are also suggested and available.
The Hopper serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.
Reservations highly recommended for dinner. Great place - I've
already been back once for lunch. 05/05/200
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