Nick's Fishmarket, Honolulu

An excerpt from an email I wrote to a tour book publisher regarding Nick's Fish market in Hoholulu. My wife another couple and I ate there the week of March 1st: As all of our meals in Waikiki were concerned it was the most expensive and of the lowest quality. We were greeted, after making a reservation, with “Your table isn’t ready you can wait here.” Oh really, I thought; I wonder if we should wait in another restaurant. We did get our table quickly (inside of 5 minutes.) The girls ordered a couple of Martini’s and we called a couple of scotch whiskey’s they had a good selection. We ordered a couple of appetizers, which were pretty good, an ahi tartare and escargot. The Caesar Salad prepared tableside (as I believe all good Caesars should be) was very forgettable. The romaine was not as fresh as it should have been and the preparation at tableside might as well have been done in the kitchen. The price for this salad was not at all justified, in fact for what we got it was downright rude. My wife ordered the swordfish; of the four entrées hers was the only one that came prepared properly. The other lady who joined us ordered a filet that was to be cooked medium rare (after a discussion ensued with the waiter as to Nick’s interpretation of medium rare.) Her steak was cooked medium well to well done; by the waiter’s own description. My wife’s cousin ordered the mixed seafood grill. Everything on his platter was overcooked and dry. I had the grand finale I ordered macadamia nut encrusted ono, which was so fishy when I took a bite, that I have no idea how it is that I didn’t get sick. That is from either food poisoning from eating bad fish or from the gagging that I did right there at the table. When we finally saw a waiter and he asked us if we would be having desert. It was mentioned to him that our food was, to say the least, substandard. We were at the point in our meal and with our disgust in the service that we only asked for the check. Nothing was offered and we were basically shunned and ignored.