Liholiho Yacht Club - Hawaiian Fusion, San Francisco

871 Sutter St, San Francisco CA 94109
(415) 444-liho
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Thurs 5pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm, Closed Sundays
http://liholihoyachtclub.com/

Last Visited: December 8, 2016

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Liholiho Yacht Club is a hip place with dishes that have Hawaiian and Asian influences.  The neon sign in blue out front makes it easy to find.  Reservations can be a bit difficult, but I was able to get them on a weeknight slightly in advance without too much effort.

During my visit, it was a rainy evening, and that made the space a bit humid - perhaps that's a bit reminiscent of Hawaii itself without the warmth.  The restaurant has an open kitchen and a lot of light colored wood.

The server greeted us and explained that dishes were intended to be tapas sized and shared family style. We found her to be professional, but not particularly friendly in her demeanor - not sure if it's because we didn't order alcohol or if there was another reason.  She seemed friendlier to the table next to us which ordered a few more dishes and wine even though their party size was the same.  The presentation of dishes is nice with good attention to detail.

- Tuna Poke, sesame oil, radish, nori cracker - I loved the freshness of the poke in this dish.  The nori chip is a bit thicker than I would have liked, but it holds up well to the weight of the fish and the nori flavor is a bit stronger because of the thickness.  A lighter chip would have been preferred, but then you would need to serve it more as a dipping chip rather than a base.  A drizzle of dressing and microgreens top the fish.  If tuna is fresh, it's hard to go wrong with this kind of dish.  Good. $16.50

- Fried Oyster, beef carpaccio, butter lettuce, 1000 island - The oysters were good lightly crisp and the thinly sliced beef was tender.  Chives top the beef.  Although each ingredient was good on its own, this combination did not dazzle me.  Not bad, but not wow - just okay. -  $13.50

- Fried rice, bay shrimp, spam, abalone mushrooms (on menu) - Since my visit, I have heard that there is an off menu version of the same dish with house made spam that is pretty good.  Nevertheless, I found this dish to be very greasy.  There is an abundance of shrimp on top and spam in the dish.  The mushrooms absorb the flavors well, but I ended up taking most of this dish home.  I added cooked rice and stir-fried it again. This made it more palatable since it was less salty and the oil was better distributed. A bit heavy on its own.  Just okay.  $16.25

- Grilled Short Rib, escargot, bone marrow, mushrooms, fresh horseradish - This was the best dish of the evening.  The short rib sat atop leeks and red onions; the meat was cooked medium and topped with an herb sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.  The bone marrow was amazing - probably the best I've had.  Stuffed with escargot and topped with breadcrumbs (or maybe panko), each bite is scrumptious and tender - instead of a butter preparation, these escargot are nestled in the bone marrow and take on all of that flavor.    Although presentation looks a bit messy due to the jus, the taste makes up for it.  Must try!  $40.75

- Baked Hawaii, caramelized pineapple ice cream, vanilla chiffon - The presentation of this dish is lovely.  How can you not appreciate the beehive shape and lovely browning on the meringue?  The caramel swirl and refreshing pineapple ice cream was good, but I found the garnish of canned pineapple and flaked coconut to be less exciting.   $10.50


There are a lot of plate changes throughout the evening, so you can appreciate their service.  Note also that an employer mandate will be charged.

Overall, I think it's a fun experience to try a different cuisine, but not some place I would go regularly mostly because the price point is a bit high considering the service and size of the dishes.  The short ribs and bone marrow could bring me back though.

Morning Wood - Brunch, Hawaiian, Asian Fusion, San Bruno

260 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94056
No phone number listed
Parking: very limited parking spaces in parking lot; street parking recommended
Hours: Tues-Fri 8:30am-2pm, Sat-Sun 9am-2pm
https://eatmorningwood.business.site/

Last Visited: December 22, 2018

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Open as of December 2017, Morning Wood quickly gained lines out the door with its appetizing Hawaiian/Japanese fusion breakfast and brunch menu.  The husband and wife chef team have certainly created dishes that will cause your mouth to water, but somewhat synonymous with island life, you'll have to get used to a slower pace, including a long wait, even if you arrive before opening time.

I arrived at 8:40am for their 9am opening and there were already a lot of people waiting outside of the restaurant on this brisk morning.  Although I was on the sidewalk, a lot of the parties sent a representative, so there had to be at least 40 people's worth of seats on the clipboard list that everyone was signing in on.  Due to their way of seating where they take a table in at a time and stagger seating, the first seating itself was not complete until almost 9:45 am.  Some patrons had already finished their meal before all seats were actually filled.  Due to some people on the list having incomplete parties, I got in after about an hour of waiting.

Inside, the restaurant has light blue hues and some wood decorations that are reminiscent of Hawaii.  There are also two televisions showing different channels. You'll also find that each table has a roll of paper towels and a wood box containing condiments and a mason jar of utensils.

The menu regularly changes - some days, you'll find a fusion version of Chinese porridge, matcha mochi pancakes, and other things that I couldn't find on today's menu.  Instead, there were variations like the Hapanese breakfast (miso soup and a bowl of rice topped with sous vide eggs with a choice of sides),  matcha bread pudding, corncheeseorice, and choconut macdaddy french toast.

- Crack Potatoes - This was the first dish to arrive and these beautifully roasted potatoes seasoned with a little bit of paprika, spice, seaweed, and black sesame, then topped with chopped green onions, were super tasty and quite addictive.  I had to pace myself so that I would leave room for other dishes.  The name is appropriate.  Get these.  $7

- Hawaiian Hot Fried Chicken - Ginger slaw, pickles, jalapenos, fried egg, and hawaiian sweet rolls.  This is labelled as "very spicy - order at your own risk, no returns!" I should have listened to the waitress when she said it is spicier than Thai-spicy, but I have a weakness for fried chicken.  I should have gotten the mochiko chicken instead.  A heavily breaded chicken cutlet is drenched in a ridiculously hot chili oil that will cause you to stop eating.  This chicken is served on top of a pickled ginger slaw that sits on a sweet roll.  While one may think that the mayonnaise-based slaw would cool the heat, you would be wrongly mistaken since the pickled ginger still creates more heat.  Under the fried egg is a pile of canned jalapenos, and you'll also find a few pickle slices sprinkled over the whole dish.  There's really no reason to offer a dish this spicy unless there is a contest for whom can handle the most heat. One bite, and I downed two glasses of water.  I don't understand what the chefs were thinking about this dish.  Most people have to bring this chicken home because they can't finish it.  The heat and reminders of the dish last throughout the day for hours - so uncomfortable in so many ways.  When we took it home as a leftover, we removed all of the breading, and therefore all of the oil, and an extremely thin cutlet was found under it all.  Not recommended unless you want some sort of bragging rights with your buddies or a memorable experience that you wouldn't wish on your enemies.  $16

- Yuzu Talkin' to me? - Two yuzu butter mochi pancakes are topped with blueberries, li hing mui powder, powdered sugar, and a dollop of yuzu honey butter with a slice of strawberry.  The menu says that these take "a LOT more time. If you can't wait, don't order it." While the pancakes are large, the yuzu flavor doesn't quite come across in the pancake or the butter (or maybe there just isn't enough butter).  I found that they had a nice toothsome texture because of the mochi, but actually tasted better the next day.  Since these came after the chicken, they rescued my taste buds.  Okay, but I wouldn't necessarily order it again. $18

In general, service is okay once you're in the restaurant - at least 2 people are working the room regularly, but as forewarned, food can take a while to arrive.  They also don't make menu modifications.  Note also that parties greater than six may be split up.

While I guess they are staggering seating the tables so that the kitchen doesn't get overwhelmed, bthis can be frustrating because you'll see an available table and still not be able to sit down.  If you're lucky, you'll be standing in line next to some cool people whom you can strike up a conversation with, or you can get some quality time in with your phone.  Don't be surprised to find a line.