(808)886-1700
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Open daily; Lunch 11:30 am - 3:30 pm, Happy Hour 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm, Dinner 5:30 pm - 9pm, Light Fare & Bar 9pm - 9:30 pm
http://merrimanshawaii.com/market_cafe.htm
Last Visited: October 2012
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 1 to 2 stars
Price: $ to $$$
I had heard that Merriman's is rather expensive, but offers a fine dining experience. Peter Merriman has a strong culinary background and this cafe was described as follows on the restaurant website: "His culinary innovation remains the predominant creative force here as well, but the menu is rooted in Mediterranean flavors in a Tapas style."
It seemed like the market cafe would give me a taste of what the restaurant was all about and it was conveniently located near the hotel I was staying at. The casual bar, tables, and outdoor dining facing the mall offer a relaxed atmosphere.
When we arrived at the restaurant, there were two hostesses just outside, but both seemed occupied as they were having a conversation with one another. When we were close enough that there was no denying the fact that we wanted to dine there, one greeted us and walked us to our table. After looking at the menus, a staff member came to pour water into our glasses, but was unable to answer questions about the menu. She told us that she would have the server come to our table. About ten minutes later, our server, Barry, arrived and apologized for not coming over sooner and asked if we had any questions. This was the beginning of the mish mash of varied service that we experienced throughout our time dining there.
At first glance, I thought the menu offerings was more Italian than Mediterranean. However, there is often a crossover between both styles of dishes, so I ordered some light fare. I arrived during happy hour and tried a few items.- Crispy Calamari - Buttermilk fried calamari with house tomato herb marinara and cilantro aioli - This is one of the items listed on the regular menu. Large calamari, much larger than usual, is lightly breaded and served with a wedge of lemon and the other sauces. The meat was tender and the breading was crispy. $12.95
- Garlic Truffle Fries - This is a very full plate of fries. When you pay regular price, you can expect that you'll be full. The fries come with a mustard based aioli that I didn't particularly care for - I preferred to accompany the fries with the aioli from the calamari. At happy hour prices, this is a generous portion. If you have tried Gordon Biersch fries in San Francisco, you'll find that these are a lot crispier, but the truffle garlic butter isn't mild in comparison. I thought it tasted good, but could have a stronger garlic flavor. $4.95 Happy Hour, $6.95 Dinner
While waiting for food, we heard another server share the specials with her table - this was the first we had heard of any specials being available.
The server had asked if everything could be served at once, and we answered yes. However, the food came in spurts - the calamari and fries first and the server (perhaps a junion one) that served them told us to enjoy the food. Then five minutes later, he came back with the salads and told us to enjoy them again.
The same server that took our order came back to check on us one time and his kindest words came wiht the check. As we left, the hostesses again ignored us and the only person that said thank you as we departed was another server (she was the one we had seen earlier that had shared the specials) despite us passing a number of staff members who looked at us and would look rapidly away.
Merrimen's offers good food and happy hour dishes are very reasonable. Service is lacking from Barry and from the hostesses whom are so pre-occupied with their own conversation that patrons get neglected. The one server who is on top of things kept the range up to 2 stars for service. If you are staying in Waikoloa, considering ordering to go to avoid the service issues, but still enjoy good food.
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