Don the Beachcomber

6/9/08
I previously wrote a scathing review which you can read below. I got coupons in the mail and decided to go back and try the "new place", Kona's for Happy Hour since everything was $2.95 (drinks and appetizers). We had the sweet potato fries (my favorite),salad, and pulled pork sandwhiches.It was great! We enjoyed the food so much we decided to come back for their new brunch. It was the best brunch we have been to in quite a while! The food was beautifully and deliciously prepared. My favorite were the made to order macadamia nut & white chocolate pancakes! They also had omelet station, 2 types of fish, meat on sticks (my husband loved that), spam sushi, as well as traditional breakfast items. There was also unlimited champagne and coffee and our glasses were refilled after every sip! Not only was the food and service wonderful, but there was a man doing tiki carvings on one side of the room and an ongoing hula show that was really entertaining - especially when they pulled up diners to dance! Yes I was one of them! After believing we would never return, my husband and I now love the new KONA and will be back with friends next week for brunch. I also noticed they have a 10.99 early bird dinner special during the week where you can get 3 courses between 4-6pm. At that price I think the dinners are worth another try as well. My complaint last time was that the servings were tiny, the tast was bland, and the plates for $20 a piece! I think they made some smart changes and they have new loyal customers!

9/30/07
This is the first time I have written a review for anything online but I was compelled after the horrible experience my husband and I had at the "new and improved" Sam's. The food was awful, as was out waiter. First I asked our waiter what vegetarian options I had and he quickly said "none!". I then went through the menu with him and asked specifically about a couple appetizers and salads and he said "oh yeah". I asked if the salad was dinner size and he said "it's a pretty good size" so I ordered the Sam's salad and some mango and brie quesadillas which sounded awesome. Well the salad was barely even a side salad (like 4 forkfulls). The quessadillas were completely flat - if there was any cheese in them I couldnt taste it (my husband suggested they melted it down and spread on enough for a thin glue to hold it together). There was no mango to be found. I am guessing the little orange dots of sauce decorating the quessadillas was supposed to represent mango. I felt like i just ate a nicely decorated green tortilla shell. Needless to say I was still hungry at the end of the meal. When the server came by nervously to ask about the salad, I commented that it was smaller than I expected (based on what he told me!) and he said "oh yeah it's just a side salad! He then asked if I want to order more food and I declined. He quickly walked away without commenting or apologising. My husand got the Salmon, an $18 dollar menu item. It was visually very pretty but he said it was not fresh. He did like his small bed of veggies that the salmon was placed on. It was a very small portion placed on a very large dish and he was not satisfied. The server left us the bill but did not ask how we liked out meal. Neither did the young hostesses who waved at us as we left. We will never eat there again. On the plus side the ambience is nice and it may be a fun place for drinks and enjoying the music they have there most nights. Just come with a full stomach!