Upstairs at Pier 38

"The Upstairs at Pier 38 was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a finer dining sea food restaurant. Upstairs offers that with a French influence. We sat at the chef's counter on a Thursday night. You sit next to a large window looking into the kitchen which gave some fun views of all the dishes coming out. The chef, Nathaniel, came out several times to speak with us and give us some extra food items including an oyster with beef tartare served on the half shell with the oyster being tempura fried. He also provided us later with a scallop over a cauliflower puree and a cilantro salsa. He did a much better job explaining the ingredients than I'm doing right now, but suffice it to say that both dishes were excellent flavorful dishes. My spouse ordered the bone in pork chop with herbed goat cheese. The dish was very savory. You can't go wrong with the pork chop. I had the crusted ahi tuna. It was not as savory, but was definitely a more complex dish. It was also excellent. We also had the French onion soup. I'm not sure how they kept some of the bread crispy even in the soup, but it was very good. The bartenders and other servers helped to keep our drinks filled. Loaf, (hope I'm spelling that right) our server, was a pleasure to speak with and very knowledgeable of the menu. We were very impressed with the service, atmosphere, and food. If you're looking for a finer dining experience in Oahu, check out the Upstairs at Pier 38."

"Great dinner and delicious food. Starting with the steamed Manila clams and Ahi Tataki. Then the Misoyaki Sea Bass and Scallops Pappaedelle with the pee-wee potatoes and some sauteed vegetables. Dessert was the Basque Cheesecake and a trio sample of Gelato We were san reservations, but they were able to seat us at the bar. Great service for the bar staff. Highpoint: That Misoyaki Sea Bass was perfect. Delicious crispy skin. And the miso-caramel sauce was spot on. Bacon Old-fashioned... OMG Delicious, bacon washed Whistle Pig Old-fashioned topped with a slab of pork-belly bacon. Setbacks: Rice. Geeze, medium grain white rice, should not be al dente. At least not in Hawaii. Basque Cheesecake was much drier than I would prefer. And maybe it's a personal viewpoint, but it wasn't moist or custard-like at all. The steamed clams were alright, nothing I'd order again."

"Make your reservation in the early evening either 5:30p or 6:00p so you witness the natural lighting setting. It is not the best of a view but the sunset is breathtaking. This restaurant is wide, lots of tables and a huge bar area; it is great for big gatherings. Not too many food choices but at least most of the food is delicious, you may choose either "by the land" or "by the sea". However, they have lots of drink choices. Service is at its best. Servers gives an intro about the restaurant, the menu, etc. They pay attention to your needs throughout your entire dining time (e.g. refill your glass of water, offer coffee or tea, etc. etc.) You're not being rushed to leave. The atmosphere makes you calm at tables are far from each other, you don't really hear other guests' conversations. Parking is not a problem. Alright. Now go and book your reservation."

"The wait staff was great and really personable but the timing to get everything took way too long. For a Wednesday evening with It not being very busy, the service could have been faster. The food was delicious although nothing that made me want to write home. It was presented beautifully, but the flavors were just okay."