Earlier in the month, I took my husband out for a little birthday dinner to Hiroshi, a restaurant that neither of us had had the pleasure of dining at before (gasp!). This little well known gem at Restaurant Row had eluded us for years, and we decided that this would be the perfect time to finally take the plunge...and plunge, we did!
We were seated at an intimate table for two in the corner and knew from the get-go that we wanted to enjoy a leisurely meal. My husband ordered a glass of wine and I jumped at the the chance to try their signature foam martini...simply because I had never had a foam martini before.
With drinks in hand, we turned our attention to the menus before us. Selecting our food was a much bigger challenge since everything listed seemed to be calling our names. After much debate, we settled on three tapas dishes to start with (and because I love to torture my hungry readers, here are our selections straight from the menu):
Seared Sea Scallops
bacon-tomato takana ragout with kabayaki butter sauce and tobiko
Spicy Tuna 2 Ways
We were seated at an intimate table for two in the corner and knew from the get-go that we wanted to enjoy a leisurely meal. My husband ordered a glass of wine and I jumped at the the chance to try their signature foam martini...simply because I had never had a foam martini before.
With drinks in hand, we turned our attention to the menus before us. Selecting our food was a much bigger challenge since everything listed seemed to be calling our names. After much debate, we settled on three tapas dishes to start with (and because I love to torture my hungry readers, here are our selections straight from the menu):
Seared Sea Scallops
bacon-tomato takana ragout with kabayaki butter sauce and tobiko
Spicy Tuna 2 Ways
spicy tuna "sushi" and spicy tuna "sandwich" with cucumber, basil and taegu
Sizzlin' Kona Kampachi Carpaccio
Sizzlin' Kona Kampachi Carpaccio
ginger, Hau'ula tomato, Mrs. Cheng's tofu and ponzu vinaigrette
For our main entree, my husband and I decided to split one dish so we'd have room for dessert. Oh, I should probably mention that instead of bread, Hiroshi diners are served baked rice crackers with an ono wasabi/nori/aioli dipping sauce. THOSE crackers in THAT sauce are totally and utterly addicting! They refilled our bowl at least 2-3 times before I remembered that we had this lovely entree headed our way:
Crab-Stuffed Mahimahi
For our main entree, my husband and I decided to split one dish so we'd have room for dessert. Oh, I should probably mention that instead of bread, Hiroshi diners are served baked rice crackers with an ono wasabi/nori/aioli dipping sauce. THOSE crackers in THAT sauce are totally and utterly addicting! They refilled our bowl at least 2-3 times before I remembered that we had this lovely entree headed our way:
Crab-Stuffed Mahimahi
citrus aioli, seasonal vegetables with lemon pepper broth
Again, we did have a tough time deciding on an entree so we took a solemn vow to return to Hiroshi and partake in more of the menu's offerings....and then we sealed that vow with dessert:
Bananas Foster Ice Cream "Puff"
Again, we did have a tough time deciding on an entree so we took a solemn vow to return to Hiroshi and partake in more of the menu's offerings....and then we sealed that vow with dessert:
Bananas Foster Ice Cream "Puff"
chocolate lollipop truffles with Hawaiian vanilla bean dip
Chocolate Cake "Ooze"
Chocolate Cake "Ooze"
vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce
Yes, we opted for ONE entree and TWO desserts, not a bad decision. After winding down our 2-hour gastronomic adventure with coffee and green tea, we rolled out of the restaurant completely happy. With fabulous food and a helpful/attentive waitstaff, Hiroshi is a restaurant that I'd recommend without hesitation!
Yes, we opted for ONE entree and TWO desserts, not a bad decision. After winding down our 2-hour gastronomic adventure with coffee and green tea, we rolled out of the restaurant completely happy. With fabulous food and a helpful/attentive waitstaff, Hiroshi is a restaurant that I'd recommend without hesitation!