Setting is stunning, but Merriman’s menu disappoints

My foodie friends’ response to the food at Merriman’s has been an unequivocal thumbs down.

That is not necessarily bad news for the restaurant. Those with sophisticated palates are in the minority. I’ve learned over the years that for many diners, food matters less than the experience of dining in a nice room. It’s one of several reasons humble eateries with great food can sometimes fail while stylish restaurants with mediocre cuisine often enjoy years of success.

Merriman’s is the kind of picture-perfect restaurant that people love, built to steal one’s heart with its beauty. With more than 30 years in the business, Peter Merriman knows what a restaurant should look like and this one is as glossy as it gets. Save for the green tropical print on bench seats and bar chairs, this restaurant at the base of Ward’s Anaha residential/mixed use complex looks like one straight out of New York or Los Angeles.

The inclusion of the IBM building’s Vladimir Ossipoff honeycomb design on one wall is a nice touch that connects the restaurant to the Ward community. On another wall, Merriman plays off on the idea of conviviality and merriment with a large photo of an 1889 feast attended by Hawaii’s Merrie Monarch King David Kalakaua and writer Robert Louis Stevenson. It sets the stage for celebration. In the photo, the two are enjoying a feast at the Waikiki home of banker Henry Poor with friends and family, including Kalakaua’s sister and succeeding queen, Lili‘uokalani.

The restaurant has the convenience factor going for it, located in the heart of Ward where there’s plenty of parking, making it accessible for business lunches and easy get-togethers.

Given the star power of Merriman, one of the 12 founding chefs of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, and his executive chef Jon Matsubara, a veteran of Stage, Azure, Japengo and Forty Carrots at Bloomingdale’s, expectations were high. That’s part of the reason it was so disappointing to find that the menu highlights are basics that include tableside poke, baked macaroni and goat cheese, and garlic truffle fries, not generally the stuff of a high-end restaurant.

There’s a reason Merriman has been so successful with such casual concepts as Monkeypod Kitchen and Moku Kitchen. People meeting friends over drinks and pupu don’t want fussy food, but fries and poke to pick on.

For an introduction, start with lunch, when there’s less of a cost commitment and simplicity works in the restaurant’s favor. You’ll find a majority of starters that are also on the dinner menu, such as the creamy baked mac and goat cheese ($11) sprinkled with a crunchy mix of chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I also liked the shrimp and corn fritters ($11) accented with the crunch of carrots and macadamia nuts. The accompanying roasted poblano sour cream was a plus. Some may take issue with the size — about 2-1/2 inches in diameter — of the two thin fritters, given the price.

One popular offering is the tako and country bread ($18) combo with the octopus presented “a la escargot” in cognac garlic butter in an escargot pan. The diced tako proves to be a nice substitute, a bit firmer than the snail without the earthy factor that can be a turnoff.

Fish tacos ($16) are another good choice. A lot goes onto a couple of 4-inch tortillas, starting with the fillets of breaded mahi. Next comes ahi, a cabbage slaw, cilantro and a spicy roasted habanero and pineapple salsa. The heat level will be too much for some.

Two “Big Plate” salads are good options for dieters. They include romaine and frisee topped with salmon and finished with a sherry- soy vinaigrette ($18), and herb-grilled chicken and avocado over a mix of lettuce with buttermilk and dill dressing ($18).

In the evening, guests have been greeted with a glass of prosecco upon arrival at the table. This replaces the offering of bread, which you can buy for $4.

The drama comes early with ahi and avocado poke ($16) prepared at your table to your taste when it comes to soy and spice levels, which is what makes it so good.

Also guaranteed to turn heads are the Kualoa Ranch “Smokin’ Oysters” on the half shell ($3 each with a minimum of four) which arrives under a smoke-filled dome. The oysters pick up less of the smoke than the accompanying vegetables.

Garlic-butter Keahole clams ($17) with kale tasted more watery than buttery. Though spicy, chow fun with Kauai shrimp and pork ($11) was less flavorful than any noodles you’ll find in Chinatown. Also underseasoned was a small portion of roasted cauliflower and walnuts ($12). The turmeric in the dish was negligible, drowned out by sherry and vinegar.

I was looking for a signature dish but couldn’t find one. Arguably it would be the Keahole lobster pot pie ($39) on the dinner menu, but it lacked a crust and was soupy, more like a chowder, with the sweet lobster overpowered by a heavy vermouth cream sauce and tarragon.

I was most impressed by the golden, flavorful rosemary-lemon cast-iron organic chicken ($34), but it arrived overcooked and dry. It will be great when timing issues are settled, and I think other flavor issues will work out as the menu evolves over time.

In two out of three visits, dishes and drinks were slow to arrive, despite a huge staff in both the front and back of the house. The one time I received good service was when I was recognized by a manager.

Because prices here are steep and more than one entree may call to you, you can double up through a combo duo ($44). Off limits are the prime bone-in New York steak ($48), the lobster pot pie and cheeseburger ($19), but you can get half portions (small even at this price) of the chicken, cavatelli pasta ($22), prime filet steak ($47), fish of the day or Kahua Ranch lamb (both market price).

Or you could pay full price for any entree and add a butter-poached half lobster for $27.

Desserts are Merriman classics of pineapple and macadamia nut bread pudding ($11), a Waialua molten chocolate phyllo purse with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream ($11), or housemade vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream ($7).

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.