Grove gratifies with casual fare and luxe touches

For Wednesday, March 14, 2012

By Nadine Kam

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 14, 2012

~~<p>My initial response to The Grove was a feeling of disconnect. Where some of the most popular neighborhood restaurants are winning hearts through moderately priced, good eats, here is a Kailua neighborhood bar and grill with resort prices. And, night after night, it's packed.</p>
<p>Then I remembered. When I moved from Kailua in 2005, it was already well on its way to becoming the Kahala of the Windward side as beachfront homes and near-beachfront homes were selling for $1 million plus. Development upgrades throughout Kailua town followed suit. All that's missing are the resort accommodations, unless you consider all the bed-and-breakfast operations and vacation rentals, legal or not. I looked to my right, and there they were, a group of seven or eight tourists eagerly snapping photos of each other, cocktail glasses raised, as well as pointing 35 mms and iPhones at their whole deep-fried Kona kampachi, sitting like a sculpture festooned with floral garnish. And it all came clear.</p>
~~

My initial response to The Grove was a feeling of disconnect. Where some of the most popular neighborhood restaurants are winning hearts through moderately priced, good eats, here is a Kailua neighborhood bar and grill with resort prices. And, night after night, it's packed.

Then I remembered. When I moved from Kailua in 2005, it was already well on its way to becoming the Kahala of the Windward side as beachfront homes and near-beachfront homes were selling for $1 million plus. Development upgrades throughout Kailua town followed suit. All that's missing are the resort accommodations, unless you consider all the bed-and-breakfast operations and vacation rentals, legal or not. I looked to my right, and there they were, a group of seven or eight tourists eagerly snapping photos of each other, cocktail glasses raised, as well as pointing 35 mms and iPhones at their whole deep-fried Kona kampachi, sitting like a sculpture festooned with floral garnish. And it all came clear. Login for more...