It might be billed as a wedding venue, but 53 By the Sea is a food destination in its own right.
The restaurant, located on the site of the former John Dominis, is the island’s newest Italian restaurant, headed by chef Hiroshi Hayakawa. The menu boasts an extensive variety of appetizers and entrees, many of them inspired by the cuisine of Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea.
You just have to get past the building.
The restaurant is on the ground floor of a $16 million, two-story Mediterranean-meets-gothic-style structure that’s part chapel, part reception hall with an unobstructed view of Diamond Head. To say it’s huge would be an understatement. In fact, it’s a little intimidating — and probably not be the best spot for a first date, if you know what I mean.
We were invited by the operators of the restaurant to check out the menu last night — and I never pass up a chance to eat!
So here’s what our dinner looked like:
Prosciutto and pecorino cheese
I love platters of meat and cheese, so I was thrilled to see this spread of Italian cured meats and cheese. I particularly love pecorino cheese, which is essentially any Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. Pecorino sardo is a firm cheese from Sardinia and, more specifically, made from the milk of the local Sardinian breed of sheep.
53 By The Sea, 53 Ahui St. Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Sunday; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Phone: (808) 536-5353.
3 Comments
That looks absolutely delicious… and frighteningly expensive at the same time. It would have to be a special occasion for sure.
Good thing we had a big group. We shared plates!
Mahalo for the wonderful photos! We’ll be there for my 67th birthday in a few months.