Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Adventures in Dining | November 2000

Adventures in Dining
by Janet Snyder

Seaside Romance

At Jameson's by the Sea in Kailua-Kona, the sound of the waves - and the food - are like going to heaven

Jameson's by the Sea in Kailua-Kona is right on Magic Sands Beach, within "diving range," so to speak, of the ocean.

I'm a sucker for an ocean view, and, better yet, a table for two by the sea. Candlelight; great wine; the taste of the ocean in the cuisine.

That, in a seashell, describes a recent evening at Jameson's by the Sea in Kailua-Kona. Nestled right on Magic Sands Beach, which is named for the disappearing act the beach does at high tide, Jameson's is the place for a cozy tete a tete with your amour.

The best table in the house is actually outside and within diving range of the ocean - I mean, splash distance. For a displaced city dweller who still uses a wave machine to create white noise on the Hamakua Coast, the sound of waves lapping the lava rock wall of Jameson's was like going to heaven.

So was the food.

Our affable waiter, Pepe, shepherded us through a menu laden with choices, and we took his suggestion of the salmon pate. Whe n by the sea, eat from the sea.

"That's our signature dish," Pepe said, and we made short work of the savory, light starter. We also sampled the crab-stuffed mushrooms, served piping hot with a dollop of hollandaise.

Knowing that seafood was the order of the day, we ordered from the white-wine list. My husband and fellow foodie, Art, is partial to dry vintages, and pronounced the 1998 Wild Horse Pinot Blanc from Monterey County delightfully dry, sharp and clean. My glass held a 1998 Napa Reserve Chardonnay from the Raymond vineyards, redolent with sultry honey and citrus tones.

Both of us were dying for veggies, so Art had a tomato-and-Maui-onion salad. "Ooh, look at how much onion I got," Art crooned. Unfortunately, he is a raw-onion fan, and I am anything but. In self-defense, I ordered Jameson's luscious Caesar salad, which sported a hefty helping of anchovies.

We sipped the next wine by the glass, to get maximum variety without falling overboard. Next up for me was Dry Creek Vineyards' 1998 Clarksberg Chenin Blanc, dry with a pineapple tartness. Art came up trumps again with a crisp Estancia Napa Reserve Chardonnay of 1998 vintage.

'Opakapaka is among the foods for the gods, and Jameson's prepared it four ways. I chose it sauteed with a rich mixture of crab and shrimp meat, aromatic shiitake mushrooms, scallions, lemon and beurre blanc. I will have to return to try the same lovely white fish poached in white wine, topped with garlic hollandaise, a spicy black-bean sauce, or poached in white wine with crab and asparagus with hollandaise.

The carnivorous Art went for the tender rack of lamb broiled medium well in a brandy demiglaze with mint jelly and new potatoes on the side. "This is simple and perfect," Art said between mouthfuls. Art is a potatoes kind of guy. Not that he's pedestrian in his tastes, but he certainly appreciates a good potato, and he loved the roasted new potatoes at Jameson's.

My 'Opakapaka came with linguine, which in many places is an afterthought. Not at Jameson's. It was done al dente, and cried for twirling in the fish, crab and shrimp sauce.

For fun, and to do honor to Art's red meat, we tried a black curranty DeLoach Cabernet Sauvignon and a full-bodied Franciscan Merlot, both 1998.

By sheer miracle there was a smidgen of room for dessert. Pepe put forward the idea of homemade raspberry chiffon pie with Oreo cookie crust. No matter how full you think you are, you can still fit a bite of this in your tummy.

One final note about this establishment's friendly, yet unobtrusive service. While this reviewer was trying to take notes in the romantic semi-darkness of the lanai, our waiter grasped the situation and came with two different flashlights, including one with a magnifying device. It was still too dark to write.

Undaunted, Pepe solved the problem with a lantern face down on top of a pint glass swiped from the bar, which provided perfect illumination.

(You can find this kind of service at the other Jameson's establishments around the Islands - in Kihei and Kapalua on Maui; and on O'ahu, one in Hale'iwa and another one due to open in December at Restaurant Row.)

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