By:
Kevin McQuarrie Tucked away just a few minutes from
Honolulu’s airport, on Sand Island Access Road, there is a restaurant,
La Mariana, where Father Time has simply not visited. Oh, he may have
driven by, looking for the place, but he kept missing the turn and gave up
with a shrug. Time
may not have found the sailing club, but you certainly can. You’ll see
some very shaky-looking docks, boat masts backlit by splendid sunsets, and
a charming restaurant straight out of 1963. A
biting bird named Corky welcomed us at the front door. (The restaurant is
open to the air, with no air conditioning, so dress lightly.) The décor
itself is a wonder and includes a fountain, rope signs, fishnets,
puffer-fish lights, scallop-shell chandeliers and Christmas lights. It all
feels like the rec room of your dreams, where tiki music plays and girls
in pointy bras serve Blue Hawaiis. In reality, it’s a lovely little
restaurant and our server is a nice lady wearing ordinary clothing. We
started off our meal with a round of mai tais, which turned out to be
excellent and authentic. We then moved on to the sashimi (priced daily,
and when available; ours was an ahi). The portion was large, and the fish
tasted fresh and clean. We also sampled the lumpia ($5.25), which is like
a spring roll with vegetables inside. It came to our table piping hot and
with a sweet, crushed chili pepper sauce. For
our entrées, we ordered the shrimp scampi ($16.25), which was delicious,
but as it was swimming in a white cream sauce, should really have been
called an alfredo. My meat-loving friend ordered the Angus prime rib
($17.75 for 10 oz. or $16.75 for 8 oz. serving), a generous portion topped
with rich gravy. The pork chops ($13.75) arrived breaded to perfection and
with a yummy mushroom-sherry sauce. The stuffed eggplant au gratin ($17)
was listed as a “must-try,” and I have to agree. The egg-dipped
eggplant is filled with seafood and then baked until it is puffy and
irresistible. (None of this food could be called healthy, but it’s so
tasty, it’s hard to care.) If
you prefer chicken or a burger, you’re covered, but vegetarians may go
home a little hungry. Overall, the entrées really aren’t pricey at all
when you consider that each comes with your choice of soup or salad,
starch (rice, mashed potatoes, French fries or linguini), vegetables and a
hot roll. Throughout
our meal, we enjoyed excellent service and live piano music. La Mariana
Sailing Club is like a little time machine into the world of a Hawaii gone
by. Just because Father Time hasn’t dropped in doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t. La
Mariana Sailing Club Hours:
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day,
except |