Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill

I would have loved to give Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill one more star than I did, and that would've been the case if it had not been for an employee who called me four hours after I had left.  Here is what happened, we had a party for 12 during happy hour from 5-7 PM.  A friend and I had to leave early so I asked for a separate check before I ordered anything, 5- $2 Sake Shots, 1- Sensy (which is the best watermelon drink I have ever had), 1- Uni Pasta (totally delicious if you love uni), 1- Cheese Gyoza (it couldn't have been cooked any more perfectly), 1- Garlic Shrimp, 1- Hummus & Flat Bread.

The servers were all pretty busy, wished there were more of them around.  Service wavered a bit in the refilling water department, remembering a new order, or retrieving an extra fork, but I would have to say they were on it with their smiles.  The rest of my friends of course stayed longer than I and they later told me my order was added on to their tab.  I'm not sure how that went down or how they cleared that up with the server but I end up receiving a call later of how "your party underpaid, there was product brought out and not paid for, etc, etc."

That is completely RUDE.  1) I've worked in food service before and if a server lets their party leave without paying, that's on them 2) We have our receipts to prove that we DID pay 3) Don't call me super late at night demanding that "it doesn't matter about tip, we just need to get the unpaid items PAID for."

It's not so much the food because everything was delicious, ambience is decent, the japanese wet towelettes were a great souvenir... but really, you're going to call me 4 hours after I left to tell me that we underpaid and that it needs to be paid for?  Believe me, I was livid.  Korean came out and I chewed that man out over the phone, I know a couple of my responses were "My credit card ends in XXXX, do you want the transaction number?  This is how much I paid..." and my friends were around to tell me how much they paid.  All in all, at the end of the conversation the man over the phone said, "nevermind, but you folks still underpaid."  REALLY?  If that is seriously the case.. I'd like to hear from the manager because money ain't a problem for myself or ANY of my friends.  

Besides that, the rest of my friends ordered the following: kabocha & bacon, deep fried rock shrimp, hamburger steak, four cheese pizza, ahi & octopus, ahi sashimi (forgot the name but it came with a pretty delicious shoyu sauce) .... everything was ono, just wish the uni pasta was a larger serving & presented nicer for the price.

Someone remind me to check my CC statement to make sure they don't OVERCHARGE me!  Haha.  Assholes.

i'd already given my stamp of approval to Genius Lounge so thought Chez Kenzo was a safe bet for a double date. located where Verbano used to be on south king street, the trendy decor, loungey music and noisy patrons breathes new energy to the space - i loved the vibe! there's a sports bar area with standup tables, stools and tv's, a dining area with more comfortable tables and chairs, and a semi-private nook that seems to amplify the merriment taking place in there.

as for the food and drink, it's pretty much the same menu as Genius. we arrived before 7 so were able to order some happy hour items such as fried rock shrimp, pesto pasta, garlic french bread, beer and the biggest pours of daiginjo sake you'll ever get for $5. from the regular menu we tried nagoya chicken wings (3 pieces per order, tasty but messy), kabocha with bacon (prolly their most popular item), cheese gyozas (more like ravioli with all that cheese) and french fries. the damage before tip was $82 - not bad for stuffing 2 drinking guys and 2 pregnant women!

the cherries on top are free parking and more central location. so what's higher than genius? apparently, some dude named kenzo!

Based on Yelp activity, I knew this was a spot I HAD to hit up while I was in Hawaii and not only did it exceed my expectations, I can't stop thinking about it! I would fly to Hawaii just to eat here..yeah, that good.

(04/29/2013) With four of us, we had the opportunity to try a good selection of dishes, mostly the ones I knew were really popular. Shrimp Cocktail, Pirikara Konnyaku, Kabocha and Bacon Sauteed in Garlic, Rock Shrimp Deep Fried, Hane Cheese Gyoza, Ume Pasta, Sauteed Pork with Teri Sauce, Taegu Watercress Salad, Wafu Hamburger Steak, and Uni Pasta.

The dishes that really stood out were the Pumpkin and Bacon (cubes of crispy, but soft kabocha with pieces of bacon sauteed in garlic, soo good), Deep Fried Rock Shrimp (I'm a fan of rock shrimp and this preparation served with aioli for dipping was really great), Hane Cheese Gyoza (I knew this was a really popular item, but I didn't even want to try it - didn't sound enticing - but oh my, it was mysteriously delicious!), and the Ume Pasta (oh my gosh, pasta perfection - the spaghetti noodles were perfectly al dente and fresh and ume flavor with the katsuobushi - amazinggg!).

For dessert, I got the Original Parfait that they prepare with Big Island Natural Green Tea Ice Cream and mochi balls, fruit cocktail, and cereal! Sounded odd, but it worked! The ice cream was magical.

We were able to take advantage of Happy Hour with a couple Saketinis and beers. All really great. Toward the end of our meal, it appeared that some friends of our server had come in to dine, so we completely lost her attention (she was even sitting with them). Besides that, service was good. Either way, the food is really all I can think about when I think of Chez Kenzo. I truly can't wait until I can dine here again!