The first time I went to Morton’s Steakhouse was YEARS ago…and it was a bad experience. I think we had a special coupon deal for some kind of set meal and the service was just not it. It soured the restaurant for me for years to come. Well, this past week, Chan’s friend from Japan came to visit so we decided to meet up with her here. They are still around so they gotta be good right? Let’s see if they come right on the service this time. They have an elevator that takes you straight up to their restaurant. It’s really odd because while they are on the second floor, there are absolutely no windows. Figure there must be somewhat of a nice view of Ala Moana beach but I guess they didn’t want it.

Orchard Season | $10.00
apple, pineapple, cranberry, lemon, fever-tree ginger ale

You know how I roll, alcohol free! This was delicious, tastes as crisp as it sounds. This name evokes an autumnal feeling – I really liked it!

The State St. | $20.00
woodford reserve bourbon, carpano antica formula vermouth & cherry bitters filtered through jack daniel’s barrel char…wagyu “bacon” candy

Chan’s fancy drink. The description alone is worth the $20 lol. He let me take a sip and boy was it smooth going down. It’s a good drink!

Complimentary Bread

Usually, I like to scarf down bread but I kept my composure this time. I ate only one slice and saved my appetite for the dinner. The bread was nice and warm and soft with very soft butter on the side. Yum!

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail | $26.00
house-made cocktail sauce, horseradish

Where do I find these bombucha size shrimp myself? So meaty and firm (heh) – it was delicious! Perfect cocktail sauce too, really enjoyed this! But I also enjoy the ones from Costco/Sam’s Club lol.

Chef’s Selection of Fresh Oysters | $25.00
half dozen on the 1/2 shell, house-made cocktail sauce, mignonette

I love a good fresh raw oyster – it tastes clean but also like the ocean. This was good! I enjoyed it!

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes | $15.00
Make it loaded | $4.00

There’s a lot going on with these mashed potatoes, it’s liked a loaded baked potato casserole. It tastes exactly like it sounds and the “bacon” they use are like huge chunks of thick cut bacon!

Creamed Spinach | $15.00

Basic standard cream spinach – classic, nothing to write home about.

Thick Cut Onion Rings | $15.00

Chan has been craving onion rings and here we go! This definitely fulfilled that craving. Good breading on the onion rings and fried just right.

Parmesan & Truffle Matchstick Fries | $14.00

These fries were so good! I’m thinking I should add matchstick to my favorite cuts of fries list.

36 oz. Tomahawk Ribeye | $145.00

Expensive! But no worries, this steak was shared by three people very happily. They almost ate it all! Yum!

Filet Mignon (6 oz) & Lobster Tail | $71.00
center-cut filet & cold-water tail

This was my entree, figured that since all the steaks were around this price anyway – why not get a good piece of meat and a lobster tail! I shared my lobster with Chan. So for these cuts of steak, I asked for it to be cooked rare. Did they pass the test? No. The steak was basically medium but I just kept it, I hate to send food back – especially steak. It was technically edible but boy was the meat tough to cut and chew. Ruth’s Chris definitely beats them in the quality of the meat and cooking temperature. The lobster was good!

Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake | $17.00

So how did they fare with service this time? Incredible. Our waiter was perfect, always checking in on us, making appropriate jokes and serving up some good customer service! He knew that we were meeting up with friends from Japan so he decided to surprise us with this dessert for free! He even gave each of us a scoop of vanilla ice cream with this cake. We weren’t going to order dessert since we were all stuffed but who can resist a free dessert? And I must tell you, this is the best lava cake I have ever had in a restaurant. Super ooey gooey inside but the cake is nice and hot and crispy but soft. Hard to explain, you just gotta try it yourself!

Would I come back? I was disappointed by my steak but maybe I would try a rib-eye next time? Otherwise, it was a good night!

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Would Café Kaila be considered more Kaimuki or Kapahulu? Sometimes, it’s hard to city-fy these restaurants! Café Kaila is located in Market City Shopping Center and has been a super popular breakfast and brunch place for many years. Can you believe I have never tried them before? Why? Well, everytime I walk by, there’s a long line of people waiting outside! But I had a leisure lunch with a friend this day and decided to swing by at 11AM on a weekday to see how it was. There were a few people outside but I signed in and got seated within 5 minutes. We were only a two-top so that may have helped us!

Breakfast Quesadilla | $16.00
A choice of spinach or flour tortilla grilled with jack and cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs and your choice of breakfast meat or mixed veggies, served with our famous homemade salsa.

This was my friend’s dish, shoot, I forgot to ask if she enjoyed it. I think she liked it!

Meat Loaf Loco Moco | $20.00
Two slices of our homemade meatloaf with two eggs any style, covered in our mushroom onion gravy, served on a bed of rice with a green onion garnish and your choice of toast.

Meat in the form of a loaf? Okay I’m in. Never had a meat loaf loco moco but it sounded so good. Got my white toast which is pre-buttered and enjoyed my entree. It was very good. The meatloaf is very soft and smothered in gravy. You can’t go with this dish.

All in all, I was super glad to have tried it. Am I dying to go back soon? Probably not. I’m not usually a brunch person but it was super nice to try! While they are always busy, they turn around the tables very quick so don’t let the line deter you!

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