Ianne B.
Yelp
The hubby and I went for a special occasion during our Hawaii vacay, and we are so glad that we did! Amazing location, service and food! From the valet, to the host / hostess, the wait staff, cooks and manager, service was top notch. Shout out to Tiffany, who provided service with a warm personality and friendly smile.
We had a reservation just before sunset, and we were so fortunate to get seated at a great table in time to watch the sun retreat. Tiffany kindly offered us bubbly to start off our special date, and gave us plenty to time between ordering drinks and food to settle in. For drinks, we ordered and enjoyed the no ka oi and calamansi crush. Reviews raved about the tako escargot, so we started with that. I ordered the scallop and clams while the hubby ordered the night's a'ina, which was lamb chops. Shortly after, we were served fresh bread with a tomato oil dipping sauce. I liked the gazpacho like dip and bread, but I would have preferred an herbed butter (not a dig, but more of a preference). The tako was served piping hot, enveloped in seasoned butter. I enjoyed it atop the toast, as did my date. The dish would benefit from 2 more slices of grilled bread, but we were able to enjoy it with the remainder of the initial bread served. We were also served an amuse bouche of mushroom soup before our main dishes, which was a delicious bonus.
Now for the mains. Both dishes were nicely presented and temperature HOT (super important to us), and both were absolutely delicious. My husband said the lamb chops were the best he's ever had, and the shepherds pie that accompanied it was smooth and tasty. The scallops were so tender and delicious, and the overall dish was a hit.
We were so full, but we opted to order dessert anyway! We thoroughly enjoyed the pineapple and macadamia nut bread pudding, which was served hot and with a scoop of ice cream. To top off the night, Tiffany sent us home with some chocolates to enjoy later!
The only damper, which is not at the fault of Merriman's, is our date started with these annoying tiny flies that were attracted to my water (several stuck to the condensation on the glass) and one decided to take enjoy my cocktail as well! We were constantly swatting them away, but luckily they went away once the sun was completely set. It was a nearly perfect night and we will definitely be back on our next Maui vacay!