Disappointing Restaurant. Big Island
 

Upon recommendation to skip Browns and go to Hale Somoa on the Big Island for dinner - we did. Major disppointment. For the price I was expecting somethign more than what I got:

1. Sitting on patio furniture with not very comfortable pads
2. Looking not at the beach and beautiful white sand but the beach covered with white plastic lounge chairs, a toy box and green garden hose right in front of our table.

$80.00 for basic dinner which was good but if you wanted something different than basically fish, there was an additional price of $10 - $20. Wine was expensive so our dinner for two was over $200.00 not including tip.

On the other hand, we kept our reservation at Brown's at the Fairmont Orchid (chagned the date) and it was a delight. Great environment - right on the lawn facing the ocean with no plastic charis, no toy box, etc. - just green grass and ocean, tiki torches and palm trees and delicious food. we had the tasting menu which came with wine parings and our dinner was round $150.00 sans tip. Better deal all the way around. Plus it was a long drive to get to Hale Samoa - never again!

Thank you for sharing Shar. Sorry you didn't like the experience. I don't know if I was the one who recommended it, but if I was I, my bad.

Interesting...I could have written the title about my recent (September 2009) dinner at Brown's!! We were staying at the Fairmont and dinner at Brown's on our first night. I had two appetizers, the beet salad and the ahi poke, and my friend had a steak ordered medium. The steak came back well done and she could hardly cut through it...the waitress ordered another one and came back to proudly declare that she had ordered it "medium rare," and this time it came out on the rare side. My beet salad was really good, but the poke was average. Neither my friend nor I were happy at all with our meals, especially given the cost.

Oddly enough, I had Thanksgiving dinner at Brown's in 2008 and thought it was good. I think they might be a bit inconsistent. But I will agree that the view/setting is lovely!

Shar- Where on the BI is Hale Samoa? Been to BI many times, don't recognize it.

OK, I looked it up, it is in Kona Village; I remember being in KV a few years ago, and being not impressed with the food.