This was a dinner that almost "wasn't to be". You see, we originally had reservations at Toridokoro Matsumoto... Yes, for about a year it was a semi-exclusive restaurant where a regular had to invite you to dine. And diners were told not to reveal the location due to its exclusivity. So only the Frolic Hawaii group and exclusive Yelpers knew where it was or could secure tables to dine... Then late last year, they opened up reservations to the general public so we made a reservation for Sunday at 6:00pm. Confirmed by OpenTable. With a reminder by OpenTable. And because it's in an apartment building in a slightly seedier side just outside of Waikiki, I knew that parking potentially could be an issue... and it was. It appears that half of the apartment complex is being renovated so 2/3 of the parking was blocked off... complete with about three homeless individuals bartering their goods just outside of the complex. So I called Tokidokoro Matsumoto and was greeted primarily in Japanese though I did get the "Matsumoto" part and stated that we reservations in about 30 minutes... though I'm not fluent in Japanese, I did catch multiple "gomenasai" along with "the flu" and it seems someone - probably the chef, caught the flu so they were closed. I know that the flu season is year round in the 50th but the least they could have done was contact diners with reservations that they had to close for that night... Guess because I'm not a Frolicker or elite Yelper, I don't count...
After the drama, we needed cocktails so I started with the "One" cocktail, basically Mariposa's take on a Vesper with vodka, gin and Lillet…
While the Mrs sampled the Pear Perfection with Grey Goose Poire vodka, St Germain, lemon juice and "Q" soda water...
So we went to Plan B which was Mariposa. We both decided on their Prix Fixe menu which included the Grilled Octopus with sweet onions, green onions, ogo, sesame oil and won to chips... I also opted for the wine pairings which was supposed to be a Pieropan Soave... the octopus was as tender as tako gets and I consumed the Mrs' won ton chips with the strawberry guava butter...
The 2nd course was a Caesar Salad with Mari's baby romaine, Ho Farm tomatoes, parmigiano and croutons with a Roland Lavantureux Petit Chablis but I'm pretty the wines got crossed with the Chablis served with the octopus and the Pieropan with the Caesar but the dishes themselves were very good...
The Mrs the indulged another cocktail created for Valentine's Day with sparkling Rose, strawberries and raspberries...
The 3rd course was a Kabocha Carbonara with parmigiano crème sauce and chives and the Mrs adores anything with kabocha. The wine pairing was a Kermit Lynch Southern Cote du Rhone...
Then the final savory was either a Arare Crusted Kona Kampachi on soba noodles and crab miso sauce which I selected… the wine was supposed to be a Fel Pinot Noir but I'm pretty sure I was served the Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon blend (which was the wine for the ribeye)…
Or the Ribeye Steak with fingerling potatoes, Ali'i mushrooms and caramelized onions which the Mrs selected...
Dessert was a Brulee with fruit...
I also indulged in a Mango Margarita with silver tequila, Solerno orange liqueur and fresh mango...
Thank goodness for Plan B's... I'm sure we won't attempt another reservation at Tokidokoro Matsumoto as customer service doesn't appear to be their forte...
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