Our dinner last night was fantastic, but somehow we had a feeling it would be going into the evening.
My father-in-law’s girlfriend used to live in Oahu and he has visited the island with her many times. He told us we must visit Michel’s, a romantic waterfront restaurant located just outside of Waikiki, during our visit to Hawaii.
We made early reservations for last night and upon entering the restaurant, we were absolutely blown away.
Talk about a view!
As we were seated, our waiter greeted us and we liked him immediately. He was so personable and welcoming and talked about the food we were about to enjoy in a way that made our mouths water. We dug into the bread basket that was served with the most incredible honey and macadamia nut butter while waiting for our drinks.
That butter didn’t last long and our waiter was kind enough to notice us getting low and brought out some more.
Our main meal began with an amuse-bouche from the chef, which included steak in a cabernet sauce with purple sweet potato and the most succulent fig I’ve ever had in my life.
As big-time tuna lovers, Ryan and I ordered the tuna tartare appetizer with wonton chips to share, which was a great decision.
The bites that included the roasted red pepper aioli were my favorite.
For my entrée, I ordered the island seafood cioppino that included island onaga, Pacific salmon, Maine lobster, diver scallop, squid, prawns, clams, mussels, potatoes and zucchini in an Italian-style rich tomato broth, served with garlic bread.
The seafood came out in a bowl and the chef poured the rich tomato broth over everything at our table, which made the dish feel extra special.
This seafood lovin’ girl was in heaven! I ate everything but the shells and used the garlic bread to soak up the remaining broth.
I must also mention Ryan’s dinner selection because we both thought it was incredible.
Ryan ordered Michel’s steamed onaga (red snapper), topped with ginger, garlic, green onion, Chinese back turnip and served with somen noodles and stir-fried mushrooms. His dish was highly recommended by our waiter and was so full of flavor.
Just as Ryan and I were about to discuss dessert, our waiter came over to our table with quite the surprise.
My father-in-law called the restaurant ahead of time and pre-ordered dessert for us which was such a special treat! He selected the crepes Suzette for us to try and we had a great time watching our waiter prepare a special sauce with butter, sugar and orange liqueur.
Ryan and I were each given our own plate with three crepes and a scoop of vanilla gelato.
Perfect. As someone who usually opts for chocolate-based desserts, I couldn’t get over how much I loved the orange sauce, creamy gelato and homemade crepes. It was incredible and I only left half of a crepe behind. Thank you so much to my thoughtful father-in-law for such a fun and delicious surprise!
P.S. The Fashion page was updated! I’ll also try to snap a picture of the back of my cut out dress from Monday night soon since I received requests to see the back from quite a few of you. I’m on it!
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Very pretty dress lady! Those crepes look fantastic…I’d probably never order them for dessert just because I associated them with breakfast….best ones ever were in France!
Wow all the food looks amazing, especially the entrees! I could live off seafood!
Looks absolutely amazing!
That place looks gorgeous!…and how sweet Of your father in law to think of that surprise! 🙂 glad you had a great meal and date with your hubby…looks like this vaca will certainly be remembered in the years to come!
All of this food looks to die for!! Especially enjoying it with that spectacular view!!!
Omg I’m drooling. Now I want seafood at 6:30AM!
What an adorable surprise!
What an amazing restaurant! That view is beautiful. The food looks so good. I love that your father-in-law surprised you with dessert. That is so sweet! 🙂
Incredible…glad to see it looks like you guys are having the trip of a lifetime!
Beautiful! And I LOVE that necklace!
I went to that restaurant with my boyfriend in January 2011 and had the seafood chioppino too!! SOoooooo good! Glad you’re having fun! All of your pictures are bringing back so many great memories!
Okay, wow! What a dinner! Looks like you all are having an amazing time!
My mouth is watering just thinking about that seafood! It looks like you guys are having a perfect vacation! Enjoy!
that was so nice of your father in law! So caring!
Looks like a delicious dinner! I always gravitate towards chocolate desserts too, and whenever I decide to try something a little different (vanilla, coconut, caramel, whatever) it’s always so good! I need to mix things up more!
Swoooooooooooon! Everything sounds so good! If I ever visit Hawaii (and it IS near the top of my to-travel-to list), I think I’ll eat nothing but seafood…. especially tuna tartare!
Everything looks so delicious! Note to self: Go to Hawaii one day!
This whole vacation looks like a fantasy! And that dinner looks beyond amazing. My mouth is salivating just looking at the pictures!
Wow, I think I’d be in heaven at this restaurant! The food looks incredible and the views are breathtaking. What a fun night!
The view looks breath-taking!! And it must have been amazing eating out in the fresh air like that — so invigorating!
I’m a massive sea food fan too. I can only imagine how fresh it must be down there in the islands!
What a special guy your Father-In-Law must be. That was such a thoughtful gesture! Fun Night.
Looks amazing! You guys are such a cute couple 🙂
that is just so sweet of ryan’s dad, cant get over it!
Looks like you are having such a fantastic time in Hawaii! That dinner seems delicious – I am super jealous!
That’s such a nice surprise! I love when stuff like that happens! And it’s so much more fun to watch someone prepare something at your table (it’s why I always got the chips and guacamole at Chevy’s Tex-Mex when I went to college. 😀 )
How fun 🙂 You really are a seafood lover! The dessert looks to die for.
PS, that dress is a great fit. So cute!
Looks like a beautiful place! I love your outfit 🙂
Wow! Looks like an absolutely amazing meal!
Aw, that’s so thoughtful of your father-in-law. I think I’d love that restaurant based on the location alone. I can’t get enough of those views! Wow. That dessert looks incredible to me, too…I’m a big crepe fan!
My husband and I have talked about vacationing in Hawaii and were tossing around a full out Hawaiian vacation or taking a Hawaiian cruise. You are starting to convince me that we need a full blown week just to enjoy everything right on the island!!
Brave woman to order cioppino wearing that dress!!
Well, I just ate a huge lunch, but thanks to this post I’m ready for about 20 more courses.
So lovely! That dessert looks sooo yummy!
What a lucky lady you are!! That is such a nice surprise 🙂 Looks like sooo much fun, I love it when I see the meals prepared in front of me!
Omg all the food looks amazing! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed dinner, and what a sweet surprise from your Father In Law!
Oh my gosh. The restaurant looks beautiful, the food looks INCREDIBLE, and what a father-in-law! It sounds like your trip just keeps getting better and better.
WOW. That all sounds awesome! I think that’s so sweet your father-in-law ordered dessert ahead for you. SO cool!
You look so beautiful in that dress Julie! Love the look on you 🙂 And wowww…..each picture of the dishes gets better and better haha! I couldn’t choose my favorite probably. And that orange liqueur sauce sounds so tasty.
The people in hawaii are what I miss the most! They are so kind, laid back, and fun to be around! They always look like they enjoy what they do. Oh, and I don’t think there was one single food/dish that I didn’t like when I was there.
You and Ryan are adorable! You also look so pretty in all your new dresses. I would LOVE to go to Hawaii. Reading your posts everyday are making me so happy and I’m pretending I’m not at work while I’m reading them haha
Well isn’t that sweet! Sounds like a very romantic dinner 🙂 Very jealous! You’ve made me hungry hha.
That sweet treat (crepes) was made even sweeter by your father-in-law! Such a thoughtful thing to do for someone!
The whole meal looked fantastic! And that amuse-bouche was huge! I thought those were usually little one or two bite things?
Love it ! Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us. I love your blog and have followed many of your workouts. They are def a challenge ! Hope you enjoy your trip to the fullest and I bet it makes it extra special to have your hubby with you 🙂 !