My graduate school cohort meets regularly for happy hour ever since we graduated about two years ago. It was my turn to plan this time, so I chose Kincaid's Restaurant at Ward Warehouse for the convenient location and free parking. The restaurant offers two happy hours every night, 3:00 to 7:00 and 9:00 to closing. Since we usually meet right after work, my husband and I arrived around 4:15 to reserve a choice spot for the 10-12 expected attendees. The restaurant's atmosphere is relaxed and the staff is very friendly. There is also a nice view of Kewalo Basin through the large glass wall facing the water.
Wine by the glass and all draft beers are $4 during happy hour, and a small selection of mixed drinks are $5. I am not much of a drinker, so I ordered the Pomegranate Margarita. It was very sweet and tasty, but I started to get tipsy as we waited for our food. There were only two waitresses on the floor and the restaurant was busy even though it was still early. My husband ordered a black-and-tan, while my classmates ordered Long Board, Blue Moon and Guinness beers.
The Happy Hour Menu offers a good selection of full-sized appetizers for about half the regular price. The Oven Roasted Crab and Artichoke Dip ($8.75) came with sliced bread for dipping. (Kincaid's sister-store, Ryan's Grill, offers a similar dip with house-made foccaccia bread instead.) The Buffalo Chicken Wings ($7.95) was served with the usual celery sticks and bleu cheese dipping sauce. Each order came with about 8 crispy pieces. Since the sauce is pretty spicy, the waitress suggested that one of our orders come with the wings dipped in the sauce and the other with the sauce served on the side. That was a good suggestion, because my mouth was on fire after eating two savory, sauce-coated wings.
The French Fry Trio ($3.75) is comprised of three small buckets filled with sweet potato fries, regular french fries, and thick-cut potato chips drizzled with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. It was a big hit as we took turns dipping the various forms of potato into the mustard-garlic aioli and ketchup. Our waitress suggested the Country Fried Calamari ($7.95) which included chunks of fried artichokes along with the calamari. Each piece was lightly crispy and delicious. A couple of people in our group ordered Kincaid's Tasting Sampler ($17.95) which consisted of Shrimp Scampi, Grilled Teriyaki Tenderloins, and Roasted Crab and Artichoke Dip served on a three-tiered frame. I was too full to partake, but one of my classmates said that each dish was delicious. She also said that the crab/artichoke dip was her favorite of the three.
The Fresh Smoked Salmon ($6.95) was a bit disappointing because the salmon was cut into tiny pieces and mixed with a lot of onions and tomatoes. I was expecting thin slices of salmon instead. The dish also came with potato chips, which was not a good match. I ordered the Grilled Teriyaki Tenderloins ($7.25) for my husband and "son" who are big meat eaters. The serving consisted of 4 or 5 chunks of meat on white rice. They didn't care for this dish and the last piece of meat just sat on the plate for the next hour.
The restaurant got busier as happy hour came to an end, but the service actually improved as more waitstaff came on duty. We continued to receive friendly and efficient service when ordering additional drinks and food as our party grew larger. Most of us left around 7:00, but some lingered to continue chatting. Despite the fact that we took up a dozen seats for nearly three hours, we didn't feel rushed to leave.
The French Fry Trio ($3.75) is comprised of three small buckets filled with sweet potato fries, regular french fries, and thick-cut potato chips drizzled with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. It was a big hit as we took turns dipping the various forms of potato into the mustard-garlic aioli and ketchup. Our waitress suggested the Country Fried Calamari ($7.95) which included chunks of fried artichokes along with the calamari. Each piece was lightly crispy and delicious. A couple of people in our group ordered Kincaid's Tasting Sampler ($17.95) which consisted of Shrimp Scampi, Grilled Teriyaki Tenderloins, and Roasted Crab and Artichoke Dip served on a three-tiered frame. I was too full to partake, but one of my classmates said that each dish was delicious. She also said that the crab/artichoke dip was her favorite of the three.
The Fresh Smoked Salmon ($6.95) was a bit disappointing because the salmon was cut into tiny pieces and mixed with a lot of onions and tomatoes. I was expecting thin slices of salmon instead. The dish also came with potato chips, which was not a good match. I ordered the Grilled Teriyaki Tenderloins ($7.25) for my husband and "son" who are big meat eaters. The serving consisted of 4 or 5 chunks of meat on white rice. They didn't care for this dish and the last piece of meat just sat on the plate for the next hour.
The restaurant got busier as happy hour came to an end, but the service actually improved as more waitstaff came on duty. We continued to receive friendly and efficient service when ordering additional drinks and food as our party grew larger. Most of us left around 7:00, but some lingered to continue chatting. Despite the fact that we took up a dozen seats for nearly three hours, we didn't feel rushed to leave.
Kincaid's Restaurant
Ward Warehouse, 2nd Floor
1050 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Phone: (808) 591-2005
www.kincaids.com
Roasted Crab and Artichoke Dip
Country Fried Calamari
French Fry Trio
Fresh Smoked Salmon
Kincaid's Sampler Trio
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