Mi’s Waterfront Bistro Has More Than Location Going For It

Elizabeth Weintraub on Christmas Eve at Mi’s Waterfront Bistro

Mi’s Waterfront Bistro seemed like a fine enough place to enjoy dinner on Christmas Eve in Kona. We figured even if the meal was lacking, the location would be great. That’s because we went to dinner at Sam Choys in the Keauhou Shopping Center the day before, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. A trio of fish lacked imagination, and for a $30 entree, I expected better. Service was slow. They forgot half of my husband’s order but still put it on the bill until we corrected them.

When we have a bad experience at a restaurant, we usually do not return. However, Mi’s Waterfront Bistro was wonderful. I had made a reservation, but when we showed up, the only table available was inside. We elected to wait for a table on the water outside. It was OK, and I’m not complaining. We were escorted to the bar area and ordered a drink.

Bar seating is available on both sides of the bar at Mi’s Waterfront Bistro

The thing about dining out in Kona is one is not expected to dress up. I wore an old cotton tie-die dress that had belonged to my mother, and I swiped it from her closet after she died. Somewhere along the way, I managed to rip a hole in the front of it, but that just makes the garment more endearing to me. I topped it off with baroque pearls and matching earrings, although I did not comb my hair nor wear any makeup.

This is how dining out should be. No pretenses. Good service and good food. Our waiter appeared knowledgeable and he was fast on his toes. At first I  leaned toward the rigatoni with sausage, probably because I’ve never met a rigatoni I did not love. Since my husband desired that dish, I instead chose the seafood cioppino. Blue crab, scallops, shrimp and marlin simmered to perfection in a rich tomato sauce.

Pacific ocean laps the shore at Mi’s Waterfront Bistro

It was so delicious I mopped up my bowl with bread, and I almost never eat bread. A Napa pinot noir was a great pairing with this dish. My husband’s rigatoni seemed short on the pasta and long on the sausage and sauce, but marvelous. I do not recommend the pineapple sherbet, though; it was like shaved ice without the syrup.

If you don’t feel like driving out to the resorts for dinner, you can stay in Kailua-Kona and enjoy dinner at Mi’s Waterfront Bistro in the Waterfront Row Building on Alii Drive. There is also underground parking for 5.00 in the evenings, although the elevators don’t always seem to work, I hear. I’ve been to all the top resorts in the area, and Mi’s Waterfront Bistro is every bit as good as, say, Brown’s Beach House.