Hanging Out at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill in Kona

Sacramento Realtor Elizabeth Weintraub loved the ambiance at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill.

Our server at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill in Kona has worked at that establishment for 4 years, and she was bursting with energy, smiles and helpfulness. It’s such a different vibe here than the reception you get as a Sacramento Realtor in a place like, say, Midtown Sacramento. There is little reserve or over-the-top formalities. Everything is casual.

Which is partly why I love Big Island. No dressing up. No makeup to wear. No brushing of hair. Nobody you need to impress. You can dress as a slob and be welcome just about anywhere, and let me tell you that sloppiness is my preferred style of dress. I would wear the same article of clothing over and over without laundering if I could get away with it.

We were searching for a place close to our new vacation house in Hawaii for dinner because my husband, for some reason, does not want to cook, even though we have a perfectly good kitchen in which to practice his art. I don’t care. We can go out. None of the restaurants we have frequented thus far are what I would call “fine dining,” but it’s fine all the same. Not memorable. Not bad.

The Passion Flow cocktail at Jackie Rey’s is $9.00.

The perfect way to start dinner at Jackie Rey’s is with a Hawaiian cocktail such as the Passion Flow, made with blended rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lilikoi and a shot of orange juice, served in a li hing mui rimmed glass. Because I was driving the jeep, I nursed a glass of Stag’s Leap Napa Chardonnay.

We both ordered the Angie’s Salad, with greens, farro, apples, beets, macadamia nuts, blue cheese with a strawberry vinaigrette, but I added a lobster tail just because I could. My husband selected the New Yorker which, despite its name, was not a New York Strip. It was really more of a sirloin, so the name is a bit misleading. Asparagus and bacon-mashed potatoes rounded out the dish.

The open air dining was relaxing. We were lucky to have nabbed a booth all the way to the back of the restaurant, right by the window overlooking the parking lot. It was noisy but not so loud you couldn’t hear a person talk across the table. Plus they gave us crayons to draw on the paper table cloth, and that kept us busy for a while.

It was somewhat affordable at Jackie Rey’s but not two dollar signs as shown on Trip Advisor. Our dinner with tip was a little over $100. Two drinks were $21. It’s a restaurant I would return to, though. The ambiance and friendly staff perk it up. And when I picked up my cellphone to leave, it appeared our conversation ended up in a Siri search. I include it below. This is not what we were discussing by a long shot. Siri is somewhat poetic.

Siri sent a poetic message for Weintraub at Jackie Rey’s.