Last week, I had the pleasure of dining at Liholiho Yacht Club for the second time.  If you’ve ever tried to get reservations or walk in, you know how lucky that is.  Both visits happened on weekday nights at 5:30pm and let me tell you, the place is packed.  Eager SF foodies wait in line before the doors open at 5pm to grab one of the sought-after bar tables that are left open for walk-ins.  On this recent visit, our friends booked the Ohana Table, which seats 8-10 and although it still must be booked ahead of time, it is an easier reservation to get.  Liholiho inquires about food allergies or restrictions in advance, but otherwise decides on the courses and prepares a customized written menu.  Dining with a large party allowed us to try a lot more dishes and we happily tried five appetizers, three entrees and two desserts.  Take a look at our Ohana (which means “family” in Hawaiian) style dining…

The poke on seaweed cracker is a must-order.  We also enjoyed duck pate with pineapple and a lettuce wrap with fried oyster and beef carpaccio.

The one item we added to the set menu was the homemade spam fried rice — an off-menu item everyone seems to know about.  It’s the priciest spam (hey, they make it themselves!) you’ll ever eat, but it’s also the best.  On the right, I don’t remember exactly what’s topped on the heirloom tomato salad but it was delicious.

The fried cornish game hen topped with the best broccoli I’ve ever tasted was my favorite entree of the evening.  Clams in curry on the right was just the right bit of sweet.  The final course, desserts, were a bit disappointing.  The butter mochi and green tea panna cotta were good, but not memorable.  Their baked Hawaiian is phenomenal, but sadly, was not an option for us that evening.  We didn’t leave disappointed though.  Cocktails, wine and a magnum of bubbly more than satisfied our sugar needs and the overall experience was excellent.

Photos original to RevolvingDecor.com.