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| - 808 Tapas opened on 08/22/12, how are there reviews already? Lets say you have a private soft opening; opened to friends, family, and special guests which is fine since I have attended a few but to write a review of it nearly violating Yelp's Conflict of Interest hmm.
Integrity check.
But at least they're not fake reviews, just exaggerated. I've had my eyes on this place like so many of my fellow peers who are eager waiters as well, most recent would be Christie O. waiting for Rachel's Kitchen to open up for example. But before we get to the food just know that 808 is the area code for Hawaii. And tapas, in short, are variety of appetizers or snacks. Combine these and you have a formula for something special. The 808 name is part Gimmick, not every dish has that Hawaiian influence in it.
My favorites so far have been the yellow tail jalapeno, oysters (specials), salmon carpaccio and celery tako. The cuts on the yellow tail, salmon, and tako were perfect. The oysters were fresh and instead of dousing or tapped with tabasco, it worked well topped and sauced. The yellow tail was presented beautifully. The salmon carpaccio was very generous in cut, the bits of avocado and white onion slices was nice. The celery tako is my absolute favorite. Now, the following two dishes are interesting.
Starting with the uni tempura, I liked it however I don't know if it's worth the price at $10. The uni nigiri is $8 and I would prefer to get the raw fresh taste of uni than have it coated and deep fried, basically masking the taste of the Oceans butter. But as far as the dish itself, it was good. When you break the lightly dressed crunchy shell you can taste the uni core. I'm passing up on this next time and trying their uni pasta (to see how it compares to Chef Marc's).
The tensai shooter I had to order twice at $3.00 each, the second order took 20 mins to come out and I thought I was going to get charged for it again. Mix up in the back of the house. I asked myself how a tiny, pinky sized, cup dish takes 20 mins to prepare. But I liked the amberjack, truffle sauce, avocado, pea sprout, jalapeno, "red caviar" combination. The reason why I ordered it the second time was to eat it in a different way by mixing it and combining it in the cup, gather it up with chopsticks and eat it that way rather than shoot it. I would try this at least once, especially if you're a hamachi or amberjack lover.
I was not a fan of the 808 ceviche, if I remember correctly the proteins in it were scallops and shrimp then mixed in a mango cucumber corn cilantro salsa. Even though the chips and salsa were freshly made I was not a fan, especially at $8. One more chopped up scallops then maybe but if I'm missing proteins on a healthy scoop then I'll pass. The lomi lomi salmon caprese will be passed by me next time as well. I was excited for this one seeing that I grew up on lomi lomi salmon but even though it was there on top of two slices of mozzarella, it didn't work for me. I know what they were going for, something similar to a mozzarella caprese. The lomi lomi salmon was good though.
The only finger licking item I had to experience was probably the steamed mussels. The sauce is sweet and the mussel meat are still attached to the clam shell. So you'll have to hold it down or in place and peel it off.
The above orders were all "what would you recommend". The only item I ordered truly for myself was the garlic chicken, and it tasted as good as 808 Sushi's which confirms they were borrowed. There are no happy hour items yet. Keep in mind they are closed on Sundays but open late until 2am on business days.
During my first visit when I sat down and asked for water, I was offered only between bottled Fiji water or Sparkling Water... immediately cha-ching at the cash register with that one. But the service here is top notch, the female servers are always checking up on you. And Chef Yoshi is very talented, I hope he doesn't just teach and go back to 808 Sushi. One of the main reasons why I tipped $10 both times was in hopes they would share it with the chefs behind the counter. When you first walk in you'll get a very enthusiastic AALOHAAAA! And when you're leaving you get a MAAHHALO! Somewhere in between I'd like a daaa kineee.
So friends, do come and try this new spot out on W. Sahara and Ft. Apache, next to Coldstone where they looked at me funny for days when I would walk up and 808 Tapas continued to be closed but be mindful of the above guidelines to get the most out of your experience and money. I'll continue to come here but I already know what I like and find value in. So my experiences will be better. But if you choose the right items at the right price you'll be golden, it is just depressing to think I can spend $1 more and get a Ronin Burger or Kalbi Burger next door compared to two pieces of Sliders at $9.
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