Kona Grill
Kona Grill – Tampa: 4134 w. boy scout blvd. #b-1, tampa, FL, 33607
The Restaurant:
When I was first told about Kona Grill, I thought it was a local restaurant with local flavor. I soon found out that it was actually part of a national chain. They have locations all over the United States and even some internationally. I’m not normally a big fan of national or even international chains, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. This location is very large in size with plenty of room for everyone. And we were there during prime dining time. Their menu features contemporary American favorites, award-winning sushi, and specialty cocktails.
The one drawback, was that the parking lot is extremely small and really doesn’t support the two large and popular restaurants that are located here. We had a nice table located away from the main section of the restaurant which allowed our group of six to easily have conversations. Our waiter was very nice and gave us good service.
The Food:
Kona Grill’s food is a mix of American with Asian influences. Chicken Satay was one of the first appetizers that they brought to us. There were four chicken tenders grilled on skewers over a bed of coleslaw. This was also accompanied by a Thai peanut sauce. The chicken was very tender and filled nicely with an herb marinade. The peanut sauce was not too heavy of a peanut flavor as some can be, and added an extra layer of flavor to the chicken.
Avocado spring rolls were next up for the table accompanied by honey-cilantro dipping sauce. Rochelle said that they were very tasty and had a good crisp to them. There is a small amount of slaw with them and a couple of edamame which was an odd addition to see three of them on the plate as a garnish.
For entrees, we started with BBQ chicken flatbread. Drizzled in bbq sauce, red onions, cheddar cheese, gouda, and cilantro on a thin flatbread. It had a very good taste and was made nice and crispy just the way I like it. If you are not a fan of sweet bbq, then you might not like this one.
Next up was the Lemon-garlic shrimp with penne pasta. You get a decent amount of shrimp over a bed of penne pasta in a lemon cream sauce. Topped with Parmesan cheese, baby arugula, roasted tomatoes and garlic bread. Corey said this had alot of flavor and a great dish to eat. Corey’s pasta was cooked to perfection, but he did wish there was more shrimp.
The steak guy in the group had the NY Strip with house mashed potatoes and broccoli. How can you go wrong. Presentation was very good and the steak had decent flavor, but certainly not like what you would have in a steak house. Andrew enjoyed his meal none the less.
Sean decided to go a different route and have the Caterpillar Roll. This roll contains eel, cucumber, avocado, eel sauce and sesame seeds. He devoured it and said that it was very good.
Pricing: $$-$$$- lunch or dinner depending on what you order, and drinks
