Pa'ina Lounge replaced the former Sundance Kitchen. When Enrique saw that a new Hawaiian-fusion was reincarnated right next to our favorite theatre, Sundance Kabuki, he literally did a happy dance!
Walking in, it was like going to a club with purple and blue lights illuminating the white walls. The place is bi-leveled, open and spacious: bar is on upper section then it drops to the lower section which is the dining area. Pa'ina is sleek, modern and loud. The stage is ready to receive entertainers that the managers talked to us about when they finally get the license and paperwork done. There will be performers on a nightly basis-- DRAG SHOWS, REGGAE, HAWAIIAN, BLUES, etc.
Sadly, Pa'ina was not what at all we anticipated. This has not been the most horrible experience we'd ever had but the most annoying!
We go to dinner to chill and relax. This place was so disorganized that it actually stressed me out!
Service was lacking and disorganized. Although the managers and servers were friendly, it did not make up for the fact that we did not get our drinks until 40 minutes after we sat down -- despite hounding any servers we could find to remind them about my Mango Kamikaze. Our dishes were delivered to our tables about 20 minutes apart.
1. $5 Happy Hour Clam and Mussel Combo.
2. Spicy Hawaiian Poke $12 with a side of rice $3
3. Short Ribs with Macaroni Salad for Enrique $10
The poke and rice arrived first after about 20 minutes. Another ~ 20 minutes and then the short ribs and appetizer of clam and mussel combo arrived. Our drinks were nowhere to be seen.
Until Enrique verbally expressed his disatisfaction that I have not received my drink and that his Diet Coke has never been refilled, then that was when things ran a little bit smoothly.
We took a chance of placing our second order for more food. This time I guess because they knew we were upset, that the service became more efficient. However, my glass was never taken away nor was I offered another drink.
We placed another order for ISLAND POKE $12 for me and KALUA PIG FRIES for Enrique.
VERDICT:~Sleek cool place to chill.
~Very disorganized service.
~Reasonable prices and adequate portions.
~Strong drink. (Mango Kamikaze was at least strong and good.)
~ Decent food: Spicy poke was seasoned enough but the Island Poke was bland. According to my guy, the ribs were tender but very sweet. The Kalua Pig Fries were tender, flavorful and came with lots of pig.
FINAL THOUGHTS:We are frequent flyers at the Sundance Kabuki. In fact this theatre is where we watch our movies 98% of the time. Enrique is such a movie buff that we go to the movies quite a bit. We would often grab a quick bite at the Sundance Kitchen in the past and liked it for the convenience.
However, we will wait until Pa'ina iron out the kinks and hoping they would before we go back again.
TOTAL: $81 with generous tip despite the poor service.
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