12th Ave Grill

I've passed that grungy, ol' 12th Ave Grill sign on many different occasions, and always thought that the restaurant was typically.....a grungy, ol' bar. After walking in, though, I was stunned with the sophistication of the décor, ambiance of the place and to my astonishment, tables filled with upper-class locals and Japanese tourists. Yep, not what I imagined. Thus, my suggestion? They need to rethink that rundown sign they have out there on the street. It's what I call, false advertisement!

We had a very polite waitress who was great on suggesting things to order, since we had no idea where to start. The only thing she messed up on? My cocktail- The Bee's Knees. Essentially tasted like I was drinking orange cough medicine. Not my cup of tea...or gin. Should have gone with my instinct and ordered the Gin Blossom or the Lemon Ginger Mint Martini. Shoot!

Items I would suggest? Definitely the Baked Macaroni and Cheese, which everyone raves about. It is worth all that hype. I mean, it's essentially Mac n Cheese, but made in the tastiest way possible, finished with super crispy toasted bread crumbs. That really makes the dish. I also wanted to add in Sauteed Ali'i Mushrooms, but our waitress suggested we have it as a side dish. I originally thought, "Man, this lady is really trying to milk us for all of our worth," but in the end, it was a great suggestion. The buttery mushrooms in all its greatness would have really taken away from the creamy goodness of the Mac n Cheese. It is so decadent and tasty by itself!

We also had one of their Special Small Dishes. It was definitely popular that night as we ordered the last serving. Score! Can't remember the name and exactly what it was, but it was one of the best dishes I had that night. I can see why it ran out. Tender Pork (so tender I thought it wasn't cooked thoroughly!) served in a Puff Pastry with deliciously candy-sweet tomatoes and pesto sauce, complete with a perfectly-cooked gooey egg on top. Hooooo my goodness. Every bite was delightful. I just wished it was a main dish!

For our main entreé or "large plate" as they like to call it, we had another Special of theirs, BBQ Maui Cattle Co. Short Ribs. This was definitely a large dish and came with about 4 ribs, all very tender. Left a clean bone. No pulling or tearing off of the meat! This dish was okay- delicious, but we were still in awe of the Pork Puff Pastry small plate we just devoured!

Dessert. Afogado. You can't go wrong with Condensed Milk Gelato drowned in Espresso!!!!

With Macadamia Nut Biscotti

 And on a fashion note.....

Vintage Forever 21 sequin top, Lucca Couture red shorts, Basique Threads earrings

Sam Edelman spiked pumps

Bamboo Sky denim jacket