Kona Grill

Business lunch? It’s possible, especially if you ask for a booth. They’re extra roomy and can talk business with privacy.

Kid-friendly? Yes.

Dress code: Casual. Jeans and T-shirts fit in, but a tie wouldn’t stick out either.

Atmosphere: Bustling and happy, like a toned-down P.F. Chang’s.

Aesthetic: A mix of steakhouse and sushi restaurant, with dark woods and a 2,000-gallon saltwater aquarium.

Private parties: Yes

Outdoor seating: Yes

Parking: Street or garage parking available

10111 Perkins Rowe, Suite 100

769-0077

All credit cards

Reservations accepted.

Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – midnight, Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Kona can be many things—a Hawaiian district, Southwest winds, exotic coffee beans—but to diners at Louisiana’s first Kona Grill in Perkins Rowe it means options. The Arizona-based chain serves up menus for lunch, dinner, sushi, dessert, kids, gluten-free choices and healthy dining suggestions. There’s even a happy hour (Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and a reverse happy hour (two hours before daily closing) that means special drink prices and half-priced select appetizers, pizzas and sushi rolls.

Overwhelmed yet? We haven’t even really opened the menu. There are sandwiches, noodles, appetizers, salads, pizzas, sushi, meat specialties and seafood specialties. And they’re big fans of sauce, making more than 40 variations from scratch, like coconut-curry vinaigrette, pineapple-papaya marmalade and red pepper-shiitake mushroom sauce. There’s something for everyone, with the menu marked for nut-containing items and a knowledgeable staff to guide your picks.

With lots of stone and dark wood, the restaurant feels more like a steakhouse, but the adequate overhead lighting maintains the ambience while making sure you can still identify your food and appreciate its presentation. Lots of curved lines in detail work mimic the surf of their seafood specialties, complementing the visible water of the two interior fish tanks. And you can see into the glass-enclosed kitchen—the restaurant’s third fish tank of sorts—where the staff members’ heads bob along busily. After all, they’ve got to deliver on those choices.

The Vegetarian

“If I see a vein, I’m out the door.”

I recommend:

Avocado egg roll ($8.25). “Roll” may be misleading, as these delights come served as wedge-shaped slices filled with avocados, sun-dried tomatoes and red onions. For once you get the entire avocado, plus there’s a honey-cilantro dipping sauce, and the onions don’t overwhelm the contents.

White chocolate cheesecake ($5.95). This cheesecake says it comes topped with a sweet raspberry sauce. They’re not playing around. Served in a circular dish about the width of a grapefruit, this cheesecake has a thick layer of raspberry sauce that makes you excavate your way into the cheesecake. Rumor has it there’s a graham cracker crust, though it was missing from my vat.

Jade tea ($7.75). It’s not hard to get me to drink a Long Island ice tea, but it is rare that I savor the flavor. This concoction came mixed with a melon liqueur. It’s a little bit sweet and fruity while packing that alcoholic punch.

I’d avoid:

Margherita pizza ($8.95). Roma tomatoes were rampant, which was nice, and the mozzarella fresh, but the basil was lobbed on top in shreds, along with Parmesan slivers. The pizza didn’t gel, and the onions in the sauce were overpowering.

The bathroom. It’s not Mardi Gras, nor is this place a bar. So there’s no reason for a bathroom stall to be devoid of toilet paper. Nothing spoils an otherwise yummy meal like an unkempt bathroom.

The bottom line:

Though it doesn’t have a long list of vegetably-delicious choices, if you dine on those avocado egg rolls and a dessert alone, you’ll go home happy.

The Fish Finder

“I’m all tuna, all the time.”

I recommend:

The service (priceless). From the sweet hostesses, to the sushi chefs singing Backstreet Boys hits while they worked, to the attentive, attractive and mostly male wait staff, the service at Kona Grill was top-notch.

Albacore tataki ($9.75). White tuna, served sashimi-style, set up like a teepee over a small Asian salad and floating in daikon-garlic vinaigrette, makes for an impressive presentation and a great starter.

Passion fruit crčme brűlée ($5.75). Un-flipping-believable. I ate the entire dish of the yummy custard infused with passion fruit and topped with raspberries. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. C’est si bon.

I’d avoid:

Seared sesame ahi salad ($10.50). Now, I like peanut butter just as much as the next person. I don’t, however, like my tuna fish to be swimming in it. The peanut vinaigrette was overbearing and generic. The ahi arrived sashimi-style, though seared to perfection.

Bleu goose martini ($11.75). Because bleu cheese doesn’t belong in a martini, not even stuffed inside three huge olives. The Grey Goose was up to par, though.

The bottom line:

Kona Grill offers an affordable, diverse menu and an unbeatable location in Perkins Rowe that contributes to the ambiance, particularly if you’re seated at the choice fireside location on the patio.

The Frequent Diner

Most of my refrigerator is occupied with to-go boxes.

I recommend:

Cabbage slaw with chicken satay ($8.50). A nice surprise. Finely shredded cabbage and mozzarella and bleu cheeses combined in a light dressing create a creamy but not overpowering appetizer. More memorable than the chicken it accompanies.

Baked seabass ($21.95). The miso sake marinade creates a nice crust, complementing the flavor of the seabass. A good-sized portion that could have easily done without one of the side dishes, if not both.

Avocado egg roll ($8.25). The honey cilantro sauce is fresh but not too sweet, and pairs nicely with the richness of the luscious filling. It’s my new favorite avocado dish.

I’d avoid:

The sides. Shrimp and pork fried rice and Szechwan beans, standard with the seabass, come in excessive helpings. The beans were overcooked and tough, the rice was greasy and the inclusion of pineapple couldn’t even help. Both left me longing for a fresh-tasting veggie.

Caramelized apple crisp ($5.95). I had hoped the fruit would cleanse my palate from the sides, but I was disappointed. The dessert wasn’t anything special; I’ve certainly had better fruit crisps. Opt for the more unique passion fruit crčme brűlée instead.

The bottom line:

Some of the dishes are a little pricey, but there’s great variety. Stick with dishes that seem unique.