Just wrapped another stay on the Big Island and revisited some old standbys and tried a few new places. Went to Merriman's for lunch (I don't like driving up to Waimea and back in the dark for dinner and not up for prix-fixe these days). It just as good as before, especially the caesar salad with the fried green tomato. My husband thoroughly enjoys their mai tais with the lilikoi foam.

Teshima's was takeout only during our last visit, and I'm so glad they're fully open again and made the trek. It's a 30+ minute drive from the Kohala resorts, but worth it as it's probably my favorite restaurant on the island. Such a welcome reprieve from resort food, in terms of both food and prices.

What really disappointment me this trip was Roy's. I always go to Roy's (or its sibling restaurants) during a visit to the Islands and always get the butterfish. Maybe it was an off day, but my butterfish tasted like it was reheated from frozen. The texture was all rubbery, and so was my husband's mac nut white fish (it was also served almost immediately after our appetizer, so that added to my reheating suspicions). The mac nut tart dessert was supposed to be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but it was not on the plate. The server came around a minute later (without prompting) with a scoop in a separate small bowl. It's been 2 years since we've visited the Waikoloa location (and enjoyed the food), but we've been to Eating House on Kauai and Oahu within the last year, but they (along with their butterfish) were solid