It’s no accident that chef Nico Chaize ended up opening Nico’s Pier 38 where he did in 2004. Sure, the Lyon native secured a space next to his stepfather’s fishing store that had room to grow (and grow it did). But that also placed him next to the Honolulu Fish Auction, which harvests 3% of the Pacific catch and supplies him with a steady stream of fresh-as-can-be fish.
Nico’s is incredibly popular, routinely serving 700-800 plates per day at lunch. Breakfast was more basic, with vac pot coffee and customers ordering at the counter from wall mounted menu.
Most containers come with compartments of fresh fruit salad – in this case, melon and grapes – but that barely matters when facing myriad meats.
Loco moco is basically the Big Island equivalent to Salisbury steak with hamburger patties, gravy, fried eggs and rice. My introduction to this dish was days earlier at a restaurant in Hilo called Cafe 100 that has a claim to its creation.
It was good to receive good versions of Local Favorites, but looking at the “Fresh From the Sea” portion of the lunch menu brought about meal envy, with options like fried ahi belly and furikake pan seared ahi with ginger garlic cilantro dip. During our visit, Chaize was on the verge of moving to new building that will feature more dinner and a fish market. That means it will no longer require an early bird wake-up call or patience when facing a line to enjoy Nico’s food. Even better.
Note: This meal was complimentary as part of a media tour sponsored by the Oahu Convention & Visitors Bureau
Blog Comments
Darin
December 2, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Hah speak of the devil. I’ve really enjoyed a couple visits here..my fav is whatever kind(s) of fish he has on hand. I’ve heard he makes a pretty good cheeseburger too..
Joshua Lurie
December 2, 2011 at 1:20 PM
Darin,
The devil had nothing to do with Nico’s success. No need to credit him. Glad you like this spot too though. I definitely need to return for lunch/dinner.