UYE $3.03 Happy Hour Specials @ BLT Steak 6th Year Anniversary

Foodie heaven with all sides, house cocktails, and desserts at $ 3.03. Thank you Unilocal and the beautiful Ms. Yen for such a wonderful feast. Amongst everyone in our group, I think we managed to try a bit of everything. The highlights for me:
1) Jalepeno mashed potatoes: Nice and creamy with the flavor of jalepeno without any of the spice. It was so smooth and takes mashed potatoes to an entirely different level.
2) BBQ kahuku corn: I always think corn as a boring side, but these I could eat a bucketful. It was perfectly seasoned with beautiful bits of bacon throughout.
3) Double cut bacon with chimichurri sauce: You can never go wrong with bacon, but this was just pure porky happiness. Next time I come here, I’m going to have this as an entrée itself.
4) Popovers: They were huge, warm, and came with a cute little card with the recipe for it. Spread some butter on it and yum.
5) Bone marrow and roasted garlic accompanying the ribeye: So I ordered the ribeye well and they brought out a medium rare one. Rather than send it back and probably never getting it back at the rate the service was going, I just ate some of the more cooked peripheral meat. I didn’t care because there was BONE MARROW! I love roasted marrow with garlic, and at BLT they you an entire head of roasted garlic. For those who’ve never had it, take a nice crusty bread (such as the sliced baguette that was brought out with the pâté), spread some roasted garlic on it and then top it off with marrow and you’ll have total gluttonous indulgence. Mmmmm.
The lowlights of this particular night:
1) Waitstaff was super sloooooooooooooooow. It took forever for drinks to come out. They were full but not overwhelming so. The problem was probably that people were ordering so much food because of the special. It would have been nice if the service was more smiley at least. All the servers just looked beat.
2) Getting the wrong cooked steak. I could have sent it back, but as stated above, I chose not to. Took it home and cooked it myself some more the next day and it was good.
It was a great introduction to the place though. I probably would not have tried it in the first place because of the cost, but now I’m just dreaming about their sides and that bacon. It was so good that I wouldn’t mind paying full price. For the full price though, I’d expect better service at a restaurant of this caliber.

A friend and I parked at Hale Koa because Trump Hotel is directly across the street. How convenient!
From the street entrance there is no mistaking, a large sign states, «Trump Hotel International Hotel & Tower Waikiki Beach Walk»
Warning: if you want to know what I think of BLT without the story. Skip to the end.
You enter the lobby. Its rather ambiguous. We walk straight to the elevators while my buddy points out a hall, «Maybe its there?» Maybe it is. Good eyes. The only indications were a etched glass with the company’s logo and a menu. Its much too little for someone with my poor vision.
But stepping in, you’re not in the restaurant but the bar. Which confused me. (Are you seeing a trend?) Your eyes refocus to the soft halogen lighting. Little candlelit tables quickly pull your attention to what other patrons are basking. You know, the stereotypical tricks of a fine dining venue. To my left a full bar and long counter, to my right a couple of four-​seater tables. Huh? Do I just take a table and order? But the bar, it calls my name. No, we’re here to eat, not to drunk; I mean drink.
«Hey! How are you?» We’re quickly greeted by fellow Unilocalers. (This is how you know its gonna be a good night.) After a few pleasantries, I readjust my gaze a few feet forward. Ah! There a podium, hostess, and street entrance. This is starting to make sense to me. (:
We are seated and we quickly order drinks. Our courteous server Tim informs us the bar is backed up and there may be a delay. No biggie, we think. Yes, big biggie. The wait for our drinks were horrendous. Half our table received their first rounds while we snacked on toasted bread with chicken liver pâté, popovers with garlic butter compound, and a few sides; onion rings, salad. In their defense, we were visiting them on their founder’s sixth birthday while they were running some incredible specials.
House cocktails that are normally $ 11 were $ 3.03: Plantation Peach, Blue Basil, Royal Bianco, Limentime Mojito, Cilantro Margarita, Lemon Grass Fizz. Our table tried Blue Basil, Royal Bianco, Limentime Mojito, and Cilantro Margarita. I’m sure these drinks are pre-​made which contracts my previous statement. Why would I think that? Chris’ Limentime Mojito was a ¹⁄₃^rd limentimes. This leads me to the assumption that it is pre-​made then thrown into a pitcher for serving. Sadly, Chris got the bottoms.
Sometime between our ordering and our food arriving, the General Manager shows up to chat with us. Chad? Sorry! It was loud and you’re just not my type. Maybe next time! Coincidentally, our second round drinks arrive like contractions; on time at regular intervals without pause. Huh? Our first round drinks haven’t show up. Whats going on? Did we get upgraded to first-​class? We’ll never know.
The meat and sides arrive: a combination of 12oz Filet, 16oz NY Strip, 22oz Rib Eye, Confit Lemon-​Rosemary Chicken with I believe was every side they had to offer.
I cut into my Filet. Medium rare was done perfectly, tender, seasoned with salt and pepper. I try the NY Strip and the same conclusion; the beef was lacking. I’ve had good steak and good steak doesn’t need sauce. These bad boys needed an accomplice. Good thing they provide a choice of three: Roquefort, Peppercorn and Red Wine Reduction. Salty, Boring, and just right. The Red Wine Reduction was a winner! Slice, drizzle, chew, rinse and repeat.
To quote our loved CM, «Dessert. Its why we came.» We didn’t spare any expensive in this department. John took it upon himself to get a double order. Me? Against my doctor’s prescription and pseudo-wife’s recommendations I place my bid on the Maui Pineapple Sundae with Pina Colada Sorbet.
Wow! Shut up! No, really shut up! This is excellent! My gamble paid off. BLT also gave us a complimentary espresso chocolate brownie. These tiny morsels ooze liquid chocolate but I’m too busy destroying my Sundae. I lean back in my seat and let out a sigh of relief. Dinner is done.
The verdict: Drinks. You pay for them. If they aren’t to your liking, don’t be afraid to send em back. The Limentime Mojito is a safe bet. The sides: good. Jalapeño Mash a must. A little is good, a lot is too much; share this with your date and order at least a second side. Stay away from the creamed spinach w/​nutmeg. Beef. You’re in a steakhouse get something that will satisfy that carnivore need. Could be better, could be worse, use wine reduction sparingly or drown. Its your choice. Dessert. Yes. Let me repeat that. Y-​E-​S. They’re all winners. But if you get sliced fruit & berries you wont be my dude. Ok, Dude? Duuuude.

Ah. Meh. Gawd. The food at BLT is freaking amazing and I can’t wait to go back for round two! What? You have no idea what I’m talking about? Rewind!
Headed to BLT because Yen P is the Unilocal Events Calendar Queen and somehow knows every special event going on in town. I thought that I was dialed in, but compared to her I barely have a dial tone. I often wonder how many mailing lists Yen is on because this girl knows her happenings like no ones business! Socialite? Mmm hmm. Ultra Unilocal diva? You know it! Somehow through her mystical magical event powers Yen P found out that BLT at the Trump Tower was having a $ 3.03 special on cocktails, sides and desserts. What? An excuse to eat high end food with witty Unilocalers! What? It’s discounted because it’s BLT’s birthday and I don’t have to buy them a present? Heck yeah!

So down to BLT we headed and boy, I am so glad we did! We headed down at 5:30 pm for some pre-​dinner cocktails and appetizers. A bunch of Unilocalers (aka the beautiful Erika A, her +1 John & a boatload of friends) were already settling in with a few cocktails. BLT’s bar and waiting area is totally swanky and we felt like we had come home! We were seated at 6:30 pm for dinner and sat down ready to devour the entire menu! Here’s what we shared:
–Mojitos: Delicious during the first round but on the second they were too sweet. I think it’s because the bartenders were stressed out. Relax! You’re just muddling fruit!
–Chicken pâté on toast: Not a fan. Tastes like baby food. Ick!
–Pop Overs: Really yummy and doughy! Jae has offered to bake them for us in his pop over pans. Who the heck has pop over pans?! Oh wait, Jae does…
–Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes: If I could fill a swimming pool with these mashed potatoes and dive in, I would gladly drown and eat my way to my death! Probably the best thing I had allllll night! No joke.
–BBQ Kahuku Corn: Nom nom. It was so good I just can’t say anything else!
–Sweet Okinawan Mash: Delicious, but sorry, nothing compares to those jalapeño ones.
–Gnocci: It was tasty but just didn’t fit in with the rest of the butter soaked gang.
–Mac & Cheese: My BF wasn’t a fan but I love mac & cheese anytime, anywhere!
–Onion rings: Whoa nelly these things were huge! I wouldn’t order them next time because I’d rather save room for more mashed potatoes.
–Caesar salad: Meh.
–Bacon: Order this because it’s the best bacon EVER!!! Farmer John’s sucks in comparison and you’ll never truly understand how much until you have this pork belly wonder!
–Rib-​Eye Steak: I had one bite but honestly I’d rather just eat sides because that just made me super happy! Oh and get the bernaise sauce. It’s so wrong but so very right!
–Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse: So yummy but I didn’t have a chance to truly appreciate it because by then I had already slipped into a food coma.
Yes it’s true, service was less than stellar but I think it’s because of how busy they were for this promotion. They had reservations filled for 240 ppl and a wait list of 50. Crazy! It felt like eating dinner out on Valentine’s day. Nervous waiters, slow service, wrong items delivered to your table, but what the heck did you expect? It’s freaking Valentine’s day! Who goes out on Valentine’s day and expects good service?! Plus almost all the items were $ 3.03. That’s no typo people! I wish I could do it all over again!!!
We’ll definitely be back to BLT on a regular night because my BF & I have a seafood platter waiting with our names on it. That raw bar menu looks divine! Plus the cocktail bar is our new swanky second home and Chad the GM is completely awwwwsome!