Welcome to the inaugural review of the HSFJ! Thanks to Mike for getting us off our okoles and setting everything up. The following restaurants were visited during my recent trip to the Big Island in April, 2006. For the rating system, one to five sumos. If it was especially good, I'll give it a Kenny Bania "the best, Jerry, the best!" rating.

Roy's Waikoloa

We wanted to go somewhere nice since it was Easter Sunday and we were celebrating my sister's birthday. I'd never been to Roy's before but since my friend Tim raves about it, I figured it would be good, if expensive. I have to say that the service was excellent. They kept our water full and kept asking if we wanted another baguette. If you left the table to use the toilette, they would actually refold you napkin for you!

For appetizers, we split the Big Island Organic Farmed Baby Greens Salad and the Slipper Lobster Fish Potstickers. The salad was good, fresh greens and tasty dressing. The potstickers were just okay, I've had better.

For entrees, I had the Whole Roasted Hawaiian Moi. It was good, but not as tasty as the miso butterfish I had at Kona Mix Plate (for one third of the price). The waiter said "back in the day, only Hawaiian royalty was allowed to eat this fish." Yes, he actually said "back in the day."

For dessert, we shared the flourless chocolate souffle, pineapple upside-down cake and strawberry shortcake. I don't understand why restaurants point out if a dessert is flourless. Can anyone comment on that? I didn't get a picture of the souffle, I think we ate it too quickly.

Finally, after all that food, we had one final, birthday dessert. We were so full by then that we ended up taking it to go. It did, of course, eventually get eaten.

My take: the service was excellent, the ambiance was good, the appetizers were okay, the entrees were good, and the desserts were the best Jerry, the best! Overall rating - 3.5 sumos.