Indigo: too too too

[Albert]

Too salty, too greasy, and MUCH too expensive.

When Indigo first opened, I often went there, mainly because Nancy Manchester, one of my favorite bartenders at Gordon Biersch, was Indigo's opening bartender. On the rare occasions I ate instead of just drinking, the food was decent.

Now all it has is a pleasant ambiance, although the music was excruciatingly boring.

I wasn't very hungry, so opted for the "lobster pot-stickers". Eight dollars for five little pastry shells which may have had some lobster in them. Couldn't tell, from the salt and the over-seasoning. My luncheon companions went for the $15 buffet choice. They didn't go back for seconds, so I don't think they got their money's worth.

I also tested one of their spring rolls. Hard ... and greasy. Is their "chef" using Crisco?

I'll never recommend that restaurant again and am embarrassed that I did this time.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Indigo: too too too

How disappointing. I liked the place a lot when it first opened but haven't been there in a few years. Has anyone else eaten there recently? Was Albert's take on it an isolated one-time bad day, or has Indigo really gone downhill?

[pzarquon]

Re: Indigo: too too too

I was a big fan of Indigo, and whenever our office had visiting businessfolk, we always took people there. It had just the character and flavor you wanted to show off to people visiting Hawaii, and a decent menu with generally light (read: skimpy) portions... you didn't want to scare 'em off with a big luau!

Even back then, I thought the food was decent, but the strength was the ambiance.

I think they've got some of that ambiance left, but the piped-in, overly loud, absolutely generic Muzak was very, very hard to stomach. I'd rather listen to downtown bustle and the outdoor fountain, thank you.

As for the food? It's definitely not what it used to be. Even the buffet rubbed me the wrong way, as it's now a "controlled buffet": Someone else puts the food on the plate for you, making sure to give you lots of lettuce but only one piece of meat. My serving of corned beef was literally 80 percent fat. The seasoned chicken was dry and barely more interesting than what I do at home with a bottle of Emeril's "Essence." Their "Asian Caesar" dressing was basically a plain cream dressing with wasabi added.

The dishes ordered of the menu were dreadfully small, and yet at the same time, so unremarkable that we actually left some stuff behind at the end of the meal.

I knew Indigo was off my favorites list when I found myself stopping by McDonald's on the way back to the office for some greasy french fries.

I have no idea if it was an off day. What I fear, instead, is that with the "downtown renaissance," the growing art crowd, the nearby Hawaii theater, the folks at Indigo have simply stopped trying. They know people who fancy themselves discerning diners will end up there, so why do well when you can just as easily pay the rent just going through the motions?

[Mocha]

Re: Indigo: too too too

That's too bad. We ate at Indigo about 1 1/2 years ago after going to a Chinatown function. It was expensive but the food wasn't over seasoned. I'm sorry to hear that it's changed since then. Will have to re-evaluate the place and judge for myself.

[Albert]

Re: Indigo: too too too

"Will have to re-evaluate the place and judge for myself."

Take earplugs.

[helen]

Re: Indigo: too too too

Thursday's lunch at Indigo was my third time there. Like Ryan I found that the staff putting food on your buffet plate kind of strange but at the end one of them decorated the plate with a couple of sauces on the rim.

I thought the food was okay but I am the kind of person who tends to eat anything on my plate and I found Albert's lobster pot-sticker not to salty.

My complaint was that I ordered Diet Coke and I got a kind of flat soda. I don't know if I got served Pepsi or not but I should have asked what they had before ordering.

For me I might go again for the lunch buffet but not anytime soon.

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Indigo: too too too

I DEFINITELY don't go to Indigo for the food--I eat beforehand or go to Murphys afterward--Indigo is pretty much fun only for their Martini hour or their late night entertainment.

:-)