How This Famed San Francisco Chef Reinvented His Steakhouse For The Big Island

Forbes

28-03-2025

Tyler Florence
Miller & Lux Hualālai opened its doors in December 2023 at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, the only Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Resort on Hawaii's Big Island.
Ushering in a new era for steakhouse dining in Hawaii, Chef Florence's Big Island interpretation of the classic steakhouse builds on the number of San Francisco-based restaurants he helms which include Chase Center's Miller & Lux, named San Francisco's 'Best Steakhouse' by San Francisco Magazine, and his original flagship Wayfare Tavern.
This is his love letter to Hawaii, told through marbled cuts, fresh island produce, and a memorable setting thanks to the natural beauty of the area. Think: palm trees, golden sunsets, and the 18th hole of the Hualalai Golf Course.
If the original Miller & Lux helped define Thrive City as a culinary destination, its Hawaiian sister-restaurant brings that same allure to this esteemed hotel property. At Chase Center in San Francisco, Miller & Lux gained traction by combining old-school steakhouse glamour with exclusive ranch partnerships, tableside service, and a menu built for special occasions.
Now, those same standards arrive on the Big Island—infused with island flavors and backed by Florence's signature attention to detail and culinary flare. After a successful holiday pop-up in 2022, the decision to go permanent was easy. 'We saw an opportunity to fill a need on the Big Island for a true, quality steakhouse,' Chef Florence says, 'and it was exciting to bring some of our San Francisco spirit to Hawaii.'
The menu offers both the classic San Francisco dishes that his steakhouse is known for, particularly Miller & Lux's famous 45 Dry-Aged steaks, the buttery Dover Sole deboned tableside, and the beloved Caesar for two, but also innovative dishes that can only be found at Miller & Lux Hualālai.
Miller & Lux interiors on the Big Island
'The menu celebrates a lot of the classics found in San Francisco, but all of our ingredients are sourced locally on the island," he explains. "We pride ourselves on partnering with local farmers, ranchers, growers and fishermen to give a distinct Big Island profile to the dishes we bring to the table.'
That said, it's the local additions that truly set this location apart. Oysters grown on-site at the resort, Kauai shrimp, Big Island beef tartare, and a Bananas Foster made with local apple bananas, rum, sugar, and vanilla show how island ingredients are woven into every course.
'There are classics like our Dover Sole which is deboned tableside and our tableside Caesar Salad that reflect our signature experience, as well as some that are unique the Big Island like the oysters – which are grown on-site at The Resort and served in the restaurant—and specialty fish and steaks that showcase the diverse flavors available just outside the door.'
"The entire project is rooted in offering the best of the best," says Chef Florence, who visits the restaurant often and has even relocated several core team members to Hawaii full-time to carry the Miller & Lux ethos forward.
Every detail, down to the steak knives hand-forged by local blacksmith Neil Kamimura using petrified wood and semi-precious stones, reinforces a sense of place.
We chatted with Chef Florence on his San Francisco projects, Island culture and more. Here's what he had to say.
Custom steak knives
In San Francisco we have two exceptional experiences with Miller & Lux and Wayfare Tavern. Wayfare Tavern is really special to me. Growing up on the East Coast and splitting my time between New York and Charleston, I was surrounded by Old World America and these architectural buildings that held so much history, and had such a strong presence about them.
When I moved to San Francisco in 2007, I began to search for that sense of home in the architecture. So much of that history was lost in the 1906 earthquake, and I wanted to create a nod to those architectural classics of decades past.
When I built Wayfare Tavern, we looked at it like building a movie set. Something that resembled the late 1800's and the Gold Rush era. So I studied that time period and really sought out the features and experiences that could create this cozy, Ralph Lauren-esque American Tavern that feels welcoming and authentically American. Wayfare Tavern is now celebrating 15 years, and I love the impact it has had on the culinary community and how it's something the city can truly embrace.
Thrive City is starting to become the new epicenter of San Francisco. It's this stunning, $1.6B megaplex, and home to the nicest arena in all of the NBA. We've been partners with the Warriors since they were still in Oakland, and after thinking through that experience we knew we had to create something better than anyone had seen before which led us to Miller & Lux.
I can recall the moment I fell in love with steak. I was at one of my favorite restaurants growing up, The Pebbler in Greenville, SC, and I had my first bacon-wrapped filet mignon. I knew then that I would find a way to recreate that experience somewhere in my future. There are those moments that make an imprint on your life, and when the opportunity came to partner with Thrive City and the Chase Center, I knew that was the time to bring that dream to reality.
Tyler Florence
The entire project is rooted in offering the best of the best. At Miller & Lux, we have an exclusive partnership with a rancher in South Dakota for our own Black Angus Prime Plus Cattle, who are grassfed on the ancient grasslands that the American Buffalos dined on for years. It's a true signature experience that can only be found two places in the world—San Francisco and Hawaii.
The community endorsement has just been the most rewarding – as we've been recognized as the Best Steakhouse in San Francisco by San Francisco Magazine the past two years, and I was also recognized as the Best Chef in the City which is truly an honor.
We were invited! I've had a long-standing and great relationship with Four Seasons, and we were invited to do a pop-up during the 22'-23' holiday season—and it stuck. There was amazing customer feedback over the 32 dinner services we executed, in just over a month. Through the partnership, we saw an opportunity to fill a need on the Big Island for a true, quality steakhouse on the Big Island and it was exciting for us to be able to bring some of our San Francisco swagger to Hawaii.
It also posed a creative interest to meld together our philosophy—great wine, great steaks, great celebrations—with the robust and amazing ingredients of the island. We made plans to move forward with a permanent space, which opened at the start of last year.
Since then, we've had five members move out there full-time with their families and they've really brought the experience to life. The ethos of Miller & Lux is embedded into the restaurant wherever it goes, but this location was something really joyous to create—and so many of us now have a special place in our hearts for Hawaii. I try to get out there at least six weeks out of the year.
Miller & Lux Hualalai
I would go back to our prioritization of local ingredients. In the menu development process, I was looking at these beautiful apple bananas which are notably smaller and sweeter than its more common counterpart. I saw it and said – this is Bananas Foster.
While not a Hawaiian dish, I saw the opportunity to showcase the island ingredients—local sugar, local rum, local vanilla—to bring guests something familiar, with a Hawaiian twist. It was an instant hit and now has actually become a signature dish at all of our locations.
Diners can expect the impeccable level of service, quality of cuisine and signature flair that we have in San Francisco, and this location in particular has one of the most beautiful sunsets anyone can ever experience, every night, right on cue. We've nicknamed the restaurant the treehouse, as it's perched up above everything between the trees, and offers an unbeatable view of the 18th hole of the Hualalai Golf Course and Pacific Ocean. It's paradise.