Yesterday we celebrated Diner AC’s birthday at California Rock ‘N Sushi on Ward avenue, located nextdoor to Kanpai, formerly known as Tio’s, formerly known as Dixie Grill.

I’ll admit, all the time this place has been here, this is a first for me.

As for the name ‘California Beach Rock ‘N Sushi’, I can’t explain how that came about, as I didn’t get a chance to speak with the owner, nor have I found any resource online that has the information, including their own website. This place only has one location here in Honolulu, so it can’t be their original location’s name. Which has me wondering why they didn’t name it ‘Ala Moana Beach Rock ‘N Sushi’, which sounds pretty cool, actually.

For now I’ll take it that it stands for the type of sushi they offer, which for the most part is in the contemporary, non-traditional style made popular in California. I tell ya’, just like the pizza, them Californians just can’t leave well enough alone when it comes to food, as they’ve now done with sushi. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s Ramen Shops in the Golden State doing “California Ramen”. Gasp! But don’t worry Cali’ peeps, we still love ya’.

While birthday girl Diner AC is fond of all their sushi, her heart and tummy yearns for the ‘Tamanaha Tartare Roll’ as seen above, which I’ll go more into detail shortly.

First let’s check out the joint…

A sushi bar just wouldn’t be complete without Gyotaku artwork adorning the walls. This was one HUGE Ulua…

Ahi…

Beautiful work.

Getting to the grindz, while there’s a more extensive dinner menu you can choose from, we were here for lunch, where they have a special menu for that. Here it is…

CBR’nS also has desserts, including a Tempura-fried Ice Cream and a service bar serving select well drinks, beer, wine and sake.

So we started our meal off with two signature rolls as apps, choosing the Crunchy Roll…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Crunchy Roll: Shrimp Tempura, Cucumber, Yamagobo, Kaiware & Spicy Mayo’ coated with crunchy Tempura Flakes and Smelt Roe. $12

And off the dinner menu, Diner AC’s fave’, the Tamanaha Tartare Roll…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Tamanaha Tartare Roll: Crunchy Crab Roll topped with our famous Spicy Tuna Tartare Mix. $18

For entrees, we start with birthday girl Diner AC, who chose the Tempura Combo with Miso Butterfish…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Tempura Combo with Miso Butterfish, 2 Shrimp Tempura, 3 Vegetable Tempura & Miso Butterfish (also includes salad, miso soup and rice). $12 (lunch special price)

Diner C (my now infamous Balut eating partner) chose the same dish…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Tempura Combo with Miso Butterfish, 2 Shrimp Tempura, 3 Vegetable Tempura & Miso Butterfish (also includes salad, miso soup and rice). $12 (lunch special price)

Diner E also got the Tempura Combo, asking instead for Teriyaki Chicken to join the party…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Tempura Combo with Teriyaki Chicken, 2 Shrimp Tempura, 3 Vegetable Tempura & Miso Butterfish (also includes salad, miso soup and rice). $12 (lunch special price)

Diner A went for the Super Lunch Combo…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Super Lunch Combo: Teriyaki Chicken, California Roll, Croquette, Shumai and Chicken Wing. Also includes Miso Soup, Salad and Rice. $10

Last but least, yours truly chose the Supreme Salmon Super Combo…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Supreme Salmon Super Combo with California Roll, Croquette, Shumai and Chicken Wing. Also includes Miso Soup, Salad and Rice. $11

Here’s the included Miso Soup…

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Miso Soup

As always, the million dollar question, “How was it?” Fantastic! For those prices, are you kidding me? What a bargain! The only kinda’ pricey item was the Tamanaha Tartare Roll; yet that’s totally justified, considering there had to easily have been at least a half-pound or more of Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare piled on the top of that thing. Check it out…

Personally I’m not a Spicy Tuna fan, but Diner AC LOVES the stuff, and she was savoring every bite, where all I could hear being murmured by her while she ate was “mmmmmm” and “nom nom nom nom nom”. lol

Here in this bite-through cross-section view, you can see just how deep the pile of Spicy Ahi is on this bad boy…

The crunchy crab in the center added an interesting flavor and texture contrast to the smooth ‘n silky fresh Ahi. Although Spicy Ahi ain’t my thang, I can certainly say California Rock ‘N Sushi’s take on the dish is a standout that would probably rank high amongst fans, which it certainly does for Diner AC.

One more shot, so when Diner AC reads (and looks) at this, she can vicariously relive the moment…

Om nom nom nom nom nom. lol

As for the Crunchy Roll, I was diggin’ on that one. The tempura flakes it was crusted added a wonderful lightly toasted flavor and and a breaded texture profile to the sushi, making it a very unique experience, while the Shrimp tempura in the center just exploded with flavor. I could order a roll of this and call it a day, really. Same for Diner AC, who could easily just order a Tamanaha Roll as her appetizer and entree as the meal and call it a day.

Getting to the main course, my ‘Supreme Salmon’ was OFF THE CHARTS oishii-ono-awesome-licious!

That garlic butter soy sauce was KIL-LER! Killer, killer good, I tell ya’. They should bottle the stuff and sell it. I’d buy it! And the salmon was cooked to perfection, being super moist, flakey, while the skin was nice and crispy with just a light hint of salt for added flavor. Easy 5 SPAM Musubi for CR’nR’s Supreme Salmon. If you a salmon fan, ORDER THIS DISH. It’ll change your life. It changed mine. lol

Diner A wasn’t so much a fan of their Teriyaki Chicken, noting that they didn’t marinade the chicken in the teri’ sauce, but cooked it first, then added the teriyaki after the fact…

Surprisingly “Mr. Teriyaki Man” himself, Diner E had no problem with it and gave it a 3. I think I would have enjoyed it too, as, other than Kalbi, for the most part I don’t like my meats saturated in marinade. Yet to each their own, so whatevahz.

As for da’ odda’ stuffs (the other stuff), the california roll that came with my meal was equally delicious, with great quality rice being use that was cooked to sushi rice perfection, while the cucumber and imitation crab was in perfect balance of quantity, while being very fresh-tasting. Solid 4 for that.

Not stopping there, my $11 bargain of a meal also included a chicken wing and shumai that were both deep-fried to golden brown delicious perfection, with the chicken wing being super moist and seasoned just right. The two small shumai were stuffed with chopped shrimp and some other “stuff” and was absolutely delicious as well.  The miso soup had all the right flavors in place and kept simple as it should with just green onions and tofu in it.  The salad was great as well, being more like a slaw, with an interesting dressing that was sort of citrus-ee. Rice on the side was cooked perfect, although I barely touched it, as the Cali’ Rolls were already enough starch for me.

Again, that Supreme Salmon with Garlic Butter Soy Sauce rocked my world. Oh, it rocked my world. The sushi rolls were amazing. Everything was just about perfect, including the service.

California Rock ‘N Sushi – Miso Butterfish

Rounding up the scores, Diner “Birthday Girl” AC and Diner “Balut is my middle name” C both give their Tempura Combo with Miso Butterfish plate 4 SPAM Musubi, while Diner AC gives the Tamanaha Tartare Roll an incredibly amazingly ono-awesome-licious 5 SPAM Musubi. Diner “Bathes in Teri’ Sauce” A gives his Super Lunch Combo plate 2 SPAM Musubi, while Diner “Saimin Kaukau” E gives his Tempura Combo with Teriyaki Chicken plate 3 SPAM Musubi. Finally yours truly is going to have to go 5 SPAM Musubi on the Supreme Salmon Combo plate. That salmon hit the ball out of the park, and smashed through the windshield of a brand new Bugatti Veyron sitting in the parking lot when it landed. lol

The great food, value and service all contribute to giving California Rock ‘N Sushi a rock ‘n rollin’ thumbs-up of approval. Highly recommended!

California Rock ‘N Sushi
Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
404 Ward Avenue (across Sports Authority & Ross)
Honolulu, Hawaii  96814

Tel. (808) 597-8000
www.CaliforniaBeachRockNSushi..com

Business hours:
Monday thru Friday
Lunch 11am to 2pm, Dinner 5pm to 10pm
Friday and Saturday
5pm to 11pm
Sunday
5pm to 9pm

Takeout Menu pdf download

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• Rock ‘n Sushi Rolls up unique fare – Honolulu Star Bulletin
• California Rock ‘N Sushi – Yelp user reviews

P.S. For dessert, we picked up these Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cold Stone Creamery at the Ward Entertainment Center complex…

How was it? Very good. Normally I’m not one for cookies in my ice cream (too rich), but I do love me a good Oreo, and the Oreo cookie bits mixed in the vanilla ice cream was kinda’ nice. So was the hard chocolate “cup” it’s served in, which gave it an Eskimo Pie-like characteristic. I’ll give this 3 SPAM Musubi.

Finally, on my way home from work yesterday I stopped by “Kaisers” (Ala Wai Boat harbor beachfront) and snapped this shot of Waikiki beach…

Being that the iconic SPAM Musubi symbolizes the ratings here on The Tasty Island, we can’t miss the happenings at the Waikiki Spam Jam. This time being their 8th annual event, taking place this past weekend on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 4pm to 10pm on the blocked-off street of Kalakaua avenue in Waikiki.

Following is a pictorial walkthrough of this year’s Spam Jam festivities, along with descriptions and commentary wherever applicable to further immerse you in the experience. Because an “experience” is really what it is at a Waikiki Spam Jam. Enjoy!

Chibo’s Spam Okonomiyaki…

Chibo’s Spam Yakisoba…

Seafood Village’s Spam Siu Mai (steamed potstickers)…

Seafood Village’s Spam Manapua (steamed bun)…

Seafood Village’s Spam Manapua in another style…

Seafood Village Spam Dim Sum Combo…

Rumfire’s Kalua Pig Enchiladas with Ancho Chile Sauce, Spam Maui Onion Salsa and Queso Fondido, and Fiesta Spam Crab Dip…

Rumfire’s Fiesta Spam Crab Dip…

Rumfire staff crankin’ out Spam Crab Dip for the masses…

Here’s quite the “medley” of foods from the earth: asparagus, red bell peppers, roasted peppers, Hamakua Alii mushrooms, rosemary and pineapple. While I’m not sure what yet, surely a very tasty dish could be created using all of these ingredients!…

Spam Tuesdays at Rumfire!…

Volcano Nachos with Spam Chili

Spam Chili with Rice

Jimmy Buffet’s Spam Fusion Fajitas…

Gordon Biersch’ Guava Mango BBQ Spam Sliders topped with Crispy Onion Rings…

Gordon Biersch’ Sicilian Spam & Basil Pizza Bread…

Gordon Biersch’ Spam Pancit…

Gordon Biersch’ Spam Gau Gee (fried wonton) with sweet, spicy chili dipping sauce…

Gordon Biersch’ awesome Garlic Fries…

Doraku Spam Musubi…

That was literally rated 3 SPAM Musubi, and these are literally rated 5 SPAM Musubi!…

Doraku Spam Jam Roll…

Doraku keeps their grilled Spam happy by smothering them with a Teriyaki glaze…

Duke’s Spam Fried Rice…

Duke’s & Hula Grill’s Spam moco ($6 for white rice, $8 for fried rice) has two slices of Spam topped with a scrambled egg over rice, surrounded by their signature brandy shiitake cream sauce and topped with crispy onion strings…

Duke’s & Hula Grill’s Spam Moco in stages of construction…

I forgot to ask why this one got the katsu treatment…

Duke’s always incredible and very popular “Hula Pie”…

Now you are thinking what I’m thinking, right? Notice there’s macadamia nuts on there. Well, being this is a Spam Jam, they should have swapped the plain roasted Mac Nuts with SPAM Macadamia Nuts! How you figgah?

Coconut Willy’s Fried Noodles with Spam…

Coconut Willy’s Garlic Shrimp with Spiral Fries…

Cheeseburger’s Combo Spam and Cheeseburger Babies…

Cheeseburger Babies…

Shack Waikiki’s Hawaiian Spam Burger made with an all-beef burger slider patty topped with hickory-smoked Spam and a pineapple tomato relish. Accompanying it is a Hawaiian-style potato macaroni salad, mixed with hickory smoked Spam, eggs, green onion, mayonnaise and mustard…

Shack Waikiki’s Spam dog ($3) smothered in Spam chili, pineapple tomato relish, cheese and onions…

The beautiful and lovely Shack ladies…

The Shack owner Brendan workin’ the booth…

What, no Spam flavor? It would go great with pineapple! lol

I would fill my bathtub up with one of these and soak in it…

At the Hawaii Food Bank booth…

Spam Macadamia Nut samples galore…

Hamakua Plantations were handing out coupons that would donate 50% of the proceeds to the Hawaii Food Bank. Fantastic.

The owner and president of Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company, Richard Schnitzler…

It was a great honor and pleasure to hear from Richard that sales of their Spam Macadamia Nuts are doing very well due in part to the thorough review I did of the product on this blog. He even credits an account his company picked up with Target thanks to their corporate folks on the mainland seeing the review I did, which was passed on by the corporate folks at Hormel. Wow! Some “big wigs” checkin’ out this site!

At least I know my blog is doing its part in helping to promote Hawaii’s food and products industry with proof positive results.

This Week: Spam in every flavor…

For some reason, anything with “SPAM” on it doesn’t look right in front of an Apple computer store lol…

I wonder if you wear this shirt into the Apple store, would they kick you out? Or would an “Anti-virus” alarm pop-up on any computer you touch? lol

There were a few non-Spam related crafts vendors there selling their wares as well…

A different vendor (not Simply Wood Studios)…

Folks Spam in up for the camera with “Spammy” (or whatever their mascot’s name is)…

Pork Butt lol…

This poor kid was absolutely HORRIFIED by “Spammy” lol…

The revolving restaurant with the lights in the background is Top of Waikiki.

“Spammy” #1 heads into the Outrigger on the beach…

Here’s a full pallet of SPAM, which includes 100 cases at 12 per case, totaling 1,200 cans…

The closing band on stage at the First Hawaiian Bank stage was Journey Tribute band named ‘Separate Ways’, which they were SMOKIN’!…

These guys sound SPOT-ON like Journey. It was really like a free Journey concert at the Spam Jam! And everyone got totally into it.

The lead singer certainly gives Journey’s current frontman, Arnel Pineda a run for the money. He even looks kinda’ like Steve Perry. And the guitarist played Neal Schon’s signature rhythm and leads to perfection with plenty of “feel”, and not just sounding like a “copy”. If you hear of Separate Ways performing and you’re a Journey fan, I highly recommend you check their concert out.

Earlier on that evening at the Waikiki Beach Walk stage, various hula performances took place…

Closing this year’s coverage of the 2010 Waikiki Spam Jam, I leave you with the lovely “Spam Girls” Alicia and Michelle…

For coverage of previous years’ Waikiki Spam Jams, click on the following banner links…

While Hank’s Haute Dogs has been in the local media spotlight a number of times already, it was the sales pitch of celebrity host Guy Fieri and his nationally-televised Food Network hit road show ‘Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives’ that finally sold me into checking this place out. Yup, I bit the bait.

Actually we all bit the bait, as joining me on this visit were my usual partners in food debauchery crime, Diner A, Diner E and our other occasional accomplice, the beautiful and lovely Diner AC.

OK, so we’re bringing a crowd, but not as if that was necessary, as whenever restaurants in town are showcased in the media, the following days, weeks, months and perhaps years mean long lines of people show up to see what all the hype is about. They say restaurants typically see a 20% or higher increase in business after a televised Triple D visit, and it clearly reflected that at Hank’s…

This was at peak lunch hour (11:45am) yesterday, Aloha Friday, April 9, 2010. Just DAYS after Hank’s big “Triple D” debut.

And Hank certainly ain’t shy about letting the world know his place was on the show, as you see that huge Food Network poster emblazoned next to his business sign on the storefront. I think any restaurant should be proud of this, as there’s lots of prestige and bragging rights that come with being featured on this popular Food Network show… even if it has the word “Dive” in it.

As said earlier, this also means lots of hype and expectations of all things GREAT as Guy often portrays it for the sake of good TV. Food TV that is. Overhearing other folks talking while standing in line, we heard “Triple D” mentioned a number of times, as well as “this is my first time here” (because of the show) and other small talk conversation along that line.

The customer demographic on our visit was mostly white collar workers in the area and locals who looked like it was their day off and/or coming from the beach, with a few military personnel, but not any tourists as far as I could tell. But I’m sure folks from the mainland will be getting off the plane soon, fresh off the “Triple D Goes Hawaiian” local kine grindz tips, seeking out Hank’s Haute Dog Stand.

Triple D is all about what its name stands for, which includes mom ‘n pops and hole-in-the-walls, and Hank’s fits that bill to the T, with just enough room inside for a surrounding counter to eat on and some stools…

Along with the small counter surround inside, there’s some stools outside in front to sit on, as well as three umbrella patio tables on the side of the joint…

We sat on the last table in the back where that gal in pink (I don’t know who that is) is currently sitting. Along with the umbrellas, there’s a tree above that provides extra shade, so it’s actually quite pleasant sitting here, especially with the tradewinds on this day.

As mentioned earlier, Hank’s has already been reviewed by countless local media outlets, and you can check out just about every one, framed and plastered on the walls within for your reading pleasure as you chow down some dog. Hey there’s a clever hot dog stand name: ‘Chow Down Dog’!

Hank’s has a semi-open kitchen…

Notice the Triple D cap hanging on the shelf here next to the good luck Maneki Nekko…

Apparently as some point in time President (or perhaps then elect) Obama ate here, although I don’t remember reading about that in the paper…

Then again, if you’re a high profile politician or celebrity, chances are the paparazzi photos of you in Hawaii will either be of your fat untanned okole on the beach (JLH), or of you EATING some awesome local kine grindz. Ha ha!

Hank has a few collector T-Shirts related to his trade up on display, starting with this one, which is my fave’…

Dog icons from the CONUS, including Superdawg and Pink’s!…

As you’ll see later, I think Guy got the idea for his autograph for Hank’s from one of these t-shirts…

There’s plenty of signs around to remind you that you’re in a hot dog joint…

As you’ll soon find out, Hank’s Haute Dogs are priced much higher than 15 cents, but thanks for the wishful thinking!

Don’t forget…

This is again wishful thinking, as Hank’s doesn’t have a condiment station, except for one ketchup pump. More on that later.

Do you like ketchup on your hot dog? I do! But shhhhhhh, don’t tell Bob Schwartz that…

I think it’s a German thing about the “no ketchup on hot dogs” creed. Well, I’m part German, but I ain’t buyin’ it.

Hank has a relatively new “express” location in Waikiki at the International Marketplace…

According to several signs around the place, Hank’s feature’s Vienna Beef Sausages…

And it looks like Monday is “Ladies Night”, as Hank’s has a male review, with Italian being the flavor of the evening…

LOL! Just kiddin’. A reader of mine eMailed me and explained this as sliced Italian beef piled high, and served with Giardiniera Italian Pickles in the form of a sandwich. This, which he says “blew my socks off! Delicious!”

Every day of the week there’s a special Haute Dog: Tuesdays are Alligator day ($8.30),  Wednesdays are Rabbit and Veal day ($7.50), Thursdays are Buffalo Bratwurst day ($7.50), Saturdays are Duck and Foie Gras day ($9.50), Sundays are Kobe Wagyu day ($8.50) and Fridays are Lobster day! Hey, that’s TODAY! Woooo-hooooo!

Along with Hank’s very exotic encased meat selections on each day of the week, he also has a regular menu…

So confident you’ll love it, that he’s betting you’ll want a Hank’s logowear t-shirt and cap to take home in memory of the “Haute Dog experience”….

The cap is more expensive because the logo is embroidered.

Speaking of expensive, you know it’ll take some diggin’ deep in the pockets when it comes to lobster…

This will be the first time in history that I’ll be paying over $10 for a FREAKIN’ HOT DOG!  Oh, excuse me, it’s a “Haute Dog”. Oh, O.K. then, I feel better about it already. lol

Well, right about now we’ve all decided what to order, where I already knew I had dibs for the Lobster Dog, Diner A decided to try the “Fat Boy”, Diner E went for the Andouille, and Diner AC went for the Chicago.

As for the ordering “system”, they don’t hand out numbered receipts or have fancy high tech pagers (at least not yet anyway, but they might need to after the Triple D exposure), but they simply vocally call out your name when your order’s ready.

While I waited for my order, a few trays of Haute Dogs came flowing out of the kitchen for other hungry patrons, including these Chicago Dogs and Chilidogs…

And this Polish Dog and Chilidog, along with a Hibiscus Lemonade…

Hibiscus Lemonades were definitely the most popular drink…

Chicago Dogs and Chilidogs also looked to be the most popular sellers based on what I seen flying (yes, these dogs were FLYING) out of the kitchen. And I gotta’ hand it to Hank, considering how busy it was on our visit, the service was surprisingly very speedy. While I didn’t time it, I’m guesstimating my order was ready in less than 10 minutes.

So here we have my order, which is the Aloha Friday Special, the Lobster Dog, a side of Onion Rings and a Fresh Lilikoi Lime Soda…

Here’s Diner E’s spread, which includes the Andouille Haute Dog, a small order of Hank’s “Awesome” Fries and a Hibiscus Lemonade…

Diner A’s spread includes a “Fatboy”, a large order of Hank’s “Awesome” Fries along with Garlic Aioli sauce and a Pepsi…

Finally we have Diner AC who chose the Chicago Dog…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Chicago Dog: Vienna all-beef, all natural casing sausage, yellow mustard, raw onion, very green relish, tomato, dill pickle, sport hot peppers and celery salt on a  poppyseed bun. $4.95

OK, everything looks fantastic. Let’s unpack ‘em ‘n whack ‘em, starting with the Chicago Dog…

Hey, nice fingernails Diner AC! Matches your phone! Great color contrast as well to all them “dragged through the garden” veggies toppin’ that Chicago dog. And WOW, that relish sure is “very” green! Looks almost like bell peppers.

Let’s have a bite…

Awe, wook, she cwadles it wike a widdle, widdle baby. LOL

So how is it? She said the sausage is very juicy, flavorful and beefy, with a super-snappy casing. Actually a little too much snap, making it kinda’ rubbery to bite into. Still delicious though.

The combination of the yellow mustard, very green relish, dill pickle, sport hot peppers, tomato, onions and celery sea salt added plenty of life to the party, where she noted the hot peppers especially stood out as a complimentary flavor component, adding a spicy kick without being overbearing.

Summing it up, she gives Hank’s Chicago Dog a very satisfying and delicious 3 SPAM Musubi.

Now let’s check out Diner E’s Andouille Haute Dog…

Diggin’ the nicely caramelized onions on it. Let’s take that bad boy outta’ the box…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Andouille Haute Dog: Char-grilled with onion and Cajun-spiced mustard. $6

That Cajun-spiced mustard looks like it should be packin’ plenty of zest ‘n zing.

Let’s set it up for the angle of attack…

In a very romantic and soft tone, “Andouille, baby. Come to me baby, come to me” lol. Let’s have a bite….

So what’s the verdict, Diner “Saimin Kaukau” E? “Eh, not bad, but not great” he says. See, Diner E likes his meat with some sweet in it, as is a testament for all things Teriyaki. In fact, now that I think about it, I’m very surprised Mr. Hank Adaniya doesn’t have a Teriyaki Haute Dog. Very, surprising, considering his Okinawan heritage.

But anyway, yeah, Diner “Saimin Kaukau” E thought the Andouille sausage itself lacked dimension, being mostly just spicy hot, and a little too much at that, while also being dry and not juicy at all. To top that off, no pun intended, the Cajun Mustard and Sauteed Onions weren’t enough accoutrement to supplement the sausage. He suggested the “very” green relish would have really helped out here, and I can totally undertstand where he’s coming from.

Which has us wondering why Hank’s doesn’t provide a self-serve condiment station so patrons can add what they want on their Haute Dogs. I mean it’s fine to have the dog designed by Hank with the accoutrements he designs them for, but everyone has different tastes. Some may like relish or onions, and some don’t. It’s just the way it is.

Therefore, I would suggest to Hank, “Eh Hank! Buss’ out one self-serve condiment station, brah!”. Please include all the accoutrements on the self-serve condiment station that you put on your “Haute” designed dogs, including the green relish, onions, mustards in several varieties, other things, and yes, KETCHUP. OK, well, he already does provide self-serve ketchup. At least we have that option to go with at our own discretion.

Sure, self-serve condiment stations can get messy, and there’s a few greedy folks who take more than they need, but that’s the only way we can truly personalize the Haute Dog to our own individual tastes. Even if you have to add say another 25 to 50 cents to cover the cost, I think it’s worth it.

That in mind, getting back to the Andouille, here we have a deconstructed view of it, where you see it looks pretty naked…

I like the score marks on the sausage. That’s something I think they should do with the Lobster Dog, which I’ll explain later.

Summing up Hank’s Andouille Haute Dog, more or a better combination of accoutrments may have saved its dryness and lack of character of the Andouille itself, yet as it’s served today, Diner “Saimin Kaukau” E gives it 2 SPAM Musubi.

Moving along, let’s take a closer look at Diner A’s “Fatboy”…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- “Fatboy” Hank’s Frank: Bacon-wrapped deep-fried Vienna sausage with mayo’, lettuce and tomato. $5.95

Based on its ingredients, this is essentially a BLT done doggy style, with the Vienna all-beef natural casing hot dog wrapped with bacon, AND served with an Aioli? Oh my, where’s my statin pills?!!!

Let’s set ‘em up for the attack…

Notice they score an X on the ends, which I’m assuming prevents the encased meat from turning into “Fatboy the nuclear bomb” when it’s in the deep fryer.

Let’s have a bite…

Juicy, savory, snappy good. Although Diner A said he couldn’t really taste the smokey, porky bacon flavor per se, he did note, whatever it did do, the thin slices of bacon wrapping the sausage sure added plenty of flavor to his weiner.

Another bite…

Wow, that sure LOOKS juicy! As said earlier, the sausage didn’t taste “bacon-ee”, so the accoutrement treatment of mayo’, lettuce and tomato didn’t give off the impression of “Hey this tastes just like a BLT Hot Dog!”. Like Diner E’s Andouille Dog, Diner A suggested the “very” green relish would have really helped out his dog as well. Which is why I’ll suggest again to Hank that he offer a a complete self-serve condiment station to us customers.

Diner A’s “polished” Hank’s Haute Dog tray

Summing it up, Diner A gives Hank’s “Fatboy” Frank a very satisfying 3 SPAM Musubi, polishing his tray, as shown above, to prove it.

Along with his “Fatboy”, Diner A also got a tray of Hank’s “Awesome” Fries…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Awesome French Fries: Fresh cut, double cooked. $3.75 large

Keep in mind that these aren’t the fries that are fried in duck lard, as the “Duck Fries” are only available on Saturdays. Shucks! I really wanted to try those.

Diner A chose the Garlic Aioli to go with it…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Garlic Aioli dipping sauce

That garlic aioli is decadently delicious, although it might be a bit much to stomach on a hot Hawaiian day.

Hank’s “awesome” fries are very crispy on the outside and seasoned just right with plenty of flavor and character, but I found them to taste a little lukewarm, stiff and overcooked, like they had been sitting in a warmer for a long period of time.  I’m not sure how far in advance they make them and then keep them under the heat lamp, but they were certainly going through cycles of that process as I observed the semi-open kitchen operate.

Diner A gives Hank’s “awesome” fries 3 SPAM Musubi, but personally I’d give them a 2. If they were hotter and/or more freshly fried, it surely would have a higher score from me.

Finally we have my Lobster Haute Dog and Onion Rings…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Lobster Dog with Garlic Aioli, “Very” Green Relish and Takuan. $10.50

A closer look at the Lobster Dog…

Notice the very light tan color of the sausage. This a result as Hank cases these babies himself in-house using Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Lobster and Surimi (fish) Paste, which is the stuff they use to make imitation crab. Whereas in this case (no pun intended), the Surimi acts as as a binder for all the other goodies in the mix. Also in the mix are carrots, onions and green onions, while for the “fat” component there’s mayonnaise that’s flavored with a variety of seasonings. Wow, at least on paper, it sounds OFF-THE-CHARTS DELICIOUS!

Let’s have a bite…

Oh yeah, this is DEFINITELY a Lobster Dog for sure, no doubt about that. You can really taste the Lobster, while at the same time the shrimp and scallops stand out in flavor as well. I’d say almost equally between the three, as of course if it were predominantly Lobster making up the bulk of it, the price of admission would have to be much higher than $10-fitty.

The Lobster Dog is first poached in water to cook the seafood medley through, then shocked in ice water to arrest it from overcooking. For service, they sautee it in a pan with clarified butter, then it takes one more dunk in a clarified butter bath.

Surprisingly and with a little disappointment, I couldn’t taste that clarified butter on my Lobster Dog, as if it had been wiped off or something. What I think they should do is score the casing like they do with the Andouille Sausage so that the butter can get inside and “mingle” with the seafood mixture. Ya’ know?

I think the best way to describe the Lobster Sausage is like eating an encased crab patty, albeit one that’s leaning more in favor of Lobster and Shrimp than crab (for obvious reasons). Overall it’s very delicious.

As for the accoutrements, I dunno’, for me, the takuan didn’t match with it. Perhaps the delicate flavors of the shellfish medley just doesn’t agree with the pungent, slightly acidic flavor of the takuan, which is a pickled Japanese radish. Same for the “Very Green Relish”. The Garlic Aioli, no doubt worked though, and definitely helped it along. I’m thinking maybe the lettuce and sauteed onions would be better on it, adding some crispness from the lettuce and savory accent from the onions.

Another serving idea is to give the customers a little container of clarified butter and lemon so they can dip it in that as they eat it. Imagine that clarified butter on the sausage AND the bun. You know that’s gonna’ rock! Rock Lobster rock!

Summing it up, as it’s served on this day, I give Hank’s Lobster Haute Dog a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi, with potential to be a 5 with better matched accoutrements and a side of clarified butter to accompany it.

Paired with my Lobster dog was a side of Onion Rings…

Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Onion Rings. $3.75

Diner AC also had Onion Rings, which she added some Spicy Curry Ketchup dipping sauce to go along with it…

That Spicy Curry Ketchup tastes great with a kick from what I’m guessing is Cayenne Pepper, and just a very subtle curry flavor. Highly recommended dipping sauce.

As for the Onion Rings, notice there’s some separation of panko batter from onion, but ah, minah. The batter was crispy and tasty and the onions inside nice and tender. Only thing I wish is that they were a little sweeter. I think they’re regular white round onion. No Maui stuff here. That would have been pretty “haute”. Perhaps that’s another suggestion: “Eh Hank, please offer Hank’s Haute Maui Onion Rings!”

As served today, I give Hank’s Onion Rings a very tasty 3 SPAM Musubi. Even better with the Garlic Aioli and Spicy Curry Ketchup dipping sauces.

Guy Fieri autographed Triple D poster reads:  Hank’s Haute Dogs “The King of encased Meats!” Guy

My Fresh Lilikoi Lemonade was very refreshing and light, while Diner E also gave a big thumbs up to the Hibiscus Lemonade, which a said earlier, was a very popular choice by the crowd.

Well, Triple D has done its job, getting us in the door of yet another restaurant featured on their show. While we didn’t end up using “Guy Speak” punchlines such as “Off the hook”, “Money”, “In it to win it”, or “Winner, winner Haute Dog dinner” in describing our food for the most part we all walked out very satisfied. We were also happy to finally have a taste for ourselves what all the fuss has been over the Haute Dog eats at Hank’s.

Check out the Triple D segment on Hank’s Haute Dogs here…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0wAyiZ3-jk

I’ll definitely return for more, with the Kobe Wagyu Haute Dog and Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese on my hit list next.

Hank’s Haute Dogs
324 Coral Street  (right across from the Volvo dealership)
Honolulu, Hawaii  96813
Tel. (808) 532-HANK (4265)
www.HanksHauteDogs.com

Business hours:
Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm
Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm

Cash only, no credit cards.

Free parking on Sunday in lot behind (otherwise only street parking)

The Tasty Island rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

Related links:
• Casual Eats: Hank’s Haute Dogs -- LocoKineGrindz.com
• Unique eats at Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Honolulu Metromix
• Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Champuru.net
• Hank’s Haute Dogs is a Weiner! -- Honolulu Star Bulletin
• Hank’s Haute Dogs -- Yelp user reviews

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P.S. While we’re on the subject of haute dogs, I wanna’ turn Hank on to my “Tonkrazy Dog” (that didn’t sound right, but it sounds funny lol)…

My “Tonkrazy” Dog (on the left) is made using a Redondo’s Arabiki Hot Dog on a bed of thinly-sliced cabbage, drizzled with Ikari brand Tonkatsu Sauce and finished with slivers of Takuwan (the yellow stuff) and Beni Shoga (the red stuff). All this on a nicely toasted bun.

Brah, let me tell you, this buggah is WINNAHZ! IN IT TO WIN IT! MONEY HONEY!

Trust me, go buy the ingredients and make one or a few for yourself. I can almost guarantee you’ll come back thanking me for the recipe. I’m pretty proud of this creation I came up with, and I think Hank should try it. It would fit right in with his “Haute” theme.

Another cool concept Hank should start playing with is the “Haute Pig-in-the-Blanket” like that AWESOME public school cafeteria Pig-in-a-Blanket I featured here just recently…

I could see Hank doing all kinds of crazy stuff with it wrapped up blanket style. Imagine a Lobster dog in that! You get the crusty-sweet bread, combined with the flavor of lobster, shrimp, scallops and that garlic aioli, then dip that in some clarified butter and OMG!!!

Yeah, I’m full of all kinds of “bright ideas” today for a business that isn’t even mine, but hey! One can dream, right?!!!

B-52′s Rock Lobster!…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDZy6-fMCw4

Yesterday we attended a special luncheon that included some very distinguished guests, including Governor Lingle, Senator Inouye, KSSK’s Michael W. Perry and Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerly, just to name a few of many more.  And of course YOURS TRULY was “in the house”, adding to the VIP list.

Just kidding on the last part about me being one of the VIP (actually we were though), but I was there, and thought why not? Might as well blog this one. Well, at least the people sitting on our table were cool about me taking photos of the food. lol

As with most ballroom functions that aren’t buffet, you don’t have a choice, but are given what’s been selected by the event organizer.

With that, let’s begin with our appetizer, which was called a “North Shore Salad”. It’s made with Baby Romaine, North Shore Farms Tomatoes, Kahuku Sea Asparagus, Kahuku Corn, chopped Macadamia Nuts and shaved Parmigiano-Regianno…

It was served with a Caesar Dressing on the side…

This Caesar dressing was EXCELLENT, tasting like they had made it from scratch just moments prior the traditional way in a wooden bowl with a coddled egg, garlic clove, anchovies or Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard or wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

As you can imagine, the combination of  flavor and texture contrasts between the robust Macadamia Nuts, sweet Kahuku Corn, slightly salty and earthy Kahuku Sea Asparagus, pungent Parm’, fresh Romaine and zesty, full-bodied tableside style ceasar dressing was absolutely DYNAMITE. 4 SPAM Musubi on Sheraton’s Ceasar Salad. Had it actually been made tableside for us, I’d give it a 5.

Also joining us from the start was a basket of what they call  “rustic” bread..

These were accompanied on each table setting with a small plate that included two butterballs rolled in basil-infused olive oil…

And also some Hummus on the side…

The bread was nicely seasoned with just the right amount of salt mixed in the dough-making process. It had a very hard crust and pliable-meets-chewy texture inside in a good way, with the only problem being that they were too cool (literally speaking). Of course, had they been kept warm or hot before being brought to the tables it would have been much, much better.

I didn’t really care for their hummus, finding it bland and boring. I think it needed more garlic or herbs in it. As it was, it tasted like a plain ‘ole garbanzo bean paste.

The basil-infused olive oil butter certainly helped to liven up the taste of the cool-temperatured bread.

As they were, I give Sheraton Waikiki Ballroom’s Ciabatta Bread 2 SPAM Musubi.

For the main course, we were served Gingered Pomegranate Braised Beef and Garlic Glazed Mahimahi with Bok Choy and Baby Carrot…

As mentioned earlier, everyone was served the same dish, like the person sitting to the right of me lol…

and the person sitting to the left lol…

That may look like a chocolate brownie on there, but no, it’s braised beef. As always in the “Tasty Island Style”, let’s look what’s “inside”….

Mm-mmm-mmm. Fall-apart tender braised beef. Can’t go wrong with that! Yum!

You could certainly taste something “different” about it thanks to that Pomegranate demi glace sauce poured over it, and the ginger infused into the beef from the simmering liquid as they braised it. Really, really ono. Winnah!

So was that bed of sweet potato mash underneath it, which tasted like it also had garlic in it. Nice ‘n buttery too. The contrast of the sweetness of that along with the deep savoryness of  the braised beef was right on the money.

As for the garlic-glazed Mahimahi, it was very moist ‘n tender and not overcooked at all, as is often the case when served in mass production…

Flavor-wise, I didn’t really get the “glazed garlic” part, and the ginger chili sauce (that’s what the server said it was) served with it was rather subtle in that regard, tasting more like a simple tomato sauce. Maybe that’s what it was? Still, overall an entirely satisfying “surf” to compliment the “turf” sharing the same plate.

The Bok Choy and Baby Carrot were seasoned adequately and cooked perfectly al dente. Great choice to balance the overall dish.

With that I give Sheraton Ballroom’s Gingered Pomegranate Braised Beef and “Garlic Glazed” Mahimahi a solid 4 SPAM Musubi.

Finishing off the course was dessert, which were provided by Satura Cakes, who has a store just a step away in front of the Sheraton in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. One was a Satura Cakes Chocolate Tiramisu…

And the other was a Satura Cakes Strawberry Shortcake…

Both of them were prepared in the style of a delicate and light mousse, without being too sweet and rich, and both were absolutely INCREDIBLE. Especially the Chocolate Tiramisu, which had hints of coffee in it.  Each person had one or the other, yet I was lucky someone sitting next to didn’t want theirs, so I got to indulge in the both of them. I love when that happens. With that, they both get an easy-to-award, no question about it 5 SPAM MUSUBI.

Oh, the plantation ice tea (first photo) was great too, having just enough sweetness to it and flavor from the robust tea and pineapple for a refreshing, thirst-quenching sensation. Notice the real sugarcane stirring stick. Tasty to chew on. Nice “plantation” touch.

The staff on hand were also all very friendly and on the ball, keeping all our Plantation Ice Tea & Iced Water glasses and coffee cups topped, and removing finished plates promptly.

Summing up our VIP Luncheon at the Sheraton Waikiki Ballroom, I give the meal a “Way to go Waikiki!” 4 SPAM Musubi!

Diner A picked up a bento from Tanioka’s in Waipahu the other day, where from along with that, he brought a couple musubi to share with us.

So Tanioka’s is doing Goteborg Musubi now, eh? I wonder where they got that idea from? Hmmmm. Any chance they’re offering a Poke Bowl as well? After all, they are well known for their poke, which I must say, theirs is up there with the best.

Goteborg Musubi from Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering

Notice for Tanioka’s take the on Goteborg Musubi, they form the musubi rice in the traditional extruded triangle shape, then sprinkle it generously with Goma Furikake (sesame seaweed seasoning). Then instead of the Goteborg Sausage acting as the foundational base underneath it, they cap it with it.

In comparison, here’s how the folks from Kauai (where this unique musubi is known to have originated from) do it…

“Jobos” Goteborg Musubi from The Poke Bowl (now DBA Pa’ina Cafe in Ward Warehouse)

See, so they’re each “DIFFEFRENT BUT DA’ SAME”. lol Actually I have to admit, I kinda’ preferred the more compressed texture of the rice in Tanioka’s version, as well as the much more generous sprinkling of Furikake on it. Not knocking the Oahu-from-Kauai original, Poke Bowl’s “Jobos” version though, as that one ROCKS as well.

In case  you never heard of Goteborg Sausage, I’ll once again repost the description: According to this website, Goteborg sausage is described as “Swedish sausage or Goteborg consists of 75% beef and 25% pork. The meat is chopped coarser than cervelat. It is stuffed in beef middle casings and smoked hard. In appearance it is similar to Farmer sausage. Swedish sausage is popular with the Swedish and Norwegian trade”.

I’ll just say it tastes sort of like a “gamey” Salami-meets-summer sausage if you will. Like any other cured or salted meat, frying it just ever-so-lightly really punches out the Goteborg’s flavor.

As for the history of Goteborg Sausage in Hawaii — or the island of Kauai in particular — Tasty Island reader ‘Anahola Tita’ gave the best and most entertaining explanation to date!

Re: Kauai Classic: Goteborg Musubi, Anahola Tita comments:

 OMG Guteberg!  Yummo !!  I am Kaua’i girl born/raised from Anahola Hawaiian Homes … My mom used to work at Kojima Store in Kapa’a–and the meat market in the back of the store was Da Bes’ Meat Market on the island … they were, and still are known for their marinated Kal Bi — and GUTEBERG !!  Already sliced in the perfect 6mm cut, plastic wrapped in foam trays –you can just walk in the store and pick it up in the meat section … along with trays of marinated kal bi … just down the road, literally, at Pono Market, you can get Guteberg Musubi–gotta go early or else sell out … whenever I go back home … those two stops are a must! And of course Hamura’s, Hanamaulu Cafe, and if I can make it to Lawai Store.

I’d like to share what I remember from either someone sharing with me or perhaps reading about, or maybe a combination of both–The History of Guteberg on Kaua’i evidently traces back to GERMANY.  It is a German Sausage or Salami — similar to Italian sausage, etc. — it’s a European-style deli sausage.  It was introduced to the island of Kaua’i when a German Stone Wall builder moved there back in the plantation days, and was hired to build stonewalls for the plantation owners, mostly on the West side of the island — as is evident by all the old, man-made stone walls that are strewn around the island.  The story goes that he introduced the sausage to the plantation owners he was hired by … and they introduced it to the plantation workers — at lunchtime — the one thing that every culture had in common — FOOD … it became customary for all the different cultures to share food … it became sort of a fun way to get to know each other and have respect for different cultures.  People couldn’t speak to each other — they all spoke different languages — so food became a universal language … and that is how they started to learn about each other.  Guteberg was the “Haole” man’s “kokua” or contribution to the lunchtime pot luck.

Anyways–I live on O’ahu now…married with child.  My husband is from NY and looooves Guteberg–he’s part-German…I looooove German sausage…(and Guteberg too…ahem!)–my mom lives with us now…she’s the one that used to work at Kojima’s…gotta have her saussage…so we satisfy our Guteberg urges @ Marukai Dillingham.  Although we found it in other stores, she looooooves the butchers there … and they loooooove her too — she’ll grab a long thing of sausage and walk up to the butcher’s sliding glass windows and press their button … and they slide the door open with big smiles on their faces … and she’s holds the sausage up in front of her — like, facing longways towards them … and she says … “I like ‘em t’ick (thick)” … aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha !!  Crack Up!!  Yah!!  One Full-On Potagee Gramma asking the butchers at frickin’ Marukai if they can give her “6″ — serious !!  She go, “You Can Do 6?” aaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha !!  Da guys look at me and dey turn all red — dark-skinned filipinos !!  you can see ‘em blushing !! aaaaaaaahahahahaha !!  And they have no idea that my mother has no idea … hahlarious !!  frickin’ cartoons I’m tellin’ you!!  A bunch of deers with no eyes (no eye dear…no idea…never mind)…alrighty then–

btw … having a brain fart right now — wanna address the comment about the difference between UFOs and Flying Saucers …. Das Right !!  ONLY ON KAUAI !!  No other island has Flying Saucers … Kaua’i people know the difference … Kaua’i may be full of spacey people, but the upside of that is, they can tell the difference between UFOs and Flying Saucers … that’s what happens when you live on another planet …

kden — gotta get going — long over due for a visit to marukai…my mom was just saying she hasn’t “had it” in awhile … aaaaaaaaahahahaha!!  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha !!  hoo boy … classic … hey–at least she’s free entertainment … toodles all !!

 

Mahalo Anahola Tita! ROFLMAO! That was CLASSIC!

I was hoping maybe Tanioka’s would “surprise” us by poking an Ume in the center of the musubi as a sort of “buried treasure”, but nevah get…

 

 

 

 Summing it up, I give Tanioka’s take on Goteborg Musubi 5 SPAM Musubi. Or should I give it 5 Goteborg Musubi? Now I’m confused. lol

 

 

As for Tanioka’s Fish Patty Musubi, as you see in the first photo, unlike their “famous” fish patty served at their okazuya counter, the one for this musubi is shaped rectangular to look like a slice of SPAM. In fact, when I first looked at, I thought it was a SPAM Musubi.

 

 Slicing it in half, you can see how Tanioka’s grinds the fish meat (not eats it, but grinds it like hamburger lol) really fine…

  

Tanioka’s Fish Patty Musubi (sliced in half with a Goteborg Musubi next to it)

 

I LOVE Tanioka’s Fish Patty, and with that I’m also giving Tanioka’s Fish Patty Musubi 5 SPAM Musubi. Or make that 5 Fish Patty Musubi. Sheesh! Now I’m REALLY CONFUSED! LOL

As mentioned earlier, Diner A picked up a bento from Tanioka’s, which he’s been having to eat fish every Friday in observance of Lent. That in mind, he chose a bento that had Tanioka’s famous fish patty, a salmon patty, shrimp tempura and one giant aburage cone sushi…

Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering – Salmon Patty, Fish Patty, Shrimp Tempura and Aburage Cone Sushi Bento. $n/a

Diner A’s rating? 5 SPAM Musubi. Winnah’, winnah’, fish patty dinnah’! Err, lunch that is.

Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering
94-903 Farrington hwy.
Waipahu, Hawaii  96797
Tel. 808-671-3779
www.Taniokas.com

The Tasty Island rating:
5 Goteborg Musubi/5 Fish Patty Musubi/5 SPAM Musubi

Related (Tasty Island) links:
• Kaka’ako Eats: The Poke Bowl
• Kauai Classic: Goteborg Musubi
• The Goteborg Musubi Project

For the finest dining experience in Waikiki with an oceanfront view that I could think of, the first place that came to mind that we haven’t tried yet is Michel’s at the Colony Surf. This between my girlfriend and I as private celebration of my birthday.

The Colony Surf, which used to be a hotel but has since converted to condominiums, is situated at the footside of Daimond Head crater, at the far Daimond Head (east) end of Waikiki beach, within the last cluster of high rises in Waikiki, with nextdoor neighbors including Kaimana Beach Hotel & San Souci.

So the view from Michel’s on the ground — or should I say ‘beachside’ floor is actually looking “back” at the central part of Waikiki…

We actually had made reservations at 6pm for a window seat to catch the sunset, but arrived late (Hawaiian time), so our table was given up to the next in line. But that’s OK, as the table we got was still well within view of the Waikiki beach skyline at dusk…

If you’re already wondering about me taking photos like this, there were plenty of cameras flashing during the evening, so it was pretty much a non-issue with everyone dining around us. After all, this is “tourist central”.

Here’s a few more views around the elegant, yet quite relaxed open air dining room…

The bar…

A very romantic, dimly lit ambiance at night with Waikiki lights in the background…

Completing the romantic mood, beautiful live solo instrumental classical and Hawaiian slack key songs were played right next to our table by Na Hoku Hano Hano Award winner Jeff Peterson…

Here’s how our table was set upon being seated…

So far everything looks (and sounds) FABULOUS.

OK, let’s check out the menu…

We started the dinner off with a glass each of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Director’s Cut” Cabernet Souvignon (2006)…

Francis Ford Coppola’s “Director’s Cut” Cabernet Souvignon (2006). $20/glass (or $80/bottle)

We thought of getting a whole bottle, but decided not to get smashed at Michel’s and try to focus more on the food. lol

As for the style of cuisine, while Michel’s menu is comprised mostly of French classics, there’s a splash of Pacific Rim thrown into the mix as well. All presented by Chef Eberhard “Hardy” Kintscher, who hails out of Germany (my peeps!), along with Sous Chef Jesus Guittap and Toni Kitamura.

Surprisingly Michel’s doesn’t offer complimentary dinner bread, but Lavosh and herbed butter instead…

Let’s try it…

Pretty good. I would have preferred warm dinner bread, but this works.

For appetizers, we chose the Vitello Tonnato…

Vitello Tonnato – Thin-sliced roasted veal, Yellowfin Ahi sashimi & tuna sauce served with arugula salad, tomatoes and lemon caper vinaigrette. $18

and being a French restaurant, as far as I’m concerned, the Helix Escargot Bourgogne was a MUST!…

Helix Escargot Bourgogne – Half a dozen French snails in Michel’s famous herbed-garlic butter. $18

For entree, my lovely girlfriend decided on trying one of their specials (not listed on the menu), the Potato-wrapped Moi…

This came with a Saffron Risotto…

While I decided on trying ‘Hardy’s Hawaiian Bouillabaisse’…

Hardy’s Hawaiian Bouillabaisse – An assortment of lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, salmon and local fish in a savory saffron-tomato broth with a touch of island herbs and flavors. $38.

The Bouillabaisse includes two toasted and garlic-buttered French Baguettes…

Now let’s go over how our apps’ and entrees tasted, first sampling the Vitello Tonnato…

The Lemon Caper Vinaigrette was great. It paired very nicely with the buttery-fresh ahi sashimi and thin slices of roasted veal. The ahi and veal also paired surprisingly well when eaten together. A tasty surf-meets-turf sensation on the palate.

Summing it up, I’ll give Michel’s Vitello Tonnato 4 SPAM Musubi for the delicious Lemon Caper Vinaigrette and wonderful marriage of flavors between the very fresh Ahi sashimi and thinly-sliced roasted veal. Great dish.

Now let’s try the escargot, which I like to put directly on a french baguette like this…

Oh. My. God! This is to die for! If there is a dish that God himself invented, this is it. As simple as it may sound, that herbed garlic butter insanely delicious!

The Escargot snails are very soft, tender and pleasantly flavorful. Not chewy and rubbery at all, nor do they have any over-earthy or dirt-like taste to them. They’re almost clam-like in flavor.

While I forgot to ask, I think  their “secret” flavor enhancer in the herbed-garlic butter is the addition of finely grated, melted Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which is evident by the globules floating within and the baked-on brown crust on top of the baking dish.

Of course we sopped up every last drop of that amazing herbed-garlic butter with the bread…

The only thing I think this dish is missing are the shells. If they were served in the Escargot shells it would have had much better presentation impact. Still, the quality and flavor of this dish is so incredible, I’m still giving Michel’s Helix Escargot Bourgogne a certified 5-SPAM Musubi seal of approval.

Looks like we’re off to a great start. Now let’s sample the entrees, starting with her Potato-wrapped Moi…

They apparently use one of those spiral vegetable slicers than can turn potatoes, carrots or any other firm fruit and vegetable into long strings. Then they wrapped it around the Moi, which they first removed all of the spine and pin bones before wrapping it, effectively making every medallion boneless. Neat! It was drizzled with a Tobiko Aioli Sauce that added a nice contrast to the flavor of the Moi.

The potato wrapped around it almost had a bacon-like flavor to it due to the deep-frying method the whole fish was cooked.

Look, they even provide the head for all you fish eyeball eaters out there…

The garlic mashed potatoes and Manoa Lettuce and Hamakua Mushroom salad were simple in preparation, yet executed perfectly, with the salad having a lightly sweetened vinaigrette on it. Light, yet very nice.

The saffron risotto was also perfectly cooked, with a silky, creamy texture and wonderfully fragrant, slightly buttery-savory flavor.

We both really enjoyed everything about this dish, agreeing this deserves a Moi-tastic 4-SPAM Musubi. If this is on the menu when/if you dine here, although it’s not one of their signature French dishes, I’d still highly recommend it.

Now let’s dig into ‘Hardy’s Hawaiian Bouillabaisse’…

Hardy’s Hawaiian Bouillabaisse – An assortment of lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, salmon and local fish in a savory saffron-tomato broth with a touch of island herbs and flavors

The Bouillabaisse is brought to the table with the saffron-tomato broth in separate dicanter, which our waiter pours into the deep dish at the table.

Fishing around, I find an abundance of meaty sea morsels submerged beneath the broth, including these wonderfully tasty and tender scallops…

And a whole, still intact shelled giant lobster claw!…

The broth wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped though. It certainly wasn’t as “savory” as it says on the menu. It almost tasted like all they did was combine shellfish stock with tomato paste and perhaps a few herbs or spices and that’s it. They could have just as well dumped Campbell’s Tomato Soup in there and I’d probably hardly tell the difference. There just wasn’t anything interesting or special about it. No “Wow!” or “It” factor. Ya’ know? And it’s not just me, as my girlfriend tried the broth and and a piece of the fish inside and agreed with my assessment of it.

Thankfully most of the seafood in it were fresh, flavorful and tender, except for the giant prawn in the center, which was a little rubbery at the tail.

That said, I’ll give their Bouillabaise 1 SPAM Musubi. For a restaurant of this caliber, being “just average” is painfully disappointing, but sorry, they gotta’ work on that saffron-tomato broth. It just didn’t do it for me.

In retrospect of the menu, while we both obviously were in the mood for seafood on this occasion, I really should have ordered the Rack of Lamb Orloff. I’m almost certain I would have been much happier with that choice. Oh well, next time! And believe me, will will be back at Michel’s for my girlfriend’s Birthday which comes around in June. Can’t wait!

So far three hits and one miss (average isn’t good enough for a place like this). Not bad!

Now let’s see what’s for dessert…

As promised from the start, our waiter brought me a complimentary birthday dessert, which we have a Pineapple Lilikoi Macadamia Nut Cheesecake…

Pineapple Lilikoi Macadamia Nut Cheese Cake. Compliments of the house in celebration of Diner P’s 1st Birthday.

My, my, my, that’s pretty.

Getting her chocolate fix on, my girlfriend ordered the Chocolate Decadence Cake…

Decadence Chocolate Cake – with fresh berries and Macadamia Nut Ice Cream. $10.00

The included Macadamia Nut Ice Cream…

I didn’t ask, but if you ask me, this tasted like Roselani’s Macadamia Nut Ice Cream. It has the same very-roasted big chunks of Mac nuts like Roselani’s, and the same full-bodied vanilla ice cream flavor.

O.K., let’s try this Decandent Chocolate Cake…

You know what? Chocalate Cake is so not my thing, so I won’t even say what I think, but my lady LOVED IT, giving it a decadently-delicious 4 SPAM Musubi seal of approval, so we’ll go with that.

Now let’s try my Pineapple Lilikoi Macadamia Nut Cheesecake…

Oh. My. God! AWESOME! Ding-ding-ding, we have another WINNER! Easy 5-SPAM Musubi. Shoots, I’ll give 7 SPAM Musubi, as this masterpiece of a dessert is OFF-THE-CHARTS ono! And it was a FREE-BEE! Wheeeeeee!

The combination of the roasted Macadamia Nut crust, along with that slightly tangy, rich, buttery, not-overssweetened cheesecake layer, along with the glazed pineapples on top was INSANELY delicious.

I remember I once filled out a profile page for a website (I think it was Yahoo! personals.. nah, just kidding. lol) that asked “What would be the last thing on earth you’d want to eat leaving here?”. To which I answered “Japanese Chashumen” (pork shoyu ramen). Well, I think I’m changing that answer to “Michel’s Passion Fruit Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cheesecake”.

Wow, that was almost orgasmic. Now I need a cigarette. lol (just kidding, I dont’ smoke)

If you’re into tableside preparations, as you’ve seen on the menu, Michel’s has many dishes to choose from in every category that are presented that way…

This is the tableside-carved Chateaubriand…

Speaking of tableside, our server Larry was EXCELLENT. Maikai (job well done). He really made our dining experience at Michel’s a joy, being very knowledgeable, friendly and humorous as well. We felt pampered yet respected for our privacy as well. Couldn’t have been better. Parking is also very easy here with the complimentary (plus tip) valet service.

I’d give Michel’s 5 SPAM Musubi just for the service alone. And certainly 5 SPAM Musubi for the beautiful ambiance. How can ANY restaurant situated almost literally right on Waikiki beach not have a top-rated ambiance? Tell me one, and I’ll have to check if it’s snowing outside.

The only reason I’m not awarding Michel’s the top 5 SPAM Musubi rating on this visit was my disappointing Bouillabaise, which I must take into consideration, after all, that was my main course. Other than that, just excellent in every regard. For all the high points, Michel’s is highly recommended.

Michel’s at the Colony Surf
2895 Kalakaua avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii

Tel. 923-6552
www.MichelsHawaii.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• Embracing Michel’s elegance at the Colony Surf – Honolulu Advertiser
• Improving on the classics – Midweek
• Michel’s at the Colony Surf: A Sunday Brunch Worth Repeating – HawaiiDiner.com
• Michel’s at the Colony Surf – Yelp user reviews

Ah yes. No mistaking the wonderful array of choices on display behind the front window of your favorite local Okazuya, where we return here today at St. Louis Delicatessen.

Amongst all else, Musubi is usually my first visual allure at an Okazuya.  Case in point here where they have “Cone” Sushi, Maki Sushi and Nori Musubi ready for action…

To put into perspective how popular otherwise “obscure” places like St. Louis Delicatessen are, by the time I arrived here at around 8:30am in the morning, half of these musubi and sushi were already GONE! Wow. Imagine getting here around lunch hour where you just might be “S.O.L.”. lol

Once I’ve got my musubi choice selected, next on my radar is some salty, savory meat(s) to go along with that…

Specifically that would be fried “shoyu” hot dogs (where here they’re simply fried, then placed in a light shoyu “sauce”) and luncheon meat (not SPAM®).

Complimenting the salty meats, we have the hash patty in back, which is another starchy-meets-sometimes-savory staple at every okazuya.

Speaking of savory, here we have both shoyu chicken and fried chicken for your choosing….

Continuing on with da’ “shoyu-sweet” action, you can opt for teriyaki beef and long rice done both in that style…

Next to that, one of my favorites from “SLD” is their Nishime…

Behind that is simply what they refer to as ‘Tofu’, which I honestly have never ordered yet. Yet I will certainly in a future visit. By the looks of it, I’m guessing it’s simply fried and steeped in a dashi, shoyu and sugar based sauce.

Next to these warmer pans, there’s this warmer box of delights, including your choice of Vegetable Tempura, Potato Tempura…

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, you have what St. Louis okazuya is most famous for, their signature Chowfun!…

Um, “hellerr?!”, I have my pick-up truck in the parking lot. You can drop that whole pan in the back there, thank you very much. lol

See, the beauty of St. Louis’ okazuya is the sheer simplicity of their menu…

You’re not going to find any complex preparations or myriad blend of herbs and spices in any of their dishes. Just simple, back-to-basics comfort food that’s done well, done right, with barely any questions to ask.

Oh, like say for instance Diner A’s choice on this visit of bento ‘B’…

Diner A’s SLD Okazuya ‘Bento B’ Plate: (clockwise from top left) Cone Sushi, Plain Rice Musubi, Potato Tempura, Shrimp Tempura, Luncheon Meat, Fried Chicken and Chow Fun. $7.50.

Folks, in this day and age, $7.50 for all that is a STEAL in the world of Okazuya, or any plate lunch for that matter. A steal of a deal.

Then we’ve got Diner E’s customized okazuya selections…

Diner E’s SLD Okazuya Custom Plate: (clockwise from top left) Fried Chicken, Shoyu Chicken, Nishime, Long Rice, Cone Sushi (plus Vegetable Tempura shown next) and Chow Fun. $6.75

He was kinda’ freaked out at first, thinking “mama san” forgot it, then we realized after checking that in a separate package there was his order of vegetable tempura…

Brah, no make! If dey ‘wen fo’get da’ tempura, I would have been all sick! (Dude…….. DUDE! If they forgot the tempura, that would suck!) lol

Finally my plate, which was also a custom order…

Diner P’s SLD Okazuya Custom Plate: (clockwise from top left) Kombu (marinaded seaweed), Nori Musubi, Hot Dog, Nishime, Vegetable Tempura, Hash Patty and Chow Fun. $8.25

All that’s missing in this equation is THE BEACH! Yes, them negative ions play a big part in making comfort food like these here Okazuya plates go from just that to AWESOME. Well, we have work to do, so we’ll save the beach for the weekend, never-the-less, we’ll still enjoy da’ grindz!

Starting off, I love-ee-love-love their Nishime, which is sort of a Japanese “stew” if you will…

A simple medley of huge chunks of daikon, sliced carrots and Kombu steeped in a broth of dashi, shoyu and mirin. Good stuff.

Diner E’s St. Louis favorite (besides the Chowfun) is their Long Rice…

This one is flavored similar to the Nishime. Then you have that MASSIVE stuffed Aburage Cone Sushi…

Personally I’m not an Inari (cone sushi) fan, mainly because of the strong taste of sushi-su (seasoning) flavoring the rice. I’ll stick with the basic Omusubi simply seasoned with salt and an Ume in it, thank you very much. For sushi, Maguro Nigiri Sushi with just a dab of Wasabi between the ahi and the rice, thank you very much.

Moving on, there’s the Shoyu Chicken, which Diner E said had a great-tasting sauce, while being very moist and tender inside…

While we’re on Chicken, Diner A shows off a bite of his also moist and tender piece of fried chicken from SLD…

I think I’ll blow this photo up to a 4 feet x 8 feet wide wall mural and hang it up in front of my treadmill. lol

Then you have the Vegetable Tempura and Hash Patty…

Notably it’s interesting on the part of the Vegetable Tempura, as the batter almost has the texture of Okinawan Andagi. Which makes sense, as like most Okazuya, SLD is owned by a Higa family, who are Okinawan (like Diner E), or “Uchinanchu”.

Even more Andagi-like is the Potato Tempura…

Seriously, their Potato Tempura tastes essentially like an Andagi filled with tender slices of sweet potato in it. Simple as that. Yet really ono! On that note, Leonard’s Bakery should try making sweet potato Malasadas. I bet it would work! Also, the Okinawan Festival should try selling Sweet Potato Andagi. Sounds GOOOOOOOD eh?

Finally there’s SLD’s most beloved dish, their Chowfun noodles…

No bells ‘n whistles, save for a little grated carrots here, green bean there. Barely any seasoning at all, with what only tastes like salt and perhaps just a dab of shoyu and/or oyster sauce, yet none of us are even sure what the heck they flavor it with. It’s just simple to da’ max’ and really, really good! This is da’ kine Chowfun that if you were surfing in the morning, then came to SLD around 11am for a fix on it, you’d be in major refueling BLISS and ready to go back and rip more. Ya’ know?

Along with the simple-yet-ono grindz, what I admire at SLD is how friendly the folks are there. Like Linda Hatori, who served me on this day yesterday…

Super nice lady, who I joked with about calling the Nishime “Namasu”, which she said lots of folks mistakenly call the dish. lol

If you didn’t know what or who they were, you’d just assume St. Louis Delicatessen was merely the service entrance for St. Louis Drive In next door, as to today, there’s no prominent sign in front of their shop…

Only store hours, the menu and “We’re OPEN”.

But NO! Don’t make that mistake! SLD is an entirely different kind of eatery and as hole-in-the-wall, ULTIMATE HIDDEN GEM as it can get in the city of Honolulu.

The prices are great, service is friendly, hours are typical of an Okazuya (open 7am to 1pm; or until food runs out), and most of all the grindz are really OISHII!

This blog has lots of readers who are past or future visitors to the islands. If you plan on visiting, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend you put a Honolulu Okazuya on your dining to-do list while on your next stay on Oahu. St. Louis Delicatessen is only about a 10 to 15 minute drive from Waikiki. Go here and get your plates, then head to Diamond Head or Kahala Beach which also just about 10-15 minutes drive down the street, take your food and sit on the beach while overlooking the ocean (and taking in the negative ions) and ENJOY. I promise you’ll have one of the most unique and delicious “like the locals eat” experiences you could ever have by doing that.

St. Louis Delicatessen
3147 Waialae avenue (Kaimuki)
Tel. 732-0955
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 7am – 1:30pm (closed Sundays and Mondays)

Menu (<—download PDF; 1 page; current as of 2/10)

The Tasty Island Rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

Related links
• Okazuya “Chowfundamentals” at St. Louis Delicatessen – The Tasty Island
• St. Louis Delicatessen – Yelp user reviews

P.S. Just want to send out a condolence to the Fasi ohana. God Bless.

Courtesy of The Honolulu Advertiser

Like the name implies, Tango Contemporary Cafe is a chic and modern eatery located on the ground floor of the also ultra chic and modern Hokua Tower. They’re tucked away at the back-end side of the building where you’ll have to look to your left if coming from Auahi Street, with their nextdoor neighbor being PF Chang’s China Bistro. Both what I think are very complimentary to one another in sophistication and style, with Tango having a step more casual feel to it.

Let’s have a look around inside…

According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the The artwork on the wall are Marimekko Unikko panels, classic floral fabrics from Finland.  These, a tribute to Tango’s part owner and chef Göran Streng who has roots there. While making the “Two to Tango” dance happen is his partner Tami Orozco who was there making sure customers were all taken care of, including ourselves on this visit.

Well I’m starving. Let’s see what’s for lunch…

There’s also cocktails, beer and an extensive wine list…

There’s so many to choose, they actually have two of these wine refrigerator cabinets…

Getting to our late lunchtime order, between me and my girlfriend we ordered three dishes to share, starting with the Hamakua Mushroom Risotto with Asparagus…

Hamakua Mushroom Risotto with Asparagus and Garlic Shrimp. $11.50

Going back to basics, we also decided to try their Traditional Club Sandwich...

Traditional Club Sandwich with Turkey, Bacon, Avocado, Lettuce and Tomato on Toasted Wheat Bread. 7.95

Believe it or not, Tango’s Traditional Club Sandwich is 30 cents cheaper than the Clubhouse Sandwich from Zippy’s takeout counter. How’s that!  The prices here across the board are very reasonable considering the level of sophistication they’re at. Very nice.

Sandwiches include your choice of mixed baby green salad or fries, where we went with fries.

Finally, we chose the daily special of the day, the Dill-Battered Barramundi in Nori Bun with Tartar Sauce…

Dill-Battered Barramundi with Nori Bun and Tartar Sauce. $12.50

We both had never heard of Barramundi before, which come to find out is an Asian Seabass. Our server likened its flavor to Halibut, which if is the case, is A-OK with me.

I’ll start the sampling session here with the Barramundi, which is deep-fried in a delicate beer batter-like coating that’s generously laced with Dill Weed, which I LOVE. I love, love, love Dill weed, especially with salmon or mixed in with pasta. Good stuff.

It’s presented here as a sandwich, served with a unique bun that’s sprinkled generously with nori flakes that are added before it’s baked, so it’s nice and crispy…

Here’s a closer look at that Nori Bun…

That is very cool. While it looks and sounds interesting, along with everything sandwiched between, it TASTES great! The roasted nori adds a subtle earthiness to the supple, very fresh bun, while its crispy texture replicates what your tongue might expect as if the bun were topped with sesame seeds. Then when you taste the roasted nori it’s like “Wow, that’s interestingly delicious!”

While there isn’t one on the menu, they should come up with a burger that uses this bun. Oh, like a teriyaki burger would be a good start. Or perhaps a ground Ahi burger with it. The owner said they’re sourced from a local baker, not made in-house. Whoever makes it did good on this one. Maikai!

Getting back to the Barramundi, here’s a peak inside after cutting the end off..

Witness how moist and fall-apart tender it is. You KNOW this is gonna’ be GOOD!

Oh – My – God. It is SOOOOOOOO delicious. Yum-num-num-num-num-num-num-num. lol Seriously, this is one of the best “fish ‘n chips-in-a-bun” I’ve ever had. In fact, you could just as well sans the bun and veggies, put the two big Dill-battered Barramundi fillets on the fries and eat is as Fish ‘N Chips. I just might do that next time, as this would easily be in contention to win the Best Fish ‘N Chips in Honolulu Award.

Yet as a sandwich with that fantastic lightly toasted (very important!) Nori Bun, the crispy-fresh veggies and a generous slathering of the included tartar sauce makes one amazing Fish Sandwich.

The Barramundi tastes like a cross between Monchong, Mahimahi and Ono, having the flavors of Ono in the white parts, Mahimahi in the pink parts and the overall fattiness of Monchong. That’s the best way I can describe it.

At least on this particular order, they cooked it right at medium-rare, which is exactly how I like my fish cooked. Anything more and it’s as good as fish jerky, just like a beef steak would be at that point.

Thankfully not in this case, where it was as succulent and juicy-tender as can be, or as I often like to say, “Like buttah”.

Then you have that delicately light and crispy, slightly chewy beer batter (although its not called that) that’s laced generously with dill weed, which you could actually taste along with the fish and wasn’t just there for appearance. Fish and dill are such a perfect pairing and with the deep fried Asian Seabass it was no exception.

Love, love, loved it!

As for the fries, they’re also fantastic, arriving piping hot right out of the fryer. They’re a nice and thick cut, which is how I always prefer it, while being delicately moist and tender inside and delicately crispy and golden delicious outside, with just the right amount of salt sprinkled on it. Folks on Yelp said Tango also makes a mighty fine burger, so that with these fries would also be a rockin’ pair.

All sandwiches also include a side dish including a dill pickle on a bed of shredded carrots mixed with raisins they call a “relish”….

The shredded carrot and raisin mixture tastes like they’re pickled with what may be mirin and rice vinegar. Something like that. I forgot to ask how its made, but it’s pretty good, acting as a nice palate buffer to the multi-dimensional sandwich.

Summing up the entire dish, I give Tango’s Barramundi with Nori Bun a super-duper, krazy tasty fish ‘n chips-turned-”sammy” 5-SPAM Musubi. Awesome.

Moving on to the Traditional Club, this was also executed perfectly….

The crispy fried bacon and turkey tasted like premium quality stuff, while the lettuce and tomato was also crisp and fresh. The wheat bread was supple inside with a lightly toasted surface, and slathered on the insides with just the right amount of mayo’. Don’t you hate when there’s either too much mayo’ or not enough? Not in this case. They usually put way more Avocado in it, but my girlfriend requested they go light on the Avo’ as she’s not a fan of that. Bummers. I am!

That’s OK, it was still good, earning Tango’s Traditional Club Sandwich 3 SPAM Musubi. Probably would have gotten a 4 had I had it how they normally serve it with the generous Avocado.

For our final dish of the day, we have the Hamakua Mushroom Risotto with Asparagus and Garlic Shrimp…

You can opt for chicken or garlic shrimp, which of course we’re going for the latter. Let’s have a closer look what’s inside by plating some separately…

The Risotto had a wonderfully light and creamy texture and flavor while the parmesan cheese sprinkled on top helped give it some “oomph”. The only problem we had with it was that the rice was undercooked and still a bit starchy and firm. It needed at least 5 more minutes of cooking and it would have been perfect. The earthy and buttery sauteed Hamakua Mushrooms of course was the life of the party, as was the generous helpings of tender cut asparagus spears.

The Garlic Shrimp were each peeled and deveined with tails on and sauteed to perfection…

Garlic Shrimp just doesn’t get better than this. Ono to da’ max.

With that, regardless of the slightly undercooked rice (an easy fix), with the wonderful marriage of all the elements coming together, I still give their Hamakua Mushroom Risotto with Asparagus and Garlic Shrimp an “everything tastes great with mushrooms in it”, highly recommended 4-SPAM Musubi.

It was really difficult coming to a final decision on what to order as just about everything on the menu sounds so good! I was out on a limb in getting Chef Göran’s Signature Open Faced Gravlax Sandwich on Finnish Rye Bread.Thankfully, Diner AC ordered that in a past visit, which she got a photo of with her camera phone here…

She said this sandwich is excellent, so I’ll probably end up getting that on my next visit. Her grandma got the Open Faced Shrimp Salad Sandwich with Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber, which also was well received…

I also had my eyes on the Ham, Salami and Brie Cheese sandwich on Garlic Naan Bread.

With so many great sounding choices, I almost got a fourth dish but knew that would be too much for just the two of us and didn’t wanna’ have too much leftovers.

I got a look of some of the salads that other diners were ordering and must say, those looked AMAZING as well. And HUGE.

With the three fairly generously portioned dishes we had, we were so stuffed, leaving no room for dessert, so we didn’t get any.

That’s OK, as we’ll most definitely be returning to Tango for repeat visits to try more dishes. In fact, this was like the fourth time my girlfriend has been here, as she’s the one who highly praised and recommended it to me.

Our service was also excellent, with very friendly and attentive staff, while our entire order arrived in less than 15 minutes.  This with the place about 25% capacity during our visit late in the afternoon about 3:30pm.

Parking is free in the Hokua Tower with validation from the restaurant.

We’re very impressed with Tango, as it made our taste buds dance the dance. The menu is exciting, unique and executed with a level of sophistication, refinement and attention to detail that makes each dish shine. Best of all the prices across the board are very reasonable, while the Eurasian themed decor and overall ambiance is clean, comfortable and relaxing.  Highly recommended.

Tango Contemporary Cafe
1288 Ala Moana Blvd
Suite 120 (on the ground floor of the Hokua Tower, next door to the left of PF Chang’s Chinese Bistro. Free parking with validation in the building)
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Tel. 593-7288
www.TangoCafeHawaii.com

The Tasty Island rating:

Related links:
•  The House on Tango Street – Honolulu Weekly, October 8, 2008
•  Dancing the Finnish Tangö – Honolulu Magazine, April 2008
•  Doing The Tango At Hokua – MidWeek, March 19, 2008
•  Honolulu will be doing the Tangö – Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 9, 2008
•  KHON Morning News – KHON2, March 5, 2008
•  Tango will have guests’ taste buds dancing – Honolulu Advertiser, March 2, 2008
•  Tango Contemporary Cafe – Yelp User Reviews

P.S. Here’s a few photos of this massive white horse statue gracing the front of PF Chang’s next door…

Could it be a Trojan Horse with little Gnomes hiding in there ready to attack? Ack!

Rating by Raveable

Cream Pot is a relatively new breakfast and brunch eatery in Waikiki featuring  French-influenced continental cuisine with an occasional asian twist.

Emphasize ”relatively” new. Specifically, they’ve been in business for about 2 years now, having started in February 2008, with mixed, yet mostly favorable reviews by food critics, bloggers and Yelp users.

Most notable is that the unique French countryside kitchen decor theme at Cream Pot seems to garner just as much, if not more attention, influence and opinion as the food. For instance, one Yelp user says, “When you walk into the restaurant it looks like little gnomes live there because the decor is all miniaturized and completely random. I’ve often thought, “Hey maybe it’s a gnome restaurant during late night and you can’t get in unless you’re under 12 inches?” Ha ha! Good one!

Some say it’s decorated a little too frilly and feminine, while others find it classy, cozy and charming.

After recently receiving a suggestion and highly-praised recommendation via email from a reader of this blog, I finally dropped-in for a Saturday New Years 2010 brunch at the Cream Pot.

Without further ado, let’s have a closer look at the place and see (and taste!) for ourselves what everyone’s talkin’ about….

Cream Pot is located on the ground floor at the Mauka-Daimond Head corner of the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel on Niu street, which is towards the Ewa (west) side end of Waikiki. Somewhat oddly, the entrance to the restaurant is on the corner of Niu street and Ala Wai Boulevard, making it very much out site from the beaten pedestrian path of bustling Kalakaua avenue, the main strip of Waikiki.

If you haven’t been here before, yet have driven down Ala Wai boulevard in the past year, chances are you’ve noticed their rather odd-in-Hawaii white-painted garden arbor trellis entryway shown in the photo above. It sure contributes to making this eatery stand out as being different even before setting a foot inside.

Walking up the stairs to the main entrance, there’s a shaded outdoor patio area where you can opt to dine…

I didn’t take notice while there, but now after looking at this photo above, that looks like Rosemary growing on the side. It’s certainly smart to grow their own herbs if they’ve got the outdoor space like this to do it. Remember the Italian restaurant Castagnola’s at the Inn on the Park in Waikiki? They used to grow all their own herbs for the restaurant right outside next to the outdoor seating area. Rosemary, Basil, Thyme and everything else. You could literally reach over and pick some to add to your dish. Was neat!

Other than the bustling Ala Wai Boulevard with the cars speeding by between it, I suppose you can consider Cream Pot a “waterfront eatery”, as the featured view from the restuarant is the world-renown, ever-lovely, glowing green Ala Wai Canal lol…

Gotta admit, watching the glistening ripples of the water as the canoes and kayakers paddle by is kinda’ relaxing.

Upon entering, sure enough, it looks as if  we’ve been instantly transported to a kitchen dining room in a remote countryside part of France…

As you see, that long communal table dominates the central floor space. Thankfully they separate the chairs in pairs, so even if you’re seated here, you’re not forced to rub shoulders and elbows with strangers. Of course, this also must come in handy for folks dining here in large groups.

There’s also an adequate amount of smaller tables surrounding the perimeter.

The interior lighting is ambient yet natural, thanks to large open-draped glass windows that lets plenty of daylight in, including from a large manual sliding glass front door…

That gentleman standing at the far left in the light-blue long sleeve shirt is owner Nathan Tran, who was our server and also very nice, informative and friendly guy.

That counter in front of the semi-arched wall at the far corner is where you pay the bill…

Behind that wood door in this small room is the frontside food prep area…

According to owner Nathan, the main kitchen where all the cooking takes place is upstairs in the hotel at a remote location from the dining room. This might be causing service issues, as some others have complained about, which I’ll get into later.

Getting back to the decor, the treatment in this particular area is what really highlights the French country kitchen theme here…

This wall would fit in perfectly as a backdrop on the set of the late Julia Child’s cooking show. Notice that copper escargot tray. Nice. Hmmm, that gives me an idea! How about as a special, they offer an Escargot and sauteed Hamakua Mushrooms Crepe served with a Parsley and Garlic-infused Parmesan Mornay Sauce. That sounds DE-LISH!

Continuing our look around the restaurant, this might be where that “Yelp’r” got the Gnome idea…

There’s nothing to give you scale here, but this statue is about 24″ tall, IIRC. I wonder if it comes alive and walks around the place late at night? We’ll name him (or her?) the “Gnome Greeter”. lol

Here we have the “Gnome Watcher”…

More frilly stuff…

This faux bowl of fruits and veggies is one of the centerpieces on the communal table…

Being we’re at the tail end of the holiday season, they still had their Christmas tree up…

By now you should have a good idea what the place looks like. What I can’t show is how the place FEELS. Which I have to say is a very calm, cool and relaxed vibe, as if the world had stopped for the moment. The sound level is peaceful with everyone speaking at intimate volumes. The housekeeping is also very tidy and clean. Really, an almost fantasy-like, very peaceful, pleasant place to be. At least so it was at the time of our visit.

As you seen in some of the photos, most of the clientele during our visit were Japanese tourists, with what looked like a few mainland tourists here and there. Nathan’s wife is from Japan (and they’ve lived there), so that might explain why they partially-target  the Japanese, as is evident on their daily specials menu which is subtitled in Japanese writing. $mart move. Look out Eggs ‘N Things!

Speaking of the menu, let’s finally take a look at what they’ve got to eat!…

Here’s the Daily Specials…

Other than the Toro Eggs Benedict (Blue Fin Tuna Belly $$$), the prices on the ‘Daily Sets’ are a considerably-better value and recommended by Nathan if you’re a first-timer, although we ultimately went ala carte.

Making it easier to decide on what to get, along with the text menu, they also give you a bound set of laminated photos showing all their signature dishes…

Does everything look and sound yummy or what?!!!

Starting things out with drinks, my girlfriend ordered a glass of Strawberry Lemonade…

Cream Pot – Fresh-Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade. $3.75

The Strawberry Lemonade is about equally tart as it is sweet, having what looked and had the texture of freshly-pureed strawberry in it. Refreshing. I’ll say that.

I had the Cream Pot Iced Coffee (even though I’ve actually “quit” drinking coffee, what the heck, just one glass)…

Cream Pot Blend Iced Coffee (Vietnamese style). $3.75

Nathan said their Coffee was intense, and WOW it was! Even after thoroughly stirring it to incorporate the whipped creme and melting ice, it remained a potent brew. Yet as you might expect, the deep robustness of what tasted like quality coffee beans to make it, this creamy iced coffee went great with the fruity-sweet banana crepe and strawberry Belgian Waffle, as it also paired quite well with my Salmon Eggs Benedict.

Right before the food arrives, a basket including your silverware and napkins are brought to the table…

After about 10 minutes of contemplation, my girlfriend decided to try the Strawberry Belgian Waffles…

Cream Pot – Belgian Waffles with Fresh Maui Strawberries: Homade Vanilla Custard with Fresh Strawberry Coulis. 11.50

I decided on trying the Salmon Egg’s Benedict…

Cream Pot – Salmon Eggs Benedict: Grey Goose (Vodka)-cured, Caramelized Onions, Lacy Potato Cakes, Two Soft-Poached Eggs, Mornay Sauce. $12.50

While we both shared a Banana Crepe…

Cream Pot – Kahuku Banana Crepe (Delicate French Pancake): With Homemade Vanilla Custard Creme Filled, with Dark Salted Caramel Sauce. $9.50.

It took about 20 minute from the time of placing it to our entire order arriving at the table, which is a bit of a stretch considering how slow it was at the time,yet still within a reasonable threshold.

Now for the ongoing Tasty Island “moment of truth”, how is it?

Let’s start by trying the Banana Crepe…

The salted caramel was delicious, though not as mind-blowing as the one I remember being served with Sansei’s Granny Smith Apple Tart. Probably partially because there wasn’t enough of it, but only a very thin layer drizzled on the plate, making it more of a “tease”, as is the style here, where sauces are said to be more conservative in use.

The homemade Vanilla Custard Creme surrounding the sliced Kahuku bananas inside was more on the light and airy side, as if being whipped.  The crepe itself was delicate yet sturdy enough to hold the contents without breaking apart.

My only major complaint,  as was a problem with the Belgian Waffles, was that it arrived on the table at room temperature. If it had arrived warm or hot, I would have enjoyed it much, much more. As it is, I give this Crepe 2 SPAM Musubi. Had it been warm it would probably be a three, or better yet, hot right off the crepe iron, a 4.

Then there was my girlfriend’s Belgian Waffles with Maui Strawberries, which as just mentioned about the crepe, this also arrived at room temperature. Because of this, what would have been an EXCELLENT Belgian Waffle was reduced in appeal considerably. Again, had it arrived at least warm or piping hot right off the waffle iron, this surely would have been outstanding. We could tell that. She also thought the strawberry Coulis was too light and not “syrupy” or bold enough to stand-up to the browned crust of the waffle. In fact, the porous texture of the waffle absorbed the rather thin Strawberry Coulie so much that she had to ask for more sauce…

The Maui Strawberries themselves were quite tart, and while I would have preferred them a little more sweet, that tartness did add an interesting zing to the overall waffle and syrup combination. The vanilla custard creme topping was the same light and whipped stuff used in the crepe, which put a nice and light yet creamy touch to the overall waffle.

Regardless of the temperature issue with the served dish, she still thoroughly enjoyed their Strawberry Belgian Waffles, finishing the entire plate . As it is, she gives it a 2, yet she notes the ambiance of the restaurant is half of what makes the dining experience here so good, so she adds a bonus point for that, giving an overall 3-SPAM Musubi impression of the meal.

Finally let’s sample my Salmon Eggs Benedict, inspecting what lies under each layer…

Notice on the bottom, instead of the traditional English Muffin, they use what’s called a ‘Lacy Potato Cake’, which is essentially a hash brown patty. Although being scratch-made, theirs is somewhat more sophisticated and refined than what you’d get from the neighborhood McDonald’s. Which it should be for the price you’re paying.

On top of that you see the generous portion of Grey Goose Vodka-cured Salmon, which was amazing. Very tender and “meaty”, not “fishy” flavored, while the Vodka curing seems to have tamed some of that intense fishy Salmon taste, making it more subdued and not as in your face. Really ono.

Then there’s a perfectly-poached egg laid over the cured salmon, with the yolk just how I love it, nice and runny…

Oh yes.

Topping the poached egg is a delicate lacing of caramelized, finely-julienned sweet onions (not sure if of the Maui variety) that added even more dimensional complexity in a very complimentary way. Finally, the Mornay sauce drizzled over and around it is much lighter and creamier than the traditionally-rich butter and egg yolk-based Hollandaise sauce. This also let the salmon and potato cake stand out more instead of being overpowered. Would I have liked Hollandaise instead? Probably. Yet I appreciated and savored it just the way it was.

What matters most is that when you slice through all layers of Cream Pot’s Salmon Eggs Benedict and eat it in one single, big-mouthed bite, one-and-for-all they individually compliment each other quite nicely. Dreamy actually when combined with the surroundings as you’re eating it.

Thankfully unlike the other two dishes, the two Salmon Eggs Benedicts on my plate were still very warm when served.

As for the salad, it’s a simple blend of leafy ‘Nalo greens with what turned out to be a mild, yet very delicious Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing which had a perfect balance of acidic and sweet going on. It was a wonderfully refreshing and crisp contrasting compliment to the main entree.

Summing it up, I give their Salmon Eggs Benedict a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi, again adding a bonus point for the unique and very comfortable ambience, which kicks it up to 4.

Our tab came out to $43 for the two us, not including tip, which didn’t surprise me after reading other reviews. Looking over the menu prices, you shouldn’t be comparing them with the local diner, drive-in or dive anytime soon. What you get with those higher price are quality ingredients and attention to detail (save for the two room temp’ plates on this particular occasion, which we forgive) that elevates Cream Pot to another level.

It’s the uniqueness of the sophisticated continental menu with an occasional asian twist, combined with the Euro-cool and cozy atmosphere that I think makes makes the Cream Pot a highly recommended restaurant worth that special breakfast or brunch treat when you’re looking for something different and new.

We’re certainly coming back to try more dishes, where I have my sight on the ‘Classic Crepe’ with Baked Maple-cured Bacon, Caramelized Maui Onions, Potatoes, Gruyere Cheese with Bachemel. A dish one Yelp’r exclaims is to die for.

Check ‘em out!

Cream Pot
Hawaiian Monarch Hotel Waikiki
444 Niu St.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815

Tel.  429-0945

Business hours:
6:30am to 2:30pm for breakfast and brunch daily. Closed on Tuesdays.

$2/hour validated parking in the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel

The Tasty Island rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

Related links:
• Cream Pot pleases with sweet treats and breakfast eats – Honolulu Star Bulletin
• Cream Pot, a closer look – AkuEats.com
• The Cream Pot – Coty Gonzales T-Shirt Review Blog
• Cream Pot – Yelp user reviews

Wind back the clock to the 1970′s and 80′s in Honolulu, and you probably remember the La Ronde Revolving Restaurant – later renamed Windows of Hawaii – atop the Ala Moana Office Building.

What’s an interesting “Wikipedia fact” about La Ronde, is that it was the United States’ first revolving restaurant, and the second of its type in the world. Add to that, the fact that Ala Moana Shopping Center right below it was the United States’ largest shopping center at the time it was built, and that’s quite some compounded bragging rights for the city of Honolulu’s history.  Ala Moana still remains as the world’s largest open air shopping center.

While the La Ronde’s UFO disc-shaped structure above the building is still there today, it’s since been converted to a private office space that’s currently vacant (if you’re interested in movin’ in, give them a call!)  The panoramic view from inside is still there as well, just sans the 360º rotational floor, thanks to them unifying it by welding it to the stationary outer structure due to the mechanism being in disrepair. This according to someone representing building management who I recently spoke with.

Since La Ronde, revolving restaurants have taken off all over the world (no pun intended), including another one right here in Waikiki, aptly named Top of Waikiki, which is where we enjoyed dinner at a few evenings ago.

The Top of Waikiki’s rotating restaurant interior clocks in at a casual, barely noticeable one revolution per hour, providing a 360º panoramic view of Waikiki and the surrounding city of Honolulu from high above on the 18th >>> 21st floor of the Waikiki Business Plaza, which is located smack in the center of Waikiki off Seaside and Kalakaua avenue.

From the restaurant’s lofty vantage point, at the 6 o’clock position of the rotation (assuming 12 o’clock is facing Mauka – towards the mountains) as you look towards the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, you can see the surf roll in on Waikiki beach…

Top of Waikiki, overlooking Royal Hawaiian Hotel (in pink), with the Sheraton Waikiki on the right and Waikiki beach

At the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock position you get a birds eye view up and down bustling Kalakaua avenue…

and at 12 o’clock you get a peripheral view of manoa and the surrounding Tantalus and St. Louis Heights. When the sun sets, the city lights surrounding you provides a romantic backdrop to the low-lit, elegant ambiance inside the restaurant.

This panoramic mural on the wall in the Top of Waikiki’s entrance area gives you a good idea of the makai (seaside) view you’ll be enjoying from the restaurant’s giant windows when the sun is still up…

That’s pretty much what you’ll see from the Diamond Head to Ewa view from the Top of Waikiki, provided you arrive before sundown

Yet the Top of Waikiki isn’t just about a pretty view, but fantastic food as well.

According to Executive Chef Sean Priester, he regards his cuisine as being a fusion of Italian, Hawaiian, Thai and southern cooking. very interesting. Especially the southern part, as you soon see in one of the dishes we’ve tried.

Top of Waikiki Executive Chef Sean Priester

Before we get to the menu, let’s look around inside the restaurant, starting with the waiting area in front…

Since it was the day after Halloween on the evening of our visit, we were greeted at the door by this creepy talking butler…

This is the hallway that leads to the revolving restaurant section…

Here we are inside the revolving restaurant…

The restaurant seating is on two tier levels, so every table in the house has a view out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Here’s the tables on the second tier level…

The bar occupies the revolving center…

While the kitchen is a stairway below on the fixed part at the top of the building, behind the restaurant lobby..

Here you see where the revolving floor meets the fixed exterior of the cylinder disc-shaped structure….

You should have a good idea now how the place is laid out. So let’s eat!

Top of Waikiki draws you up to the top and excites your appetite from the moment you enter the building from Kalakaua avenue below…

These are lightbox image ads inside the elevator…

Hungry yet? Good, me too! Let’s check out the menu…

For the life of me, I missed a shot of the beef and pork page. Sorry about that. Not to fret, as you can see that part of their menu on their website here. Usually the menu on restaurant websites don’t have EVERYTHING they serve, which is why I like to get photos of the actual menu as you see here.

The following dishes are a combination of two recent visits, with one being this past Sunday, the day after Halloween, and the other dishes from a visit a few months ago.

Getting to it, our meal begins with the complimentary house bread…

If you’re wondering whether that’s butter melted on it, YES. A sweet Date Butter to be exact. Here’s how the bread looks cut apart…

OMG, this dinner bread is EXCELLENT. So good, you might be tempted to ask your server if they could pack some for you to take home. It has a firm crust, with a nice chewy, yet flaky texture as if you mixed sourdough bread with a biscuit. Decadently buttery and mildy sweet along with a mild hint of salt. YUM. Oddly, they serve it on individual plates per guest instead of being kept centrally warm in a cloth-lined basket. Anyhow, be careful with these, as you could easily fill yourself up eating this delicious bread before even getting to the first course.

Speaking of first course, we couldn’t resist the Spicy Tuna and Kona Kampachi Sashimi…

Top of Waikiki: Spicy Tuna and Kona Kampachi Sashimi with Kahuku Sea Asparagus Salad – Sweet and Sour Fennel, Wasabi Avocado Citronette, Maui Onion and Local Citrus, Sea Salt and Togarashi, $16

We also tried the Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa and Cold Soba…

Top of Waikiki: Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa and Cold Soba – Sweet Chili and Macadamia Nut Crusted Prawns served with Pineapple Reduction and Chilled Soba Noodle Salad, $11

Those were from our previous visit. On this most recent visit we ordered these two appetizers…

Top of Waikiki: Nachos – Hand-cut Tortilla Chips, Sweet Corn, Kukui Sausage Co. Chorizo, Asiago Sweet Corn Cream, Fresh Tomato and Scallions, $9

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries, $16

Going back to our previous visit, for the main course we ordered the Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze…

Top of Waikiki: Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens – ‘Berkshire, Duroc and Chester Whites’ this Blend of Breeds create an All-Natural Pork Chop of Superior Marbling and Flavors. Served  Charbroiled with Roast Cornbread, Apple Butter and Apple-Jicima Slaw. $36

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian Snapper Sous-Vide-Chinese Style with Szechuan Seafood Udon (Chef’s Choice) – Poached with Fresh Ginger, Cilantro and Scallions and Seared with Hot Sesame Oil, Served with Day Boat Scallops, Spicy Crab Udon, Lup Cheong and Shomeji Mushroom, Tokyo Negi in a Bonito Consomme. $35

Again, those were from our previous visit, with these main dishes from our most recent…

Top of Waikiki: Seafood Pasta – Crab and Ulu Ravioli, Bacon Herb Crusted Day Boat Scallops with Spaghetti Squash and Celery Cream Sauce, Pan-Roast Prawns with Lemon Gastrique Butter. $35

Top of Waikiki: 16 oz. Grilled Roasted Ribeye Steak with Maple Togarashi Bacon – Soy Balsamic Glaze, Patatas Gravas and Wasabi Aioli. $38

Two of us on the table ordered the same dish…

Top of Waikiki: 16 oz. Grilled Roasted Ribeye Steak with Maple Togarashi Bacon – Soy Balsamic Glaze, Patatas Gravas and Wasabi Aioli. $38

Surf ‘n turf…

Top of Waikik: Steak & Shrimp – Sirloin Flap Bistro Style Pan-Roasted Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace & Truffle Pommes Puree. Crispy Miso Shrimp with Wonton Pasta, Fresh Tomato & Edamame-Basil Pesto. Served Medium-Rare. $35

Back to the previous visit, we finished the meal off with these two desserts…

Top of Waikiki: Candy Bar – Flourless Chocolate Cake Layers, Candied Ginger, Toffee and Macadamia Nuts, Coated with a Crispy Ganache with Creme Anglaise, Vanilla Gelato and Caramel. $10

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian “Creamsicle” Panna Cotta with Fresh Island Fruit – Local Citrus Juices in a Cool Italian Custard & Hawaiian Honey with Papaya, Citrus & Kula Strawberries and Raspberries, $6

Then on our most recent visit, while everyone was quite full, we did make room sharing this…

Top of Waikiki: Tiramisu Cheese Cake – Chocolate, Coffee Liquor, Espresso and Rum are Marbled Throughout Our New York Cheesecake with an Ammaretti-Graham Crust. Served with Bananas Foster – Rum-Flavored Caramel Sauce with Fresh Bananas. $9

Libations included a glass of Cabernet Souvignon (I can’t remember which label) and a couple of Tropical Drinks…

Top of Waikiki: Green Flash – A Refreshing Burst of Bombay Gin, Midori, Tequila, Sweet & Sour and Sprite. $8.75. Also Cabernet Souvignon, $9

Top of Waikiki: Hale O’Mau – The Big Kahuna of Drinks! Bacardi Superior, Galiano, Peach Schnapps, Sour and Pineapple Juice, $8.75

My Lord, just the descriptions alone has me licking my chops!

But the proof is in the pudding, so let’s go over how everything tasted, starting with a closer look at the “Hawaiian Original” Sliders…

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

Notice the generous slice of seared Fois Gras topping the Pate-infused beef patty.

Here it is in assembled form…

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries.

Even a delicate little morsel such as this couldn’t evade the knife for a cross cut view…

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries.

How was this slider? Very, very rich, and of course, very unique. Never tasted a burger like it before for obvious reasons. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had a glass of Red Wine (I had a tropical drink) to cut the fattiness of it. I’m not a Fois Gras or liver/pate fan, so this wasn’t my personal favorite, although others on the table really enjoyed it. For me, I give it a 2 SPAM Musubi, yet others thought of more like 3 and 4. The Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries were also “interesting” and a nice side attraction, but nothing I’d order a whole plate of on its own.

The Nachos were also just OK for me, but far from the best I’ve ever had. I didn’t find the Chorizo complimented the tortilla chips as much as I had hoped, while I would have preferred the whole thing be smothered in some type of exotic melted cheese blend; not the sweet corn cream they apply. That kind of almost made it taste like I was eating a cream corn soup with tortilla chips on top. It was still delicious, don’t get me wrong, just not “Nacho-ee” if you will. With that, I’m going with 2 SPAM Musubi for their Nachos.

The Spicy Ahi and Kona Kampachi was AWESOME of course. Loved the incorporation of the Kahuku Sea Asparagus. You may remember a while ago I did a presentation of Kahuku Sea Asparagus Poke, which was dynamite as well. Anyhow, the Spicy Ahi and Kona Kampachi was as fresh and like-buttah tender as can be, while the simple seasoning of sea salt and Togarashi (japanese chili pepper flakes) brought out the flavors perfectly without overpowering it. Solid 5 SPAM Musubi for this app.

The Coconut Shrimp with the Cold Soba Noodles were great as well. I can’t remember every nuance to explain here, but I do remember raving about it as we ate it. For that I’ll give it an “IIRC” 4 SPAM Musubi. lol

Moving on to the main courses, we had that BBQ Pork Loin Chop, where you notice Chef Priester throws in his southern roots, plating it with Corn Bread as the “starch”…

Top of Waikiki: Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens – ‘Berkshire, Duroc and Chester Whites’ this Blend of Breeds create an All-Natural Pork Chop of Superior Marbling and Flavors. Served  Charbroiled with Roast Cornbread, Apple Butter and Apple-Jicima Slaw.

All I have to say is this is absolutely GENIUS! The Espresso Glazed Pork Chop matched PERFECTLY with the slightly sweet, very buttery cornbread. Just awesome.

Here we cut away at this mixed breed pork chop, finding it perfectly seared on the outside, while being wonderfully tender and juicy inside…

Top of Waikiki: Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens – ‘Berkshire, Duroc and Chester Whites’ this Blend of Breeds create an All-Natural Pork Chop of Superior Marbling and Flavors. Served  Charbroiled with Roast Cornbread, Apple Butter and Apple-Jicima Slaw.

The Apple-Jicima Slaw was also absolutely delicious, crispy and refreshing, while the collard greens really enhanced that Southern feel to the dish.

I’m tellin’ ya’, you haven’t had a Pork Chop until you come to Top of Waikiki and have Chef Sean Priester’s Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens. This is up there as being one of the best Pork Chop I’ve ever had. VERY SOLID 5 SPAM MUSUBI for this dish. Highly, highly recommended.

Then we have that Ribeye Steak…

Top of Waikiki: 16 oz. Grilled Roasted Ribeye Steak with Maple Togarashi Bacon – Soy Balsamic Glaze, Patatas Gravas and Wasabi Aioli

You can choose several side dishes to go along with your steak, including Escalivada/Mushroom Escabeche, Potatoes – Au Gratin, Puree or Sweet Fries or Grilled Asparagus.

To which here we have the Potatoes Au Gratin…

Top of Waikiki: Potatoes – Au Gratin. $6

This Potatoes Au Gratin was also AWESOME. Delicate, fork-tender layers of potato and cheese, potato and cheese, potato and cheese and seasoned wonderfully, whatever is they use. This is another very solid 5 SPAM Musubi item, and it’s just a side dish! Yet I could make a meal out of this alone in a larger portion… it’s that good. Highly recommended.

Back to that massive 16 oz. (that would be ONE POUND) boneless grilled Ribeye, OMG. Another solid 5 SPAM Musubi dish. The Soy Balsamic Glaze with it’s slightly sweet, slightly acidic twang really brought out the flavor of the char-grilled, nicely marbled beef ribeye. The only thing I didn’t care for was the Wasabi Aioli or the Maple Togarashi Bacon, which I didn’t find complimented the Ribeye at all. Still, the Ribeye alone was absolutely STELLAR, making this dish still worthy of 5 SPAM Musubi.

Then there was that Seafood Pasta dish…

Top of Waikiki: Seafood Pasta – Crab and Ulu Ravioli, Bacon Herb Crusted Day Boat Scallops with Spaghetti Squash and Celery Cream Sauce, Pan-Roast Prawns with Lemon Gastrique Butter

The selling point for this dish was the mention that it had Ulu in it. That’s quite unusual. FYI, Ulu is breadfruit that’s very popular in Samoa. The prawns were very sweet and so were the day boat scallops. While the Celery Cream Sauce was on the subtle side, while I couldn’t really taste the crab in the ravioli due the sauce, even though that was subtle. Overall I’d give this one a very delicious 3 SPAM Musubi.

Then there was the Steak and Shrimp…

Top of Waikiki: Steak & Shrimp – Sirloin Flap Bistro Style Pan-Roasted Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace & Truffle Pommes Puree. Crispy Miso Shrimp with Wonton Pasta, Fresh Tomato & Edamame-Basil Pesto. Served Medium-Rare

What I’d have to say about this dish is that there’s too much going on, so your palate becomes confused. While the ingredients were all top quality and the cooking and seasoning executed perfectly, they need to simplify it a little more. I think it was the the Edamame-Basil Pesto that kinda’ clashed with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace the flap steak was prepared with…

Top of Waikiki: Steak & Shrimp – Sirloin Flap Bistro Style Pan-Roasted Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace & Truffle Pommes Puree. Crispy Miso Shrimp with Wonton Pasta, Fresh Tomato & Edamame-Basil Pesto. Served Medium-Rare

I must say though, the flap steak was mighty tender and fantastic on its own terms. I just didn’t care for eating some of that, than following up with that pesto sauce covering the wontons and shrimp. Those alone worked alone on its own term, but didn’t work following vice versa. For that I’ll still give 2 SPAM Musubi.

Rounding out our tasting of the main courses, we had the Hawaiian Snapper and Scallops…

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian Snapper Sous-Vide-Chinese Style with Szechuan Seafood Udon (Chef’s Choice) – Poached with Fresh Ginger, Cilantro and Scallions and Seared with Hot Sesame Oil, Served with Day Boat Scallops, Spicy Crab Udon, Lup Cheong and Shomeji Mushroom, Tokyo Negi in a Bonito Consomme.

As you can see, the Snapper was cut-with-a-fork tender, moist and delicious. So were the scallops…

Since this dish was consumed a few months ago, again I can’t retell every nuance of the flavors, yet the description should give you an idea how it all came together. With that, I’ll give it another “IIRC”, very solid 4 SPAM Musubi rating.

Finally, the desserts, which I’m giving a 5 SPAM Musubi to the Hawaiian “Creamsicle” Panna Cotta…

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian “Creamsicle” Panna Cotta with Fresh Island Fruit – Local Citrus Juices in a Cool Italian Custard & Hawaiian Honey with Papaya, Citrus & Kula Strawberries and Raspberries

The delicate Italian Custard was so delicious when combined wiht the honey and fresh fruits floating above it. YUM-OH. This dessert is highly recommended.

The Tiramisu Cheesecake with Bananas Foster was also stellar. Come on, just read the description and you know that’s GOTTA’ be scrumptious. It was. A very solid 4 SPAM Musubi.

Finally, the Candy Bar with the Vanilla Gelato and Candied Mac’ Nuts was yet another winner, garnering yet again another “IIRC” 4 SPAM Musubi.

Summing it up, Top of Waikiki is a great choice for entertaining out-of-town guests or for any special occasion. You have the novelty of it being revolving restaurant for one, and with that the spectacular view that comes with it. Marrying beautifully with that spectacular view is the wonderful Southern-meets-Italian -meets-Pacific Rim Cuisine offered by Chef Priester and staff. The service is great, and the restaurant decor is clean, classy and elegant.

On your next visit to Waikiki, put the Top of Waikiki restaurant at the top of your dining out list. Highly, highly recommended!

Top of Waikiki
A Revolution in Cuisine
Waikiki Business Plaza
2270 Kalakaua Avenue 18th Floor
923-3877
www.TopofWaikiki.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)

Related links:
• Top of Waikiki – Yelp user reviews
• Chef puts longtime Waikiki restaurant back on top – Metromix

P.S. As I mentioned earlier, our most recent visit to the Top of Waikiki was this past Sunday, the day after Halloween, making Halloween fall on a Saturday this year, as you know. So I took a bunch of pictures of folks in costume walking around Waikiki this past Halloween night. Check out my photo gallery of it here…

Note: Click on the arrow(s) on the sides of each page to get to the next gallery page. There are 17 pages total.

Town
By Tony Kawaguchi

Some food you just eat. Some food you remember.  You may have driven by “Town” in Kaimuki without ever noticing it, but if you taste their locally focused fare just once, you’ll never forget it.  Their menu boasts, “’Local first, organic whenever possible, with Aloha always.”  The local farm bent blends sort of unexpectedly with the stainless steel tables and concrete floors, which give the smallish restaurant a contemporary feel.

One look at the menu and you can tell this is a serious foodie haven, as they list every major ingredient in every dish.  It reads almost like a recipe list, and the server even told us that their avocados were from a tree in Palolo, and the oranges from one in Kaimuki.  Now that’s local.

We began with drinks, a nice red wine, Rojo ‘granjoro’ garnacha ‘07 from Spain, and two Ciao bellas – Nardini grappa. Nardini amaro. Lime juice.  Bitters. I’m not sure what “bitters” actually were used, but yes, they were bitter, with an almost whisky like taste.

Each table receives a complementary plate of Focaccia Bread, butter, and olives, drizzled in sweet olive oil.  Crispy outer bread with fluffy centers. A great start for any meal, and our expectations were now very high.

Our first appetizer was a grilled lamb sausage with farro tabouleh, and cucumber raita for $8.  The four small lamb cuts were spicy, while the raita cooled it off just right. It had a very Mediterranean feel, even though they were calling it Raita, which of course is Indian.  My friend gave it a very high 9 of 10, and having lived in Greece for a few years, he really loved this dish.

We ordered two salads, beginning with this baby arugula from Ma’o with grilled beets. Kaimuki Orange, pecans, ricotta salata for $8.50.  It was not over-dressed as many salads are, and we loved how fresh the local greens were. It had a slightly more peppery taste than store-bought arugula.

Our other salad was a combination of organic lettuces from Ma’o, Palolo Avocado, sweet onion, radish, and buttermilk dressing for $8.50.  Probably the crispiest lettuce I have ever eaten; like a potato chip made of lettuce. Superb.

This ahi tartare starters for $14 was fabulous and so clever.  Ahi on a risotto cake?   Inventive was the word we came up with.  The presentation was attractive, yet simple… maybe too simple? The flavors really worked together without dominating the fish too much. The only downside is we thought the 3-medallion serving was a little too small in size for the price.

After our starters and salads the server reset our table as all great restaurants do.  Then our first main course was this colorful fried Menpachi.  It had meyer lemon ponzu and a side of rice that had been baked I think. $8.50. The fish was soft – almost too flakey, falling apart before it could be eaten, with beautiful presentation.  Maybe slightly overdone. Too soft?  Pretty good with a nice balanced sauce. 8 of 10.

Then we tried the softest gnocchi any of us had ever tasted, made with local pumpkin, sage, and brown butter for $16. To say it was very soft doesn’t do it justice. It was melt-in-your-mouth soft like a slice of warm chocolate, but with a fabulous light tasting butter sauce.  I usually think of gnocchi as kind of firm, almost gummy, but this was softer than any in comparison we could come up with.  Excellent.

The pan-roasted chicken came next, with torn bread, tatsoi, grapes, and pancetta for $23.50. The grapes were the highlight of this dish, as they added a great, almost spicy kick to the taste of the chicken, which was good but not as great as some of the other things we ordered.

We ordered the polenta side with our meal; it was buttery but light with some flavor but only a little bit of spices.  A perfect alternative to plain rice, but with more taste.  Creamy, almost like very thoroughly mashed potatoes, but not as heavy.

Another side: mixed Hamakua mushrooms, tender with a drizzle of oil and butter.

Town is not cheap.  The four of us tallied up a $150 bill, including only 3 drinks.  But it’s also not just regular food that you eat and forget.  It’s the kind of meal in which you learn things about food, cooking, and combining flavors with textures you don’t expect.

The service was excellent, and we enjoyed our friendly server’s explanation of each dish and the source of the ingredients.  Somehow it was more enjoyable eating food that we knew had been grown just a few miles away.

Town is a great special occasion meal, and you can probably eat there on a regular basis for a lot less money than we did, as we were trying as many different plates as possible.  It’s a great foodie place that I’ll remember for a long time, one I look forward to enjoying again.

5 SPAM Musubi. Broke Da’ Mout’!

~ Tony
www.AlohaTony.com

Town
3435 Wai’alae Ave.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
Tel. 735-5900
www.TownKaimuki.com

The Tasty Island guest blogger rating:

(5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)

Related links:
• Town – Yelp user reviews
• Food in the Motherland – My Trip to Japan – By Tasty Island guest blogger Tony Kawaguchi

Introducing Happy’s, a small start-up catering company owned and operated by partners Lan Thai and Nicolas Sariban out of the North Shore of Oahu.

Instead of attempting to further explain what Happy’s is all about, here’s that information from their website:

Falling under the “Hana Hou” category (loosely translated as  “one more time” or “encore” in Hawaiian), yesterday we returned for some Aloha Friday lunchtime grindz from Kahai Street Kitchen, which has now become a regular favorite of ours.

As you see by the plate shown above, I decided to try their Deep Fried Ocean Scallops, which are dusted With Furikake and Shichimi & served with Sun-dried Tomato Tartar Sauce. This is one of their specials of the day, and as with many of their other offerings, this sounds like a dish that would fit right in on the menu at Roy’s, albeit at plate lunch prices. Sounds good to me!

Similar to a winning choice he made the last time from KSK, this time Diner A had da’ “onos” for the Korean Style Kalbi with Kim Chee…

Korean Style Kalbi with Kim Chee: Served with Potato Mac, $8.50

It’s kinda’ funny to call it “Korean Style Kalbi”. That’s like saying “Hawaiian Style Laulau” or “Filipino Style Pinakbet”. I mean, if you seen Kalbi on a menu, wouldn’t you immediately assume it’s a Korean dish? I surely would, but I suppose owner/Chef Nao (Iwata) had to keep that as top-of-mind as stated on the menu for patrons, perhaps so they don’t question or become confused why it tastes a little different than Japanese style Teriyaki, as the Korean Kalbi marinade has the addition of garlic, chili pepper and sesame oil in it.

Speaking of which, check out how the generous portion of tender boneless Kalbi shortribs are just soaked in Kalbi sauce…

See that pool of char-flavored Kalbi sauce pooled on the bottom of the plate towards the back? That my friends is where the LOVE happens. Dip some of the mac sal’ in that and OMG, BLISS! We even tried dipping my deep fried Ocean Scallops in this absolutely to-die-for Kalbi sauce and it was even better than the Sun-Dried Tomato Tartar Sauce it’s served with. Awesome with the Scallops! So next time I go there, if there’s a deep-fried seafood dish, I’ll order that and request they give me this Kalbi sauce for dipping instead of whatever other sauce it is that’s on the menu. That Kalbi sauce is a winnah!

Here you can see they’re done medium to medium-rare inside…

…while also being quite tender considering the cut. Really, this is as good as boneless Kalbi gets, which is noteworthy considering this isn’t even a Korean restaurant. The only thing that could improve it would be if it actually did have the bones in, which obviously would add even more flavor.

Also check out this heaping pile of Potato Mac’ Sal’ (Macaroni Salad) they put on the plate…

…and that’s after Diner A had already dug through a little more than an eighth of it. Really, just this alone could have been a meal in itself. And it was PERFECT’: simple, cool, creamy and seasoned just right, with the addition of the fork-tender potatoes helping to “tight it up”, versus if it were only macaroni, which would probably be a little more “loose”. Great strategy and a good tip for anyone looking to make the perfect Mac’ Sal’. The addition of potatoes look to be the secret.

While the Kim Chee side dish (banchan) doesn’t look that great, in flavor Diner A said it was actually spot-on, having all the flavor and texture elements of a good Kim Chee. And you know me when it comes to entrees: I MUST have the proper sides to make my meal complete. Wouldn’t wanna’ have it any other way. Hawaiian food MUST be accompanied with POI. Japanese food MUST be accompanied with Tsukemono and Miso Soup, and Korean food MUST be accompanied with Banchan, or at the very least, KIM CHEE!

Summing it up, Diner A gives Kahai Street Kitchen’s “Korean Style” Kalbi with Kim Chee a rock solid 4 SPAM Musubi rating. From what I tasted from his dish, I concur.

Now let’s have a taste of them Deep Fried Ocean Scallops…

Deep Fried Ocean Scallops: Dusted With Furikake and Shichimi & Sun Dried Tomato Tartar Sauce, Tossed Green Salad and Brown Rice

As advertised, these aren’t them tiny Bay Scallops either; they’re the jumbo-sized Ocean Scallops, a.k.a. Giant Scallops, which are coated in Panko, deep fried then dusted with Furikake, Shichimi (Japanese hot red pepper flakes) and what also looked and tasted like sauteed garlic. Yum!

Here’s a cross-cut view of the Panko-coated deep-fried Ocean Scallops…

That black thing on there is a Nori flake from the Furikake. What you can’t really tell just by looking at the photo is how tender and SWEET these babies were. I mean they practically fell apart on my fork. So good. The Sun-Dried Tomato Tartar Sauce works, but as noted earlier, if you ever order this from there, request that they substitute (or add) the Char-flavored Kalbi sauce in a container with your plate. I tell you, the flavor of the mildly clam-like, tender and sweet Scallops along with the Shoyu, ginger, garlic and sesame in the Kalbi sauce is DYNAMITE! Thanks to the creative mind of Diner A for suggesting we try that!

See, mixing dishes like that is how we end up with great culinary hybrids such as Hurricane Popcorn and SPAM Musubi. Coming soon to a restaurant near you: Deep-Fried Kalbi Ocean Scallops. Ha!

Also notice how many of these giant Ocean Scallops are on the plate: 5 to be exact. So many, that it took me a “second wind” to get through all of them. The half scallop that Diner A tried ended up in the Kalbi sauce.

Continuing with the generous portions, the tossed green salad was also substantial in quantity as well, as you see it fills almost the entire area under the lid of my plate…

Judging by its appearance and the absolutely fresh, flavorful quality of it, I’m guessing these are mixed greens from ‘Nalo Farms. I remember seeing bags of this stuff for sale at Nalo Farms’ booth at the KCC Farmers Market. Very reasonably-priced, too. Good stuff.

Also very good – actually supah’ ono! – was the vinaigrette dressing it came with, which reminded me of the Parisian dressing that comes with that salad kit from Costco. The one with the crumbled cheese, dried cranberries and candied nuts included in it.  You know which one I’m talking about? Love that stuff. This had the same creamy, well-balanced kick of sweet and acidic, with all the right herbs and spices adding some groove to the party. In all its simplicity, this is probably the best tossed green salad I’ve had from a plate lunch joint yet.

Lest I not call Kahai Street Kitchen a “plate lunch joint”, as that would almost be an insult to what really are being offered here are more fit for service at a luxury resort. Just add porcelain dishware, white tablecloths and ocean views. Yet as it is, Kahai Street Kitchen is indeed disguised as a plate lunch joint, tucked away in “industrially-scenic” Kalihi Kai. lol

Kahai Street Kitchen @ 237 Kalihi Street. You enter in that door on the corner there.haa

Kahai Street Kitchen religiously posts their daily specials on their website.

Here were the daily specials on this particular visit:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kahai Street Kitchen Specials of the Day for Friday, August 22, 2009:

Garlic Chicken……………………………………………………………….….……..…$7.95
Marinated Morsels of Chicken in Our Special Sauce. Choice of White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad.

Korean Style Kalbi with Kim Chee……………………….…………………….….…….$8.50
Served with White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad. (Diner A’s choice)

Guava BBQ Pork Ribs…….…………….………………………………………………….$8.75
Served with White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad. SOLD OUT!

Nori Wrapped Ahi Katsu…………………….……………………………….…….………$8.00
With Tri Colored Tobikko Horseradish Aioli Garnished with Radish Sprouts & Ponzu on the side. Served with White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad.  SOLD OUT!

Braised Boneless Short Rib Osso Bucco Style……………………………….…….….…$8.75
Served with White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad .

Deep Fried Ocean Scallops……………………………………………………….……….$8.95
Dusted With Furikake and Shichimi & Sun Dried Tomato Tartar Sauce. Choice of White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad. (Diner P’s choice)

Kahai Street Combo..……….………………….……………….…………………..…….…$8.75
Hamburger Steak & Beef Curry. Served with White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad.

Charbroiled Rib Steak………………………………………………………………………..$9.50
Topped with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions Au Jus & with Guava Horseradish on the side. Choice of White or Brown Rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad.

Sautéed Mahi Mahi Piccata..……………………………………………….…..……………$8.50
Served on a bed of Linguine with Garlic Bread.

Ham, Turkey & Cheese Sandwich on Whole Wheat………………………………………$5.95
Served with Tossed Salad.

Fish of the Day:
Sautéed Opakapaka with Lemon Butter & Caper Sauce…………………………..……..$9.50
Served with White or brown rice & Potato Mac or Tossed Salad.

Chocolate Mousse Cheese Cake……………………………………………………………$2.75

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know, I know, all you ladies are gonna’ get on my case now for not ordering the Chocolate Mousse Cheese Cake. lol

As I mentioned at the start, Kahai Street Kitchen has become a regular favorite of ours, and I highly recommend – out of all the competition there may be within proximity – you seek them out for lunch if you’re in the Kalihi Kai area. The parking is limited to none, but their food is worth that obstacle. They also cater, and excel at that as well, as you may read about in several features right here on The Tasty Island.

Kahai Street Kitchen
237 Kalihi St.
Honolulu, HI  96819
Tel: 845-0320
Fax: 842-4273
Website: www.kahaistreet-kitchen.com
Business hours: LUNCH Mon ~ Fri 10:30am to 1:30pm

The Tasty Island rating (based on the two dishes reviewed above):

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• Kalihi Eats: Two Plates from Kahai Street Kitchen
• Catering Excellent Continues from Kahai Street Kitcen
• Catering Excellence from Kahai Street Kitchen
• The Catered Bento Lunch Hunt
• In Kalihi, Hi-End Eats at Plate Lunch Prices – Honolulu Advertiser

Venturing to the west side of Maui, on our last night on the Valley Isle, we had dinner with the Maui, Kauai and Vegas ohana at ‘Umalu in the Hyatt Regency Resort Hotel and Spa in Ka’anapali.

According to their menu, ‘Umalu is described as “a unique, upscale venue showcasing modern, contemporary Hawaiian cuisine. Escape under the Umalu shade to a chic 24-seat Poolside Bar or a beach-front perch.”

Speaking of pools, while the Grand Wailea may have the grandest pool of all, the Ka’anapali Hyatt’s pool ain’t nothing to sneeze at either, with similar rock-formed slides, waterfalls, and also just like the GW, a Grotto Bar.

Back to ‘Umalu, as their description suggests, you can dine barside, or have a more intimate moment under the umbrellas…

This place reminds me a lot of Duke’s Waikiki, where you can walk right in off the beach or pool in your swimwear, or dress up if that’s more appropriate for the occasion you’re there for. A musician plays nightly from 4pm to 6pm and 7pm to 9pm. On the evening of our visit it was Kawika Lum Ho, strumming and singing away soothing contemporary tunes.

Fitting in with the elegant-meets-casual ambiance is the menu (<–see them there), with selections ranging from what could be considered “upscaled pub grub” such as the Kobe Sliders and Ahi Poke Nachos, to more extravagant dishes such as the Volcano-Spiced Prime Rib and Pan-Seared Scallops, Prawns and Mahimahi.

Getting right to it, our order this evening included the Hawaiian Ahi Poke “Nachos”…

‘Umalu – Hawaiian Ahi Poke “Nachos”: uncle kimo’s ahi poke over taro and sweet potato chips edamame guacamole, lomi salsa and “surfing goat” chevre firecracker caviar, $18

The Snake River Farms Kobe Sliders…

‘Umalu – Snake River Farms Kobe Sliders: poi rolls with gorgonzola and caramelized maui onion harissa aioli, $18

Although ‘Umalu doesn’t normally serve a house dinner bread, one of the grandmas on our table requested some, which our server was so kind to fulfill that request by getting it from another restaurant on the property. Nice!…

Umalu’s Chop Chop Salad…

‘Umalu – ‘Umalu’s Chop Chop Salad: chopped iceberg and chinese cabbage served in a crisp rice paper bowl grilled chicken, snow peas, red pepper, scallions, orange, radish sprouts toasted almonds and soy-ginger vinaigrette

The Sesame-Orange Chicken Stir-Fry…

‘Umalu – Sesame-Orange Chicken Stir-Fry: crispy chicken breast stir-fried with fresh upcountry “vegetables of the moment” sweet and spicy sesame-orange shoyu, bamboo sticky rice with pickled ginger and cilantro, $28

The Italian Pie…

‘Umalu – Italian Pie: sausage, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, mushroom, mozzarella, $20

For dessert, the Big Chocolate Cake…

‘Umalu – Big Chocolate Cake: raspberry sauce and whipped cream, $10

How was it? EVERYTHING was absolutely delicious!

Just the Kobe Sliders alone were filling enough, where we had to take a “breather” before moving on to the next dishes…

Kobe Sliders and Ahi Poke Nachos

There’s no question these are genuine American-raised Kobe Beef patties, as it was packed with flavor and juiciness. Whatever’s in that “Harissa” Aioli sauce worked for me. Adding to that powerhouse of flavor in a tiny package was the Gorgonzola Cheese and caramelized onion topping, along with the slightly sweet, supple taro roll encasing it, these Kobe Sliders were gems.

The Ahi Poke, along with the guac, caviar and goat cheese was a wonderful combination, and it worked quite well with the taro and sweet potato chips. Although, like I mentioned with a similar poke dish we had at Tommy Bahama, I think crispy wontons would make a better chip for the ahi poke, ala Alan Wong. It would have been more interesting if they had made their own taro and sweet potato chips versus the store-bought stuff they’re apparently using. Still, this dish is ono just as it is. Thumbs up.

Here I have a serving of everything else…

Sesame-Orange Chicken Stir-Fry, Chop Chop Salad and Italian Pie

Save for Dim Sum, I’m not particularly a fan of Chinese food nor chicken, but this was a stellar example of the dish. The tender, moist pieces of battered deep-fried chicken, then stir-fried in that wonderfully sweet and savory sesame-orange sauce was just delicious.

The Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette flavoring the Chop Chop Salad was also delicious. My only complaint was that the rice paper bowl wasn’t fried crispy enough, having a softy, chewy texture to it, tasting kind of like a bland, stale shrimp chip if you’ve ever had that before. I wanted to be able to break up pieces from the rice paper bowl to use as “croutons” on my salad, but couldn’t in the state it was served. Next to the Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette, the chopped almonds and oranges were the highlight of the dish for me. Overall, a delicious salad, just fry the rice bowl until it’s crispy next time, please.

Then there’s the Italian Pie, which had a tasty, nicely-baked and browned risen crust. It wasn’t quite a thin crust nor a pan crust, but somewhere in between. The sauce flavor and toppings were all fairly typical pizzeria fare. While I can’t say this is the best Pizza you’ll find this side of Lahaina (and believe me, there’s A LOT of competition for Pizza in that area!), it’s up to par considering the type of restaurant ‘Umalu is.

With all that food, I was too stuffed for dessert so passed on the Big Chocolate Cake, but those who dug into it said it was very moist and decadently delicious, giving it a big shaka seal of approval.

Here’s some dishes that my girlfriend and gang enjoyed when they dined at ‘Umalu back in December of last year…

‘Umalu – Pan-Seared Scallops, Prawns and Island Mahi Mahi: snow peas, baby bok choy, hamakua mushrooms, red curry coconut cream and flat rice noodles, pineapple/macadamia nut chutney, $38

‘Umalu – Certified Angus Filet of Beef: umalu’s signature kona coffee rub, maui onion marmalade, merlot reduction, $41

‘Umalu – Sake-Seared Ahi Steak: snow peas, baby bok choy, hamakua mushrooms, red curry coconut cream and flat rice noodles, pineapple/macadamia nut chutney, $38

‘Umalu – Mac Nut Ice Cream Sandwich: house made chocolate cookies filled with macadamia nut ice cream
smothered with hot fudge, caramel sauce and whipped cream, $9 (special order family portion shown at a higher price)

‘Umalu
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Ka’anapali
200 Nohea Kai Drive
Lahaina, Hawaii, USA 96761-1985
Tel. (808) 661-1234

Business hours (daily):
Breakfast 6am to 11am
Lunch 11am to 4:30pm
Light lunch 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Dinner: 5:30 to 9:30pm
Cocktails served until midnight

Download ‘Umalu menu PDFs here

The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Are you able to pronounce “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” in one fell swoop without stumbling? Great! If not, apparently they make it easier for both guests and staff by nicknaming themselves “Humuhumu”. Much easier. In case you’re not aware of it, Humuhumunukunukuapua’a is  one of several species of trigger fish native to Hawaii’s coastal waters. It also happens to be the official Hawaii state fish. This elongated Hawaiian name translates to “triggerfish with a snout like a pig”.

Humuhumu Seafood Restaurant is located on the Makena side of the Grand Wailea Hotel Resort and Spa property. It sits atop an expanse salt water lagoon teaming with a variety of reef fish, making this another one of those type of “floating restaurants”, like the Pagoda Restaurant in Honolulu. Here’s some photos of the Humuhumu taken during the day…

I’m a big fan of open air restaurants with a Polynesian theme, and Humuhumu doesn’t disappoint, with the requisite thatched roofing and Ohia wood beam frame treatment.

I spotted a Humuhumu swimming around, but missed it in my shots. They even had live lobsters in the pond hiding in rocks near the restaurant perimeter, which you can point and choose yourself for your meal if that’s what you’re ordering.

Humuhumu is open daily for dinner only from 5:30pm to 9:00pm, so we made reservations for 8pm. Look at the intricate woodwork their menu is adorned by…

As mentioned a few posts ago in the review of Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe, we were lucky to be in town during Restaurant Week Wailea, a benefit for the Maui Food Bank, and Humuhumu was another participating restaurant for this event. With that, we were also given the option to choose from their Restaurant Week Wailea Prix Fixe menu…

Obviously a great value compared to if you were to order each of these items off the regular dinner menu, we both went for the Prix Fixe selections.

Landing on the table first (along with our glasses of Cabernet) was a warm basket of the house dinner rolls…

The two on the left were Hawaiian Taro Rolls…

Compliments of the chef (mahalo!), we were each first served this delicious plate of Hamachi Sashimi…

That light green “stuff” on top is cucumber juice, frozen, then shaved on it like shave ice for service. Brilliant! When you bite into the top-grade Hamachi, not only is it extra cold and refreshing thanks to the shave ice, but the cucumber juice’ flavor adds this interesting, yet subtle twist in character to the whole dish. We can’t remember what the sauce under it was, but just remember as a whole this was delicious. Chef, may I have another one?

For some reason, we both had a craving for ribs no matter which restaurant we ate at up in Maui, so from here we ordered their Awapuhi Niu Pork Ribs to go along with all our other starters…

Humuhumu – Awapuhi Niu Pork Ribs: Indonesian Style Baby Back Ribs Marinated in Lemongrass, Hawaiian Ginger and Coconut Milk, Grilled and served with Fresh Cilantro and Mint, $19

I really don’t get that presentation (I actually asked our server what it was when she brought it the table), but here’s how it looks halfway through devouring a few ribs myself…

Whatever it is with all those exotic flavors involved, these ribs ROCKED! Tender inside, with a flavor-packed char-grilled crust on the outside. Between here and Tommy Bahama’s, it’s a toss-up who’s is better. They’re both fantastic in their own way.

For starters from the Prix Fixe menu, my girlfriend chose the Kula Lau’ai…

Humuhumu – Kula Lau’ai: Kula Butter Lettuce Salad, Cabot White Cheddar Cheese, Asian Pears, Candied Macadamia Nuts, Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette (Restaurant Week Wailea Prix Fixe menu price)

I chose the Surfing Goat Cheese and Ipu Salad…

Humuhumu – Surfing Goat Cheese and Ipu Salad: Upcountry Goat Cheese and Melon, Kula Flower Blossoms, Mint finishes with a Red Wine Gastrique (Restaurant Week Wailea Prix Fixe menu price)

For the entree from the Prix Fixe Menu, she chose the Grilled Ahi Caught in the Alanuihaha Channel…

Humuhumu – Grilled Ahi CAught in the Alanuihaha Channel: Marinated Hamakua Tomatoes, Pancetta, Tomato – Ginger Emulsion, Shaved Fennel, Steamed Rice (Restaurant Week Wailea Prix Fixe menu price)

I chose the Alakahiki Channel Mahi Mahi…

Humuhumu – Alakahiki Channel Mahi Mahi: Crusted with Waiehu Grown Macadamia Nut, Citrus Butter Sauce, Glazed Bok Choy, Mango, and Mint Relish, Toasted Coconut – Jasmine Rice (Restaurant Week Wailea Prix Fixe menu price)

For dessert, we both opted for the Humu Pie…

Humuhumu – Humu Pie: Layers of Lappert’s Macadamia Nut and Kona Coffee Ice Cream on an Oreo Cookie Crust, Topped with a Chocolate Tiki (Restaurant Week Wailea Prix Fixe menu price)

Here’s the backside of the Humu Pie…

Mmm, mmm, mmm, I could for one of these right about now! I’ll have to search online how to make that Oreo Cookie Crust. Once I got that, this is totally doable to make at home.

The Kula Lau’ai and Surfing Goat Cheese and Ipu Salads were both fantastic, with the flavors and textures involved marrying perfectly with each other.

Both the Grilled Ahi and Mac’ nut crusted Mahimahi were also fantastic, with the fish being very moist and inside, and all the flavors and textures of the complex sauces and other components coming together beautifully.

Grilled Ahi

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahimahi

Our server was even kind enough to bring us a sampler platter of their Macaroons…

One decor item I thought was particularly interesting was this chandelier in the main dining room, which resembled a school of swimming triggerfish…

To sum it up, our entire dinner and dining experience at Humuhumu was EXCELLENT, making our stay at the Grand Wailea that much more memorable.

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a Seafood Restaurant
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel and Spa
3850 Wailea Alanui Drive
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753

Tel. (808) 875-1234 ext. 4900

Hours of operation:
Open daily for dinner
Humu Lounge & Bar 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Dinner 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Pau Hana Happy Hour 5-6pm 50% off on the rocks, well drinks, house wines by the glass and domestic beers

Website (<—see dinner menu there)

The Tasty Island rating:

Related links:
• Humuhumunukukuapua’a Restaurant – Yelp user reviews
• MauiOnline.com

More tidbits around Maui, this time on the property at the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel and Spa. Here’s our room…

The pool and ocean view from our room…

We’ll take a photo walkthrough around the pool and grounds of the Grand Wailea in the next post. This has got to be one of most the extravagent, feature-loaded resort swimming pools in the state of Hawaii. Lotsa’ fun!