There continues to be a growing list of highly acclaimed restaurants being located in the most unexpected of places. From furniture stores, to gas stations and amusement parks, to where we are today at The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl.

The story goes that brothers Gregg and Glenn Uyeda bought the entire bowling alley back in 2006 from Mako Kobayashi, who owned and managed the business since 1970. The Uyeda brothers then spent over a year and a half and over $1.5 million in renovations, with a good chunk of their investment going into the bowling alley’s new electronic scoring system.

Yet their restaurant concept would be the “bread and butter” of their business model to take this bowling alley into the next century of viability. And with that, everything was built from the ground up for a fresh start, including a brand new kitchen, bar, dining area and lounge.

While the menu may initially appear to be what you’d find at any typical plate lunch joint around town, being that Glenn is a seasoned chef by trade, with past professional experience including a stint at Le Bernardin in New York, “under the hood” there’s a considerably higher level of sophistication and care in how each dish is prepared, yet still very reasonably priced. And to make sure the food’s always cooked right, if chef himself isn’t there overlooking the kitchen, his mother will be.

Giving Chef Uyeda a day to really bust out his chops, you can make reservations for “Tasty Tuesdays” (hey, GREAT name!), when he offers an exclusive upscale 5-course Prix Fixe menu for just $38…

Coming here for lunch this past Sunday, which was somewhat a rainy and overcast day, the place was packed…

On the backside of the restaurant facing the alley lanes is a full-service bar, where here today we have former Hot 93.9FM radio DJ “Urusai” performing bartender and manager duty…

Opposite the bar is a row of bar stools and counter where you can enjoy the grindz and perhaps a cold one while watching folks bowl…

The Alley Restaurant is full service (served by waitstaff) where you can choose to sit either in the semi-enclosed restaurant and bar, or opt for seating right outside the restaurant within the concourse of the bowling alley area…

Here’s a look at the lanes…

That oval-shaped “space-aged” keypad in the foreground is part of their new electronic scoring system, which displays the players’ scores on a large flat panel HDTV hanging above each lane. Pretty neat! I actually took those photos right before last call, but earlier just about every lane was taken.

Getting back to the restaurant, let’s check out the menu…

Oh, that’s an ice-cold glass of Stella Artois on there. The server didn’t bring a coaster, so I used the menu as one. The Alley Restaurant, Bar & Grill needs to make their own logo beer steins, with option to purchase it. Hint, hint.

While waiting for our order to arrive, a young couple sitting right next to us were nice enough to let me take a photo of their dishes that had just arrived. Here we have The Alley Mixed Plate, in this case a Loco Moco and Tasty Chicken combo’…

The Alley Mixed Plate – Loco Moco (handmade hamburger smothered in buttery brown gravy) and Tasty Chicken (Alley’s famous chicken, battered and deep-fried), 2 scoops rice and tossed green salad. $11.75

Here’s The Alley Burger and Garlic Fries…

The Alley Burger – The Alley’s homemade hamburger patty on a sweet sesame seed bun topped with lettuce and garlic fries (25¢ extra). $8.70

After about halfway through their meal, I asked them what they thought of it on a scale of 1 to 5, and they both gave it a 4, which already had me impressed, even having not tried the food yet!

The girlfriend noted how much she loves their brown gravy; so much so that she had an extra bowl of the stuff on the side! Wow, I’m gonna’ have to try that.The boyfriend noted the burger patty was cooked perfectly medium to medium rare with a great char-grilled, house-made flavor. He only wished he had added more toppings (extra cost), as, as it was, was kinda’ plain. Big thumbs up on the garlic fries.

Looks like I’ll get to try that awesome brown gravy our neighbor raved about, as my girlfriend pretty much ordered the same thing, except she opted for Mac Salad instead of tossed greens…

The Alley Mixed Plate – Loco Moco (handmade hamburger smothered in buttery brown gravy) and Tasty Chicken (Alley’s famous chicken, battered and deep-fried), 2 scoops rice and macaroni salad. $11.75

Finally for my choice, I COULD NOT RESIST trying The Alleys’ “famous” Oxtail Soup!…

Oxtail Soup – The Alley’s famous Oxtail Soup served with Ponzu Sauce and rice. $12.95

It looks like I’m in for a TREAT!  **Rubs hands together briskly with eyes wide open**

Before I continue, did any of you catch the latest episode of Travel Channel’s ‘No Reservations’ with Anthony Bourdain? The episode was titled “Obsessed”, where one segment featured several food bloggers who were almost disturbingly obsessed with food and the lengths they’d go through just for the sake of blogging about it.

Well, I’m going to further validate Bourdain’s point about a food blogger’s obsession, by dissecting this bowl of Oxtail Soup from every conceivable angle I can, just for the sake of blogging about it (which really is to share with you every nitty-gritty detail). So take that Bourdain! lol

Let’s have a closer look…

Broth has a rich brown color. Looks like lotsa’ goodies in there. Let’s do some dredging and see what we’ve got…

Wow, this bugger’s loaded with Oxtails! I see they add fresh Shiitake Mushrooms in it as well. Nice.

Getting the greens in there, we have a several whole leaves of Bok Choy…

You’re probably wondering what that red seed thing is. No it’s not an Ume, it’s a Date…

So far, am I being obsessive enough about this bowl of Oxtail Soup? No? More? OK, here’s the Ponzu sauce and grated ginger it’s accompanied with it…

Notice it has a reddish color with chili flakes and sesame seeds in there. It doesn’t taste like plain Ponzu sauce straight out of the bottle, but a modified version, yet I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what they added to it. Tastes good though!

Add the fresh grated ginger into the Ponzu sauce and the fresh Chinese Parsley into the soup…

Finally, let’s have at it…

If you’re used to eating Oxtail Soup with plain Shoyu and grated Ginger, it may takes a little getting used to the slightly acidic citrus accent of the Ponzu, but once your palate acclimates to it, it turns out complimenting beefy oxtail flavor really well. If you don’t like it, you can always pour shoyu in another bowl and add the ginger to that. I stuck with the Ponzu sauce in order to fully “experience” The Alley’s take on it. And I dig it! No, I LOVE IT!

Let’s try another bigger piece of Oxtail…

While getting this photo, the Oxtail meat was literally starting to fall off the bone and into the Ponzu Sauce, so I had to scoop this up to my mouth after getting the shot to prevent that. Every piece was that falling-apart tender, yet still packed with rich and beefy, marrowy-good Oxtail flavor.

Oh. My. God. This is so divine. These are the kinds of things that make life great. It’s the simple things like an amazing bowl of Oxtail Soup that brings meaning to the day, and this is a great day indeed, my friends. I think I’m crying tears of joy. Someone please pass me the box of Kleenex®.

Let’s sample the Shiitake Mushrooms, Bok Choy and Date…

Nice. Very nice. The whole shiitake mushrooms were slightly firm yet al dente, not wilted and lifeless. Their woodsy and robust meaty flavor paired splendidly with the Ponzu and grated ginger sauce. The mushrooms also broke the monotony as compared to if it were just Oxtails in there like it is at Kapiolani Coffee Shop.

The Date has an interesting, almost meaty flavor profile as presented here in this Oxtail Soup, yet there is some fruityness to it as well, adding that much more dimension to the senses.

Rounding out this super-hearty local soup delicacy are an abundance of peanuts…

Add to that the EXCELLENT broth that’s rich and beef with extra depth thanks to the Shiitake Mushrooms, while tasting complex-yet-simple all at the same time.

Put it all together and we have one truly AWESOME Oxtail Soup at The Alley Restaurant. 5 SPAM Musubi certified!

While I won’t say The Alley’s is “The Best Oxtail Soup” on the island, as that’s always subjective to personal taste, it’s certainly in contention to take the crown. Ultimately, whether you’re an (obsessed) Oxtail Soup fan (as I now am) or just trying this dish for the first time, The Alley’s take on this classic is almost guaranteed to have you walking out (or into the bowling alley area) with a big smile on your face. It did for me!

As for the Loco Moco and Tasty Chicken Mixed Plate, as our fellow diner attested earlier on her plate with “extra gravy on da’ side”, the Loco Moco’s brown gravy at The Alley is WINNAHZ!…

It is indeed “buttery”, but not so much where it’s unpleasantly too rich. Just enough where it’s silky smooth in texture and just melts all over that wonderfully seared ‘n juicy homemade hamburger patty, giving you this explosion of flavor as you shovel the gravy-coated burger and egg into your mouth. Awesome.

I didn’t try the Tasty Chicken (by now you should know I’m not particularly a chicken fan), but my girlfriend explained it as tasting like a slightly sweet and spicy Karaage Chicken, noting that is was very moist and tender inside, not dried-out at all.  It must be great, because this is one of their best-selling entree selections.

I did try the Mac’ Salad…

Perfect. Cool, creamy and simple, while the macaroni is cooked perfectly al dente and seasoned just right. Winnah, winnah, mac-0n-da-side dinnah. Er, lunch that is.

Summing it up, just like our dining neighbor, my girlfriend gives their Loco Moco & Tasty Chicken Mixed Plate 4 SPAM Musubi. Personally I’ll give their brown gravy and mac salad a 5!

The Alley Restaurant also offers fresh made pies and cakes either by the slice or as whole, such as this ‘Mama Mia Chocolate Cake’…

Pumpkin Crunch…

Lemon Crunch…

By the slice…

We passed on dessert on this visit, but I hear their Pecan Tart is AMAZING.

If you’re in a rush, The Alley also has a takeout window outside in front next to the restaurant entrance, where you can order everything that’s available inside to go…

There’s so much more on the menu we need to try, but this first impression has me excited to return for more and more dishes to try. No question you MUST put The Alley Restaurant on your MUST-DO list if you’re obsessed with Oxtail Soup or a fantastic Loco Moco. While if you’re obsessed with bowling, well, there really isn’t many more choices left on Oahu anyways, so looks like you HAVE TO come here!

The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill
Aiea Bowl
99-115 Aiea Heights Dr, Ste 310
Aiea, HI 96701
(808) 486-3499
www.AieaBowl.com

Business Hours (for the bowling Alley):
Sunday thru Thursday 7:00am to 9:30pm
Thursday thru Sunday 7:00am to 12:00am (midnight)

The Tasty Island rating:

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

Related links:
• Inside: The Alley at Aiea Bowl – Metromix Honolulu
• The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl segment 1 (cooking presentation) – Hawaiiangrown TV
• The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl segment 2 (cooking presentation) – Hawaiiangrown TV
• The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill – Yelp user reviews

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

When it comes to Thai cuisine, Honolulu has several highly acclaimed restaurants to choose from, including Keo’s, Singha Thai and Phuket Thai, just to name a few. Well, you can add another one to that list, which our gang had lunch at this past Friday in celebration of my birthday at Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant.

Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant is still relatively new, having opened in September 2009. They’re located on the Diamond Head (east) side of Keawe street, right next to the vacant Comp USA property in Kaka’ako (slated to become a Safeway).

While previously in partnership with Wanida Tienchai, Blue Ocean is now solely owned and operated by Chivanan Phanphongsa who is a native of Bangkok. Here’s the lovely Chivanan or “Chiw”, who was on (very frantic) duty during our lunch hour visit…

The building they occupy is rather unassuming from the outside, appearing to be just another warehouse in this mostly industrial area…

You may recall back in December guest blogger Tony did a review of this place, giving it a 5 SPAM Musubi rating. Well, I was quite surprised to find a printout of that blog post from right here on the Tasty Island posted at the entrance of the restaurant!…

How flattering! When I told Chivanan I’m the owner of this blog, she immediately expressed deep gratitude and thanks (thank you Tony!) for the “5 SPAM Musubi rating”. And as you’ll soon find out, for the most part, I agree with Tony’s impression here.

Belying its surroundings, once you enter the establishment and walk into the dining room on the first floor, you’re greeted and surprised by quite an elegant setting with romantic, low level directional lighting…

The high quality solid wood tables and comfortable, well-upholstered chairs are all imported from Thailand. While completing the ambiance to make it feel like you’ve been transported back to the motherland are a number of authentic art pieces adorning the entrance and dining area…

This is the (in)famous Klong River…

I bet you them coconut pancakes that peddler is selling on that skiff would BLOW AWAY any pancakes around town here. Only problem in this scenario: too much supply and not enough (or any) demand. Unless they’re all trading with each other. lol

The front side of the dining room is made up of a full bar, with the kitchen right in back….

This is actually not the first Thai restaurant in this two-story space, as it was previously under different ownership doing business as Ploi Thai. While it also went through several incarnations as a nightclub under the name Bliss and Velvet Lounge. Retaining some of its nightclub heritage, upstairs you’ll find another full bar, dance floor and lounge…

Right about now you’re wondering when the HELL we’re gonna’ see what’s for LUNCH! lol

Alright, alright then, here’s the menu…

That’s Blue Ocean’s main menu, which is served both for lunch and dinner, where the prices for the most part seem reasonable.

Here’s their wine and drinks list…

Along with that, making it even easier on your dining out wallet is their Lunch Specials menu…

Here you get to choose one of any appetizer, soup and entree on the list, bringing you a 3-course authentic Thai feast for just $11. SU-WEET!

With that, Diner C chose the Tulip appetizer…

Tulip appetizer: Steamed ground shrimp, chicken & crabmeat in wonton wrap, served with soy vinaigrette

While Diner AC chose the Crispy Roll…

Crispy Roll appetizer: Filled with ground pork, bean thread noodles, taro and julienne vegetables. Served with a sweet chili sauce.

For the soup portion of the Lunch Special, Diner C chose the Veggie…

Veggie Soup: Mixed vegetables in clear broth

While Diner AC chose the Lemon Grass Chicken…

Lemon Grass Soup: Tradional Thai style lemon grass soup with galangal, mushroom and basil

For the entree portion of the Lunch Special, Diner C chose those Red Curry Chicken…

Red Curry Chicken: Sauteed in red curry with green beans, bell peppers, bamboo shoots and basil. $10.95 including appetizer and soup

While Diner AC chose the Pad Thai Chicken…

Pad Thai Chicken: Stir fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, tofu and green onion in tamarind sauce. $10.95 lunch special, including appetizer and soup

Diner E chose an appetizer off the regular menu as his entree, going for the Blue Ocean Treasure…

Blue Ocean Treasure: Traditional Thai Chicken Satay, steamed Tulip Crispy Rolls, Shrimp-in-the-Blanket, Thai Dumplings and Somtum Salad (in the center). $13.95

This is such a big “party on a plate”, you need to view it from another angle so you can see who you wanna’ make friends with…

Blue Ocean Treasure: Traditional Thai Chicken Satay, steamed Tulip Crispy Rolls, Shrimp-in-the-Blanket, Thai Dumplings and Somtum Salad (in the center). $13.95

Variety is the spice of life with this app-turned-entree, which carries on with the included dipping sauces…

Blue Ocean Treasure Thai Dipping Sauces

The sauce to the left at the 9 o’clock position is Thai Peanut Sauce, while the one at the 6 is Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. The other three are Tulip Sauce, Thai Dumpling Sauce and Blue Ocean’s own house sauce. I tried each one and liked all of the above, as they each addressed most of the senses of taste in varying intensities.

Adding some starch to his app-turned-entree, Diner E got a side order of Sticky Thai Rice for filler…

Thai Sticky Rice

The sticky rice is served in that basket on the side, which apparently it’s steamed in a plastic bag that inserted in there to prevent the, well, sticky rice from sticking to the basket.

Diner A also went off the regular menu, choosing the Heavenly Crab Cake…

Heavenly Crab Cake: Homemade crab cakes pan fried served with dijon Mussaman curry sauce, steamed vegetables and angel hair pasta. $18.95

Last but not least, Birthday Boy Pomai (yours truly) also went off the regular menu, choosing the Paradise of Ocean…

Paradise of Ocean: Jumbo shrimps stuffed with crab meat baked to perfection. Served with Panang sauce and angel hair pasta. $20.95

I ordered the Paradise of Ocean after it being highly recommended to me by Chivanan, who told me that she always recommends this dish to her customers, so confident in it that she guarantees satisfaction or there’s no charge for it. Wow. No pun intended, I’m sold!

Here’s a closer look at these crab-stuffed shrimp tail GEMS…

Notice the inside-curl of the shrimp tail is filled (stuffed) with a big lump of minced REAL crab meat and a mixture of vegetables. Then you have that AWESOME Panang Curry sauce it’s all soaked with and OH-MY-LORD, AWESOME! So, so delicious.  Add to that the crispy deep-fried Thai Basil leaves and al dente broccoli mixed in with the nicely-flavored angel hair pasta, and this dish is indeed a WINNER! 5 SPAM Musubi and then some.

Diner A also gives his ‘Heavenly Crab Cakes’ 5 SPAM Musubi, noting  how “meaty” and just delicious the real crab meat cakes were, while the EXCELLENT Mussaman Curry it’s surrounded with completely seals the deal.

Speaking of Mussaman Curry, here’s a bowl of it that was coming out of the kitchen while I was talking with Chivanan…

Mussaman Curry: Sauteed beef in creamy Indian curry with sweet potato, carrot and roasted peanut. Served with rice. $10.95

Diner C also raved about her Red Curry Chicken entree, also giving it 5 SPAM Musubi. So far Tony was right! I tried a bite from her dish and definitely agree. 5 for sure!

What I think is Blue Ocean’s “kitchen magic” along with the EXCELLENT recipes (so far) is their super hot flaming wok, which you can really taste through the food. I just has that “it” factor. You know, that seared “smokin’ wok flavor”,  if you know what I mean. A flavor that seems you can only get with industrial gas stoves, which tastes like is the case here.

Halting the 5 SPAM roll, regardless of what was so far FANTASTIC, unfortunately Diner AC’s Pad Thai was a major flop. She noted that most good Pad Thai she’s had — including that from Phuket Thai — usually have a reddish tint to it, while Blue Ocean’s didn’t really look like that.

For comparison, here’s another Pad Thai that was leaving the kitchen while I was there talking story…

It could be that on this day, as Chivanan explained to me, her head chef had a family emergency and had just flown back to Thailand. So her current cook in the kitchen was still in training, and she was obviously struggling to keep up with logistical and food ordering issues because of that. There were several menu items we wanted to order that our server responded with being “out of”.

Diner A’s Crab Cakes also had to be sent back to the kitchen, thanks to Chivanan for catching that it first arrived at the table sans the all-important Mussaman Curry sauce. Yikes. Good catch though!

That said, could the cook-in-training possibly have forgotten to mix in the Tamarind sauce in Diner AC’s Pad Thai?  To further investigate this blunder if it is one, let’ check out the Pad Thai that Tony ordered here back in December…

I think Tony’s Pad Thai looks more reddish, having me believe the cook indeed forgot (or didn’t know) about adding the Tamarind sauce to it.

Whatever the case, Diner AC couldn’t even give it 1 SPAM Musubi, so the Pad Thai is DQ’d here. Bummers! Fortunately she tried a bite from all of our dishes, so she knows this place has potential, just not today with this dish.

Both Diner C and AC enjoyed their appetizers and soups, giving those 3 SPAM Musubi each.

Speaking of 3 SPAM Musubi, that’s Diner E’s assessment of his Blue Ocean Treasure app-turned-entree and sticky rice side dish. Everything was cooked to perfection and packed with flavor, thanks in part to the variety of included Thai dipping sauces which wonderfully rounded everything out.

As noted earlier about being out of ingredients for the menu, that was also the case for dessert, where they were also out of the mango to make the Mango Sticky Rice. Last I checked, mango season in Hawaii is in the summer, so no chance they’re getting that locally anytime soon.

So we ended up ordering the other two dessert items, the Fried Banana…

Lightly tempura sweet banana served with sweet cream sauce. $4.95

and the Fried Ice Cream…

Fried Ice Cream (Vanilla only): Vanilla flavor coated with special ingredients then deep fried and bedded with a vanilla cream sauce. $6.95

Because of the kitchen’s current logistical challenges, these desserts took painfully long to arrive on the table, being about a 20 minute wait. Even then, they forgot to bring us spoons, so by the time we dug in,  the what was rock hard frozen ice cream within was already melting…

The bed of sauce tasted like a combination of vanilla and guava or lilikoi (passion fruit). I really enjoyed the texture contrast of the panko-like crust encasing the cool and creamy vanilla ice cream. Regardless of the partially-melted state and late arrival, overall we enjoyed this, unanimously giving it 3 SPAM Musubi.

Then we have the Fried Banana…

The tempura-battered crust had a nice golden-brown crispy flavor to it, but was a little greasy. The Sweet Banana inside was also a little overripe, while thankfully the vanilla-flavored cream sauce added a smooth and pleasant contrast to the crunchy tempura crust. Overall we all thought it was pretty good, giving it 2 SPAM Musubi.

Now’s time to show off the “polished plates” from those amazing 5-SPAM Musubi rated dishes, starting with Diner A’s ‘Heavenly Crab Cakes’….

Unlike me, where I usually have enough left on my plate for a “doggy bag”, this time even I pretty much polished my ‘Paradise of Ocean’ stuffed shrimp plate…

Diner C also usually can’t finish an entire plate in one sitting, yet this time enjoyed her Red Curry Chicken so much, she also polished her plate!…

Diner E did pretty good as well…

Then we have unsatisfied Diner AC, who didn’t get anywhere near polishing her lackluster Pad Thai…

Ah yes, leave it up to The Tasty Island to provide such “tasteful” photos of “polished” plates for your viewing pleasure. lol

Still, one bad dish out of five, with three of them being 5-SPAM Musubi rated is very respectable odds in their favor.

As for the service, considering there was only one server plus owner Chivanan helping out with customer service, it was reasonably attentive. Other than the extremely delayed desserts, our other dishes came to the table very quickly.

Hopefully Blue Ocean’s head chef will return to the kitchen so that all is in order again. Even beside a couple of I think are forgivable flops, having three out of five dishes topping the charts, on this visit Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant gets 4 SPAM Musubi.

Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant
327 Keawe St. (next to the former Comp USA)
Honolulu, Hawaii

Tel. 585-9545
www.BlueOceanThaiRestaurant.com
www.BlueOceanThai.com

Business hours:
Monday -- Thursday
Lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday
Lunch closed
Dinner 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Sunday
Lunch closed
Dinner 5:00pm to 9:00pm

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Related links:
• Kaka’ako Eats: Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant -- The Tasty Island
• Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant – Honolulu Star Bulletin
• Blue Ocean Thai Restaurant – Yelp user reviews
• Ploi Thai -- The Free Range Gourmet

Today we’ll do a side-by-side comparison of Macadamia Nut Ice Cream between Maui’s own Roselani Tropics Ice Cream brand and Meadow Gold’s Premium Ice Cream brand.

According to the label, Meadow Gold Dairies is based in Dallas, Texas, while Roselani Tropics Ice Cream is made right here in Hawaii on the beautiful valley isle of Maui in Wailuku.

The 1.75 quart carton of Roselani was on sale at Don Quijote last week for $5.99, while the 1.5 quart Meadow Gold brand was on sale at the same supermarket for $3.99.

Notice on the Meadow Gold label that this product features Macadamia Nuts from Hamakua Plantations.

Let’s pop the top and see what we’ve got, starting with Roselani…

Visible, sizable pieces of Macadamia Nuts, and a nicely tempered consistency.

Now the Meadow Gold…

Visible Macadamia Nuts on top, but much smaller pieces, lighter in color and more sparse. The color balance of these photos aren’t 100% accurate to how it appears in person, but I’ll say Roselani’s vanilla ice cream base has a slightly more cream-colored tint to it, while the Meadow Gold is more Ivory white.

Let’s plate a scoop of each one and have a taste…

Roselani Tropics Classic Macadamia Nut Ice Cream (left) and Meadow Gold Premium Macadamia Nut Ice Cream (right) with Caramel Syrup drizzle

How you like my sauce-squirting plating skillz with the Caramel Syrup? Stylin’ eh? lol Small ‘kine lopsided though, with the two scoops of ice cream a little too far on the right. But that’s OK, I’m just warming up.

Actually, that plate is just for show, as my “official” tasting evaluation was done with the ice cream in separate bowls with no caramel syrup to change the flavors of the ice cream itself.

So what’s the verdict? ROSELANI Tropics Macadamia Nut Ice Cream is the WINNER! As noted by it having a creamy tint to it, that reflects in its flavor as well, being creamy and full-bodied, while not being overly rich or sweet. Great balance. Most importantly, the pieces of Macadamia Nuts in it have a high quality, fresh, distinctively roasted flavor.

In comparison, the pieces of Macadamia Nuts in the Meadow Gold Ice Cream were rather bland and stale tasting, not to mention a bit smaller in size. Their Vanilla Ice Cream base had more of a low fat milk flavor, even though it’s not even touted as being “low fat”. I’m a little disappointed that the Macadamia Nuts in it didn’t measure up, as Hamakua Plantations Macadamia Nuts in the can are really good and comparable to all the other popular Hawaii brands.

Ultimately, because of the much better quality of the bigger pieces of Macadamia Nuts in Roselani’s, theirs tastes like Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, not Vanilla Ice Cream that just happens to have Macadamia Nuts mixed in it. Which at least in a side-by-side comparison here, the latter of which is how Meadow Gold tastes.

Since we’re talking Macadamia Nuts, you may recall those SPAM flavored Macadamia Nuts that were reviewed here not long ago. Well, yes, you guessed it, I decided to try adding some to a scoop of Macadamia Nut Ice Cream to see how it’d work out…

SPAM-flavored Macadamia Nut Ice Cream Surprise

Eh, it’s OK. The Vanilla Ice Cream quickly overpowers the SPAM-flavored powder coating the mac nuts. The savory flavor of the SPAM powder also doesn’t really agree with the sweetened milky ice cream, nor does the saltiness.

Then going to the EXTREME, I tried this…

“Hawaiian” Teriyaki SPAM & Pineapple Macadamia Nut Ice Cream Delight

Yes, that is exactly what you’re seeing: cubes of Hormel SPAM and Pineapple that was sauteed, then finished with a Teriyaki glaze, served with a scoop of Roselani Tropics Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, and garnished with lightly-salted whole Macadamia Nut peices, a sprinkling of Furikake and a “messily artistic” drizzle of Teriyaki glaze.  All of that artificially qualifying it to be named “Hawaiian”.

How did it taste? Horrible! lol What did you expect? Pass. Next.

Sorry, but Teriyaki and Vanilla Ice Cream DO NOT AGREE with each other. Nor did the very salty SPAM. After several bites, I immediately scraped the Teriyaki-glazed SPAM, Pineapple and sauce on the plate into a separate bowl so I could enjoy the ice cream by itself, thank you very much. I’m totally into the whole savory-sweet concept, but, bottom line, the dairy was the deal-breaker here.

Had that been a scoop of rice instead of ice cream in the center, by all estimates, of course it would have worked out. But God, as shown, that was so NOT good. “Hawaiian” Teriyaki SPAM & Pineapple Macadamia Nut Ice Cream Delight“? More like DISGUST!

Yet hey, at least give me a pat on the back for trying.

Rounding it up, I think Roselani’s Tropic Ice Macadamia Nut Cream is worth the extra price for the superior taste and texture of the roasted Macadamia Nuts in it, and full-bodied character of the Vanilla Ice Cream, not to mention supporting a local company.

What? Roselani Classic Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
Who makes it? Maui Soda and Ice Works, Ltd. Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. www.Roselani.com
Where did you buy it and how much did it cost? Don Quijote (Kaheka), $5.99 sale price.
What are the ingredients? Milkfat and non-fat milk solids, cane sugar, macadamia nuts, corn syrup solids, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, guar gum, carraggeenan, vanilla flavoring, annatto color.
What are the nutritional values? Per 1/2 cup serving: 150 calories with 80 calories from fat; total fat 9 grams; saturated fat 5 grams; trans fat 0 grams; cholesterol 20mg; sodium 35mg; total carbohydrates 14 grams; dietary fiber 0 grams; sugars 12 grams; protien 2 grams. Vitamin A 4%; vitamin C 0%, calcium 8%; iron 0%.
Big shaka to: Full-bodied, creamy vanilla ice cream. Generous chunks of fresh-tasting, distinctively roasted Macadamia Nuts. Attractive label design.
No shaka to: The food industry tricking consumers by giving less product for the same price (1.75 quart vs. a full half-gallon ice cream carton).Teriyaki, SPAM and Ice Cream.
SPAM Musubi rating: 4

What? Meadow Gold Premium Macadamia Nut Ice Cream featuring Hamakua Plantations Macadamia Nuts
Who makes it? Meadow Gold Dairies in Dallas, Texas www.lanimoo.com
Where did you buy it and how much did it cost? Don Quijote (Kaheka), $3.99 sale price
What are the ingredients? Milkfat and nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, macadamias, high fructose corn syrup, sweetcream buttermilk, whey, contains less than 2% of guar gum, mono & diglycerides, xanthan gum, polysorbate 80, cellulose gum, carrageenan, natural and artificial flavors, annatto extract (color).
What are the nutritional values? Per 1/2 cup serving: 150 calories; 80 calories from fat; 10 grams total fat; 4.5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium, 14 grams total carbohydrate, 0 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugar; 2 grams protien. 6% Vitamin A; 0% vitamin C, 6% calcium; 0% iron.
Big shaka to: A decent ice cream if not compared side-by-side with a much better brand.  Lower price. Uses ingredients made in Hawaii (Hamakua Plantations).
No shaka to: The very small pieces of Macadamia nuts are bland and stale tasting in comparison to Roselani. Vanilla ice cream base lacks “character”. The food industry tricking consumers by giving less product for the same price (1.5 quart vs. a full half-gallon ice cream carton).
SPAM Musubi Rating: 2

Those of you “Kalihiians” know Richie’s Drive Inn, where we’re back again for the supah’ ono, budget-crunchin’, scale-bustin’ plate lunch grinds!

As what McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Jack in the Box has done for the all-American burgers and fries, Richie’s Drive Inn does for the local Hawaii plate lunch: QUICK, CHEAP and GOOD.  And in some instances, GREAT! So quick in fact that, just like the aforementioned national chains, Richie’s Drive Inn also offers drive-thru plate lunch service!

Here’s a look at Kalihi’s own Richie’s Drive Inn menu board on this updated February 2010 visit…

No question, Richie’s version of the “ultimate combo” is ‘Richie’s Special Chili Dog Plate with Small Drink’…

Which, here’s how it looks…

Richie’s Special Chili Dog Plate with Small Drink. $5.29

Yeah, that looks really sloppy, but you know you know you want a bite. Admit it! lol

Moving on to the next order on this visit, Diner C decided on trying Richie’s Drive Inn’s Saba plate…

Saba Plate. $6.50

While Diner A continued the craving for fish, this time going for Richie’s Mahimahi plate…

Mahimahi Plate. $6.50

As always, last but MOST definitely not least in this case, we have my order, which was Richie’s Beef Stew and Lau Lau Combo plate…

Beef Stew with Lau Lau. $7.20

Get a load of that massive carrot in the beef stew. It’s almost as big as my forearm!

This plate had soooooo much HEFT to it upon carry it, that we just had to put in on the scale and weigh it…

Looking at the digital readout, it tips the scale at a hefty 2 lbs. 5.0 oz.. 2.3 POUNDS! That’s CRAZY! We like to describe plate lunches that pack heft like this as “Poundage“. Needless to say, I certainly wasn’t able to “polish” (clean) this plate in one sitting.  A “second wind’er” for sure.

What’s a little different about Richie’s Beef Stew is that instead of smaller bite-size pieces of beef, potatoes and carrots, this serving had just 1 massive half of a whole potato, about 3/4 of a whole carrot, and one giant piece of beef about half the size of my fist….

Taste wise, it’s also a little different, tasting like there’s at least a little chili powder and/or ceyenne pepper in it, as it had a hint of spiciness. It was also kinda’ salty. Not to the point of being inedible, but certainly noticeable. It did have a very hearty, beefy base flavor, so points on that. Also, because of their large size, the big, tender chunk of beef, potato and carrot still had integrity and weren’t mush, so points on that as well.

It’s a pretty good beef stew. Not the best I’ve ever had, but satisfying never-the-less. 2 SPAM Musubi for that.

Now let’s check out the Lau Lau…

Cut in half…

Lots of pork belly fat in there. A small piece of butterfish (that small piece hanging off to the left on the right side half). Decent amount of layered luau (taro) leaves. Very tender and moist all around. ALTHOUGH, this Lau Lau was very BLAND, which I’m guessing is because this may have been in the freezer for a long time, robbing it of all its natural flavors. Especially after just recently tasting the SUPERIOR Laulau at Highway Inn, this one really pales in comparison. 1 SPAM Musubi, getting a one for good portion and moist ‘n tender doneness. Glad I tried it, but next time I’ll stick with their most excellent Chili Dog Plate.

Now Richie’s Mac’ Salad…

Now THAT’S what you call MAC’ SALAD! Right off the bat, 5 SPAM Musubi. Easy.

Cool, creamy, simple, seasoned just right, with perfectly al dente macaroni noodles. Winnahz! So winnahz, next time I hit Richie’s, I’m gonna’ request a “Mac Salad Plate”: essentially a giant heap of mac salad as the “main entree” with 2 scoops rice and for the salad? What else? 1 scoop Mac’ Sal’! lol

As for Richie’s Chili Dog Plate, that’s another winnah’ and definitely my favorite dish from the joint…

It’s also one of the best plate lunch deals in town. For just $5.29 you get a huge serving of their onolicious “Better than Zippy’s” Chili (yes, I said that), not one but TWO hot dogs (Bar S brand we think), 1 scoop of their AWESOME Mac’ Sal, 2 scoops rice, AND a small drink!

Moving along, here you can see how moist and tender Diner A’s Mahimahi was…

And ditto for Diner C’s Saba…

Summing it up, I give my 2-plus pound Beef Stew and Lau Lau “Poundage” Combo 2 SPAM Musubi, while Diner A, C and E gave their respective plates 3 SPAM Musubi.

Diner E enjoyed Richie’s Chili Dog Plate so much, he polished it…

Richie’s Drive Inn
1178 N. King Street
Tel. 842-4004

(located across the post office, near Waikamilo home road and Farrington High School)

Related links:
• Richie’s Drive Inn – ‘Ono Kine Grindz review

The Tasty Island rating:

Related links:
• Drive-Thru Plate Lunches at Richie’s Drive Inn – The Tasty Island
• Richie’s Drive Inn – Yelp user reviews

P.S. Regarding the statewide Hawaii Tsunami warning, I can see the Ala Wai Canal from my place, and in the past half hour (between 12-12:30pm), the tide has drastically gone up, and now is way down, with a significant current drawing the water outward towards the ocean as the water recedes.

A little over a year ago we were here on Dillingham Boulevard sampling the eats from what was then a new restaurant called Pho Dillingham & Grill, which had taken the place of the popular Spot’s Inn. Well, here we are today again where the name has already changed to ‘Mix Plate Cafe’. That was quick!

It turns out Pho Dillingham & Grill was owned and operated by Ben and his SISTER, but the sister has since left to the mainland. So now Ben owns and operates the slightly revamped Mix Plate Cafe, this time in partnership with his father-in-law.

That said, not surprisingly Mix Plate Cafe’s menu is very much similar to what was offered under the former ‘Pho Dillingham & Grill’…

Here’s the specials of the day…

In retrospect, I REALLY wish I had ordered this Pho Sashimi…

I’m just wondering whether you’re supposed to dip the raw ahi sashimi in the hot Pho broth? Seems to be “poho” (waste), but I won’t knock it ’til I try it.

This place also has a wide assortment of gelatinous Vietnamese desserts, starting with these Sticky Rice & Blackeye Bean with Sweetened Coconut Milk cups…

Rainbow Cocktail…

And Coconut Gelatin (disregard the labels in front, as they’re all the same)…

As for the place, they’ve certainly done some upgrading, including the addition of elegantly styled dining tables and chairs…

Overall, the place has a really clean, fresh and new feel to it, which can be welcoming in otherwise aging towns such as Kalihi. Old School “weathered” places have their charm, but a face lift is always appreciated, as they’ve done so well here.

Getting right to our takeout (stress TAKEOUT) order, Diner E chose the Vietnamese-French side of the fence, going hanahou (one more time) with their Bánh Mì sandwich…

Bánh Mì Vietnamese sandwich with BBQ Pork. $6.00

Speaking of French (the bread roll bun part), along with this sandwich he got fries…

French Fries. $1.95

Like Diner E, I  chose the same thing as before when they were Pho Dillingham & Grill, this time around once again ordering the Pho Combination (Phở Dặc Biệt)…

Pho Combination (Phở Dặc Biệt). $8.25

On that Pho veggie’ plate shown above is Thai Basil, Culantro (that long leafy green with the thorny edges), Bean Sprouts and (very HOT!) Asian Chili, plus a wedge of lime underneath.

Here’s the broth…

Looks “beefy”, amongst the other complex flavors that go into a typical Pho broth.

Of course if you order the Pho when dining in, the broth, noodles and meats are served together in one (porcelain) bowl, with just the veggies on the side.

Now that we’ve covered the Vietnamese side, let’s move on to the American — or more specifically — the “local” side of their menu, where Diner A decided to try Mix Plate Cafe’s Hamburger Steak…

Hamburger Steak plate. $8.50

Beautiful cross-hatched grill markings on that Hamburger Steak Patty!  Although it must be further noted that gravy’s thickness, color, depth and quantity is quite lacking. Same sentiment for the state of “sauteedness” (famous modified words) of the onions on top.

Starting off the tasting part of this review, Diner A proclaimed he was very happy with every aspect of the char-grilled, house-made hamburger steak patty, , while also giving a thumbs up for the brown gravy’s flavor. His complaint on that part was that there wasn’t enough gravy, while for $8.50, thought it should have had two patties, not just one.

Now for the Mac’ Sal’…

When it comes to local style plate lunches, no matter how good the entree is, if the Mac Sal’ isn’t up to par, it pretty much negates the entire dish. And Mix Plate Cafe’s Mac’ Sal’ got a big THUMBS DOWN from Diner A, noting it had this “weird, tangy taste”. Not spoiled (been there, done that), but just not good. So “not good” that he ended up tossing most of it in the trash.

That said, Diner A gives  Mix Plate Cafe’s Hamburger Steak Plate 1 SPam Musubi. Fix the Mac’ Sal’ recipe, add more of a thickened gravy, and there could be great potential in their hamburger steak.

Then we have Diner E’s Bahn Mi, where here he shows off the grilled pork and various veggies tucked inside…

His gripe on the last visit with the Bahn Mi Sandwich was the absence of Cilantro. Well this time around they added Cilantro, yet there were hardly any Cilantro leaves, but mostly STEMS! Ack! Also the Vietnamese pickled vegetables was almost all carrot, and hardly any daikon, which is one of his favorite ingredients that “makes’ this sandwich. Yikes. That Green Chili Pepper was also WAY TOO HOT for his palate. He quickly took it out.

The Banh Mi Roll also suffered the same chewy texture and lacky of crunch on the outer crust like it was on his last visit here.

Overall, it wasn’t a BAD Banh Mi sandwich, but just not as great as he’s so accustomed to getting at the particular Bale location he frequents. Summing it up, he gives Mix Plate Cafe’s Banh Mi 1 SPAM Musubi. Oh, the fries were cooked and salted perfectly. 3 SPAM Musubi for that.

Now let’s take “inventory” of the “hardware” in this bowl of Pho…

Thin slices of raw beef that will quickly cook in the hot broth? Check. Slices of cooked flank steak? Check. Slices of beef tendon? Check. Cooked Vermicelli noodles? Check. Sliced white and green onion? Check.

Now to add the “software”, the Pho stock…

Finally to complete the dish, we add the “peripherals”, the veggies and the included hoisin sauce…

First of all, I must REITERATE, them green (deceptively) Jalapeno-looking Asian green Chili slices are PHO ‘KIN HOT! lol  Seriously, unless you’re a “Scoville Junkie”, don’t add them to the bowl! Just those two slices I added made the entire broth tip toward the mid-level spicy side.

Let’s sample it…

The sticky Vermicelli noodles were all clumped together at the bottom, so it took some wiggling with my chopsticks to loosen them. Thankfully they were perfectly al dente. Of course I LOVE all the fresh veggies. The combination of the Thai Basil, Culantro and Bean Sprouts along with that mildly beefy broth is great.

The thin slices of raw beef cooked quickly once the hot broth was added in. That’s always nice to have in combination with the greens.

Then there’s them stiff, “doggy treat” like pieces of beef tendon to bite into…

I like that tendon stuff. Chewing on it kinda’ does make me feel like a dog. lol

Overall, while I’m still not qualified to judge was makes a great, good or bad bowl of Pho, I enjoyed this one. I’m pretty sure their broth isn’t going to win any “best of the best” awards by Pho enthusiasts, yet it was never-the-less tasty enough that I finished every last drop. There were generous portions of noodles and sliced meats, and VERY generous portions of fresh veggies, which is what I love the most about eating Pho.

Summing it up, I give Mix Plate Cafe’s Pho Dac Biet 2 SPAM Musubi.

While I enjoy it on occasion, you know I’m not usually a dessert person (there’s many food blogs out there that LOVE the stuff), but couldn’t resist sampling that “Sticky Ricey thingy”…

Sticky Rice & Blackeye Bean with Sweetened Coconut. $2.25

As advertised, the rice is very sticky like mochi, with a slightly sweetened flavor to it, while the blackeye beans tastes sort of like a cross between Azuki and Kidney beans. The thickened and sweetened coconut milk topping is no question the “icing on the cake” that makes this work and would be sorely missed without it. Think of this as a “soup” version of coconut-flavored sweet mochi with beans in it, and that’s what this tastes like. Pretty good. 2 SPAM Musubi.

Mix Plate Cafe
(formerly Pho Dillingham & Grill > formerly Spot’s Inn)
1111 Dillingham Blvd. #E9
Honolulu, Hawaii  96817
Tel. 841-4664

Takeout Menu (<click to download PDF; 2 pages)

Business hours:
Monday – Friday 8am to 11pm
Saturday 9am to 11pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm

The Tasty Island rating:

(2) Good. I’m glad I tried it.

Related links:
• Kalihi Eats: Pho Dillingham & Grill – The Tasty Island
• Mix Plate Cafe – Yelp user reviews

Several evenings ago I took my mother and aunt out for dinner in celebration of aunt’s birthday at Assagio Italiano Ristorante in Hawaii Kai. Assagio has five locations on Oahu now, with the newest one recently opened in Kahala, while there’s also another one in Ala Moana Center, Mililani and Kailua.

Yet I think the location in Koko Marina Center in Hawaii Kai, situated right on the marina waterfront is by far is the one to go to if the view outside matters to you. Here’s exactly what you’ll see looking out the window during sunset from the restaurant here…

Panoramic view of Hawaii Kai Marina from Assagio at Koko Marina Center (click to enlarge)

Inside, the dining room is impeccably clean, cozy, elegant and romantic, with dimmed lighting (after sunset) to suit the mood.

Getting to their menu, which you can view via PDF at Assaggio’s website, it’s HUGE. Actually a bit too much, making it difficult to decide what you REALLY wanna’ try or feel like eating.

As soon as we sat down, a basket of their complimentary Italian-French Table Bread was immediately brought to the table…

While a compound herb butter or balsamic vinegar and EVOO would have been nice, it’s served with back-to-basics butter…

This house-made bread arrived piping hot, with a crisp and flaky crust, while being soft and supple inside…

Flavor-wise, it tastes just like the excellent French Bread from Safeway’s bakery. While just like the afforementioned store-bought loaf, the piping hot state it arrives in is a big plus, as that “fresh baked bread smell” hits your olfactory senses, which also allows the cold butter to  melt on, in and spread evenly. This simple yet excellent bread is “bottomless” (free refills), but I’d use restraint no matter how much you enjoy it, lest you carbo-overload and not have room to finish the massive plate of pasta that will soon follow. Hard to do, I know.

My mother and aunt both “eat like birds” (have very small appetites) and discouraged me from getting any appetizers, but we had to try at least something, so decided on trying the Eggplant Rollatini…

Assaggio – Eggplant Rollatini: Eggplant Rolled and Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese and Simmered in Tomato Sauce
with Mozzarella Cheese. $9.90.

For the main course, after having eaten very light over the past week, aunty the birthday girl was craving something meaty tonight, so from the Faranacci pasta selections, decided on trying the Sausage and Meatball Combination over Angel Hair Pasta…

Assaggio – Sausage & Meatball Combination over Angel Hair Pasta. $15.90 (small portion)

Mom also had been eating light over the past week, so on this occasion went for something “meaty”, choosing the Sausage Olio over Fettucini…

Assaggio – Sausage Olio: Sliced Sausage Pan Fried in Olive Oil, Garlic, and Anchovies. $15.90 (small portion)

Finally, yours truly couldn’t resist trying Assagio’s take on the classic Osso Bucco…

Assagio – Osso Bucco and Shrimp Scallop Alla Bolla: Braised Veal Shank with Onions, Garlic with a Lightly Seasoned Tomato Sauce. Jumbo Shrimp and Sea Scallops Pan Fried in Olive Oil, Garlic with Snow Peas in a White Wine Butter Sauce. $28.90

For dinner wine, I chose a Napa Valley Merlot…

…which was most EXCELLENT paired with that Eggplant Rollotini app’, and also helped that Osso Bucco and Shrimp along where it needed it as you’ll read in a bit.

Speaking of which, back to the Eggplant Rollatini app’, here you see the melted Ricotta cheese within’…

Of all the dishes we ordered, this appetizer was certainly everyone’s favorite. So much that we all agreed we’d consider ordering this as a main entree on a future visit. The eggplant was melt-in-the-mouth tender inside, with a wonderfully crispy crust that seemed to have been dusted with seasoned flour before they baked it, as it had this nice gritty texture contrast to the soft eggplant flesh beneath as you bite into it. Then you’ve got that creamy melted Ricotta within it that’s laced with herbs, and that ooey-gooey melted mozzarella and tomato sauce swimming around it that brings it all home. Excellent, excellent dish. Solid 4 SPAM Musubi.

Moving on, let’s have a closer look at aunty’s Meatball and Sausage Combo with Angel Hair Pasta. where here’s how that single giant meatball and sausage looks cut in slices…

I didn’t try the sausage, but did try a bite of the meatball, which I found was very soft, yet dense, having me guess there’s plenty of bread crumb filler in it. Flavor-wise, it tasted like a simple mixture of perhaps ground beef, pork, and a few herbs, including basil. The tomato-based sauce was also simple yet delicious. She raved about all aspects of the dish, giving it 4 SPAM Musubi, after I explained to her how my rating system works.

Then we have mom’s Sausage Olio…

I didn’t get to try these sausages either, but mom sure did rave about it, going as far as asking if they offered it for sale over the counter. They did say all their sausages are made in-house. She also loved the rustic flavors of the garlic and anchovies with the olive oil mixed all into the fetuccini. Based this blog’s rating system, she also gives her dish 4 SPAM Musubi.

Last but not least, we have my Osso Bucco with shrimp, where as you know, the “money” is the flavor-packed melted marrow in the core of the Veal Shank bone…

Actually, while this tiny marrow-picking fork is cute, it really would be better if it were a tiny spoon, as the 3-pronged fork was almost useless in getting the stuff out. Not to fret, as my butter knife got the job done.

The generous amount veal shank meat around the bone was fall-apart tender, succulent and juicy…

Yet the tomato sauce the shank was smothered in somehow reminded me of — believe it or not– local style plate lunch beef stew. While they probably used wine in the braising liquid, I certainly couldn’t taste any veal or beef stock, which would have given it that depth I was hoping for, but it lacked.

Then we have the “surf” side of this dish…

The white wine butter sauce was subtle, yet did a good job keeping the fetuccini lubricated and flavored without overpowering it.  What had me disappointed were that the scallops and shrimp both lacked any garlic and olive oil pan-seared edges, which is the key element of this half of the dish. Particularly, the Jumbo Shrimp, which while was properly peeled and deveined, could just as well have been “borrowed” from a (boiled) Shrimp Cocktail app’ that didn’t make it out, as they were a bit rubbery, dry and just characterless. Fortunately at least the scallops were succulent and tender.

Summing up the Osso Bucco and Shrimp Alla Bolla it gets 2 SPAM Musubi.

For dessert we shared a slice of the Strawberry Marble Cheesecake…

This isn’t on their regular dessert menu, but a limited time offer for Valentine’s, which they still had some left. As you see, there’s a birthday candle on it, which Assaggio so kindly provided this compliments of the house in honor of for our guest. And it was DELICIOUS! Not too sweet, while that chocolate cookie crust was to die for. 4 SPAM Musubi on that.

The service was first rate, with our server Michelle being friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Water glasses were kept full. Our menu items arrived in a snap, with the appetizer from time to order to on the table within 10 minutes, and the main dishes arrived in a timely, speedy succession to it. They also granted us a prime window seat overlooking the marina that we requested for in our phone reservation, which made the visit that much more enjoyable and appreciative of genuinely considerate staff.

While I’m not exactly raving about the Osso Bucco and Shrimp Alla Bolla on this visit, I have dined here a number of times before and have had fantastic dishes in the past, and my two guests tonight certainly enjoyed theirs.  Good, (for the most part) simple Italian cuisine, reasonable prices, great service, elegant decor, and a wonderful marina waterfront location, Assaggio Italiano Restaurant in beautiful Hawaii Kai is highly recommended.

Assaggio Ristorante Italiano
Koko Marina Center in Hawaii Kai
7192 Kalianaole highway
Honolulu, Hawaii 96825

Tel. 396-0756
www.AssaggioHi.com

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Related links:
• Assaggio Ristorante Italiano (Hawaii Kai location) – Yelp User Reviews
• Assaggio Ristorante Italiano (Ala Moana location) – Yelp User Reviews

That would make for an epic-sounding title of a sci fi/horror film about a giant blob of Squid Luau attacking the city of Honolulu. I can just picture the key scene: “Oh my God! It’s… it’s… it’s SQUID LUAU! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! RRRUN!!!!”  LOL

But seriously, we returned for lunch this past Aloha Friday at Kanak Attack, that hole-in-wall introduced here just a few weeks ago that’s buried deep within the confines of Nimitz Business Center. This time to our surprise there was a line formed long outside the entrance!…

Could the revelation of the place on this blog have anything to do with that? Dunno’. I do know certain dishes were already disappearing by the time we got there around 11:30am.

Like this tray of Stuffed Salmon, which is already half gone and it isn’t even noon yet…

Another hot seller was their Pork Chops…

I had my eyes on that ‘tick and chunky Hawaiian Beef Stew they were servin’ up…

Da’ buggah’ looked so ono on da’ plate wit’ rice (it looked really good plated-up with rice).

Then there were these massive Grilled Hamachi Kama (Ahi Tuna Collar)…

While I have yet to try it, I’m really curious how their fried chicken tastes…

Here’s the menu for the day…

After that AWESOME Lau Lau plate I had from Highway Inn just a few days prior, it left me longing for Squid Luau, so I decided to give Kanak Attack’s a try…

Mmmmmmm, doesn’t that look YUMMY?! lol

Diner A was also in seafood mode, choosing the Grilled Hamachi Kama…

Along with that, he also got a bowl of Seafood Curry…

In there are large chunks of Mahimahi, sliced calamari and whole small shrimp tails.

While Diner E continues his love of all things Teriyaki, going for the Teriyaki Hamburger Steak mini plate…

I was kinda’ reluctant to order Squid Luau here, as they don’t offer it with Poi, and it really doesn’t go well with rice, IMO. Neither does it go well with Mac’ Sal’. Yet I went for it anyway to satisfy my craving for it.

Unfortunately it turned out this Squid Luau was WAY too sweet. Either they’re using sweetened Coconut Milk or adding sugar in it. Whatever it is, way too sweet. There was a fair amount of Tako (Octopus) in it (what’s incorrectly referred by this dish as “Squid”), and it was all Luau leaves (not Spinach) that were cooked down to tender-soft consistency, so a point for that. But again, that over-sweet flavor profile was a deal breaker for me.

Summing my plate up, I give Kanak Attack’s Squid Luau plate a barely making it 1 SPAM Musubi (average). It has potential to be  a 4 or 5 Spammer if they lose the sweet and offer Poi as an option to rice with their Hawaiian food.

Diner A really enjoyed his Hamachi Kama, which was meaty, moist and tender with that great fatty tuna flavor you get from the collar bone area of the fish…

He also liked the flavor of the curry itself in the Seafood Curry Stew, noting UNLIKE my Squid Luau, this curry didn’t have any sweetness in it, which he appreciated.

Look at this critter he found in there…

Is that a baby Tako (octopus) or is that squid? I can’t tell. Overall, he gives his Hamachi Kama and Seafood Curry Stew 3 SPAM Musubi (very good).

Finally we have Diner E’s Teriyaki Hamburger Steak…

He gave a thumbs-up on the Teri’ sauce, and we all give thumbs-up on their Mac’ Sal’, but he wasn’t impressed with their  house-made beef patties, which he thought were really plain. As if all they did was mix ground beef with some salt and pepper. He prefers his hamburger steak to have bread filler, the “old school” way. It also lacked any seared edges, looking and tasting as if it had been steamed. Which I don’t understand, as this place has the grill to do it, as was evident by that beautifully char-grilled steak I had on the last visit. Ron, please char-grill your burger patties!

With that he gives Kanak Attack’s Teriyaki Hamburger Steak mini plate 1 SPAM Musubi (average). At least grill the patty and it’ll get a much better rating.

If you decide to try this place, here’s where you’ll find them (the operative word being “FIND”)…

Kanak Attack Catering
Nimitz Business Center
1130 N. Nimitz Highway
Building C, Suite 110
Honolulu, Hawaii  96817
Tel. 521-4131

Business hours:
Tuesday through Friday 10:30am to 1:30pm
Saturday & Sunday closed for catering
Monday closed

Related links:
• Iwilei Eats: Kanak Attack – The Tasty Island
• Kanak Attack — Yelp user reviews

A few nights ago my girlfriend and I reserved our belated Valentine’s Day dinner at BLT Steak in the newly opened Trump International Hotel & Tower in Waikiki.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor to the right of the tower’s main entrance on Saratoga road.

While at first impression you might think their name stands for “Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Steak Sandwich”, as you see by the sign, the “BLT” part stands for ‘Bistro Laurent Tourondel’. Learn more about Chef  Laurent Tourondel here.

Of course being where it is, BLT Steak’s decor and ambiance is elegant and high class. While at the same time it feels cozy, casual and relaxed, and not pretentious or snobby at all. The wait staff’s uniforms further project a laid back atmosphere, as they’re not in suit and tie or dress shirts, but very casual-looking “Polo” style shirts.

Here’s where we were seated in a very romantic and rather private booth towards the back…

“Window” tables…

There’s also a private room in back near where we sat, which had a very large screen TV, so you can host a business meeting or watch the Winter Olympics as these folks were doing…

If you prefer the cool Waikiki breezes, there’s also outdoor seating…

Being on the ground floor and a bit away from the beach, there’s not much of a view, except for Fort DeRussy across the street, although I hear on Friday nights you can see the fireworks that are launched from nearby Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The kitchen is also visible through windows from the main dining room area…

The Wine cabinet…

The bar…

Now let’s check out the menu, starting with the Raw Bar…

Notice in extension of BLT’s relaxed concept, the menu isn’t bound in fancy presentation, but merely a printed sheet of paper. A sheet of paper! It kinda’ throws you off, thinking “am I really in a Trump Tower?” lol

Anyhow, moving on we have the Prix Fixe Blackboard Menu…

The Dinner Menu…

Finally the Cocktail & Wine List…

Starting our dinner off, we each ordered a glass of  Kenwood “Jack London” Cabernet Souvignon, which arrived at the same time with the complimentary dinner bread and their famous Popovers…

Their complimentary dinner bread is toasted Ciabatta, while taking it to the stratosphere is this most delicious Chicken Liver Pâté it’s accompanied with…

Also complimentary are their famous Popovers…

Here’s the Popover “popped open” and the toasted Ciabatta bread spread with some of that awesome Chicken Liver Pâté…

The Popover tastes and has an airy texture similar to a Croissant, except it’s much more glutenous and chewy, with a mildly flaky and crisp crust. The top side of it where it “pops-over” is covered in baked Gruyere Cheese…

While the baked-on Gruyere cheese didn’t add much, except a little more saltiness to the top and additional texture contrast, never-the-less, it did make it a little more interesting to eat through.

That Chicken Liver Pâté though? Man, that is some good stuff! I used it to spread on both the Popover and the toasted Ciabatta, where talk about DYNAMITE!

Here it is spread on the Popover…

While I’m not a fan of Pâté or particularly liver for that matter, I really enjoyed this. It’s more savory and salty in a complex way, while the liver flavor came across as subtle to me.  Notably, a bite of the Chicken Liver Pâté toast and popover, then a very small sip of the Cabernet was just a wonderful pairing. So delicious!

Overall, I give their Chicken Liver Pâté and Popovers with Gruyere a very solid 4 SPAM Musubi.

We weren’t in the seafood mood on this occasion (a rarity for me), and knowing the steaks were going to be massive, we went light on apps, starting things off (as if it hasn’t already happened) by sharing a Roasted Beets, Endive, Walnuts and Mauna Kea Goat Cheese Salad…

My plate…

I’m also not really a beet fan, but the way it’s assembled here was fantastic. The dressing tasted like a simple Vinaigrette, which let the beautiful marriage of the Goat Cheese and Roasted Beets, Walnuts and Endive shine through that much more instead of overpowering it.

For its simplicity, freshness and wonderful marriage of ingredients, I give BLT Steak’s Roasted Beet Salad a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi.

I swear, it always sounds so funny when I give fine dining dishes and restaurants a “SPAM Musubi” rating. lol

Finally the moment of truth where we’re presented with BLT Steak’s 14 oz. Boneless Ribeye…

The white cattle tag indicates this steak is done to MEDIUM doneness. A tragedy I tell ya’!  Notice it’s topped with a dollop of Herb Butter, which you can either swipe off or swipe all over it…

Oops. I missed getting the shot when it first arrived, which the steak also includes a whole head of roasted garlic…

As advertised, here’s a slice of that ribeye showing off its medium doneness…

For the life of me, I didn’t get a shot of my 14 oz. medium-rare Ribeye as it arrived in its serving dish. Ack! Oh well. Here’s half of it plated with some sides…

Sliced up, you see it’s done PINK ‘N PERFECT!…

Speaking of sides, we ordered the “Hen of the Woods” Mushrooms…

The Potato Gratin…

and the Leek and Potato Hash Brown…

Back to the steaks, you can request as many different sauces as you like. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout! We chose three: The Roquefort, Peppercorn and Red Wine Reduction…

Now before I go dippin’ that beautiful, 1700º broiled, prime grade, dry-aged USDA Angus Beef Ribeye steak in sauces, let’s taste it as is…

OMG. Oh —— My —— God. OMG! OMG! AWWWWWWWESOME! Possibly this could be the best steak I’ve ever had. It’s so melt-in-your mouth tender, I could actually cut through it with the side of my fork…

I swear on my life, I did not precut that slice with my steak knife and put the fork to it. I really did cut that piece of steak using my fork as shown. Amazing.

Then just look at that flavor-packed blackened seared crust from the 1700º broiler. Topping that, it’s seasoned simply with what I think is just Kosher salt and pepper to perfection, with the flavor-enhancing salt slightly permeating throughout the tender fibers of the rare beef inside, making each juicy bite SCREAM OUT “I’m one kick @ss piece of meat!”

OK, let’s try it in the Roquefort Sauce…

The sauce itself is delicious, and would make a great salad dressing, but a little to pungent and overpowering with the steak, pretty much masking the wonderful beef flavor of that prime aged ribeye and defeating the purpose.

Now let’s try the Peppercorn Sauce…

That’s much better. Their Peppercorn sauce tastes very similar to The Colony in the Hyatt from what I remember (who is another FANTASTIC steak house by the way). This sauce has enough character on its own, yet is tame enough to enhance the steak without dominating it.

Now let’s try the Red Wine Reduction Sauce…

Another winner. Yeah, I really like this one. I’m guessing this is made with either demi glace or veal stock, red wine and butter. At least that’s what it tasted like. Kinda’ buttery, kinda’ fruity, kinda’ savory. Again enhancing the char-grilled flavor of the ribeye without dominating it.

Our server was also kind enough to bring a bottle of BLT Steak Sauce…

Their signature steak sauce kinda’ reminded me of my favorite store-bought brand, A1, although it was a little more mild. Great though. I’d buy a bottle of this stuff to take home for sure!

Now about the sides, the texture of the “Hen of the Woods” Mushrooms, which were served with their stems attached to each other, were under-sauteed, turning out tough and rubbery…

Flavor-wise, they were just OK, but not as good as the Mushrooms I remember from The Colony at The Hyatt. For the $14 price of admission, I expected much better. Still, when eaten with that amazing steak, it found redemption.

Now for the Leek and Potato Hash Brown…

It was cooked perfectly, being super-moist inside, with a wonderful golden brown crust on the outside, but flavor-wise, straight-up just didn’t “wow” us. Now maybe if they gave me some sour cream, bacon bits and chives to top it I might change my mind! Ha ha! . Honestly though, like the “Hen of the Woods” Mushrooms, I can’t recommend their Leek and Potato Hash Brown.

On the other hand we really enjoyed the Potato Gratin…

Creamy, cheesy, fork-tender delicious medalions of potatoes. This was “money” with the, again, AMAZING steak. Definitely a recommended side.

Really though, I just can’t explain in words how STELLAR their steak is. You’ll have to dine here and taste it for yourself what the hype is all about. 5 SPAM Musubi for sure. Shoots, I’ll send it off the charts and give their Ribeye alone TEN SPAM MUSUBI, it’s that good (I did that for Roy’s too).

Next we move on to the dessert…

It wouldn’t be a Valentine’s dinner without chocolate, therefore my lady chose the Warm Chocolate Tart…

This is served with Pistachio Ice Cream…

And to our delight, our server brought us these complimentary Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownies…

What, you don’t see any chocolate chips? That’s because they’re melted inside, and when you cut into it, it comes oozing out…

Ooooooooh…. ahhhhhhhhhhh. Yummmmmm. lol

No, but seriously, both these desserts were fabulous. I’m not a chocolate person, but my girlfriend is, giving that Warm Chocolate Tart a solid 4 SPAM Musubi. I was diggin’ the Pistachio Ice Cream though! I’ll give that 4 SPAM Musubi! We both also really enjoyed this melted chocolate chip brownie thingy. Definitely solid 4 SPAM Musubi for that.

Our server Rachel was wonderful. Very knowledgeable about the menu, friendly and attentive without being too intrusive. Also honest in her opinions of certain dishes, which we appreciate. Don’t you hate it when the server sounds like a sales person saying EVERYTHING’S GOOD!? Come on now, be real. Rachel gave us her opinions on each menu item that we asked about just like we were old friends, and we dig that.

Of course being in a hotel with the name ‘Trump’ in front of it, then topping that off being in Waikiki, unless you’re here in care of a business expense account, you’re probably not going to wanna’ look at the check…

Should I open it and look? Really, should I? I’m just gonna’ pop my card in there, squint and sign my name and let my girlfriend figure out the the 20% gratuity lol…

Ah, that’s not bad considering the occasion. About what you’d pay at competing Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris and Wolfgang’s. Of course the wine is what will get ya’.

I heard if you sign in the wrong employee ID and password on this data terminal in the restaurant, a message pops up on the screen with “Uncle Don’s” mug on it that says, “YOU’RE FIRED!” lol! j/k

Summing up our belated Valentine’s Day dinner at BLT Steak in Waikiki, between my girlfriend and I, we both unanimously give them 4 SPAM Musubi. Subtracting points for their two lackluster sides, only to be redeemed by their AMAZING 1700º broiled, dry-aged prime beef ribeye STEAKS, which gets a TEN!

BLT Steak
Trump International Hotel & Tower
Waikiki Beach Walk
223 Saratoga Rd.
Honolulu, HI 96815
Tel. 683-7440

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Related links:
• BLT Steak (Waikiki) – Yelp user reviews
• The Colony at Hyatt Regency Waikiki – The Tasty Island
• Waikiki Valentine’s Eats: D.K Steak House – The Tasty Island

P.S. A look inside our BLT Steak “Doggy Bag” (leftovers) that we GLADLY finished later at home after catching that “second wind”!

First her medium-done ribeye, a slice of the leek potato hash and potato gratin….

My medium-rare ribeye, “Hen of the Woods” Mushroms, Potato Gratin, and two roasted garlic heads…

And a Popover…

I was in the Waipahu area the other day running a business errand and decided to stop by Highway Inn for lunch. Except as is often the case, I didn’t dine-in, but grabbed a plate to go. Since on this first time visit I only have one dish to taste, while being in takeout form for that matter, I’m naming this “First Bite”, as it’s not really enough to be considered a  valid, complete review.

“First Bite” you say? Well yes, and for a reason. See, Highway Inn was recently visited by Guy Fieri and crew of the Food Network’s hit TV series ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives‘, where as you may know, Guy also has another FN show named ‘Guy’s Big Bite’. Here you see like all the spots “Triple-D” visits, Guy’s left his indelible stenciled mug tag at Highway Inn…

Along with that, adding to the many other celebrity-signed photographs gracing the walls within Highway Inn’s dining room, is this autographed “Triple-D” poster…

Yes, Guy, you’ve certainly had a taste of the “Real Deal Hawaiian” (food) at Highway Inn, I must say!

Here’s a look at their aging (very 70’s-ish), yet cozy and relaxed dining room…

Being located where they are on a side street at the west end of Farrington highway in already off-the-beaten path Waipahu town,  I wasn’t expecting to find any tourists in there, which there weren’t at  the time of my visit. Yet I’ve read there are some adventurous, determined visitors who find their way out here.

Getting straight to the grindz, here’s a look at their takeout menu (courtesy of myhighwayinn.com)…

Click images to enlarge menu above and following story below.

Fascinating story.

Now looking back at the menu, while everything sounds really ono, like Peoples Cafe and Helena’s, I have a complaint with Highway Inn’s “Combo Plate” choices. Why can’t they make an option that has ALL the MAIN Luau dishes? Each selection either has this or that, with no option to substitute or customize while staying within a reasonable price range.

In Highway Inn’s case, each one of their Hawaiian food combos leave out the all important (and very cheap to make) Chicken Long Rice, as well as my other favorite, the Squid Luau! I’d happily pay 3 to 5 dollars more for a smaller portion of those two dishes included on the plate. But NO, in order to get ALL THE LUAU GOOD STUFF, you’re looking at forking out over $20 ordering  ala carte.

I asked if I could substitute the Pipikaula for Squid Luau and they told me “no can”.  Well since I can’t “Have it my way at the Highway” (pun intended), I decided on the Lau Lau Combo #3, leaving out  the addition of  Kalua Pig (for $2 more) just as a personal spite of my rant above. lol

Upon opening the bag once I got back to the office, I was pleasantly surprised to find they (very neatly) pack their food for takeout on a “cafeteria style” paper plate covered with foil…

This, in comparison to if it were packaged in those what I think are sterile and “characterless” white foam clamshell containers plate lunches are unfortunately most commonly served on nowadays.

Now for the moment of truth…

In case you’re asking, that small container of liquid on the left is Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water, or as we say, “Chili Peppah’ Watah”. Like it sounds, it’s simply (for the most part) water and vinegar flavored with Hawaiian Chili Peppers, which are VERY HOT!  Think of it as “Hawaiian Tobasco Sauce”.

Chili Pepper Water is mostly popular with “old school folks” who grew up with and are familiar with using it as a condiment, flavoring everything from soups and stews, to meats and fish and even on rice.  It’s becoming more and more rare to find nowadays in the condiment  station at local eateries (even though it’s relatively cheap and easy to make), so glad to see Highway Inn continues the tradition!

Like all Hawaiian food eateries, you can opt for rice or poi. As you know, Poi is very expensive, so I’m sure the owners hope there’s more folks who choose rice over poi, which there probably are. But not me. GOTTA’ BE POI with Hawaiian Food. Gots’da. And I must say, the portion they give with this plate is very generous, and fresh-tasting as well. Certainly enough to go along with the Lau Lau, Lomi Salmon and Pipikaula alongside it.

Now let’s get to the “main event” the lau lau (bottom left on the plate shown above), which we’ll now open up the Ti Leaf wrapper and cut the contents within in half to see what we’ve got…

Here we find a generous chunk of super moist ‘n tender pork, pork belly fat and most crucially, Butterfish. Butterfish! Yay! Putting the “Cha-Ching! This is money town, flavor town!”, as Guy might say, in this Lau Lau fo’ sure! Well, not that I’ve ever heard Guy say that, but it sounds kinda’ like a catch phrase he would use. lol

Here’s another view of the SUPER FATTY (flavorful) Butterfish pieces in the Lau Lau, where you can see the skin practically MELTING off…

Take that buggah, along with a sprinkle of some Hawaiian Salt and “whack ‘em with some poi…

Oh yeah. The melts-in-your mouth, perfectly-salted luau (taro) leaves, combined with the also perfectly-salted, melts-in-your-mouth butterfish, melting pork belly fat and pull-apart tender pork meat is a marriage of flavors that as DONE RIGHT here at Highway Inn, is PERFECTION. I’m giving Highway Inn’s Lau Lau a very solid 4 SPAM Musubi, only short of 5 because it was kinda’ on the small side as far as Lau Lau goes. Highway Inn’s take on the dish is certain in contention to win BEST LAU LAU on Oahu.

While I missed having the Chicken Long Rice and Squid Luau (not really missing the Kalua Pig on this occasion), Highway Inn’s Lomi Salmon stepped right up to the palate plate, providing that wonderful briny flavor contrast to the savory Lau Lau…

What’s interesting about their Lomi Salmon is that they chop what looked and tasted like Roma Tomatoes very finely, almost to the point of Salsa consistency. Thankfully there’s an equal balance of distinguishable chunks of salted salmon, so no “lomi tomato” here. Whether it’s Roma or whatever very red tomato they use, it certainly has unique character, yet is still true to the standard of what Lomi Salmon should taste like. Again 4 SPAM Musubi on Highway Inn’s take on Lomi Salmon.

Now let’s sample their Pipikaula…

Highway Inn’s take on it is pan-fried in bite-size pieces, with a semi-dry texture and very light, not very salty brined, semi-beef, semi “what the heck is this meat anyway?” flavor, with only a mild hint of shoyu, if even used at all. I also couldnt’ detect any sweetness, which is good, as Pipikaula that tastes like Teriyaki really misses the point, IMO.

Honestly for me? This could have just as well been overcooked pieces of fried steak if they served this to me not saying what it was. Let’s try dip some Pipikaula in poi and see if that helps…

Eh, it’s OK. No can beat my Big Island Smoke Pork with poi. Not by a MILE. Not by an OCEAN. No Pipikaula can. I tried adding Hawaiian salt to kick it up. Even tried dipping the Pipikaula in the Chili Peppah Watah, but that only could do so much for it.

On that note, I still wish they would have traded me this for a ladleful of Squid Luau, giving Highway Inn’s Pipikaula 1 SPAM Musubi. No can touch Helena’s on that one.

Finally let’s sample da’ Haupia…

Texture-wise, their Haupia is bit on the stiff side, in a good way. While having a distinctive and fresh tasting creamy-sweet coconut flavor. Good stuff! Of course, it’s nice to have this mildly sweet “dessert” if you will to finish after that blast of savory and briny entree items. With that, I’ll give Highway Inn’s Haupia a very satisfying end-of-meal treat 3 SPAM Musubi.

Next door to left of Highway Inn Restaurant under same ownership (obviously) is Highway Inn Seafood Market…

As you’d expect, there’s a huge selection of Poke to choose from here…

There’s also produce and other local specialty foods, which makes Highway Inn very similar to Alicia’s Market in Kalihi Kai, Marujyu Market in Pearl City and Masa & Joyce Okazuya in Kaneohe, where you can do the same Hawaiian food, Poke and local grinds one-stop shopping. Love that!

For a complete review on this blog, I certainly need to return with a group and dine-in for the REAL “Highway Inn restaurant experience”. Just as I still need to do at Helena’s, Ono Hawaiian Food and Haili’s (who just opened a new restaurant on Kapahulu avenue), among a few other Hawaiian food-centric eateries that I have yet to feature here.

I’m really anxious to watch Guy’s take on Hawaiian food from Highway Inn when they air the Hawaii episode of “Triple-D”. Other Oahu eateries he’s visited and taped at include Poke Stop in Mililani, Hank’s Haute Dogs in Kaka’ako, Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu, Nico’s at Pier 38 and from an “inside source”, Murphy’s Bar and Grill in downtown Honolulu.

Highway Inn
94-226 Leoku street
Waipahu, Hawaii
Tel. 677-4345

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)*
*The Lau Lau and Lomi Salmon tasted so ono, it dominated my overall impression of their Lau Lau Combo plate.

While we’re in Waipahu and speaking of “old school”, you probably have already heard the news that, after a 30 year absence, Shakey’s Pizza is returning to Hawaii! They’ll be opening their first new location in Waipahu Town Center, which is nearby Highway Inn. Here I snapped a photo of the future site, which is still undergoing construction…

At this stage, it looked like most of the place is done. They were working on what appeared to be granite countertops for the restrooms (each had cutouts for two oval lavatory sinks). You can see Shakey’s from Farrington highway, but if you’re in Waipahu Town Center’s Parking lot, they’re actually kinda’ hidden, where you’ll have to go around the corner of American Savings Bank.

Shakey’s was very popular in Hawaii during its heyday in the 70’s. Dating myself, I have very fond childhood memories of Shakey’s Pizza in Kaneohe, where we’ve celebrated a number of birthday parties and family gatherings. I remember they had long wooden communal bench dining tables, while near the front entrance inside we were treated to a “pizza cooking show”, being able to watch the pizza chef prepare and spin the dough in the air behind a glass window, which of course as keiki, we were asolutely fascinated by. Add to that, an arcade room in back, and plenty of pizza to go around, those were good old times for sure!

Like Farrell’s, I hope the return of Shakey’s Pizza to Hawaii can bring back that magic to the new generation, as well as rekindle the nostalgia for us who remember and cherish their presence here decades ago.

Kat says, “It’s taken me awhile to post this, but I received this Sunshine award from a reader, Moni. (Thank you!)

According to her blog, “The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world.” The rules once this award is received are as follows:

1. Post the logo on blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees
4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person you received this award from.

With all this talk of snow and bad stuff going on in the world, I want to pass some “sunshine” on to the following bloggers:

1. Deb of Kahakai Kitchen
2. Rowena of Rubber Slippers in Italy
3. Barbara of Winos and Foodies
4. Kirk of Mmm-yoso
5. Martin of Kurashi
6. Mari of Biancorosso
7. Jalna of Photos by Jalna
8. Tamakikat of Ko Tamakikat Ahau
9. Dennis of Radiused Corner
10. Pomai of Tasty Island
11. Paz of Cooking adventures of Chef Paz
12. Deb of Deb & Her camera

Of course there are many, many more blogs on my blogroll that fit these requirements, so if I didn’t name you, please link back to this post and accept this award.

Thank you for bringing some “sunshine” to my life with your posts and comments and thanks again Moni for the award!”

Once again, domo arigato gozaimasu Kat-san! Right back at ya’!

In light of that, I have my own list of fellow bloggers I’d like to hand an award to. I don’t leave comments as much as I should, but I do frequent the following sites on a regular basis (which is why they’re on my links page). I’ll make it a point to comment more in the future!

With that, I’ve created my own award called, yep, you guessed it, the SPAM Musubi Award!…

Doesn’t that look spiffy? lol  Actually I kinda’ dig it!

Therefore, I hereby bestow upon the following Hawaii-based food bloggers the SPAM Musubi Award for their dedication (frequency of new posts), sharing spirit, creativity, knowledge, humor, writing skills, choice of subject matter and/or photography:

• Reid of Ono Kine Grindz (he’s been slowing down lately, but the “Pioneer of Hawaii Food Blogs” is still around!)
• Nate the Hwn Pake in Okinawa (now living back home in Kaimuki)
• Marvo of  The Impulsive Buy (Marvo reviews more than food, but food is obviously his favorite subject)
• Stanley of Aku Eats (look out for his blog-turned-published book, ‘Island Flavors’!)
• Justin of Goo Grindz (he’s been dormant lately, but for a relatively new blog, has some great material already built-up in  his archives)
• All the gang at WOW Grinds.com
• James of Big Island Grinds
• Sonia of Sonia Tastes Hawaii
• Larry of Free Range Gourmet
• Gail of Hawaii Diner.com

Also to most of the users on Yelp.com for their excellent reviews. Plenty of useful information and often HILARIOUS commentary on there!

Changing the rules of the Sunshine Award, there’s no need to pass the SPAM Musubi Award on or take any further action. I’m just pointing these sites out as my personal favorites. Otherwise, consider them all recipients of the Sunshine Award!

Sun Nin Fai Lok and Gung Hei Fat Choi!

We’re back at Zippy’s, where we have more menu items smothered in their famous chili. This time in the photo above a burrito that has been claimed by the stuff, along with melted cheddar cheese and a token really HOT yellow chili pepper to kick it up a notch. BAM!

Then we have Zippy’s Vegetarian Chili piled on Spaghetti pasta noodles, which substituting for ground beef are loads of Mushrooms, which I LOVE with pasta!…

I don’t think the garlic bread matches well with the chili though. Keep that for Marinara-sauced spaghetti. I’ll take Mac’ Salad with Chili next time, thank you very much.

While those two version of chili above may not be that unusual, thinking further outside the box, you may remember a past post here on (Zippy’s) Napoleon Bakery’s limited edition Chili Napple…

Then there’s the “Oki Dog”, which is a fusion mix of American/Mexican/Okinawan influence consisting of a flour-based soft tortilla wrapper, a hot dog, Zippy’s Chili, Rafute (Okinawan Shoyu Pork) and lettuce…

My favorite of all though has gotta’ be Zippy’s fairly new offering, the Chili Moco!…

The most genius part of Zippy’s “duh, why didn’t they think of that sooner” Chili Moco is the “Mac’ Salad Sauce” spread between the hamburger patty and the rice. BRILLIANT! It truly makes the dish go from “pretty good” to REALLY ONO!

Which leaves one to ponder, what else would taste good with Zippy’s Chili on or in it? Chili Manju? Chili Gyoza? Chili Wonton? Chili Manapua? Chili Pizza? Chili Lasagna? Chili Ravioli? A King Size Bed filled with Zippy’s Chili perhaps? lol

One last note, have you seen the film Julie & Julia yet? It’s a parallel biography of Julia Child and Julie Powell, who as you know the former is a pioneer of television cooking shows. While Julie Powell is a food blogger (yay!) who shared with her readers her endeavor in cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Pretty good “chick flick”. I enjoyed it.

Well, since I’m already well into it, I’ve decided at this point that I shall blog EVERY DISH Zippy’s offers, both in their restaurant and takeout counter.  Although I’m not guaranteeing I’ll achieve that goal within one year (365 days) like Julie Powell did, as I have enough deadlines at work as it is.

If the same item is available at either the takeout or dine-in restaurant (not all items are) and I’ve covered it, consider it done from either side. Also, I won’t be covering the catering portioned items, as I nor the immediately folks I work with obviously can’t eat 21 pieces of fried chicken, 7 pounds of Chili or a whole barrel of Macaroni Salad and Rice all by ourselves. lol Lastly, to finish my “disclaimers”, note that I said “blog” and not “eat”, so the menu item may or may not have been consumed by myself, but one of my peers.

Zippy’s menu items already blogged on The Tasty Island include:
• Chili
• Chili Moco
• Chili & Chicken Mixed Plate
• Chili Burrito
• Chili Napple
• Spaghetti Chili
• Zip Pac
• Mahimahi Plate (with fries)
• Teriyaki Meatloaf
• Zip Min
• Wun Tun Min
• Fried (Saimin) Noodles
• Portuguese Bean Soup
• Portuguese Sausage, Ham and SPAM Breakfst Sandwiches
• Teri Beef Bun with Regular Saimin Combo
• Apple Napple

I’ve got a long a ways more to go, so wish me luck!

Kanak Attack
Pronunciation: kă-’năck e-’tăck
Function: slang
Etymology: Hawaiian Pidgin English. “Kanaka Maoli” refers to native Hawaiian people. This slang term, with the shortened “Kanak” (which when used in certain situations can be racially derogatory) from “Kanaka” may have been coined from the resulting effect one feels after eating all the “onolicious” (delicious) food offered at a traditional Hawaiian Luau.
Definition: The feeling of fatigue after eating a large or heavy meal.
Use: “Aftah pounding ‘dat beef stew plate, braddah, now I get majah’ Kanak Attack!”. Translation: “After devouring that delicious Beef Stew plate lunch, now I’m ready to fall asleep!” Or, “Brah, ‘das’ Kanak Attack action right deah’.” Translation: “Just looking at all that delicious food makes me sleepy.”

***

Isn’t that the coolest plate lunch stand name, slogan and logo? Love it! Notice the spilled drink and empty plates on the ground, apparently after that fellah’ had, well, eaten until he fell asleep. lol

Not that I’m advocating such gluttonous behavior, but hey, all in fun and taking it lightly (pun intended), the name is quite catchy! And you must admit, at least once a year on Thanksgiving Day, ALL OF US AMERICANS have suffered a “Kanak Attack” to some degree from that tryptophan-induced “turkey coma”.

That said, by now you should understand what this whole “Kanak Attack” concept is all about.

So here we are today at Kanak Attack, a plate lunch joint/whatever else it is (as you’ll soon see) and another hole-in-the-wall gem that’s not even visible from the street, it’s that HIDDEN. Kanak Attack is located within the back office area of Nimitz Business Center (Eagle Cafe, Sensually Yours, Subway) at the Ewa-Mauka corner of Alakawa street (Home Depot, Best Buy, Costco) and Nimitz highway. It’s so hidden, like St. Louis Delicatessen (who at least ARE visible from the street!), Kanak Attack doesn’t even have a BUSINESS SIGN.

Would you know there’s a place to eat here if I didn’t tell you?…

Barely a clue…

Probably the most interesting thing about this eatery besides its deeply obscure location is the merchandise they have to offer once you set foot inside, including a wide assortment of candies, snacks and stuffed animals that would do the Punahou Carnival proud…

As if that isn’t enough behind the door of this “cavern of hidden treasure”, not only can you get yourself a plate lunch that will put you to sleep, while you’re at it, you can also get that special piece of jewelry you’ve been looking for as a gift come Valentine’s Day tomorrow…

Tell me where else in Hawaii (besides perhaps Chinatown), will you find Chow Mein noodles showcased for sale next to stuffed animals, candy, jewelry necklaces and pendants? Well, that’s exactly what you’ll find right here at Kanak Attack! lol

“Oh honey, you shouldn’t have! Where did you get this lovely ring from? It’s BEAUTIFUL!” Hubby cringes and squints eyes, then reluctantly replies/confesses, “Kanak ‘Attack”. LOL!

At this point, you’re probably asking yourself, “Where am I? Aren’t we talking about a PLATE LUNCH STAND here?” I scratched my head and asked myself the same thing while taking these pictures. lol

Believe it or not, within just a few feet to the left of this jewelry showcase, are all the local kine grindz one could ask for, including “Aloha Friday” Squid Luau, Beef Stew and Teriyaki Beef…

Green Beans, Chicken Long Rice and Kalua Pig…

Brown Gravy (for the Hamburger Steak Plate), Grilled Saba and Shoyu Chicken…

Chili, Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs, and Teriyaki Hamburger Steak Patties (with roast pork on top)…

Roast Pork…

Lemon Pepper Salmon…

Pulehu steak (!!!)…

Beef Sukiyaki…

Fried Cheeckin’…

Chow Mein Noodles…

Mac’ Sal’…

Ahi Poke…

Lomi Salmon…

My Lord, are you sleeping yet? Good, me neither. Just REALLY HUNGRY right about now after lookin’ at all them onolicious grindz!

While most of Kanak Attack’s menu changes on a daily basis, there’s a few “regulars” you can get here…

The man behind all this here at Kanak Attack is owner/chef Ron Pang, who told me he’s been here now at the Nimitz Business Center for six years now, after formerly being located on Kapahulu Avenue, for a total of over 16 years in business under the name ‘Kanak Attack’.

Here’s Ron seasoning and tenderizing some steaks before hitting the grill…

Back to the place, hidden as it is, thankfully Kanak Attack provides dine-in seating…

Perhaps the only thing missing here are pillows, or better yet, a BED to crash on after  you pau (finished) eating and  ”Kanak Attack” sets in. lol

Not sure if you’ve ever noticed, but one of my favorite “telling points” about a plate lunch eatery is the type of condiments they offer at the station. Here’s what you’ll find at Kanak Attack…

Eh? Wheah da’ Chili Peppah Wattah? (Chili Pepper Water). No, but seriously, see that big bottle of A1 Steak Sauce? That’s the stuff, baby!

A1 Steak Sauce did you say? Well yes, as starting out with what we ordered on this visit, here we have my choice, which was Kanak Attack’s rendition of a “Steak Plate”…

What is this? The “T REX SPECIAL”? Holy WHOLE Cow, that’s one HUGE HONKIN’ SLAB O’ BEEF!

You know what’s funny, is that I asked the guy “How do you serve that? Do you cut it up and serve in pieces?” Which he looked at me sort of perplexed and replied, “What do you mean?” Then continuing “Oh no, you get the whole steak just like that.” I was like “DAMMMMMMN, this place really DOES live up to the name “Kanak Attack”". LOL!

So as mentioned, I walked out with an enitre cut of steak, which arrived at the take-out counter fresh off the grill. I mean da’ buggah’ was still SIZZLIN’ when I ordered it. I actually wanted to try their Hawaiian food, as the squid luau, chicken long rice and kalua pig looked really ono, but once that sizzlin’ grill-marked steak landed on the line, I was sold on that.   HOOK      ME       UP!

Cutting this bad boy up, it looks like this…

I certainly would have preferred it more rare than medium as it is here, yet thankfully I have my trusty A1 steak sauce for dippin’, so all is good.

As for how it tasted, buggah’ was WINNAHZ! Although it was top round, it was still very tender, thanks to Ron using a needle tenderizer to the meat prior to cooking it. The seasoning blend was also very tasty, whatever it was he used.

Not leaving well enough alone, since I had some of Halm’s “Hawaiian BBQ Sauce” on hand, I also drenched a few slices of da’ steak in that (the two strips in the center)…

Oh yeah, da Teri’ Steak action was killahz!  Truly a “close your eyes and savor it” moment.

Kanak Attack’s Macaroni Salad (“Mac Sal’”) is also exceptional, being simple and creamy flavored, with small chopped pieces of Kamaboko (fish cake) and grated carrot in it. 4 SPAM Musubi on their Mac’ Sal’, with a 3 SPAM Musubi on Kanak Attack’s “T REX” Plate. would probably be 4 or 5 if the cut was Ribeye.

In case you’re going to question, “but Pomai, that’s unlike you, where you normally have at least some greens on your plate”. No worry Beef Curry, as fortunately “Diner T” came to the rescue and offered me his uneaten side of KFC Coleslaw, which worked out PERFECTLY with my steak plate!…

Moving on, Diner A gave his Lemon Pepper seasoned Salmon, Chow Mein and Mac Salad with Wasabi Aioli mini plate a solid 3.5 SPAM Musubi rating…

Finally, Diner E also gave his “Kanak Attack” of a Teriyaki Beef Plate a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi rating…

There you have it. A place where you can do your Valentine’s Day gift shopping, while knocking yourself out on so much local ‘kine grindz that you just might forget who exactly the gift is for. All under one roof that you’ll have to look deep to find at Kanak Attack!

ZZZZZZZZ. Snore. ZZZZZZZZ. Snore. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Kanak Attack Catering
Nimitz Business Center
1130 N. Nimitz Highway
Building C, Suite 110
Honolulu, Hawaii  96817
Tel. 521-4131

Business hours:
Tuesday through Friday 10:30am to 1:30pm
Saturday & Sunday closed for catering
Monday closed

The Tasty Island rating:

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

Related links:
Kanak Attack -- Yelp user reviews

P.S. Here’s Diner “Brian Johnson” E (“singing”), Diner “Angus Young” A (“playing guitar”) and Yours Truly (me) going crazy on drums “performing” (more like butchering) “Who Made Who” by AC/DC…

Yesterday our gang celebrated Diner C’s birthday at Cafe Sistina, an Italian restaurant that’s been in business in Honolulu for over 20 years now.

Cafe Sistina is owned and operated by Chef Sergio Mitrotti, who’s been labeled a ‘Renaissance Man’ for his diversity of accomplishments in life, including a successful career as a graphic artist in his native Italy, as well as being the proprietor of a boutique clothing shop in Beverly Hills, to where he is now as a restaurateur in Honolulu.

His artistic background is clearly evident once you set foot into the dining room at Cafe Sistina, where you’re greeted with entire wall-to-ceiling replica paintings of the renaissance artists’ work in Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel.  All painted by Chef Sergio himself, which I must say, the work is VERY, VERY impressive!  It’s also rather uncanny, being that right outside the door of this “Italian oasis” if you will, stands an otherwise nondescript office building filled with insurance, medical and dental offices.

Without further ado, have a look for yourself at Chef/Artist Sergio’s magnificent work adorning Cafe Sistina’s dining room…

Entrance to the men and womens restrooms…

The entrance from the back of the lobby in the parking structure has a deceptively painted door on the wall…

Hmmm, which one do we enter from?

Now when you have a chef who’s that artistic with paint on canvas (or wall for that matter), imagine what his or her capabilities could be with food on a plate!

Chef Sergio learned his culinary craft back home in Italy from mediterranean fisherman, housewives in the local markets, as well as watching and helping his mother and grandmother in the family kitchen back in his native city of Turin in the northern region. Combining all those learned techniques, his dishes are said to be earthy, creative and truly authentic.

That said, let’s have a look now at what’s on the menu…

Sorry about the out-of-focus results on some of these menu photos. Hopefully you can read most of it without hurting your eyes. Otherwise, go to their website here, where you can view some (but not all) of what you’d actually find in the restaurant and menu as presented here.

As you see, the menu is predominantly pasta-based, with just a few other selections prepared with either risotto (rice), polenta (cornmeal) or gnocchi (sometimes potato-based). Which is fine with me, as I think of pasta first and foremost before anything else when it comes to Italian cuisine. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Anyhow, on this first time visit to Cafe Sistina for all of us except Diner AC, since we were told the entree portions here were quite large, we skipped appetizers and went straight for the main dish, starting with Birthday Girl Diner C’s dish, the Pollo Limone…

Cafe Sistina – Pollo Limone: Chicken breast sautéed with cremini mushrooms Capers in a zesty lemon wine sauce, linguine. $15.75

Continuing with a similar chicken theme, from the ‘SPECIAL COLLECTION’ menu, Diner A went with the Pollo Noci E Marsala dish…

Cafe Sistina – Pollo Noci E Marsala: Chicken sauteed with garlic in special walnut sauce with penne. $15.75

Going into another direction, Diner E went with this very interesting and mighty tasty Italian sausage dish name Salciccia al Chianti…

Cafe Sistina – Salciccia al Chianti: Italian sausages sauteed with onions and garlic in a zesty tomato wine sauce with Penne. $14.75

In this case, Diner E subsituted Penne for Linguine pasta, which they were happy to do upon request.

Diner AC, who’s been here a few times in the past and is fond of their eggplant dishes, on this occasion continued that trend,  this time trying the Orecchiette Melanzane…

Cafe Sistina – Orecchiette Melanzane: Olive oil, onions, garlic, eggplant and basil in a Light tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella. $14.75

Last but not least, after a weekend of meat-heavy Super Bowl indulgences, I decided to lighten up for the new week with what they tout as a “great vegetarian choice”, opting for the Penne ai Porcini…

Cafe Sistina – Penne ai Porcini: Great vegetarian choice….spinach penne in a Wild porcini and forest mushroom sauce. $14.75

Included with every meal is complimentary “bottomless” (continuously replenished as needed) table bread…

Cafe Sistina – complimentary table bread with compound butter, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Speaking of vegetarian, we all got a little greens in by sharing this generously-portioned Insalata Contadina…

Cafe Sistina – Insalata Contadina: Large-Mixed greens, grilled eggplant, zucchini, onion, bell peppers, frittata, feta cheese. $11.75

In fact, while we didn’t do that on this visit (and folks on Yelp don’t really mention it), all the dishes were so generous in portion, that I’d recommend dining family style here due to the nature of how they’re plated.  Each main entree plus a salad could easily feed two hungry adults. I’d say 2 main entrees plus a salad could easily feed 4. Or if you’re really hungry, just go by the general rule and order one dish per person shared family style.  Can’t go wrong there.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my heaping helping of spinach penne that was tossed in that WONDERFUL forest mushroom sauce. De-lish! Not to forget the generous helping of sliced sauteed Porcini that totally ROCKED this dish. God, how I love mushrooms with pasta. Mushrooms with just about ANYTHING, actually!

As for the Spinach Penne, while the green color may have you think it tasted really “green”, in reality it was mostly just a coloring agent and didn’t taste much different that standard penne pasta, if not being ever-so-slightly “earthy”. Yet that said, the sum of its parts surely proves to add up!

Here Diner E shows off that fantastic house-made Italian sausage, as he rolls it up on his fork along with a helping of perfectly al dente linguine…

It was difficult to pinpoint the spices in the sausage on just the one slice I tried, but I’d say it’s like a cross between Chorizo, Hawaii style Portuguese Sausage and Salami, if that helps at all. Kinda’ spicy, a little dry, yet the sauce provided a pleasant moisture contrast to it, while also adding an acidic element from the tomato sauce. Very, very nice! If Chef Sergio were willing to sell this sausage to me on the side, I’d buy some!

Overall, while I can’t go into details of every nuance of flavors for every entree here, trying my best to convey it all in a nutshell, I will say from the bite I had from each one that my fellow diners shared with me, the recipes certainly live up to how I explained earlier where Chef Sergio’s culinary roots are held. The food was all certainly authentic tasting (to what I imagine in my mind of the region), while indeed being earthy, rustic, creative and — yes — ARTISTIC  in a simple, yet well-executed way.

Kind of going in reverse here, the table bread, which was served before the meal with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil (which didn’t taste like Extra Virgin) and an herb-infused compound butter was served nice and warm/hot (points on that), with a fresh, soft and supple interior, while being slightly flaky-crunchy-crusty outside. Nothing outstanding or unique, yet certainly not a disappointment as far as basic table breads are concerned.

As for the Insalata Contadina (salad), THAT had a wonderfully-flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil-based Vinaigrette dressing, while the grilled Eggplant and various fresh veggies all met expectations for quality. Of course can’t forget the Feta Cheese. Overall, no complaints. Very good.

While as usual we were all quite stuffed, we made room for a few desserts on this birthday occasion, which here we shall take a look at the menu for that…

First arriving on the table was a complimentary Birthday slice of their Tiramisu…

Cafe Sistina – House Specialty. A homemade authentic Italian dessert. $6.50 (birthday comp’d)

Following that, we have the Passion Mango Cheesecake…

Cafe Sistina – Passion Mango Cheesecake: Layers of creamy smooth passion fruit (Lilikoi) and mango topped with tart passion fruit curd and finished with a thin layer of passion-mango glaze. $5.50

Wrapping it up, the Cafe Ole…

Cafe Sistina – Cafe Ole: A dessert for coffee lovers, flavorful layers of espresso, chocolate and cream served on a toasted hazelnut crust. $5.75

I’m quite confident just by the looks and SOUND of the descriptions of each of these desserts, I don’t need to tell you each and every one ROCKED, do I? OMG, Delicioso!

Just one note is that the Passion Mango Cheesecake tasted more like LEMON Cheesecake, as that tart-flavored Passion fruit “glaze” dominated its flavor. Still good though!

The Cafe Ole? AWESOME. Same for the Tiramisu. I really liked that one, which was super moist and refreshing, not heavy. None of these desserts were too sweet either. All had good balance. I’m going with an overall solid 4 SPAM Musubi on all the desserts.

Summing it up, satisfying our hunger for some good Italian pasta, Cafe Sistina delivered. Across the board, the food met or exceeded our expectations, with a rustic and simple yet sophisticated flare to each dish.

The ambiance was clean and elegant yet not too pretentious nor casual. While the artwork adorning every wall and ceiling was a feast for the senses, not to mention a great conversation piece as you wait for your food.

The service on our visit was very good. Food arrived at the table within a reasonable time, while our servers were both genuinely friendly and attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Add to that the convenient FREE parking in the building with validation.

All that said, if you haven’t been here yet, or haven’t in a while, absolutely do put Cafe Sistina on your must-do/redo list.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, if you’re looking for a romantic “hidden gem” that won’t break the bank, Cafe Sistina should make an excellent choice!

Cafe Sistina
1314 South King street
Honolulu, Hawaii  96814
Tel. 596-0061
www.CafeSistina.com

The Tasty Island rating:

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

Related links:
Cafe Sistina – Yelp user reviews

Well, the big game day is finally upon us as we all get ready to watch the New Orleans Saints take on the Indianapolis Colts in Florida. With that, right about now many of you probably already have your grill fired up, and the steaks, ribs, chicken, fish, burgers and dogs all seasoned, marinaded and ready for action.

In Hawaii, next to Teriyaki, Korean Kal Bi is one of the most popular styles of meat folks at home or at the beach like to barbecue (technically to grill). That wonderful marriage of flavors in the marinade between the shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and chili pepper is guaranteed to bring out the best of the beef short ribs. When done right, it’s “Umami” at its finest.

Shown above is an EXCELLENT example of the dish I picked up this past Wednesday at Jin Joo Korean Restaurant in the Waimalu Shopping Center. What separates Jin Joo from many other Korean take-out restaurants is that they use the “Big Bone” short rib, with just one big bone on the end, and the meat butterflied off it into a long strip.

Here at this angle you can kinda’ see better what I’m talking about…

I was actually much more pleased with how Jin Joo’s Kal Bi tasted this time, compared to my last order from here, where I gave it only 2 SPAM Musubi. This time around I give it a very solid 4!

For home-made Kal Bi, if you’re not making it from scratch, I think the best Kal Bi marinade to use is the Man Nani Food Co. brand by Halm’s…

Interestingly it has miso paste in it, which I think is the secret “ingrediment” that gives this sauce extra body and super-savory depth, especially after it caramelizes and sears onto the meat on the hot flame. I swear, even road kill marinaded in this stuff would probably still taste great. Seriously, really good stuff!  Costco sells the big bottle for like $8. Definitely a must-have item in your pantry.

In contrast to the “Big Bone” Kal Bi BBQ beef short ribs from Jin Joo, like I said earlier, most (of the cheaper) take-out Korean Restaurants around the island use standard thin-cut short ribs across the bones. Like they offer here from Dole Cannery BBQ…

Dole Cannery BBQ – Kal Bi plate. $ n/a

In this case, you see they cut each bone section into bite-size pieces. That should make it easier to eat if you’re only using chopsticks.

When it comes to food, Super Bowl parties are usually all about “manly-man” meat, meat and more meat, and there’s no question the “Bento King” of Oahu, the Zip Pac addresses that need from just about every angle…

Zippy’s Zip Pac. $8.10

You got your chicken (fried), your fish (mahimahi, deep-fried in Panko), your beef (teriyaki), your pork (luncheon meat) and of course da’ rice (with Furikake on top). Throw in a takuwan slice for good luck and you’re in it to win it, baby!

Anyway, hope you all enjoy the game today, and remember, don’t drink and drive. Go Saints!