Palolo Valley Eats: North Shore Grinds

Hah? North Shore Grinds in Palolo Valley? How you figgah? Hold on, I’ll explain.

For this week’s Aloha Friday lunch, we decided on checking out da’ grindz at North Shore Grinds, where, as the slogan states on their menu, “The taste of the North Shore in the city”.  Except I wouldn’t quite call Palolo “city”, but more of a suburb in a valley.

Owner and Chef Wayne Takushi explained to me that he chose this seemingly out-of-place name for his restaurant in light of his very fond memories of many years working in the kitchen at the Turtle Bay Hilton on the North Shore of Oahu, where he also calls his home not far away on that same side in Kahuku. He went on to explain that his folks live in Palolo where he grew up, so coming full circle, he decided to set-up shop here, bringing his culinary experiences working in a resort hotel on the north shore of Oahu back to his childhood home away from home “in the city” if you will. Nice.

North Shore Grinds is located on 10th avenue (turn mauka off Waialae), several blocks inward, just a building past Hobbietat (which you can see in the far back in the photo above).

Looking over NSG’s daily menu, you’ll find a few dishes that indeed would be suited just fine at a beachfront resort mixed amongst the basics in plate lunch fair…

More from the daily menu…

The specials of the day…

Wow, the menu selection is vast and everything sounds so ono, it’s hard to decide!

As for accommodations, there’s 5 sets of tables and chairs in the rather small, hole-in-the-wall establishment…

It only looks empty now, as I took those photos when I arrived upon them just opening their door at 11am. By the time I left with my order, the place was pretty much filled up. Interestingly, the last arrival of guests as I walked out the door looked like a group of mainland tourists venturing in there for the first time. Word must have got around somewhere!

Well, it was the first time for us as well, and we live here, but hey, at least we made it! Wayne mentioned that he’s been here around 11 years now, expanding the size from one unit to two. The first unit he operated from is now entirely the kitchen, which is where you order from the service counter window shown here…

Without further ado, the man himself, Chef Wayne Takushi…

Whoah, as you can see by his shirt, braddah Wayne is really working hard in da’ kitchen!

Next time I go Vegas, this is the T-Shirt I’m gonna’ wear in the casinos…

While NSG doesn’t bake/make their own desserts, you can get Ted’s Bakery pies and cakes here, which is fitting, being that Ted’s Bakery is also from the North Shore…

Pick up a box of Romaine Hearts too, while you’re at it. Nah, just kidding. That’s for the kitchen. lol

Getting to our order, Diner E was more in the mood for a sandwich today, so he decided to try NSG’s massive Teri Burger…

North Shore Grinds – Teri Burger with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion & Pickle, $4.20

Diner A got the plate lunch version of this, adding Chicken Katsu to the mix…

North Shore Grinds – Teri Burger + Chicken Katsu Combo, $7.95

Yours truly decided on sampling the Seared Ahi with Cilantro Pesto…

North Shore Grinds – Seared Ahi with Cilantro Pesto, $9.25

Notice I substituted “white ‘n mac” for brown rice and tossed green salad in an effort to maintain my girlishly-fab figure. lol

Wayne also hooked us up with a couple sampler plates, including the popular Herb-crusted Mahimahi with Lemon Cream Sauce…

North Shore Grinds – Herb-crusted Mahimahi with Lemon Cream Sauce, $7.80

And Sauteed Chicken Breast with Papaya Salsa…

North Shore Grinds – Sauteed Chicken Breast with Papaya Salsa, $7.85

So how is it?

The herb-crusted Mahi was everyone’s favorite. The deep-fried herb-laced crust was golden crispy and coated with herbs we couldn’t pinpoint individually, but it worked really nicely. While the mahimahi inside was super moist, flavorful and tender. The lemon cream sauce tasted like a modified tartar sauce, as if he added butter into it. Very rich, with a slightly sweet and acidic twang, making this dish almost fish ‘n chips like. We all gave it a solid 3 SPAM Musubi. I’d give it a four it were my plate alone.

Diner A really enjoyed his Chicken Katsu, noting how perfectly panko-battered and deep-fried it was, with the chicken inside being very moist and cooked to perfection. I tried a piece and concur. The sauce was kinda’ strange though, being some kind of odd mixture of American style barbecue sauce combined with Worcestershire sauce and horseradish. It worked though. Just very unusual. By its appearance, I was expecting it to be traditional Japanese Tonkatsu Sauce… like, oh, say, Bull Dog brand.

For the teri burger, his only gripe was that the burger itself wasn’t marinaded at all in teriyaki, but simply grilled and topped with teri sauce. See, Diner A and E are hardcore Teriyaki fans, so when they take notice to discrepancies like that, I have the utmost respect. lol  I tried the Teri sauce myself and thought it tasted great! Nicely thickened, perfectly shoyu-sweet, with just a hint of ginger.

All said and done, if polishing his plate means this plate was ono, that’s exactly what Diner A did with this one…

Diner A’s “polished” Teri Burger & Chicken Katsu combo plate… burp

Diner E wasn’t nearly as impressed with his Teri Burger, having several problems with it. First of all, the patty was overcooked and on the dry side. Secondly, like Diner A’s Teri Burger on his combo plate, Diner E’s Teri Burger Patty wasn’t marinaded in any Teriyaki, but simply grilled and then covered with Teriyaki sauce after the fact. Even at that, there wasn’t enough sauce to evenly coat the entire burger, having some parts exposed with none at all.

Here’s a bite-through view of his Teri Burger…

North Shore Grinds – Teri Burger

That photo speaks a thousand words about this Teri Burger. The lack of sauce being one, as if there were enough, it would be dripping and soaking into the bun.

Case in point, from Forty Niner Restaurant in Aiea,  here’s a perfect example of a how great Teri Burger SHOULD LOOK…

Forty Niner Restaurant – Teri Burger, oozin’ ‘n drippin’ with sauce

His other problem with NSG’s Teri Burger was that the bun was stale, causing it to crumb as he bit through it. Not good. It also wasn’t toasted on the inside, which is a MUST for a properly prepared burger. I really don’t know how Wayne, a highly trained chef, let that small yet important step slip through the cracks. Diner E also noted the overcooked beef patty didn’t have any notable flavor on its own, just being plain ‘ole bare-bones ground beef that perhaps wasn’t even salted and peppered.

On the positive side, it is quite huge, which it should be for $4.20, not including fries, which they don’t serve anyhow.

With that , Diner E gives NSG’s Teri Burger 1 SPAM Musubi by a stretch. Surely Wayne will heed criticisms like this constructively and make the improvements necessary for future Teri Burger orders.

Moving on to my Seared Ahi with Cilantro pesto plate, yum! What I must note is that the kitchen actually asked how I want my fish done: rare, medium or well. Awesome! Most places would just assume you want your fish medium-well, but not me. For me, any fresh Ahi beyond raw or rare is KILLING it. Killin’ it, I tell ya’. I always prefer fresh Ahi practically still swimming raw to rare, no matter how the dish is prepared. So I screamed into the kitchen to Dwayne and his assistant that mines be done that way. To which they obliged, here’s how it turned out…

North Shore Grinds – Seared Ahi with Cilantro Pesto

My only complaint about this dish is that the Cilantro Pesto LOOKS dead, as if it had been sitting in a jar on a rooftop for two days. I was expecting it to appear vibrantly fresh and green, but instead it looks pale olive drab, having me wonder what exactly I’m eating. Yet not to judge a book entirely by its cover, in taste it was DELICIOUS. It didn’t quite taste like the Cilantro Pesto used on Chinese Cold Ginger Chicken, but had a more earthy flavor. However Dwayne prepares it, it matches perfectly with the seared fresh Ahi.

I also really enjoyed the dressing that came with my tossed green salad. It says on the menu you can choose either Caesar or Hoisin dressing, but this one tasted more like it had Miso and Mirin in it, like the Pietro dressing you can buy in the store. However it’s made, it’s really good.

For that, I’ll give NSG’s Seared Ahi with Cilantro Pesto plate a solid 3 SPAM Musubi.

I brought the Sauteed Chicken Breast with Papaya Salsa home for my girlfriend to try, which she thought was outrageous, even considering it had been reheated in the microwave. She loved it! I didn’t try any myself, but she gave it a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi, saying she’d probably give it four had she eaten it there at the restaurant when it was fresh made and piping hot. She suggested that they should consider selling a burrito version of this, wrapping the sauteed chicken and papaya salsa in a soft tortilla, along with some chopped lettuce.  Sounds good to me!

If I lived in the Kaimuki/Palolo area, I’d certainly be visiting this place very often. There’s certainly a ton more stuff on the menu I want to return again for and try. Like, oh, say, the Breaded Pork with Apricot Glaze, and the Garlic Calamari with Roasted Pepper Cream Sauce. OMG, do those sound ono!

North Shore Grinds in Palolo Valley, I will be back!

North Shore Grinds
1429 10th Avenue
Palolo, Hawaii  96816
Tel. 732-7775
contact: northshoregrinds<at>gmail<dot>com

North Shore Grinds Take-Out Menu (<—download PDF; current as of 10/09)

Business hours: 11am to 7pm Mon – Sat (closed on Sunday)

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Hawaiian Luau Barbeque Rings & Kettle Style Potato Chips

Tim’s Cascade Snacks’ Hawaiian Barbeque Rings tastes just like the original Yick Lung Nibb-its!

Starting off this multi-product review, we’ll be making a comparison between Tim’s Cascade Snack’s Hawaiian Barbeque Rings and Yick Lung’s Nibb-its snack chips.

The reason being, back in May of ’07 when we reminisced several popular ‘Classic Hawaii Snack Chips‘, I had noted how the Nibb-its I bought at the time weren’t quite the same as I remember them from childhood, saying “While a good try, they lack the porosity, fluff and prominent spicy barbecue flavor I remember them to be. While these here aren’t bad in and of itself, again, not the same. These are more “sealed” if you will. Crunchy, but too dense. Not fluffy enough. Best way to describe it. Most importantly, there isn’t enough barbecue spice flavoring sprinkled on it, making them bland to the original in comparison. I remember the originals being rather HOT, spice-wise.”

After reviewing some old comments following that post, thanks to reader Lawrence pointing it out, I took notice to fellow reader Lisa’s previous comment (which I should have done at the time) where she agreed with my sentiment, saying,  “I too have been disappointed with the modern Yick Lung Nibbits. They taste more like those cheap shrimp chips that you can get for a dollar at Longs.”

As you see by the headline product here, Lisa then suggested in her comment a new snack chip she discovered which tastes more like the original Yick Lung Nibb-its we so fondly remember from small keed time, adding, “HOWEVER!! I have come across something that is pretty darn close! They are the “Hawaiian Luau Barbeque Rings” made by Tim’s Cascade Snacks. I’ve only seen them in the single-serving bags, 1.5 ounce. But they taste (and ‘feel’ – you mentioned the texture and I agree) like the old Nibbits did, only they’re in an “O” shape.

Intrigued by her comment and finally following up on it, I recently stopped by Time’s Supermarket on King street, where sure enough they had Tim’s Cascade Snacks’ Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings in stock. Not only this flavor, but several other varieties as well under Tim’s Cascade Snacks’ ‘Hawaiian’ product line. I was only disappointed they didn’t carry the Teriyaki Kettle Chip flavor, as they show on their website.

Here’s the back of the Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings package where you’ll find all the nutritional and product information…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings, $1.69/1.5 oz. bag

Let’s take a look at these Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings out of the bag….

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings… the “new” original Nibb-its?

They sure look similar in puffy-fluffy texture, along with the generously-coated barbecue seasoning I remember the “old school” Yick Lung Nibb-its having.

Now let’s try a few. Yup, oh yes. Now THIS is more like the old school Nibb-its I remember. This is it! If not for the ring-shaped form, if I closed my eyes, I’d think these were the real Nibb-its deal.

Crunchy, puffy, very porous, light and airy. It’s also very SPICY hot like I remember the “old school” Nibb-its were; at least so they seemed to my adolescent-aged palate at the time. They also have a little sweetness to it that really helps balance out the spiciness. Really ono! I’m going 3 SPAM Musubi on these. They’re actually a little too hot, so scale back the cayenne or whatever pepper that’s providing the ample heat and these could be a 4 SPAM Musubi’er.

Fortunately Time’s also had Yick Lung’s current offering of Nibb-its in stock in the same section of the aisle, so I picked up a package for a side-by-side comparison…

Yick Lung Nibb-its – 2009 edition, $3.49/1.9 oz. bag

Notice on the label, Yick Lung is celebrating their 109th Anniversary this year, making them a 110 year old Kama’aina company. Very impressive! Now if they can only get their stuff together and be the big “Crack Seed Company” we once knew them as. Yick Lung used to have their own cracked seed manufacturing facility on Dillingham Boulevard, across the Cutter Dealership, but they sold it a few decades ago.

Back in the day, you’d commonly find Yick Lung’s entire crack seed line prominently displayed in front of checkout stands at Longs Drugs and most local supermarkets, easily distinguishable by their classic yellow, red and blue logo package label (see inset of it on package label above). Now no mo’ nottin’; only get da’ Enjoy brand (which is darned good I might add) and a few other spin-offs.

Now let’s check out Yick Lung’s Nibb-its in this newest batch…

Yick Lung Nibb-its – 2009 edition

Trying it out, these are more fluffy and seasoned, and truer to the original than the Nibb-its I had in the previous write-up. Yet on the downside they’re also a little more greasy and “starchy” flavored underneath the seasoning – an attribute not noticeable in the Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings.  I’m gonna’ have to agree with Lisa that Tim’s Cascade Snacks Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings still taste more like the original Nibb-its than the new Nibb-its do themselves. Go figgah’.

This latest batch of Nibb-its have improved though over the last time, which I’ll give them 2 SPAM Musubi as it is now. At least if not considering the considerable price difference: this 1.9 oz. package of Nibb-its costs $3.49, where as the slightly smaller quantity package of Tim’s Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings were just $1.69 each. Of course, supporting the local brand – regardless of price – would be the right thing to do.

It was funny reading Lawrence’ comment about enjoying Nibb-its with “wit da pog ice cake”. Ha! Small keed time, we used to have that with snack chips too! FYI, POG is an acronym for Passion-Orange-Guava juice, which when frozen in a paper cup is what’s referred to as ‘POG Ice Cake”‘. To eat it, you pop the frozen cup-formed juice out and invert back in the cup as a holder and lick away. Good stuff!

Moving on, also joining this segment of Tim’s Cascade Snacks’ product line are these Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Rings…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Rings, $1.69/1.5 oz. bag

What you need to know…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Rings, $1.69/1.5 oz. bag

Here they are out of the package…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks’ Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Rings tastes like a lighter, sweeter Funyon

While I don’t have any Funyons on hand to compare with side-by-side, I can say these are a mighty tasty, slightly sweet, very light and fluffy alternative.

Nothing on the packaging boasts that this uses genuine Maui Onions, unless you assume that by its name. While in the ingredients, it does list Onion Powder. So these get their sweetness – which Maui Onions are known for – simply from sugar, which is also listed in the ingredients.

Regardless of how they get their sweet onion flavor, good stuff! I’ll give these another solid 3 SPAM Musubi.

Next we move on to the Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips side of the family, starting with the Original flavor…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Original Kettle Style Potato Chips, $2.99/5 oz. bag

I must say, the packaging artwork throughout the ‘Hawaiian’ chips and rings family looks absolutely fantastic. It also might have you assume at first impression that these products are made in Hawaii, not Algona, Washington, which is where they’re from.

What you need to know…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Original Kettle Style Potato Chips, $2.99/5 oz. bag

Let’s check out the chips…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Original Kettle Style Potato Chips

They have that rustic, random Kettle style appearance, with about a 1mm gauge thickness to each chip. Surprisingly, as most chips nowadays are the opposite, these were rather UNDER-salted. Texture-wise, they’re crispy-crunchy, while being rigid like every kettle-cooked chip should be, though not as much as the thicker (and I think one of the best out there) Kettle brand. The very light treatment of salt, along with the specific type of cooking oil and/or potatoes they use to make these offer just an OK Kettle Chip, IMO. I think Frito Lay’s Maui Style Potato Chips and both Maui and Kona’s Kitch’n Cook’d Kettle style potato chips have them beat here. That said, I’ll give these 1 SPAM Musubi.

Just like the Hawaiian Rings, these Kettle Style Potato Chips are also available in Sweet Maui Onion flavor….

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Kettle Style Potato Chips

What you need to know…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Kettle Style Potato Chips, $2.99/5 oz. bag

Let’s try the chips…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Kettle Style Potato Chips

Now these are really packed with “sweet Maui onion” flavor, thanks to the powdered ingredients generously coating each chip. Yet it’s pretty well balanced and in harmony with the rigid Kettle Potato Chip foundation, helping to punch that flavor out as well. This is much better than the Original chip, IMO. For that I’ll give this one a very solid 2 SPAM Musubi, and a qualified contender to Frito Lay’s Maui Style Maui Onion Potato Chips.

Finally their Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips, $2.99/5 oz. bag

Notice the fellahz putting the the pig in da’ Imu . Also notice it says “Sweet & Spicy” along with “Crispy and Crunchy”. Sounds like all the stuff to make for a mighty tasty potato chip.What you need to know…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips, $2.99/5 oz. bag

Let’s try it…

Tim’s Cascade Snacks – Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips

Oh yes, this one is my favorite of the 3 Kettle Potato Chip varieties. Which is surprising, as I’m not one who normally cares for Barbecue flavored chips, finding them usually overpowering and “artificial”. But this one has just the right amount of sweet and heat, while not being overpowered by the smoke flavoring, which I otherwise find off-putting. It seems to be essentially the same seasonings they use in the Luau Rings version, albeit this one doesn’t seem as spicy-hot for some reason. Summing it up, I’ll give their Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips a mighty tasty 3-SPAM Musubi.

Rewind back to the Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings, since they’re very similar in taste and texture to the original Yick Lung Nibb-Its, albeit in a ring shape, this is good news for you Hawaii expats seeking out some of the island grinds from your “hannah-baddah dayz” memories. Being that Tim’s Cascade Snacks is located in Washington state and has nationwide distributorship, these Nibb-Its knocks should be easy for you to find in your neck of the woods. Oh, and don’t forget da’ POG (or whatever your favorite juice flavor) Ice Cake to go along with it!

What? Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings & Kettle Style Potato Chips
Who makes it? Tim’s Cascade Snacks – 1150 Industry Drive North, Algona, Washington 98001  253-833-0255   www.timschips.com
Where did you buy it and how much it cost? Times Supermarket (King street location). $2.99 per 5 oz. bag potato chips; $1.69 per 1.5 oz. bag rings.
Big Shaka to: Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings tastes almost exactly like the “old school” Yick Lung Nibb-its that I remember. Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips are a great spin-off from the Luau BBQ Rings version (or is it the other way around?). Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Kettle Style Potato Chips are quite true to their name in actual flavor. All bags of chips were fresh and crunchy.  Great packaging artwork. Yick Lung’s current Nibb-its have improved a bit (no pun intended)
No shaka to: Yick Lung Nibb-its are comparitavely overpriced; also, recipe still needs some tweaking. Hawaiian Original Kettle Style Potato Chips were a little undersalted and bland (surprising that I say that).

The Tasty Island rating:
• Yick Lung Nibb-Its (2009 edition) – 2 SPAM Musubi
Tim’s Cascade Snacks:
• Hawaiian Luau Barbecue Rings – 3 SPAM Musubi
• Hawaiian Sweet Onion Rings – 2 SPAM Musubi
• Hawaiian Original Kettle Style Potato Chips – 1 SPAM Musubi
• Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Kettle Style Potato Chips – 2 SPAM Musubi
• Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips – 3 SPAM Musubi

Related links on The Tasty Island:
• Classic Hawaii Snack Chips
• Kitch’n Cook’d Maui Potato Chips
• Kona Potato Chips
• Hilo’s Atebara Potato Chips
• Maui Style Shrimp Chips

Airport Eats: Papa Ole's Lunch Wagon

Several weeks ago you may recall I mentioned stopping by Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon just to check out their menu, being that we had already bought plates from Joe’s Lunch Wagon in Mapunapuna. See, we’re diligently working on filling the void in lack of lunch wagons listed on The Tasty Island’s Index page.

After enjoying that STELLAR Peach Cake and Shortbread cookies Papa Ole’s so graciously “Aloha-comp’d” us on that last random visit (thanks to my handsome good looks lol), we made it a point to return again soon for lunch, which we followed-up in doing today.

Papa Ole’s Kitchen lunch wagon is located on Kalewa street, a loop off Lagoon drive on the Diamond Head (east) side of runway 22 at Honolulu International Airport. You can’t readily see them while driving/biking/walking down Lagoon drive, so you’d never know they’re there unless someone told you (like me), or for whatever reason, you took a detour onto Kalewa street.

Papa Ole’s has a brick and mortar restaurant in Hau’ula on the North Shore of Oahu. Both the lunch wagon and restaurant are overseen by owner/chef Cedric Kanoa, who we have here with his niece, Cookie…

Niece and assistant, Cookie gives a big shaka along with her uncle,  proprietor Cedric Kanoa, owner/chef of Papa Ole’s Kitchen Lunch Wagon by the airport and Papa Ole’s restaurant in Hau’ula

SUPER NICE FOLKS. I’ll start with that first and foremost.

As for the location near the airport, as you can imagine, it’s blazin’ sunny HOT there in the middle of the day. Thankfully they provide some canopies for shade, as well as a table for condiments, and also a table and bench to sit on if you care to eat there…

Now let’s see what get fo’ grind on da’ menu today (Pauhana Friday) from Papa Ole’s Kitchen…

Papa Ole’s Kitchen Lunch Wagon menu for Friday, October 23, 2009

Pretty standard lunch wagon fare, except… except if you look closely at the DESSERTS. Here is where Papa Ole’s truly SHINES. More on that later. I’ll just have to note that it should be spelled DESSERTS on the menu, not DESERTS. That is, unless you consider the extreme heat that comes with the territory.

Speaking of heat, it was so darned hot today, instead of grinding (eating) our plates at the turn-around parking lot at the end of Lagoon Drive to watch the planes take off from the Reef Runway like we had planned, we decided to take our grinds back to the cool comfort of our air conditioned office.

So let’s see what we got, starting with Diner E’s order…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Meat Loaf mini plate, $4.00

Accompanying the Meat Loaf, Diner E also picked up a Teri Beef Sandwich…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Teri Beef Sandwich, $2.50

Diner A decided to try their Teriyaki Beef Plate…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Teri Beef Plate, $7

Last but not least, yours truly decided on trying their Oxtail Stew…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Oxtail Stew, $7

Looking at the Oxtail Stew, at first impression I thought perhaps I got the wrong order, as it appeared more like your typical Hawaiian style Beef Stew, not Oxtail Stew. But as I dug through it, I found there were indeed two falling-off-the-bones Oxtails buried underneath…

One of two falling-off-the-bone Oxtail in Papa Ole’s Oxtail Stew

You can’t tell by the scale of it in this shot, but the other Oxtail I dug up was pretty big…

So how was it?

First let’s start with the globally available (all our plates included it) Mac’ Salad…

Papa Ole’s – Mac’ Salad

There was something really WEIRD with this Mac’ Salad. Like there was vinegar added into it, as it had an overwhelming acidic tang. Which you’ll probably ask if it was spoiled, but it wasn’t, as we certainly know from experience when Mac salad is in that state.  It just had this odd mayo/whatever-tangy flavor and edge that didn’t go over well with any of us.

Perhaps they used another brand of Mayonnaise than Best Foods, which in our humble opinion is a MUST. It certainly wasn’t Miracle Whip. It was also on the soggy and warm side, unlike my preferred state of Mac’ Sal’ being cool (chilled) and al dente.

Which is surprising, as my girlfriend said the mac salad that came with her Pulehu Shortribs plate from Papa Ole’s flagship restaurant in Hau’ula that she had recently was excellent. So go figgah.

Moving on to Diner A’s Teri Beef plate, the teri beef was tender and well-marinaded, but lacked any char-grilled edges, nor did it even taste like it was griddle-cooked. More like steamed. He also wished they put some Teri’ Sauce on the rice, ala the late Washington Saimin, which Diner E proclaims had da’ bes’ Teri Beef Plate on the island. With that, Diner A gave his Teri Beef Plate from Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon 1 SPAM Musubi (average).

Next let’s put Diner E’s Meat Loaf mini plate under the microscope…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Meat Loaf

The meatloaf itself is your typical ground beef mixed with bread crumbs and whatever “secret herbs and spices” they use. There wasn’t much for gravy except for the tomato-based coating from the crust of the thick slice. What was rather unusual was the strips of bacon given with the slice. I’ve seen meat loaf made wrapped in bacon for flavor, so perhaps that’s how this one is made. While I didn’t try it personally, so I can’t explain every nuance, Diner did, giving it again, 1 SPAM Musubi (average).

As mentioned earlier, Diner E also picked up a Teriyaki Beef Sandwich, which, as expected, was the same Teri Beef that was served on Diner A’s plate. So it had the same attributes as far as the meat itself is concerned. He did note that they steamed the bun, which helped give it that much-desired suppleness. But he did feel the quantity of Teri Beef in it was a little shy, so fortunately Diner A had some Teri Beef to share, so he added another generous cut to his sandwich…

Papa Ole’s “stock” Teri Beef Sandwich, with an extra slice of Teri Beef added from Diner A’s plate

Well, there ya’ go… a “MANLY-MAN!” Teri’ Beef Sandwich! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. lol

Even with the “upgrade”, Diner “Simon Kaukau” E grades his Teri Beef Sandwich from Papa Ole’s at 1 SPAM Musubi (average).

Finally my Oxtail Stew. which I really enjoyed. It tasted like the beef stew your mom or grandma makes. Simple, real down-to-earth home-cooked comfort food.  It was seasoned perfectly, the potatoes and carrots were tender yet not soggy, while the two Oxtails were falling-off-the-bones, suck-the-marrow-out ONO. Real ono. This was by far the best entree dish of the day, which I’m giving for the Oxtail Stew alone (discounting the Mac’ Salad), a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi.

Moving on to dessert, this is where Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon truly shines (just like the glaring sun above us). Behold their Chocolate Cake…

Papa Ole’s Chocolate Cake, $1.00

Think that looks delish? Then how about some Peach Cobbler…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Peach Cobbler Dessert, $2.00

Here’s a look at them in sliced view on a plate…

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon – Peach Cobbler and Chocolate Cake Dessert

How is it? Just like the Peach Cake and Shortbread Cookies we had from them the last time, these two desserts were EXCELLENT. The chocolate cake was very moist ‘n chocolaty, while the cool, creamy chocolate pudding “frosting” was a welcoming change over the traditional, very rich butter, sugar and egg frosting, whikle the Whipped Cream topping also added a wonderfully refereshing finishing touch.

As for the the Peach Cobbler, my girlfriend, who I brought some home for her to try, proclaimed it as one of the best desserts she’s ever had. Seriously. I haven’t heard her repeat “OMG” so many times as when she was devouring this Peach Cobbler. Kid you not. And that’s coming from someone with a college degree in culinary arts and who’s worked in the food service industry for many years. And if it’s that good being consumed long after, imagine eating it as it comes piping hot ‘n fresh out of the oven! With that, she gives both Papa Ole’s Chocolate Cake and Peach Cobbler 5 SPAM Musubi. Wow!

So, like most places, there were some hits and misses at Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon. The desserts were just fantastic, and the Oxtail Stew was supah’ ono, while the mac salad (ESPECIALLY the mac salad), meat loaf and teri beef needed work. For the mac alone, I’m going to assume it was a blunder of the day, as Papa Ole’s receives mostly very favorable 4 and 5 star reviews by Yelp users, and another high-five by my girlfriend and gang who also have eaten at their restaurant in Hau’ula.  “Da’ Short Ribs is killahz (amazing)!!!” is what I hear.

Fix the Mac’ Salad,  pulehu da’ Teri Beef and go heavy on da’ sauce, and pour some REAL (brown) gravy on da’ Meat Loaf, and the entrees could be just as great!

Papa Ole’s Lunch Wagon
Kalewa street (on the Daimond Head/Mauka end of Lagoon drive by Honolulu International Airport)
Tel. 673-9428
www.papaoles.com

The Tasty Island Rating:
2 SPAM Musubi

(2) Good. I’m glad I tried it. (Ono)

Related links:
• Papa Ole’s (Hau’ula) – Yelp User Reviews
• Mapunapuna Eats: Joe’s Lunch Wagon – The Tasty Island

Costco Food Court's New Beef Bake

Costco Food Court: All new Beef Bake, featuring Korean style Bulgogi. $3.49

Today we’ll check out Costco Food Court’s new Beef Bake, borrowing its design from their Chicken Bake.

In this case, and really, quite a surprise, the Beef Bake is filled with beef skirt steak marinaded and prepared in the style of Korean Bulgogi, along with diced white onions, Mozzarella Cheese and Caesar Dressing, wrapped and baked in a pizza pie crust topped with more Caesar Dressing and Parmesan Cheese.

Wow, Korean Bulgogi beef incorporated into an otherwise very American themed menu, huh? Where in the world did that idea come from? While this isn’t confirmed yet, the Costco team member I spoke with suggested the concept may have originated at the Costco in South Korea, which makes perfect sense.  After all, doesn’t every McDonald’s around the world now serve Portuguese Sausage, Eggs and Rice Breakfasts and Saimin? lol

Diner E bought one for lunch today from the Iwilei Costco, to which he shared some with me to try. Here’s how it looks on the inside…

Costo Food Court: Beef Bake – Marinated beef skirt steak in a Korean style sauce with white onions and Mozzarella cheese, wrapped and baked in Pizza pie crust topped with Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese

Notice the grated Parmesan Cheese baked onto the outside of the crust. Then looking inside, there’s a generous amount of melted Mozzarella Cheese oozing throughout the strips of beef.

The adequate amount of beef skirt steak within was very moist and tender and not over-marinaded, but striking a nice balance. If it didn’t say Korean marinade, you just as well assume it was teriyaki, as I couldn’t detect any sesame oil, just shoyu and sugar, which was nice. That “teri beef” flavor married very well with the melted Mozzarella kissing and hugging it.

Here in this second close-up, you can kinda’ see the chunks of diced white onions scattered throughout it inside, which also contributed well to the flavor party…

Personally I would like more veggies in it, like say bell peppers and cabbage, yet, then again, the simplicity of it as is works too.

I’m assuming the pizza crust dough wrapping is the same one from their traditional pie pizzas, and it offers a nice crunchy-chewy texture as you bite through the meaty, cheesy filling.

Diner E thought it reminded him of a Teriyaki Beef Sandwich “on steroids”, with the only thing missing being mayonnaise and lettuce.  Perhaps they should try substituting the Caesar dressing that’s layered on the inside of the pizza crust with Mayo’ instead. Either case, if you’re a Teriyaki Beef Sandwich fan, check out Costco Food Court’s new Beef Bake. You’ll probably dig it.

Diner E enjoyed it,  giving it a solid 2 SPAM Musubi.

What? Costco Food Court’s Beef Bake
What is a Beef Bake? Beef skirt steak marinaded in a Korean style sauce (Bulgogi), along with diced white onions, melted Mozzarella cheese and Caesar dressing, wrapped and baked in Pizza pie crust topped with (more) Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese
Where did you buy it and how much? Iwilei Costco Food Court, $3.49
Big shaka to: Bulgogi beef is very moist and tender. Melted mozzarella cheese marries well with the marinaded beef’s shoyu-sugar flavor. Crunchy-chewy pizza crust adds a nice texture and flavor constrast to the hearty, ooey-gooey, meaty, cheesy filling inside. Diced onions help bring out the flavor of the beef. Large size should make most adults full on just one.
No shaka to: although not bothersome, yet worth noting, the Caesar dressing inside the wrap adds a slightly weird acidic twang (we think Mayonnaise would be better). Would be nice if the Bulgogi was char-grilled (you know how much we adore our grilled meats).
The Tasty Island rating: 2 SPAM Musubi – Good. I’m glad I tried it. (Ono)

Pan de Sal Fried Chicken Sandwich & Mechado

Diner E’s latest creation: Valerio’s Whole Wheat Pan de Sal “bun”, encasing a whole boneless fried chicken, topped with chopped cabbage, Best Food’s (gotta’ be!) mayonnaise and Banana Ketchup

Diner E’s recent Pan de Sal Burger “invention-turned-enlightenment”  concept had him once again experimenting this novel east-meets-west idea.

In this take he decided to try using fried chicken, while continuing to use the simply brilliant slaw-like topping of roughly-chopped fresh, raw cabbage and Best Food’s Mayonnaise…

(Valerio’s) wheat Pan de Sal Fried Chicken Sandwich – with fresh chopped cabbage (vs. lettuce) and Best Foods Mayo’ topping

The chopped cabbage and Best Food’s Mayo’ topping blend makes all the difference in the world, while sealing the deal is the addition of this interesting and fitting Filipino twist, the addition of a drizzle or two of Banana “ketchup” sauce…

(Valerio’s) wheat Pan de Sal Fried Chicken Sandwich – with fresh chopped cabbage (vs. lettuce) and Best Foods Mayo’ topping and Jaffron Banana “ketchup” sauce

Particularly, the ideal Banana “ketchup” Sauce of choice according to P.I. native Diner C is this  brand by Jufran…

Juffran Banana Sauce (ketchup), less than $1.00 in most supermarkets

Here’s a package of Valerio’s  Pan de Sal rolls, where in this case it’s the healthier whole wheat variety…

Wrapping this up, here we have a cross-cut look at Diner E’s Pan de Sal Fried Chicken Sandwich with Filipino Banana Ketchup/sauce invention…

Diner E invents: Valerio’s Pan de Sal Fried Chicken Sandwich topped with fresh chopped cabbage, Best Food’s Mayo’ and Filipino Banana Ketchup/sauce topping.

Summing it up, Diner E and yours truly gives his OTHER new Pan de Sal creation here a very SOLID 3 SPAM Musubi. Potential four or five if the fried chicken was deep-fried-fresh. Make that, GAURANZ.

On that note, here’s another one of them Burger Machine commercials…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hCnOS-als4

Ummm, sarap sarap!
______________________________________________________________

This next dish is up there in the top three most sought-after queries searched for on this site, which would be Mechado Filipino Beef Stew…

Mechado, as prepared by Diner C

Mechado is very similar to your typical tomato-based “Hawaiian” beef stew, with the difference being that it gets a significant contribution of its core flavor from the red bell peppers, which you can readily see here.

The beef shortbribs are fall-apart tender, while the low-level gravy is just enough to provide plenty of moisture and shoyu, garlic and red pepper-infused flavor. Umm. SARAP SARAP! (I just learned that word from Diner C, which translates to REALLY, REALLY DELICIOUS in Tagalog).

I’ll feature a retake demonstration of the recipe in a future installment, done next time (unlike the last time), 100% in accordance to Diner C’s method. My take was good, but hers rocks! 5-SPAM Musubi.

Related links:
• Pan De Sal Burger – The Tasty Island
• Mechado Filipino Beef Stew – The Tasty Island

Grindz of the Day: Caprese Panini and Panini-Pressed Smoked Salmon Bagel

Eat Cafe – Caprese Panini: Roast Tomatoes, Basil & Fresh Mozzarella and drizzled with a Balsamic Vinaigrette, $6.95

Dropped back in for lunch today at Eat Cafe in the Gentry Pacific Design Center in Iwilei, this time trying out their Caprese Panini, a sandwich version of the classic Insalata Caprese, a.k.a. Capri Salad.

Eat Cafe – Caprese Panini

A very simple, yet absolutely delicious combination of fresh tomato, basil and Mozzarella cheese, where in this case is sandwiched between Country Sourdough Bread and Panini-pressed to perfection.

Here’s a look under the hood…

Eat Cafe – Caprese Panini

The tomatoes and basil are first grilled to soften it before going into the sandwich, which also adds a hint of smokeyness to the party. Nice.

The acidic and earthy element from the grilled, softened tomatoes, along with the zip from the basil and mild richness of the Mozarella and toasty, chewy sourdough bread with Balsamic Vinaigrette encasing all of that satisfied all the senses.

While I can’t say this Caprese Panini is as off the charts as the North Shore Farms’ Neapolitan Pizza, the “pie” version of the dish, it was wonderful never-the-less and a choice I’d certainly make again when returning here. Perhaps Ill try it with the Proscuitto next time.

As it stands, I’ll give Eat Cafe’s Caprese Panini an “I’d get this again!” 3-SPAM Musubi.

Next up from the same place, a few weeks ago I tried Eat Cafe’s Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese and Capers Bagel, done Panini style…

Eat Cafe – Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Capers and Red Onions on a Panini-pressed Bagel, $9.95

While this the core of this dish is nothing new, like the Caprese Panini showcased before it, the Smoked Salmon bagel has the perfect combination of flavor elements, with the acidity and earthyness from the capers, sweetness and bite from the red onions, savory from the salmon and richness from the cream cheese.

Even better in this case, where they add a wonderful toasty-tasty finishing touch by putting this “fully loaded” bagel through the Panini Press.

Smoked Salmon Bagel with Cream Cheese, Capers and Red Onions

The fresh salad accompanying it, featuring a mixture of locally-grown leafy greens and cherry tomatoes, garnished with a generous helping of shoestring-cut carrots and beets with a basic Olive Oil Vinaigrette rounded out the entire dish splendidly. As for the $9.95 price, I think the freshness of ingredients, execution and presentation, as well as the the fact that I was satisfyingly filled by it was well worth it.

For that, I’ll give Eat Cafe’s Smoked Salmon Bagel done Panini style another “I’d get this again” 3 SPAM Musubi.

Related Links:
• Iwilei Eats: Eat Catering and Cafe – The Tasty Island

Eat Cafe – Caprese Panini: Roast Tomatoes, Basil & Fresh Mozzarella and drizzled with a Balsamic Vinaigrette, $6.95

Return Visit to Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant

When our gang goes out to celebrate a birthday, we usually try to pick someplace new that we haven’t been to before. Well, this past Friday we broke that tradition by returning once again to Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant in Moi’ili’ili.

The first time we tried Los Chaparros back in February of 2007, we had such a favorable experience, that we unanimously decided it was worth a hana hou visit. Especially due to the fact that it was Diner A’s birthday on this occasion, and he really had da’ “ono’s” (appetite) for some good Mexican food.

Since our last visit, Los Chaparros has received many raves and accolades, including being voted people’s choice as one of Oahu’s Best Mexican Restaurants in the Honolulu Advertiser.

The dining room hasn’t changed much since, except for the addition of a  few ornamental decorations here and there…

Diggin’ the Sombreros on the Maneki Nekko. Them good luck charm cats must be happy with their festive hats on, as this restaurant continues to thrive. In fact, on this particular day, by the time we were well into our meal around the peak lunch hour, the place was almost filled to capacity. Good sign.

Here’s a view of the dining room, taken BEFORE the crowd arrived…

As mentioned earlier, by the time we were into our meal around noon’ish, almost all those previously open tables shown above were occupied, mostly with what appeared to be other groups of office workers.

So let’s check out the menu, starting with the appetizers…

Salads, Soups,  Sandwiches and Wraps…

The entree Combination Plates…

Los Chaparros Specialty Dishes…

Side Orders, Desserts, Beverages and Kids’ Menu…

Here’s the Specials…

And some featured desserts…

If you’re in the mood for a cocktail or two done South of the Border style, looks like Los Chaparros would be a great choice…

Getting us started, the complimentary Tortilla Chips ‘n Salsa quickly arrive at the table…

The light and crispy Tortilla Chips are made in-house…

The house Salsa is made with roasted red peppers, giving it a unique, earthy flavor undertone…

Also starting us off, we ordered two appetizers to share, starting with this Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip…

Los Chaparros – Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip: Warm and creamy dip made with a blend of cheese, artichokes, roasted green chiles and jalapenos. Served with French bread. $6.50

It’s a welcoming change to have this served with french bread instead of Tortilla Chips, lest we get “Tortilla’d out”. Ya’ know?

Here we have the Artichoke and Jalapeno Pepper Dip on the bread, along with a slathering of the house Salsa…

Them Mexican Flag toothpicks make for a nice, quick and easy ornamental garnish. lol

We also ordered the LC Garlic Fries….

Los Chaparros – LC Garlic Fries: deep fried potato cubes tossed with minced garlic, cilantro and cheese, served with our sour cream and salsa on the side. $6.00

A closer look at it…

Here’s my Chihuahua-sized appetizer sampler platter…

I put a few dashes of this here Tapatio Salsa Picante Hot Sauce on the sour cream…

So how’s the apps? Both the Garlic Fries and the Artichoke and Jalapeno Dip were EXCELLENT! Mucho Delicioso.

The fork-tender cubes of deep-fried potatoes were just smothered with melted cheese, garlic and parsley sprinkles. The garlic wasn’t as pronounced as I thought it’d be, yet enough where you knew it was there. The combination of that with the refreshing, spicy salsa and cool sour cream was a fantastic match.

Which has me thinking the next time I make a fully-loaded baked potato, I’m gonna’ try adding salsa on it. Sounds good!

The Artichoke and Jalapeno Pepper Dip also wasn’t as spicy-hot as I expected it to be, but still, the combination of flavors from the two chunky ingredients together when spread on the toasted bread was really ono.

My only complaint is that the LC Garlic Fries could have had a bigger portion. Yet, when you see how big the main entrees are, that must explain why they keep the appetizer portions on the smaller side.

Overall, I give these two appetizers a solid 4 SPAM Musubi. Not to forget those stellar Jalapeno Wontons we had the last time were here, which were also deserving of a 4 SPAM Musubi rating. Yum!

Now on to the main course, starting with Birthday Boy, Diner A’s plate…

Los Chaparros – Taquitos & Chimichanga Combo Plate. $13.50

Diner C’s plate…

Los Chaparros – Two Chimichanga plate (special) with Chicken and Vegetables. $10.00

Diner AC’s plate…

Los Chaparros – Fajita Salad: A flour tortilla bed with romaine lettuce, cheese, and sauteeed fajita veggies and meat (chicken). Topped with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. Served with Ranch, Vinaigrette, Ranch or Chipotle Ranch dressing on the side. $10.00

Diner E’s plate…

Los Chaparros – Sope with Carnitas and Beef Tamal Combo Plate. $13.50

Last but not least, my plate…

Los Chaparros – Mole Enchiladas: Two cheese or chicken enchilatas (I ordered one with chicken and one with cheese) topped with rich mole sauce. Garnished with sour cream, chopped onions and cotija cheese. $13.50

Here’s a look inside my Mole-smothered enchiladas, where you can see the tender and moist shredded chicken in one, and oohey-gooey melted cheese in the other…

The Mole sauce was more subtle than I expected, being neither excessively spicy, savory or robust. It tasted “chocolatey” in a dark way, but even that part was rather tame. No question the Mole compliented the cheese and chicken filled enchilatas, just not as characteristic as I thought it’d be.

The Spanish Rice served here is also on the conservative side as far as spices and tomatoes. It’s also dry and loose, in a good way. It goes great with their delicious Mexican beans, which are also rather conservative in character, yet seasoned just right.

When eating everything together, including the beans, rice, salsa and greens and the mole enchilata in successive bites, it’s absolutely delicious.

Essentially you can easily do that by simply ordering the Los Chaparros Super Burrito, which takes basically everything on the plate, all rolled-up in one handy-dandy tortila. That’s What Diner A had the last time we were here.

As you can see, the portions of  Los Chaparros’ entrees are huge. Enough where most of us were stuffed and threw in the towl after about finishing just half the plate, leaving enough leftovers to take home for a whole nother meal later…

Enchilada “doggy bag”

Fajita Chicken salad “doggy bag”

Taquitos “doggy bag”

Mole Enchiladas “doggy bag”

Like the last time, owner Mario Baron was our server, while his wife Lisa ran the service counter, to which service was quick and friendly.

Rounding it up, on this visit everyone unanimously gives Los Chaparros a solid 3 SPAM Musubi.

Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant
2140 S. Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 951+6399
www.LosChaparros.com

Menu (<—click to download PDF; current as of 10/09)

Tasty Island Rating:

Winnahz!

Related links:
• Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant – The Tasty Island
• Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant – Yelp User Reviews

P.S. What? No dessert!? What about a birthday cake? Well, immediately following that hefty main dish, we weren’t ready for dessert right after the meal, but after some rest we dug into a Chocolate and Haupia Pie from Ted’s Bakery (purchased at Times Supermarket on Beretania)…

Yes, Ted’s awesome pies are flown in daily all the way from Mexico. Nah, jus’ kidding. But the flag does add a nice touch! Ted’s Bakery is actually located on the North Shore of Oahu.

Witness the buttery-crispy-flaky pie crust, topped with a thick layer of creamy chocolate custard, then topped with an also creamy thick layer of coconut-based sweet haupia, and finally with evenly-piped whipped cream topping…

As always, AWESOME. Ted’s Pies ROCK. Haven’t had a bad one yet. When Thanksgiving comes around soon, you gotta’ try Ted’s Pumpkin Haupia Pie. Also AWESOME. My favorite flavor yet.

As if that weren’t enough, Diner D (you haven’t met him yet) shared this interesting Oreo Cookie chocolate cheesecake dessert his wife baked…

Oreo Cookie dessert did you say? Hai. It’s underneath as the foundation…

Here’s how it looks as you bite through the layers…

The chocolate on top is like a custard, while the doughy looking part in the center is cheescake.

Really rich, but really ono! Thanks to your wife, Diner D!

Exotic Fruits: Jabong & Santol

Jabong, a.k.a. Pomelo, Pummelo or Shaddock

It must have been “Exotic Fruits Week” this past week, as Diner E brought a couple of Jabong to share with everyone, while Diner A brought a few bags full of Santol.

Jabong – a citrus fruit very similar to grapefruit – is also known as Boh Look (in Cantonese), Pomelo, Pumello or Shaddock.

They’re quite large, as this one measures approximately 6″ in diameter.

You can either cut the thick, fleshy white and green rind off with a knife, or peel it by hand, which is how Diner E prefers to do it…

Diner E peeling the Jabong by hand

Actually not just peeling, but more like pulling by hand, as that’s what it takes to separate the thick rind away from the wedges within.

Here you can see just how thick the Jabong’s rind is…

New Virtual Home at TastyIslandHawaii.com

Kachan’s amazing Choux Creme “Creme Puff” with fresh Strawberry and Kiwi Fruit

Sorry about the brief confusion and fuss, but I decided to change the new domain for The Tasty Island Food Blog AGAIN from www.TastyIsland.net to www.TastyIslandHawaii.com.

TastyIslandHawaii.com is my final domain name choice, and I love the sound of it! It’s a little longer than I had hoped, but I didn’t feel the suffix in TastyIsland.net (.net) was appropriate for the purpose of this blog. Unfortunately someone from Taiwan beat me to TastyIsland.com, but that’s O.K.; I like the way the noun “Island” flows and connects with the proper noun “Hawaii”. So TastyIslandHawaii.com works!

Again, this is a major site change from its longtime original home at http://tastyisland.wordpress.com. I’ve paid WordPress for an automatic redirect to the new domain, so if you’re coming here from a bookmark at the original http://tastyisland.wordpress.com URL, you’ll hardly notice any change unless you’re looking at where the URL redirects to, which is here. Yay!

Doing this will allow me to expand and enhance the site more than was possible with WordPress’ free service, as well as give the primary URL (site address) and its subdirectories a more personalized and sophisticated appeal.

Because of this move, if you’re a subscriber to RSS feeds at the previous http://tastyisland.wordpress.com site location, that RSS feed, including previous posts listed on it will no longer receive new postings. Therefore now is a good time to subscribe to a new RSS feed at this new http://www.TastyIslandHawaii.com address. Either that, or right-click on the Tasty Island RSS feed on your browswer’s tool bar and select Properties. In there change the Feed location to: http://tastyislandhawaii.com/blog/feed/ and the Site location to: http://tastyislandhawaii.com/blog/

Also, because the sub-pages on this site also no longer have the same .wordpress extension in its URL, established search results of content from The Tasty Island on major search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. will now return as ‘NOT FOUND’. Eventually the “bots” will crawl this site at its new location and make the updates. That should take a few months.

If you have any suggestions or run into any technical issues, please let me know by leaving a comment or eMail.

Mahalo,
Pomai
The Tasty Island – Honolulu Food Blog
http://www.TastyIslandHawaii.com

Kaimuki Eats: Town

Joining us again today is guest blogger Tony Kawaguchi, a Honolulu resident who normally blogs about Hawaii Real Estate at www.AlohaTony.com.

Town
By Tony Kawaguchi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5 SPAM Musubi. Broke Da’ Mout’!

~ Tony
www.AlohaTony.com

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

The Tasty Island guest blogger rating:

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

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