Restaurant Review: Lobster King

Having a mildly strong craving for seafood this week, I decided that this was the time to try the fairly new Lobster King on the corner of King and Keeaumoku Street.   The reason for this choice was the crowds I see every weekend when I pass by on my way to other destinations.  Joined by a fellow foodie, it was with great anticipation that we sat down and awaited our Friday rewards of succulent lobster and other tasty dishes.  Since it was only the two of us, we ordered only three dishes:

1)  Braised Kau Yuk and Taro in Hot Pot
2)  Lobster sauteed in garlic and butter
3)  Garlic Seafood Fried Rice

While there were other specials to choose from hese dishes were specifically chosen to represent that which we had the most reference to, and are fairly standard at most Chinese seafood restaurant.  It is by this watermark that we could make the best evaluation of the food being served.

 I came very close to ordering the deep fried intestine

Our offerings today

Unfortunately, this type of reward was not to be had by my friend at I on this particular location.

Without indulging in too much hyperbole, I can honestly say that every dish was something that could have been on par or beaten by an entree at Panda Express.  Here are my reasons:

1)  The Garlic Seafood Fried Rice had no garlic flavor nor was it fried.  It tasted like it would have used a few more minutes in the wok to get rid of the excess moisture in the rice.  What we received was bland, slightly soggy, and in desperate need of some salt and pepper.

2)  The Garlic Butter Lobster, like the fried rice, lacked the necessary garlic flavor.  While drenched in butter, it was the unsalted type which left the lobster greasy and again needing a little salt.

3)  The Kau Yuk with Taro, while not lacking flavor only yielded one flavor...Star Anise.  The over-indulgent use of this spice took over any taste of pork or taro that should have been in this dish.  It also seemed to need a bit more time braising as the pork belly was still chewy and the fat hadn't melted yet.

Overall,  I was fairly disappointed with the whole meal and feel pretty certain that I will not go back there anytime soon.  If any of you feel the urge to go here, save your money and get some Panda Express.

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Restaurant Review (Kiss My Grits)

Sometimes in life things can get pretty hectic.  So it's been for me, which explains my lack of any post or any interesting cooking for that matter.  Still, I did want to put up this quick review on a new Southern restaurant that just opened up in Honolulu.

Kiss My Grits is a small private eatery that is located in the back alleys of Puck's Alley.  Owned and operated by a brother and sister from North Carolina, this is the place for good, heart-warming, comfort food even if you have never eaten this type of cuisine.  With a fairly varied menu, from grits, to fried chicken, to fried green tomatoes, this has quickly risen to the top 3 on my lists of favorite places to have lunch.

I was fortunate enough to pay my first visit with my wife and a bunch of friends.  The benefit of this is that we were able to order a variety of items and share "family style".  For those who want to EAT, get the fried chicken plate and rinse it down with their often sold-out Bourbon Bread Pudding.  For those who are on a budget, I would strongly recommend the chicken tenderloin biscuit sandwich.  At $3.95 this is a fantastic bargain and comes with a side of country gravy that will ensure a full stomach and a smile on your face.

Biscuits and Gravy 

Oyster Po' Boy

Brunswick Stew w/Cheesy Grits

Shrimp and Grits

Fried Green Tomatoes

Bourbon Bread Pudding

Banana Pudding

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Restaurant Review: Marukame Udon

Growing up in Hawaii, and for the most part a mile outside of Waikiki, there are certain absolute truths about the cuisine in that area. 

#1- Food is always more expensive in Waikiki
#2- There are no good places to eat in Waikiki

Recently Marukame Udon, a Japan chain, opened up in the center of Waikiki forcing me to change my perception of those first 2 truths.  While most people who visit from the mainland US have a perception that Waikiki is for the Japanese, there really aren't many Japanese restaurants in this area so Marukame is a welcome addition.  Honestly, who needs yet another Cheesecake Factory or Margaritaville?

Marukame Udon is what could be best described as "Fast Food" noodles.  Set up to be served in a cafeteria style setting, they only sell a few things on their menu, udon and assorted tempura.

  To order, a customer tells the counter worker which of the 5 different udon bowls he wants, then moves on down the line to receive their noodles from another counter attendant.  After receiving your noodles, you can choose from about 8 different tempura dishes to accompany your bowl.

It's worth noting that in the front of the store, there is a dedicated worker who's only job is to make the noodles during his entire shift.  This is not to different from the workers I've seen in Old Town, San Diego who spend all day making tortillas in front of their respective restaurants. 

Today, I shared my dinner with my son and we went with a bowl of Onatama Udon (noodles in broth with soft poached egg).  As my side dish, I order some tempura asparagus, fried chicken, and a musubi (rice ball) with dried fish.  Total cost with a soft drink, $7+. 

The taste of the food itself was passable.   The broth was a little on the tepid side, since they go through such high volume, but still very enjoyable.  I ended up only having one bite of the noodles as my son pretty much finished the whole bowl by himself.  The tempura was crisp and the musubi packed a lot of flavor, but he rice was a little too wet.  Still for the price I paid, it was certainly a very good meal that I would go back for, provided I can find free parking in Waikiki.

With Waikiki having gone through a face-lift over the last 10 years, Marukame is certainly a welcome addition for the budget traveler.  Definitely recommended for visitors who want a filling satisfying lunch but don't want to pay too much in Waikiki. 

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My Favorite Things (Roast Duck Kitchen's Roast Pork)

Working on the road as often as I do, it's important to know where to get good, quick, satisfying food.  It's always such shame to spend $7-$10 on a meal and leave unsatisfied, full of calories that you wish wasn't in you. 

Roast Duck Kitchen is located in the Aiea Shoppping Plaza and is tucked away on the 2nd story of a 3 story strip mall.  Those familiar with this mall, it's just diagonal of Koa Pancake House at the top of the escalator.

  My friend recently turned me on to this place due to my love of all things pork.  For some reason, despite the "duck" part of their name, their roast pork is what you want to come here for.

At $8.95/lb you get a succulent and very flavorful piece of pork belly that really makes you understand the true potential of the lowly pig.  Where most Chinese places tend to over-season their pork skin, Roast Duck Kitchen, shows self-restraint and roasts the skin with a nice spice mix that enhances rather than cover the flavor of the pork.  It's also cooked just enough  so that the skin will easily separate from the belly so you can have each piece as individual pieces of gastronomic glee. 

So is it worth the trip here?  If you are one of those who think pork is the ONLY White Meat, then yes.  For the rest of you, stop by if you are in the area.  These porky jewels make for a fulfilling shared snack, a nice side dish, or a main protein for dinner. 

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Restaurant Review (Paco's Tacos-Hanapepe)

Today, my work took me to Kauai which also meant I had the opportunity to have lunch with a friend who I hardly ever see but shares my love for food.  He recommended a fairly new taco stand called Paco's Tacos that I think opened up earlier this year and happened to be only 5 minutes from where I was conducting business for the day (Nice!)

Paco's Tacos is located in the small sleepy town of Hapapepe.  Some of you may know this name if you are fans of the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch as the movie takes place in this part of Kauai.  The night before, I checked on Yelp to see what I could find about my lunch destination.  The reviews were mostly from the locals in the area and all positive so I was apprehensively optimistic.

I ordered three different items (ala carte) to get a good idea of their cooking (Carne Asada taco, Carnitas taco, and a Chile Relleno).  The average price for most of the ala carte items range between $3.50 to $5 with plates as high as $14.95.

When I received my tacos they looked really good and I sauced it with a nice roasted chile salsa (which ended up being the highlight of the meal).  The tacos, overall, were rather bland and my friend and I both agreed that there was a lack of impact with both types that we ordered.  I wondered later, if they actually used salt and pepper prior to cooking their meats because they had a semi-boiled taste to them and was pretty bland.  The Chile Relleno unfortunately yielded the same result as the tacos since not only was it bland but the cheese was an obvious 3 cheese blend that I know I've purchased at Safeway before.

Was I surprised at the outcome?  I suppose I really wasn't as anyone who knows good Mexican food is aware that it doesn't really exist in Hawaii.  I will say that I would like a bottle of the roasted chile salsa to take home if they ever decide to sell it that way.  At the end, I did enjoy a Fried Ice Cream that was dipped in a nice batter then rolled in corn flakes.

Other than that, I wouldn't really make the stop and you would be better off just not looking for good Mexican in Hawaii.  I hope someday to be proven wrong but it's been a difficult search.  Oddly enough, it doesn't really stop me from always looking so I guess I'm an optimist at heart. 

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Restaurant Review (Manago Hotel Restaurant)

I'm lucky to have a job that allows me to travel to almost all the other islands in the Hawaiian chain.  While I go there for work, I do make sure that I make efficient use of my time to know where to eat and make sure it's worth the time and calories (believe it or not, I'm trying to lose weight).

Today, I found myself in Kealakekua, better known to foodies as Kona Coffee Central.  For me, being in Kealakekua means only two things (work notwithstanding), coffee and pork chops.  Today, I want to introduce some of you to the humble yet fabulous Manago Hotel. 

A landmark in this area, it was once a small overnight truck stop for truckers making the trip from Hilo to Kona hauling goods and assorted items.  Today, it's a small inn that has about 28 budget, no-frills rooms and one spectacular restaurant. The restaurant here, in my opinion, is what keeps this place afloat.  It's always bustling with locals with the occasional tourist on their way back from kayaking in the bay.  And while they have a pretty standard greasy spoon menu, any local foodie worth mentioning will tell you that there is only one thing you come here for, the pork chops.

In a throwback to days gone by every order of lunch comes with unlimited bowls of rice, veggies of the day, mac salads, and seaweed salads of the day.  Today, I was lucky to get a particularly delicious ogo salad, tossed with Maui onions and grape tomatoes.  So delectable was the seaweed salad that I asked for a second serving before my pork chops even arrived at the table.  What's I found amazing is that at $7/lb the salad is thrown in with all the other sides at no extra cost and you can eat as much as you like. 

As usual, I ordered the locally renowned pork chops.  At $9.25 you get two chops (about 4-6 oz each), pan fried with a little salt and pepper.  Today I also opted to get a side of grilled onions and a boat of brown gravy, which I ended up not needing because it camouflaged the taste of the pork too much.  What makes the pork chops so great is that the owners of the hotel are also owners of a pig farm on the island and therefore use their own product to supply to the restaurant.  This does not happen very often in Hawaii. 

While this is not a place that I can go to all the time, I am always grateful for the opportunity to eat here.  To me, the food is very reminiscent of the food my Grandmother used to serve me back in the mid-70's (particularly the ogo salad).  If you like simple, honest food and down-to-earth staff and cooks, please take the time to visit here if you can.  It's worth the trip up the mountain from the tourist traps of Kailua-Kona or the posh resort living of Waikoloa. 


Manago Hotel
82-6151 Mamalahoa Hwy
Captain Cook, HI 96704

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Restaurant Review (Pancakes & Waffles)

While there are a ton of breakfast places for one to eat in Honolulu, there are only a few that are noteworthy and even less that not overrun by hoards of tourists thinking they are eating where the "locals" eat because they found it on Yelp or TripAdvisor.  I will admit that these places (Eggs & Things, Cinnamons, Boots & Kimo, and Original Pancake House) are very good but, there is often a wait of no less than 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours just to eat breakfast (as a good friend of mine experienced recently).

Pancakes & Waffles opened a few months ago to moderate fanfare and is located in Palama which is an older part of town and off the beaten path and in between tourist sites.  What makes this place great is their ability to make generous portions of food for a fair price and high quality.  Noteworthy, is their Fried Chicken and Waffles ($8.25 or $9.25 to be covered with brown gravy).which makes it the reason to visit on your way to Pearl Harbor or the Swap Meet.

On my recent visit, I decided to try something different from my usual Portugese Sausage Omelette and ordered the Fried Rice Loco Moco ($7.25).  For the unfamiliar, this is a multi-layered feast starting with a base of ham fried rice, a homemade hamburger patty (1/3lb), two egg (over easy), and covered with brown gravy.  What I liked about this particular rendition of a Hawaii staple was the quality of the hamburger which was obviously made in-house and grilled to a hot, juicy perfection.

For the more dainty diners, all orders are served on paper plates with plastic cutlery., but tough it out and you will rewarded with a breakfast on par with the tourist spots but with very little wait.  For the local reference, think Koa Pancake House but one level higher.  

Pancakes & Waffles  
1284 Kalani Street Suite 100
Honolulu, HI 96817  
(808) 847-7770

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Restaurant Review (Bishop Street Cafe)

Today, I had rare opportunity to actually have lunch with my wife during a weekday since our schedules happen to coincide.  She introduced me to one of her new "cheap eats" places, Bishop Street Cafe, a very small yet efficiently run eatery that you order on the inside but dine on the outside.

With regards to the food, the prices are set very reasonably for lunch, ranging from $1.19 (grilled focaccia bread w/pesto dip) to $8.25 (Grilled Salmon Teishoku).  The menu ranges between three types: Italian, Japanese, Salads.  I ordered the Yaki Buta Don (grilled pork over rice) which came with a small cup of miso soup for $6.  My wife had a pasta dish tossed with oil, pepper, gargonzola cheese, tomatoes, and basil.  This came with a side green salad for another $6.  I thought I took a picture of both dishes but, unfortunately, only my lunch was saved to the phone (sorry folks).

Overall, the food was decent (pork was a bit dry), but for the price and considering the downtown location, I would certainly recommend it if you are already in the area but not as a special lunch trip with friends with your car.  If you like starch, this is the place as almost all their dishes are very heavy on the rice and pasta, and low on protein,  which would help explain the low cost of all the items on the menu.  Also worth mentioning, the service was fantastic and we got our food within 3-4 minutes of paying for it. 

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