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“Bento Man” - Misoyaki Butterfish Bento, $5.00
Ah yes, coming around once again to save us from the hungry monster’s lunch hour wrath, it’s a bird.. it’s a plane.. no it’s a van.. it’s.. it’s.. it’s Bento Man!…
“Hey Bento Man, you forgot your cape”
Yes that’s “Bento Man”, setting up the goods for display so everyone can get a good look at what lies deep within these blue and white portable plastic caverns of golden grindz.
So what Bento Man, what get today?
Looks good, looks good. Let’s see, get California rolls, cone sushi, maki sushi, seasoned long beans, namasu (buried underneath), tossed salad.
How about dat’ coolah…
Get Roast Pork, Charsiu Pork, Shrimp Tempura & Garlic Chicken, Mochiko Chicken, and samoa stuffs undah’neat’.
And da’ oddah’ coolah’..
Get Grilled Teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu & meat jun combo, meat jun, and plenny moa’ stuffs undah’neat.
What about dat’ coolah..
Get Misoyaki Butterfish (calling dibs) and Misoyaki Salmon, and plenny moa’ stuffs undah’neat.
Nevah have ’nuff coolahz, so he ‘wen stay use one box fo’ ‘dis stuffs…
Get Teriyaki Chicken Musubi, SPAM Musubi, vegetable tempura, SPAM/Mandoo/Mochiko Chicken combo, Soba “noodooz”.
Dis’ one look pretty ono…
I think that’s Mapo Tofu, or some Japanese twist of the dish. Sharing that space is Chicken Katsu.
Whoah, da’ choices!
So as you seen above, I went with the Misoyaki Butterfish…
How was it? As good as butterfish gets. Oishi desu. And buttery…
Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, good. The butterfish is tender, flaky and buttery-moist. With that super-flavored seared skin and carameled Misoyaki sauce sealing the deal, this the winner right here. The champion of all bento entrées is the Misoyaki Butterfish.
Of course it could stand to be hotter (heat wise), but room temp’ works. I didn’t wanna’ nuke it and dry it out. I didn’t care for the plain steamed veggies that it came with though, as it didn’t match with the misoyaki flavor of the fish as much as tsukemono would have. At least had Daikon, which is an effective palate buffer.
Overall, based on how fantastic the Misoyaki Butterfish alone was, as well as being an overall exceptional value having all those veggies included with it, I give this a bento 3 SPAM Musubi rating. I’d buy it again.
I also got a California Roll..
“Bento Man” - California Roll, $1.50
While that’s not the prettiest California Roll you’ll ever see, flavor and texture wise, it’s exactly WHAT a California Roll SHOULD be.
The basics are here, with no more and no less: fresh avocado, cucumber, imitation crab and mayonnaise, wrapped up in sushi rice and nori. That’s it. It’s perfect and it tastes fantastic just like that. Especially with a dab of Wasabi on each one, which they conveniently provide in this tray, wrapped in a green plastic garnish “leaf”. And just $1.50? Sign me up!
Bento Man’s California Roll gets 4 SPAM Musubi from me.
Diner E chose the Chinese Roast Pork & Charsiu Pork combo…
“Bento Man” - Chinese Roast Pork & Charsiu combo bento, $5
Very good Roast pork and Charsiu for a Japanese restaurant. As good as any I’ve tasted from a Chinese restaurant, if I might say. One thing great about Bento Man, is he always includes the necessary condiments, as is the case here with the Coleman’s mustard and shoyu dipping sauce. I don’t know about Daikon with Roast Pork, though. lol His only complaint is that it wasn’t hot (temperature-wise), otherwise he thought it was spot-on. With that, he rates this one 2 SPAM musubi.
To wash it all down, I went with a handy-dandy can of Hawaiian Sun Guava Nectar..
65 cents from the office vending machine
Thanks Bento Man. You saved the day again!
Related Links:
• The Friendly Neighborhood Bento Man
“SPAM” , eggs & fried rice bento from “Bento Man”, $5.00
“Good Lord!”, you must be thinking. That’s what I said when the weigh-in results came in on this Godzilla-sized breakfast bento.
First of all, if you think I’m the insane one for choosing this, no, I’m not. It was Diner A. And while he’s a skinny guy that generally eats a nutritious, well-balanced meal, this was one time he must’ve thought, “What the heck, just $5 bucks for all that?. Go for it.” lol
Upon looking over those thick cuts of luncheon meat (it’s the Armour-Star brand we think), Diner A couldn’t resist taking it to the scale for a weigh-in. Just feeling it, you could tell this baby had some heft, or as we say, “poundage”. With that, Diner A suggested I include a new “Poundage Factor” on this blog, providing the weight of various plate lunches and other food items that are showcased here. Wha’cha’ think?
While it could be made to sound “light” and say this weighed 22 ounces, by “Poundage Factor” it would read 1.5 POUNDS. Even if its just 4 oz., by “Poundage Factor”, that would read as a QUARTER-POUND. Hey, the burger guys do it. lol
Actually, he had this massive breakfast bento for lunch. As you see it goes a step further than the standard, and includes fried rice (instead of white), one mandoo and a slice of Daikon. Not bad for $5.
Easy to understand when it’s from the “Friendly Neighborhood Bento Man“…
Funny enough, as much he thought that massive bento tasted pretty darned good, he gave it “just” a 2 SPAM Musubi rating, noting that there was TOO MUCH luncheon meat, throwing off the meat-to-eggs-rice ratio. lol
Now I need to run a few laps after just looking at that. lol
Diner E went with Zippy’s special-of-the-day, the Meatloaf with Brown Gravy…
Zippy’s special - Meatloaf and Brown Gravy (mini), $5.00
I missed getting a good shot of the meatloaf cross-cut. Anyhow, Diner E noted how fantastic Zippy’s brown gravy is. I must admit, it is one of the best in plate lunch-ville. It’s the deal-maker on their otherwise overpriced $8.50 Loco Moco. This plate received a 3 SPAM Musubi rating.
Well that was entertaining.
Seriously, Caramel Sushi!? No. Well, actually sort of. Sushi and caramel are on the menu, just not together on one plate. But heck, it sounds interesting, and just might be one day! Read on…
A few nights ago, the lady and I had dinner at Sansei Seafood & Sushi Bar at the Marriot Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, which was a first-time visit for us. Sansei is located in a shared space with sister (or big brother, depending how wanna’ view it) restaurant, D.K Steak House on the makai (ocean) side of the property on the 3rd floor. They were formerly located in Restaurant Row where Hiroshi now operates.
With that, both restaurants share a common entrance…
You can actually see into D.K Steak House from the front-end of Sansei, where a common bar divides the two establishments.
Paintings adorn the entrance hallway which remind you of the theme…
With master sommelier Chuck Furuya being a business partner with D.K, it’s no wonder there’s an extensive selection of wine to choose…
Once you make your way past the common entrance and hostess’ desk, there’s the sushi bar…
Then you turn the corner to the right and make your way into Sansei’s main dining area, where there are open tables, private booths and seating outside on the patio…
We were fortunate to be seated (without formerly requesting it) next to a window inside, overlooking Waikiki beach…
The window seat table we were given here offered the best of both worlds: immediate access to our server (dining room is enclosed), quiet air-conditioned comfort, and a great view. Perfect.
As for dining room ambiance, noise levels and chatter were minimal during our time there, which was between 7 and 8:30pm, though I’ve heard it can be a “shout-fest” during the late night hours (they ‘re open until 1am). Lighting (after the sun set) was a good balance of intimate in level, while still being able to see what’s on the plate.
The dining tables maximize marketing efforts by placing D.K’s “Sushi Chronicles” recipe book cover under the glass top of each table…
And for the “newbies”, a Sapporo Beer-sponsored Sushi guide…
The only condiments that are permanently situated on each table are two bottles of Yamasa Shoyu (I added the wasabi and ginger from my sushi plate)…
I like Yamasa brand. I’d say it has the smoothness of Aloha, while not being too salty or bold like Kikkoman. Perfect choice for sushi.
Our server Kiana was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, pointing out her own favorites, other popular dishes and a few helpful ordering tips.
Speaking of menu, that’s what stumped us. I had downloaded their online menu from their website to review what they had, only to find the menu in-house is much, much more extensive!
We decided to order mostly appetizers shared between us, and even our server agreed that as the best way to go.
So we started off with the Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll…
Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll - Fresh Island Yellowfin tuna wrapped with arugula, and flash-fried, topped with soy wasabi butter sauce, $11
This was fantastic. It’s under their “Award Winners” category, and no wonder. The seared ahi was very fresh-tasting, with that “melt-in-the-mouth” texture. While that flavor and texture contrasts of the nori, arugula and golden brown crispy panko crust was a winner. Winner, winner. Bringing it all together is that Soy Wasabi butter sauce which sends your tastebuds into all kinds of directions, without being too complex. Awesome.
This arrived along with a (classic) dish of Shrimp Tempura…
Shrimp Tempura, $12
The shrimp tempura were decent size and beautifully moist, sweet and tender. Only thing was the batter was just a tad-bit on the soggy side. Just a bit. Still very, very good, but it could stand a little more crispiness. It’s served with the classic dipping sauce, grated daikon, ginger and a lemon wedge.
Needless to say, as hungry as we were upon arrival, we made very quick work of these starters, while looking over the menu for our next choices.
The lady wanted to try their California Rolls (her favorite), so that’s what came to the table in round two..
Not bad. The sushi rice, while a little on the cold side, had perfect texture and sushi-su seasoning. The fresh cucumber and avocado were well-balanced in size, but the mayo and finely chopped imitation crab filling in the center was a bit bland. I much prefer when the Imitation Crab is kept in one solid chunk. I want to TASTE imitation crab. lol
My choice for the second round was this…
Sansei’s Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll - Ripe mango, blue crab, fresh greens & crunchy peanuts wrapped in mamenori with a sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette, $9
This Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll is another item selected from their “Award Winners” list. While I think the execution and flavor profiles of the various components worked, once again that crab filling didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if it’s the mayonnaise they use, or the way they finely chop the crab meat up. It just didn’t have enough substance to stand up against the bold flavors and textures surrounding it. Good, but not great. Glad I tried it, but I’d order something else next time around.
Rounding out the main meal was this entree item we shared with each other…
Choice Rib Eye Steak and Grilled Miso Yaki Prawns - with garlic mashed potatoes and local vegetable stir fry with garlic demi glace and ginger lime chili butter, $32
This rocked! Especially those grilled Miso Yaki Prawns!…
The prawns were incredibly “meaty”, sweet and tender, with a pronounced char-grilled, slightly smokey hint. Supporting that is that incredible garlic demi glace and ginger lime butter sauce. KILLER! They need to seriously think about bottling that stuff, if that’s possible.
As if that weren’t enough, the fire-grlled choice rib eye sharing the same plate was so tender, perfectly done medium rare finish, encased by a lightly-salted crust. Playing foundation role were the garlic mashed potatoes, which were on the mild side as far as flavor, yet light ‘n nice, although they were a bit of a challenge to “scoop up” using chop sticks, but we managed. lol The string beans and carrots were simply stir-fried without any special seasoning. Just salt ‘n pep’ . But whoah, dip a strip of the rib eye, along with those veggies and a tad of mash in the prawns’ sauce and POW! Excellent, excellent, excellent.
After that, we were both content without being stuffed and stopped there, saving just a little more room to share a dessert…
Sansei’s Granny Smith Apple Tart - Buttery puff pastry topped with fresh Granny Smith apple slices, baked to order and served with vanilla ice cream over Sansei’s homemade warm caramel sauce, $9
Instead of the ice cream served on top, we requested the ice cream served on the side…
This is another amazing dish at Sansei! If there’s any absolute recommendation I can make based on this first visit, is to SAVE ROOM in your stomach for this dessert! The apple tart is tasty, fluffy and crispy all at the same time, while that homemade, warm golden caramel sauce is sex on a plate. You’d swear you died and gone to heaven eating this. Honestly. And this is coming from someone who’s not really into sweets. Whether you had sushi, seafood, or steak, make sure you ORDER THIS.
“Caramel Sushi” huh? Could be possible. I’m sure Chef Kodama can come up with some creative dessert dish that resembles “dynamite” sushi, with that “dynamite” homemade warm caramel drizzled over it. If I think of anything, I’ll make a comment later.
There’s so much more on the menu, it would take several months of return visits to sample everything Sansei offers. I’d really like to order “Chef’s Omakase Tasting Menu for Two” on our next visit. It’s touted as “The Ultimate Sansei Dining Experience for Two”, which includes: Edamame & Miso Soup, Sansei’s Special Sushi Roll, Island Style Seafood Poke Sampler, Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Roll, Japanese Calamari Salad, Sansei’s Asian Shrimp Cake and Garlic Miso Prawns, Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish, and Sansei’s Lobster and Crab Ravioli. All that for only $75.. for two!
Next time around, that’s gonna’ be high on my wish list.
Overall, a fantastic dining experience, and we’ll certainly return again.
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort and Spa
2552 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Reservations and Information
808-931-6286
Dinner Nightly
5:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.
Late Night Dining
Friday & Saturday, 10 P.M. to 1 A.M.
The Tasty Island rating:
(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)
“Hana Hou!” is the Hawaiian way of saying “Do it again!”, and this just may come across your thoughts upon reading (and re-reading) The Companies We Keep.
If so, your wish has come true in what we have here with The Companies We Keep 2.
For simplicity’s sake, from here on we’ll refer to it as “CWK 2″.
As the description on the cover states, “More amazing stories about Hawaii’s people, places, and companies”, that’s precisely the order of priority within CWK 2’s pages, with more focus on people and places, and less on companies than it did about the 450 in CWK 1.
It must be noted that CWK 2 is also much shorter in page count, coming in at 240 within the covers, compared with 408 pages in CWK 1. CWK 2 also does away with an index in back (and a chaptered format for that matter), instead relying on a detailed table of contents in front for navigational convenience.
Immediately following the introduction and credits, it kicks off with 8 pages of everything you wanted to know about Frank De Lima…
Wow, 8 pages. I don’t think even one of Frank’s comedy routines are THAT focused! lol
This is followed by a story related to the Oprah Winfrey show, how the U.H. Rainbows got their nickname, Elvis, Miss Hawaii’s Yun Tao Zane, and the story behind Magic Island…
Then there’s 5 pages of everything about Hal “Aku Head” Lewis…
My grandmother LOVED Hal Lewis’ radio program!
Did you know? Hal Lewis was the top DJ in the islands from 1947 until his death in 1983, which during that time was said to be the highest-paid DJ in the world!
Fittingly, the 8 pages immediately following Aku cover Hawaii’s current top morning radio show duo, Perry & Price.
There’s a story about Shirley Temple and how she met her husband in Honolulu, followed by 5 pages covering the late and great local comedian, Rap Reiplinger…
Then on to the first Japanese visitor to Hawaii in 1844, Aiea native Bette Midler, and how the Ala Wai came to be…
Then back to the media with Linda Coble, Bob Sevey, Joe Moore and KGMB.
What Lullaby did Harry Owens write for his daughter? Who interned at an internment camp? Who was the ‘king of pidgin’? While you’ll need to read the book to get answers to the first two questions, the ‘King of Pidgin’ title was crowned to used car dealership owner, Lippy Espinda…
Learn about who predicted the Pearl Harbor attack way back in 1923, Joe Moore’s play production, “Prophecy and Honor”, KSSK radio producer Sweetie Pacarro, “King of Hawaiian Sweet Bread” Robert Taira, and how nuclear tests at Johnston Island were visible to Hawaii residents.
Who was the first female lifeguard in the City & County of Honolulu? Who wrote the song “I’ll Remember You”? Which four major sports were created by Hawaii people? Where was a replica of Iolani palace built? The answers and stories behind them are all here.
Bob then takes you on a guided aerial tour over Ala Moana, circa 1955…
Here, he points out in the photographs where, if you see that paved “baseball diamond” looking parcel located a block mauka of the Ala Moana shopping Center (still unbuilt), that original drive in theater, simply named “The Drive-In”. That would eventually get sold to become Holiday Mart, which then turned into Daiei, to its current incarnation as Don Quijote.
Other bygone businesses pointed out in the photos include Rainbow Rollerland and Scotty’s Drive Inn on Keeaumoku street and Aloha Motors In Waikiki, learn how the Niumalu Hotel and John Ena Estate became what today is the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Where on Oahu is there a monkey pod tree on its grounds which a large Japanese corporation uses as its logo?
Why was it named the Tahitian Lanai?…
From businesses, its back to landmarks with the background of the Reef Runway and Ala Wai Golf Course.
Don Ho, of course…
Ever wonder?…
which asian war led to the U.S. Annexation of Hawaii? Who was the first U.S. president to visit Papakolea and officially designate the area as Hawaiian Homelands? Hint: A high school in the area is named after his cousin.
Some questions answered in CWK 2 may have not even crossed your mind. Like where in Hawaii you can see a “Surfing Jesus”.
Learn how Hawaii has ties with Machu Picchu and the fictional movie character Indiana Jones. How the Polynesian Cultural Center got its start in Waikiki. And, thanks to the extensive legwork of one of Bob’s students, how many millions of Zippy’s Chili, Leonard’s Malasadas, Matsumoto Shave Ice and Royal Kitchen Manapua have been estimated to have been sold since they first hit the market.
More!…
- Joe Moore
- The Ukulele revival
- Pioneering aviator John Rogers
- who was the first to attempt to fly non-stop from California to Hawaii
- The first local boy to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles
- Duke Kahanamoku
- The Iolani Palace’ “Tinker Toy” fencing
- The last Spencecliff restaurant
- Aloha Stadium
- Babe Ruth’s visit to Hilo
- The Kingston Trio
- Tropics Restaurant
- Volcano House
- The original, smaller Iolani Palace
- Jackie Robinson
- Bethel Street
- Merrie Monarch Festival
- Christmas in Hawaii
- Ala Moana Center
- Ilikai Hotel
- The Kalihi Valley Wallabies
Jack Lord, and the consideration of him having the lead role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek…
For various reasons explained, the role ended up being cast to William Shatner.
Moving on…
- Japan’s Pearl Harbor miscalculation
- The Wackiest Ship in the Army
- Wayne Collins, Hawaii’s first TV news anchor
- Bishop Estate’s “Broken Trust”
- Abraham Lincoln’s Hawaii connection
- The Great Train Robbery in Kekaha, Kauai
How the Chinatown fire of 1900 sparked a migration of residents to move to Kaimuki, including many other interesting facts about the area..
What more do you want to know? Well, there’s…
- “KDI”, a.k.a. Kapiolani Drive Inn
- KODAK Hula Show
- Town of Mililani
And a relative of yours truly, Uncle Sonny Chillingworth…
Still more…
- Joe DiMaggio and Marylyn Monroe’s visit to Honolulu
- Victoria Ward
- Webley Edward’s “Hawaii Calls”
- King Kamehameha III’s Summer Palace in Nuuanu
- Locations considered for the State Capitol
- The “Ambassador of Aloha”
- First Hawaiian Bank’s John Bellinger
- HawaiiReporter.com
Finally we reach the end of CWK 2, which includes a photo hunt and quizzes. Who dat?…
Recognize any of these local celebrities from these archived photos? Hint for one of them: Kanoa looks all over his dad!
That wraps it up. When it comes down to it, this is a “small rock”, these islands in the middle of the pacific we live on. And in one way or another, there’s bound to be someone or some place talked about in CWK and CWK 2 that you can relate to. What it succeeds in doing is going an extra step or more in research, continually having you think, “I did not know that!”.
The Companies We Keep 2 is a triumphant follow-up to the first book, and again, highly recommended.
The Companies We Keep 2
More amazing Stories about Hawaii’s people, places, and companies
By Bob Sigall and his students at Hawaii Pacific University
www.CompaniesWeKeep.com
Also available all Hawaii Borders, Barnes & Noble, Bookends, Bestsellers, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Boulevard Saimin, Gyotaku, Hungry Lion, Highway Inn, and Flamingo Pearl City.
The Tasty Island rating:
(5) Superb. A must-have!
Related Links:
• Reader’s Corner: The Companies We Keep
I recently caught a couple of episodes on OC-16’s (Oceanic Cable) “Hawaiian Grown TV”, and I gotta’ say, host Grant Kawasaki is a riot! He’s also a chef and very knowledgeable about the industry. “Oh nah?!!!!” seems to be his favorite punch line. Kinda’ like how Sam Choy likes to say “Unbelievable” and of course, Emeril’s “Bam!”.
Hawaiian Grown TV is produced by Ikaika Kimura of Local Kine Grindz fame, taking you on a culinary island journey, visiting local farms, retailers, manufacturers and much more. This really is a fun, feel-good show, with very informative content, including detailed cooking demonstrations and excursions to visit the suppliers of the ingredients used in the dishes presented.
Their website includes all? the show’s TV segments, presented at a good resolution and stream rate, so if you don’t have access to Oceanic cable, you can still watch Hawaiian Grown TV online, or subscribe to their video Podcast!
What I’d really like to try is Chef Ernesto Limcaco’s Braised Beef Short Ribs, which uses a restaurant-quality beef broth available exclusively at Y. Hata, who is one of the show’s sponsors. Looks really ono!
Go check ‘em now, go.
If you’ve spent any significant time living in or visiting the islands, or just have a fond interest in the history of Hawaii’s businesses and people who drive it, The Companies We Keep is one book you MUST read. Or even better yet, own and kept on your coffee table or office desk as a conversation piece.
In print since 2004, this book is jam-packed from cover to cover with absolutely fascinating stories and facts about the history of Hawaii’s best known companies, from past to present. From hole-in-the-wall mom & pop shops to big corporations. Retail, restaurants, hospitality, media, entertainment, education and more. As told by the founders, their heirs, family, friends and those who work in their respective industry, through research by author Bob Sigall and his students at Hawaii Pacific University.
Did you ever wonder…
• Why did they name it Zippy’s?
• Why does Lex Brodie say “thank you very much”?
• Who is Robert’s Hawaii’s Rabbit logo waving to?
The answer to these questions, and many, many more can all be found here.
Following introductions, a “Hawaii Business Timeline” chapter starts things off….
Next is a chapter on “The Meaning of 260 Hawaii Company Names”, where you’ll learn exactly why it’s called “Zippy’s”, “Town & Country” Surf Shop and “W&M” Bar-B-Q Burgers.
The following chapter, titled “Extraordinary Hawaii Companies” makes up the thick of the book and goes further into detail behind the history of companies such as ABC Stores, City Mill, C.S. Wo, Charlie’s Taxi, E.K. Fernandez, KC Drive Inn, Spenceliff restaurants and Victoria Ward, just to name a few.
The remaining chapters cover Hawaii’s TV & Radio industry, Schools & Universities, concluding with games, lists & quizzes (and resources, credits & index, of course).
Here’s a quick, selective photographic “tour” of what you’ll find throughout the pages…
Here’s the Author, Bob Sigall…
The book is easy to read, encouraging you to thumb through it in search (or simply refer to the index) of a specific business of interest, and is well-written, edited and categorized. While the photography included on just about every page is a huge plus! I might even go on the limb and suggest Bob come out with a full color, glossy hard cover pictorial edition of The Companies We Keep!
There might possibly be a few bits of information here and there that you may find aren’t completely accurate based on the best of your knowledge of a particular establishment, but for the most part, it seems everyone “did their homework” and researched enough to get the facts in CWK straight. Besides, sometimes not even a business founder’s own children may know the “whole” story!
Bob was so kind to hand deliver an autographed copy of his second book to me and my boss at our office recently. He also gave me full permission to photograph and use content (including the beautiful cover shot, which he emailed to me) for this review. Mahalo, Bob!
With over 400 pages of fascinating information about 450 of Hawaii’s best known companies spanning the past century, all rolled into one handy book, The Companies We Keep is both enlightening and entertaining, and will be an invaluable resource in your library for years and generations to come. A must-have.
The perfect coffee table conversation piece!
The Companies We Keep
Amazing Stories About 450 of Hawaii’s Best Known Businesses
By Bob Sigall and his students at Hawaii Pacific University
www.CompaniesWeKeep.com
Also available at all Hawaii Borders, Barnes & Noble, Bookends, Bestsellers, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Boulevard Saimin, Gyotaku, Hungry Lion, Highway Inn, and Flamingo Pearl City.
The Tasty Island rating:
(5) Superb. A must-have!
Related Links:
• Reader’s Corner: The Companies We Keep 2
In a follow-up installment coming soon, I’ll review The Companies We Keep 2!…
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas - a view at night from the Palms
…often returns to Hawaii. Or perhaps doesn’t return, depending how you did in the casino.
Whew, Just got back from Las Vegas and what a blast!
As a first-timer here, everyone was telling me “beginner’s luck” this and that, but still, I didn’t do much gambling, as it’s not my bag. At least with what little I did, on my last night out at the Palms Playboy Hotel & Casino, I finished out winning enough to put me “ahead” and not in the hole. So not bad.
We booked our trip through Vacations Hawaii, which included a 5 day and 5 night stay at Sam Boyd’s Main Street Station Hotel and Casino…
That card is the hotel room key
The package included R/T airfare with their own charter, Omni Air International airlines. With that, you might think “sardine can flight”. Yep., you’re right!…
Omni Air International/Vacations Hawaii Las Vegas charter - Boeing 757 coach class
How those “big braddahs” lasted over 5 hours in flight sitting in one of these chairs is beyond me.. but they did! Speaking of “big braddahs”, our flight was ALL LOCALS. I’m pretty sure almost everyone onboard were familiar with the words “mahalo”, “howzit” and “Spam Musubi”. lo
At least it included an inflight meal, which offered a choice of ham or turkey sandwich, along with crackers and cheese and a chocolate bar and juice, soda or water. Not bad. It also included a “dessert”, which was ROCK HARD FROZEN ice cream cookie sandwich. Actually pretty good, once it softened up.
Main Street Station Casino is one of 3 sister Sam Boyd hotels located in the downtown Las Vegas area, along with the adjoining California Hotel & Casino, and a block up, the Fremont, located at the center of the Fremont Experience.
Main Street Station Hotel & Casino - Casino area
Our room was located on one of the lower floors on the north side, overlooking the beautiful freeway and the Mount Charleston range.
One thing you don’t see in Hawaii that you see all over Vegas are MASSIVE billboards…
Many of them now are high tech, and employ massive electronic video screens.
The room itself was spacious and clean, with two comfy queen beds, although I was disappointed there wasn’t a refrigerator. Wassup wit dat? I was going to request one (or a room change), but didn’t bother, as we didn’t spend much time in there, except to sleep, anyway. But still. Points minus for that. Otherwise, the staff was very friendly and accommodating and (quite large) property nicely kept and presented.
Actually, when it comes to hotels in Vegas, “property” truly is an understatement. These arent “just properties”, but more like CITIES… KINGDOMS… PALACES… TEMPLES, or any other grand term you can think of. The gist of it is, most hotels here are, on an architectural and social, and economic stature level, bigger than life.
We got to visit all the major names on the strip, including the MGM Grand…
The New York…
The Paris…
Could this slot machine, located in the Paris, be the biggest in the world?…
The Venetian…
This may look like day time, but this is actually at night, and “sky” is painted on the ceiling and lit up to appear like it’s daylight. Amazing. I just missed a couple being serenaded in a gondola (shown just leaving that bridge in the background).
Attention to detail is the name of the game in hotel design in Vegas, as shown here of this Michelangelo replica painted on the ceiling of a junction area on the lobby level at the Venetian..
The Luxor…
The Mandalay Bay…
The Excalibur…
Of course, we had to catch the water fountain show at the Bellagio…
Gotta’ dig how they have those “power blasts” that almost sound like fireworks when they shoot high and straight upwards. The stereophonic, hifi sound is also fantastic, with weatherproof speakers mounted above in the street lights surrounding the massive pool fronting the hotel. We caught two “performances”, including one that was opera and one a pop country song.
If you stop by the Bellagio, don’t forget to check out the garden at the backside of their lobby main entrance. It’s almost surreal…
What’s amazing is just about ALL the foliage in here is LIVE, not fake plants, right down to the moss that makes up this bear’s vest…
Even those sunflowers are all REAL!
They even had this miniature version of the hotel grounds, including a working fountain show!…
In downtown, we “did” the Fremont Experience, as well as the Fremont Hotel, Plaza and Golden Nugget.
Fremont Experience on a busy Saturday night
The Golden Nugget has a new attraction at their pool in the form of a water slide where you travel through a shark tank via a clear acrylic tunnel. There’s some huge sand tiger sharks in that bugger…
Click on image to see the sharks! Note, those two sand tiger sharks are at least 8 ft. in length. Huge.
Hawaii never escapes you when you’re in Vegas, as is (again) evident by this ABC store located on Fremont street…
And there’s certainly no shortage of all that is sexy and cool in Vegas. Check out this very cool “Smokin’ Chopper” they had on display in front of Rub BBQ restaurant and bar in the Rio Hotel and Casino…
Kikaida ain’t got nothin’ on this side car motorcycle!
Speaking of BBQ smokers, how about the food? Well, our Vacations Hawaii package included a voucher good for 3 meals a day at any of Sam Boyd’s stable of hotels…
Notice the date is punched through the entire voucher book, and is no longer valid after that. So, sorry, but you can’t pass any unused vouchers here on to a loved one who might be visiting Vegas a month or two later.
Even without vouchers, these casinos know how to draw people by offering mad prices in their restaurants, like this!…
$7.95 Prime Rib, including All-You-Can Salad Bar and Dessert?! Oh my, this would never last without the primary income of a casino here in the islands.
Most of our vouchers were used at the Garden Court Buffet, since it’s located conveniently in the Main Street Hotel where we were staying…
Garden Court is heralded as one of the best buffets in the SB chain, so lucky us.
An assortment of Italian, Greek and American antipasti style salads, along with a bass covered in Marinara sauce in the center
Of course what I’m showing here is just scratching the surface of this $2-out-of-pocket buffet. There’s everything from local food (Kalua Pig, Hawaiian Beef Stew, Manapua), to southern fried chicken and collard greens, roast beef, omelet station, pizza, fresh fruits, salad bar, pastries, pies and soft serve ice cream. Something for everyone, that’s for sure.
And if this “budget” buffet weren’t enough, we also had the dinner buffet at the MGM Grand Buffet, and the Carnival Buffet at the Rio, which were both just under $28 for a selection that’s just head spinning. Prime Rib, made-to-order steaks, Teppanyaki station, crab legs, you name it, they had it. The latter even included an “Asian Soup” station that had a most delicious made-to-order Pho. These “mega buffets” blow whatever we have here on Oahu through the dinner table cloth.
Once again, it’s the attention to detail that is most impressive here. Just look at this trellis design adorning the ceiling at the Garden Court restaurant…
As for Omiyage, I went by a few folk’s suggestions and stopped by Trader Joe’s in an off-the-strip strip mall…
And picked up a bunch of snacks…
Also got a couple of things from Vegas 808, a store located on the mezzanine level of the California Hotel…
Many folks like to bring home beef jerky from here, but I find Honolulu has enough beef jerky already, and not that much of a novelty…
So instead we got several cans of the Cinnamon Bagels and Smoked Salmon Jerky…
They also had these dried beef and pork items…
Vegas 808’s Cinnamon Bagel…
Smoked Salmon Jerky…
If you’re a Hawaii expat living in Vegas, you may miss the beach, but apparently you’re not missing the grinds, as was apparent by a few “local” plate lunch stands located in the outskirts of town…
At this particular place named Maui Rose, they had the usual suspects, including Loco Moco, Chicken Katsu, Kal Bi (it’s operated by Korean Americans), and what you see above, all at a reasonable price with decent portions.
Scoping out the restaurant chains around the city and outskirts of Las Vegas, there were just a few names I noticed that we DON”T have here on Oahu.
One of those that I finally got to try was In-N-Out Burger…
They’re named “In-N-Out” because of their simple menu which includes just a few burger options, fries, milk shakes and soda. That’s it. I like that.
So how was it? First of all the burgers are griddled, not flame grilled, so minus points on that. They’re topped with a savory onion mixture that taste like the Lipton powdered soup mix in flavor. This adds lots of flavor, but I’m not sure if it really helped it or detracted from it. Perhaps an acquired taste. Must say the fresh lettuce and tomato, along with a supple bun certainly helped it, but otherwise it was a more greasy, yet slightly better burger than McDonald’s, for whatever you take that as. And fries? They tasted undercooked, as their process involves cooking them from scratch potatoes. They were also undersalted, adding to the blandness. Even with the addition of salt which they provided, it hardly helped, nor did ketchup.
Then again, at the time of our stop here, I wasn’t exactly hungry (yet), so that may have contributed to my less-than-stellar opinion of the food. If for anything else, In-N-Out is easy on the wallet at just under $4 for a burger, fries and drink.
In-N-Out was actually a stop we made after visiting Hoover Dam…
Which is fed by the waters of Lake Mead, which as you can see by the “bathtub ring” of the whitened rocks where the waterline once was, that it’s getting frighteningly low….
Doing double duty, not only were we here for a vacation, but also to attend a family member’s high school graduation, which took place at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center…
I noticed the flower vendors there at the graduation were selling fresh Orchid and fake Kukui Nut leis….
Orchid Lei prices? $20 per single strand and $30 per double strand… OUCH!
Anyway, congratulations to our 2008 graduates!
To sum it all up, Just being able to see all those spectacular hotel grounds, along with the fantastic shows, buffets and thrill of gambling, either as a spectator or player, made this past week’s Vegas vacation one to remember. If you haven’t been there yet, do it. If you have, and plan on returning again (and again), good luck!
*******************************************************************
For your convenience, here’s an easy-to-read map of Las Vegas strip and downtown…
Oh yes. Therefore I’m taking one, and will be “away” for about a week, starting today. During this time I will not be posting anything new here (besides this) or replying to comments, although please, by all means, feel free to comment on whatever’s “Tasty” on your mind!
In the mean time, here’s some photos I recently took around Waikiki and Diamond Head Beach. As always, you can click on most images to view it at full size. Enjoy!
Kalakaua Avenue (Waikiki) Aloha gas station on Saturday, May 31, 2008. The first day for Oahu to break the $4/gallon gas price point. This alone makes me wanna’ take a vacation from this madness! Ack!
Seven Eleven on Kapahulu Avenue on June 1, 2008. Notice Rainbow Drive In and Diamond Head in the background. So take your choice: a gallon of gas, or a mini plate lunch!
Speaking plate lunch, Diner E recently tried this Kim Chee Fried Rice with Mandoo and Teriyaki Beef plate special at Zippy’s…
This was about $8. How did he rate it? 1 SPAM Musubi.
Now we’re back at Diamond Head beach, this past Memorial Day weekend…
A day out with ohana and friends
“Rocky” (NOAA #N11), Diamond Head beach’s resident Hawaiian Monk Seal enjoys a lazy afternoon sun tan and “sandy facial” all at the same time…
You can’t see them, but the sand crabs are giving her a manicure and pedicure. lol
A “superfisherman” and a SuperFerry…
Some beach-side Spider Lilies…
The following flowers were taken at Diamond Head Beach’s “Surfers’ Garden”, located between the two lookouts above. Notice the Diamond head surf (and pacific ocean) in the background of each shot…
In this next photo, notice the couple that can faintly be seen enjoying the ocean view in the background…
With that element, this would be a great photo for the cover a romantic greeting card. I’m not sure what these flowers are called, but they resemble a torch.
I’m also not sure what these next flowers are called, but the leaves resemble cactus, and the flowers themselves, while appearing large in the photo (macro), are actually only about the size of a penny. This ground covering is pretty abundant in the area….
A Laua’e fern…
That’s it. See you folks in about a week. Mahalo and aloha!
~ Pomai
The ID Quiz: - Local Grinds (screen shot)
Recently some of you may have been forwarded an eMail (or two) by friends, family or coworkers which includes this Local Grinds photo ID Quiz. Usually I’m so NOT a fan of forwarded chain mail, whether it’s a quiz, videos, jokes, etc., but in this case just couldn’t resist checking out this quiz on local grinds!
The first quiz (shown above) was fun to play and try to figure out. But it’s the second quiz that hits home (for me, at least), as it includes many photos that came right here from The Tasty Island!
Check it out…
The ID Quiz - Local Grinds 2 (screen shot)
Looking at the screen shot of quiz 2 above, can you tell which food photos originated from this blog? I’ll give you a hint! One involves rice paper. Another comes from a bakery that was recently purchased by the owner of Yummy’s Korean BBQ restaurants, and the other two were taken at a popular Japanese Buffet in Manoa valley.
In case you haven’t seen or tried this “Local Grinds” quiz yet, here’s the files! They’re created in Microsoft Excel, so you’ll need that application in order to play it.
Downloads:
The ID Quiz - Local Grinds (2.2 MB Excel file)
The ID Quiz - Local Grinds 2 (2.3 MB Excel file)
The game play is simple: click on the empty field below each picture and enter the name of the food pictured above it. The gray box below it will tell you if you’re correct or not, while the program keeps score on the top right.
Those screen shots above are showing just 15 of the 50 total food items (and points) in the quiz. So there’s much more to answer than what you see here!
After you play, leave a comment and let us know how you did! I’m especially curious if you can tell me which photos in quiz 2 came The Tasty Island. If you can’t figure any of them out, I’ll be happy to assist.
You can also contact the creator/publisher of the game, Tracy Nishibun, and leave a comment to him. The information for that is included on the game masthead.
There’s one “fishy” food item in particular that’s from here in game 2, which I mentioned to Tracy, would be a real stumper based on appearance alone. So I’ll give you a hint: It’s from a fairly new franchise plate lunch restaurant near a Costco that originated in Liliha.
Have fun!
Answers links:
**But don’t look until you’ve absolutely drained your ability!**
Mention Nu’uanu Okazuya to those “in the know” and chances are, they’ll mention fishcakes. They’re certainly one of the more well-known of the genre on Oahu, thanks in part to being included in the Okazuya guidebook, Okazuya: “Oh ‘Cause You Hungry” published back in 2000.
Nu’uanu fits the classic Okazuya business profile under several common denominators: 1) They’re located in an inconspicuous, hole-in-the-wall location; here being on a lesser beaten path back street, just a few blocks mauka of bustling downtown Honolulu. 2) The trays of food are placed in a shop-front window so passersby can see what’s available. 3) They’re owned and operated by a local Okinawan family. Therefore, many of the dishes offered are heavily influenced by Okinawan and Japanese cuisine. And 4) They open very early in the morning, and close within 1 or 2 hours after the lunch hour rush, or whenever food runs out - whichever comes first. Therefore, it’s a good idea to arrive as early as possible for best selection, especially if you want your claim of their most popular specialty items.
And I really agree with this statement in that Star bulletin article linked above: “In some ways I think it was the predecessor of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine,” Dela Cruz says of okazuya food. This really is fusion cuisine at its core, blending ingredients and cooking techniques from both east and western cultures.
Enough rambling. Let’s take a peek through the window to see what get!…
We arrived at 10:45am today (Friday), ahead of this 3-day Memorial Day weekend, therefore many folks (we assume) took off from work to extend the holiday, so most of the good stuff here was still available. Yay!
Still, inventory was already thinning, considering this to be a “slow” day. Look, all the shrimp tempura was wiped out, and only had this much vegetable tempura remaining…
Had Butterfish and Saba…
Hash patties, hamburger patties, Spam slices and Egg Omelets…
Nori Fishcakes, Gobo Fishcakes, Plain Fishcakes, Chive Fishcakes and Crab Fishcakes…
But shoots, they sold out of the Hot Dog Fishcake. Whaaahhhhh! Whaaaaahhh! That’s my favorite! Oh well, next time!
Musubi, check…
Cone Sushi…
Kabocha slices…
Whew, just in time. Only had three left! Had plenty of the diced Kabocha with shrimp, though…
OK, I’m drooling already, time to head in the door to order before people beat me to whatevah get left!…
As I said earlier, this was a Friday preceeding a 3-day weekend, so as you see, the dining room, which is usually at maximum capacity around this time, on this day was empty…
Earlier I showed you the the room-temperature items in the window. Then inside, there’s the hot station…
As you see on the bottom right, the tray of Nishime was all wiped out. But not to fret! As we were there, the cook just loaded up a fresh batch!
To the left of that is Squash (Togan) with Chicken and Tofu. Our nice server lady is shown putting together Diner E’s plate, grabbing a serving of Chicken Long Rice, Okinawan style. There’s also simmered Tofu, Chow Funn, and a few other items not clearly visible in the photo.
Well, we have our plates, so it’s back to the office where it’s time to grind!
Diner C ordered this…
Gobo (Kimpira), Simmered Tofu, Saba and Chow Funn. Total was about $6.
Here’s Diner E’s order….
Clockwise from top: Kobu Maki, Vegetable Tempura, Furikake Musubi, Cone Sushi, Garlic Chicken, Kabocha Pumpkin slice and Chicken Long Rice. Total for his was about $9.
Finally, here’s my order…
Clockwise from top: Vegetable Tempura, Teriyaki burger, Chow Funn, Nori Fishcake, Gobo Fishcake, Kabocha slice, Nori Musubi and Kobu Maki. Total was $9.55.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Kinda’ pricey. Yeah, we all agree on that. But.. but, most of what’s on these plates are worth it. Especially when you consider that many of these are specialty items that take long hours to prepare, or the ingredients involved simply cost more.
Let’s take a close look at that absolutely FANTASTIC! Kobu Maki…
Kobu Maki
This is made by wrapping strips of pork and gobo (Burdock root) in Kobu (a.k.a. Kombu, or sea kelp) and tying it up with Kanpyo (dried gord), then simmered in a shoyu/sugar/sake/katsuoboshi liquid until it’s flavorfully infused and tender. The Kobu Maki at Nu’uanu Okazuya should be a top priority on your must-have list when going here. Sugoi oishii desu yo!
Again I’ll say, I was really bummed they ran out of the Hot Dog Fishcake. But they still had a nice selection of other types. Here’s a closer look at the Gobo Fishcake…
Gobo Fishcake
And the Nori Fishcake..
Nori Fishcake
Good stuff!
Let’s also inspect that Chow Funn closer…
Diner C really enjoyed Nu’uanu’s take on this classic Okazuya dish, preferring its relative “complexity” in comparison to St. Louis Delicatessen’s back-to-basics approach. I didn’t care for it though. It had pieces of chicken in it, which to me didn’t match, IMHO. And the seasonings also was a bit off. Texture-wise, they were also a bit mushy and overcooked.
My favorites, at least on this particular day’s order, was the Gobo (Kimpira), which Diner C shared with us, the Kabocha (pumpkin), and the Kobu Maki. Order just those 3 items, and guaranz’ you got yourself a mighty tasty, and also quite healthy lunch.
Diner C gave her plate a solid 5 Spam Musubi rating based on taste alone, but scales back to 4, only because of the high price for “take-out food” such as this. $6 is a bit steep for that “mini plate” she had. Still, loved the Saba, saying how moist, tender and flavorful it was. That, along with that fantastic Gobo Kimpira gotta’ be a winner right there.
Diner E, our resident Uchinanchu, was also mostly favorable of his plate, except was disappointed with the long rice, which he said paled in comparison to that from Toshi’s and Masa & Joyce ; two of his favorite for that particular item. He also felt a little shortchanged on the Garlic Chicken, which as you can see, is a quite a scrawny small piece. Especially since the Okinawan lady knew he was Okinawan too. Wassup wit dat? lol
Like I was disappointed the Hot Dog fishcake ran out, he was also disappointed that they didn’t have Okara available on this visit. That’s his number one ichiban favorite item from Nu’uanu. Okara is a soy pulp byproduct which comes from the Tofu-making process.
With that, Diner E gave his plate on this day an overall 3 Spam Musubi rating. Not bad, all things considered.
Yours truly gives my plate a 4. But let me go beyond a simplified average and grade each item individually!
Kobu Maki:
Kabocha (Pumpkin slice):
Nori and Gobo Fishcakes:
Vegetable Tempura:
Nori Musubi:
It would have scored one more Spam if it had Ume inside, but nevah get
Teriyaki Burger:
Chow Funn:
Price/Value:
Service:
Convenience/parking:
So to average that breakdown,
the total score for my plate is:
and a half
I need to make a half-eaten SPAM Musubi icon to represent half points!
While techincally my plate is 3.5, I’m giving mines a solid
due to how delicous the Kimpira, Kabocha and Kobu Maki was. Winnahz.
And of course everyone has their favorites, no matter which Okazuya you go. Others might swear Nu’uanu’s Nishime is da’ best. Others might favor their shoyu pork. As always, to each their own.
Nuuanu Okazuya is located in a low-rise business building, with neighbors that include Hosoi Florist, another Okazuya (can’t remember the name), a saimin shop and I think a barber shop. Something like that. It’s on the Daimond Head side of Nuuanu Avenue, across Hosoi Mortuary, just behind Pali Long’s and Safeway. There’s usually a few metered parking stalls available on the street in front. Usually. Depending when you go and your timing. Funny enough, as soon as I drove up towards there, two cars moved in stalls I was gonna’ take! Ack! Luckily I scored one just a bit further down.
Nuuanu Okazuya. Whether you go for the fishcake specialties, their most excellent Kobu Maki, Kimpira, the Kabocha pumpkin, or the many other classics offered there, DO check them out. Buggah is oishii!
Here’s their info…
Click on the image above to view/download/print their take-out menu (PDF)
Nu’uanu Okazuya
1351 Nu’uanu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-533-6169
Open Monday - Saturday
6am to 2pm
The Tasty Island rating:
Related Links:
• Okazuya: Cause You So Hungry! - Star Bulletin
KJ’s (fried) Furikake Chicken
Upon reading a local discussion board on the “Best Fried Chicken”, several folks highly recommended KJ’s Local Grindz in Kaneohe.
First let me come clear and say, I’m not a huge chicken fan. But like the next guy, I’m always game for a great piece of golden, tasty breasts and thighs when the mood arises.
Well, yesterday I just so happened to run a business errand in Kaneohe, so while there, I made it a point to check KJ’s out.
Reinforcing what everyone was raving about, the young man working the front counter also recommended the “standard” fried chicken and the Furikake Chicken as their most popular items.
Done. order up 2 plates of that, to go
Now let’s see what we’ve got.
Diner “E” ordered a plate of straight Furikake Chicken, which ran $6.99, and here’s what he got…
KJ’s Local Grindz - (Fried) Furikake Chicken plate, $6.99
And I ordered a mix of their signature Fried Chicken and Furikake Chicken combo plate…
KJ’s Local Grindz - Fried and Furikake Chicken combo plate, $6.99 (no extra charge)
Diner “A” also ordered several pieces of the same two types of fried chicken, Ala Carte.
So. The first thing to expect upon first bite is an outstanding batter, right? Neh. No big deal.
First let’s have a close inspection of their “standard” fried chicken…
This thigh has the bone-in. The meat was tender and cooked through, but the outer part was just borderline dry; not dry, but one more reheat and it will be. Most importantly, the batter just wasn’t anything special. As far as I could tell, this could have been “Shake ‘N Bake” if given a blind taste test. There was perhaps a slight hint of Paprika, but otherwise just salt and pepper in there. The crunch factor was slightly flaky, slightly glutenous. I really think it’s just flour with a few simple seasonings.
Now let’s move on and take a close inspection of the (fried) Furikake Chicken…
Notice this is basically chicken katsu. It’s bonless pieces, cut into strips and coated with panko. Then from here it gets a bit interesting. After they fry it, it’s dipped into a slightly thick, slightly sweet teriyaki sauce that has a strong garlic accent and also sesame oil and sesame seeds.
The “Furikake” is the part that disappoints me. I really was expecting some interesting batter that had the Furikake mixed in it. But in reality, all they do is sprinkle Furikake over the fried chicken after it’s done. What the? I can do that! Shoots, next time I go order a chicken katsu plate at anytown L&L, I can do that! And that doesn’t really do much to validate the name “Furikake Chicken”. This really is more a type of Karaage Chicken that just so happens to have Furikake sprinkled on top.
Aside of that, we all unanimously preferred the “Furikake” over their “standard” fried chicken. Still, even that wasn’t “all that”.
Now I did confess that 15 minute detour, which may have eaten some time out of the “fresh crispness” of these plates. But this isn’t any excuse. I can eat KFC chicken (when it has meat on it) a day or two later and it still rocks.
When you order a plate at KJ’s, they offer either “Mac” salad (that’s what the guy said), or you can opt for steamed corn (kernels; not on-the-cob) or grean beans. I ordered “Mac”…
Mac? No way! That’s Spaghetti noodles! And there’s Tuna in it. Bleck! To top that off, they didn’t put enough salt in it, and it was bland as heck. I don’t even think they use Best Foods Mayo’, but probalby some generic warehouse brand. Not to fear, I drizzled a little olive oil and hawaiian salt on it and it was A-OK! Ah, nothing like doctoring what’s broken.
And of course the plate lunch standard of 2 scoops rice. Which to me is kind of a shortcoming as well. Personally, when I eat fried chicken, I prefer it with mashed potatoes and gravy, southern style. Plain steamed white rice just doesn’t work.
But rice can be a good thing with the Furikake Chicken. If you scroll back up and look at the first picture, you’ll notice the presence of sauce on the plate that dripped from from the Furikake Chicken. I would highly recommend if you go to KJ’s to ask them to put some of that sauce on your rice. That was essentially was the best part about it.
So that’s that. Diner “A” gave the Furikake Chicken a 3-SPAM rating , while giving their standard fried chicken a 1. Diner “E” gave the Furikake Chicken a 2. I’ll go on the average of those scores with a 2.
Part of their name IS “local grindz”, and with that, check out the rest of their menu…
Establishment-wise, they’re your typical hole-in-the-wall plate lunch stand, dominated by a utilitarian service counter, surrounded by about 8 dining tables and multiple chairs…
The front…
KJ’s is located on the backside (east) of Windward City Shopping Center in Kaneohe, in the same area where Long’s Drug’s is…
Adjacent to Genki Sushi, Taco Del Mar and Pizza Hut.
I’m not saying KJ’s fried chicken was bad, but it wasn’t outstanding either as others claimed it to be. If they’re open to suggestions, I’d highly recommend adding mashed potatoes and brown gravy (or white gravy!) as an option for their standard fried chicken. That would totally enhance the eating experience of that chicken. Doesn’t have to be “from scratch”. Even the packaged (just add water) stuff would work. But offer it. Local plate lunch places sometimes need think outside the “2 scoops rice and mac’ salad” box sometimes. Especially here.
If I lived in the area, I’d go back and try some of the other “local grindz” on the menu, such as that “Stuf’ Cabbage”. Now that sounds good right about now!
KJ’s Local Grindz
Windward City Shopping Center
808-235-5799
The Tasty Island Rating:
(2) I’m glad I tried it.
Bento lunches from the “Bento Man”, c/o Nippon Restaurant on Waiakamilo Rd.
We all know the neighborhood ice cream man. And of course we can’t forget the Manapua Man.
But hark! Out there pulling up in the front… It’s a van! With some coolers! Get fish! Get Chicken! Get Beef! it’s.. it’s.. it’s BENTO MAN!!!
Well, OK, he’s not spinning webs, leaping tall buildings, or sporting spiffy spandex tights. Yet he’s saving the day never-the-less, fighting off hours of labor-induced hunger by offering a wide variety of fresh-made bentos, flown..err.. driven right up to our doorstep!
Actually Bento Man’s real name is Johnny from Nippon Restaurant, who makes his rounds to various businesses in our area, including our office every Tuesday and Thursday around 11am. He used to show up every Friday, but I suppose he now must reserve that day to save those damsels in lunch-time distress. lol
As you see, there’s quite a selection, kept warm in coolers, which are brought out of his van and spread out in front so everyone can get a good look and grab what they want…
If you click on the enlarged images, you might notice a few folks standing tightly around those coolers. See, when “Bento Man” shows up, it’s a first-come, first-serve deal, and it can get pretty rough and crowded sometimes, where you must jockey for a spot in front to get into one of these blue and white plastic caverns of bento gold. lol
And everyone has their particular favorite item that they hope to dig up.
Mine has always been their California Sushi rolls. For some reason, of all the take-out sushi places I’ve tried (Kozo, Aloha Sushi, Sushi Man, etc., Marukai, Shirokiya), “Bento Man’s” is still the best. Just something about it. “Bento Man’s” grilled Saba is also excellent.
On this particular day, I didn’t buy anything since I already packed lunched, but Diner “E” chose these items…
“Bento Man” - Cone Sushi (Aburage) & Maki Sushi, $1.50
“Bento Man” - Vegetable Tempura (Broccoli, Green Beans & Potato), $1.50
In particular, Diner “E” wanted to show off the simple beauty of this Broccoli Tempura in a cross-section bite…
Looks oishii to me!
Diner “C” chose this…
“Bento Man” - Fried Saimin Noodles & 2 SPAM Musubi
And Diner “A” chose this…
“Bento Man” - Corned Beef Hash and SPAM ‘N’ Eggs Bento, $5
It’s actually very impressive how great-tasting the bento are from “Bento Man”, considering the nature of them being toted around and kept warm in coolers. A testament and toast to the good folks working the kitchen over at Nippon Restaurant. They really know what they’re doing.
On today’s offering shown here, Diner “E” rated his stuff a solid 3 SPAM Musubi, Diner “C” rated her stuff a solid 4, and Diner “A” rated his stuff… well, he didn’t eat it yet. He bought for tomorrow’s lunch
“Bento Man” c/o
Nippon Restaurant
420 Waiakamilo Rd.
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-842-3456
more info’
Ah the convenience, economy and most importantly, great tasting grinds from the neighborhood food peddler. Do you have a favorite neighborhood “Bento Man”? Or Manapua Man or Ice Cream Man? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
When I come across the right one, I’ll be sure to cover a future post about the classic neighborhood…
The official t-shirt design
The 6th Annual Waikiki Spam Jam was held this past Saturday from 4pm to 10pm on Kalakaua avenue, with streets closed off to traffic, block party style.
With Hawaii still holding the crown as the largest consumer of Hormel SPAM in the nation, it’s no wonder this infamous mystery meat is celebrated at such an epic scale as we see here.
Here I present a pictorial walkthrough of this year’s event!…
The Gordon Biersch booth
Gordon Biersch’s various SPAM-themed food items
Towards the end of the night, they were selling everything for just $2 each, so I bought a BBQ SPAM Slider to try…
Gordon Biersch BBQ Spam Slider: Guava Mango Chutney BBQ sauce, red onions, and SPAM in a sweet taro roll, $6 ($2 clearance price!). Was pretty good! They should have fried the SPAM more though (if at all; I think it was straight out of the can), as the BBQ sauce kinda’ overpowered the SPAM flavor as it was. But heck, for $2, it’s all good!
This has got to be one of the coolest ways to make use of SPAM can…
A SPAM tip can! Now when you finish reading my blog entries, you can kindly leave me a tip. Mahalo! lol
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, its… its..
It’s the Turkey SPAM MAN!
A SPAM JAM just wouldn’t be jammin’ without this…
I give that a “10 SPAM Musubi” Tasty Island rating! Witness the grill markings. Brilliant!
When you’re working on a SPAM Musubi assembly line, keeping the energy going with a couple cans of Red Bull can certainly help to keep things going!…
The Shack was in full force at this year’s event…
The Shack will soon be opening a location in the Waikiki Trade Center, next door to Zanzabar nightclub. Brendan, the owner, is that whacky guy in the back with the white visor.
The Shack was serving this very interesting SPAM burger…
The Shack’s SPAM Burger with Pom Frites (at least that’s what Brendan said it was) and 2 pickle wedges
You know what? That SPAM burger rocked! Good job, Shack!
Coconut Willy’s is a restaurant and bar with nightly live music, located in the Waikiki International Marketplace
Doraku Sushi booth
Giovanni Pastrami (from Lewers street) was offering two types of SPAM Pizza…
SPAM Pizza
Hawaiian” SPAM Pizza
The Giovanni Pastrami booth
As was the case last year, some of the food vendors didn’t include SPAM in their offerings, but mainly participated for the charitable cause and benefit of exposure. Here’s a “traditional” Greek Salad from the Leo’s Tavern booth…
Leo’s Tavern Greek Salad
and this beautiful tray of Baklava
Leo’s Tavern Baklava
The Simply Ono booth served up mostly traditional Hawaiian food and plate lunch fare…
I didn’t read the sign, but perhaps this Laulau has SPAM instead of pork in it?…
Simply Ono Laulau and Lomi Lomi Salmon plate
There were a a few non-food vendors, such as this Sarong and Pareo booth…
Hey, that pareo matches that girl’s blue hair!
Kapena was on stage providing the entertainment…
Kapena jams the SPAM Jam
There’s teddy bears, then there’s “SPAMMY” bears
SPAM logo golf tees, golf balls and a baseball
SPAM cookbook, pot holder and piggy, err, make that “SPAMMY” banks
That’s it. See you at next year’s SPAM JAM!
Related Links:
• Waikiki 2007 Spam Jam - The Tasty Island
• SpamJamHawaii.com