December 2011 – mmm-yoso

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2011 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers

We've decided to keep things pretty low-keyed for this New Years. Nothing too fancy or difficult for our New Year dinner.

Just some fried shrimp and Karei Karaage , which is kinda becoming a New Year tradition for the Missus. I needed to have some soba since it is New Years eve, so went with some Cha Soba. Marukai had some really lovely young watercress and for some reason I'd been craving it. While putting it together I wondered if the shoyu-mayo dip is a Hawaii thing, Japanese thing….or is it just something my Mom used to do? Regardless, other than tempura, it's my favorite way to eat watercress.

I did the usual rounds of Nijiya, Mitsuwa, and Marukai, and noticed that the amount of Osechi-ryōri to be even less than last year. I'm guessing changing demographics, tastes, and economics are creating less of a demand as time goes by. It's something I really started noticing in 2010. There was just a fraction of the amount at Nijiya.

And even less at Mitsuwa.

As we turn the page on another year, we just wanted to extend our warmest New Year wishes to everyone. It's been a tough year for many, I just hope the upcoming year is a better one.

Happy New Year!

Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens (Sorrento Valley)-lunch

December 30, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by our blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are taking time off from posting and Cathy is writing today.

This month of December has been particularly busy for me (and The Mister) with some sort of appointment, meeting or party on the schedule every day. I have taken a lot of photos of all the meals we have enjoyed and will eventually share all of them with you.

We were 'up North', in Sorrento Valley, the other day and instead of going to our usual Opera Patisserie for lunch, we went North at the intersection of Mira Mesa Boulevard and Scranton Road and followed the signs to the parking lot of Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens.

This is one of the entrances from the parking lot. We followed a winding path and soon saw the restaurant and were quickly seated. This is a rather plain view of the beautiful wood interior, but the glass wall next to us revealed

the peaceful pond, with many waterfalls and Asian inspired theme.

The one page descriptive menu was brought out and our waiter described the fresh beer available that day.

The Mister ordered a Russian Imperial Stout ($5.95) and it was served in this beautiful glass. Since I was driving, I ordered water, but did have a sip of the stout and it was really good; it had a chocolate-malt flavor.

The Mister chose beer battered fish and chips ($14.95) as his meal. The menu had shown several choices of french fries as appetizer choices(garlic, chili lime as well as 'sweet and stinky') and he was not asked as to a flavor preference and (fortunately) these were plain fries, cooked to a nice crisp and unseasoned. The beer batter on the seasoned Alaska cod was light and fluffy and fried just right- not greasy. This was accompanied by a lemon caper remoulade (not tartar sauce) which was very complimentary. A fresh made broccoli slaw(which was really good except for the addition of some really hot red onions) completed the plate.

I decided to try the 'special appetizer plate' as my main. The charcuterie ($12.95) was quite large and filling. Three meats- in the center a smoked, cured ham- delicately thin sliced yet enough smoking to allow you to taste smoke and salty ham. The fancy cut at 11 o'clock is an aged Sopressota salami-not very strong in flavor at all; it needed the fresh made beer whole grain mustard sauce you see next to the slice of Cambozola cheese to bring out some flavor. I also used some of the fresh pine-nutty arugula pesto you see under the bread and it complimented the meat. The pepper-infused Mailander salami had a lot of flavor on its own and I ate it with some of the crostini- and the apple-fig chutney, which was perfect on its own or with a bite of meat. The combinations of sweet, spicy, smokey and savory made this plate an excellent lunch.

When we finished, we walked the path around the building and grounds before going back to the parking lot. There were some water features in this oasis in the middle of all the office buildings in this part of town. We want to go back to try more of the menu. There are lunch specials (called "Daily Brews" on the menu) Monday-Friday, which cost a bit less and are most likely just as good as the food we got.

Karl Strauss Sorrento Mesa 9675 Scranton Road San Diego 92126 (858) 587-2739 Website

Midweek Meanderings Hot Drink Edition: The Big Tea-se, Honolulu Coffee Company, and what I’m craving at this moment

December 28, 2011 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Honolulu, Oahu, yoso-silly

I really became a big tea drinker after our trip to China nearly two years ago. And it just carried on after I returned; I drink tea everyday at work, just placing leaves in a large cup I have and adding hot water as the day goes on. It does help that one of the "big" gifts for Chinese is tea. Here's a bunch of containers I threw together for a quick photo:

All of these are from China. We've also been pretty lucky, everytime we nearly run out we'd get a package or have visitors. The Missus' cousins loaded us up with enough for at least another nine months or so…until we start worrying about running out! It seems that the younger generations don't drink much tea, so we've been the beneficiaries. The packaging of some are quite elaborate, looking like something out of Raider's of the Lost Ark. The reflection on the Missus face when She opened this one also reminded me of a movie.

I'm really just a tea drinker, though I know what I like. We also know when something really stands out, as the tea we were given in the red container to the left did. I took a pack to work and noticed how fragrant this was, the finish to me is a bit sweet. Meanwhile, the Missus did some research and found out that Jinjunmei Black Tea is a famous and very desirable black tea that is supposedly grown from a rare species and only found on the slopes of certain mountains at an elevation of 1500 – 1800 meters in the Wuyi Mountains.

The Missus also told me the stuff selling for up to $180 for 50 grams…50 GRAMS! Of course I was at work and had just gotten my first cup of tea……Jinjunmei tea when She called and told me this. Sigh…..I looked down at my cup of tea, not quite knowing what to do……drink it I guess…..but somehow it just felt wrong. Needless to say, the Missus and I keep telling ourselves that we'll have a nice pot, well, "next weekend…..maybe".

Honolulu Coffee Company:

On our last (thankfully) trip to Ala Moana Center, with the Missus riding high from just purchasing a pair of Manolo Blahniks She wanted, I decided that we should sit and have cup of coffee. The smells coming out of this shop was just wonderful……….

I don't drink a whole lot of coffee anymore, but the thought of some decent Kona Coffee just sounded right. The Missus, asked me what to get…. looking at Her bag with the Manolos in them I told Her the French Pressed 100% Kona of course. At eight buck for a cup of coffee it ain't cheap. The Barista told us it would be four minutes and thirty seconds…not four minutes, not five minutes, but four minutes and thirty seconds. And what we got was the most perfect cup of coffee I've had in ages. Smooth, but not too smooth, fragrant, nice finish…..

The Missus, a regular coffee drinker knew better than to ask me if I wanted anything in my coffee….. The Barista came by a few minutes later and asked what we thought of our cup…..I told him, "I'm far from an expert, but this is the best I've had in recent memory….you could get me started on coffee again." On the flight back I read that the Barista who is head of quality for Honolulu Coffee Company, Pete Licata is the 2011 US Barista Champion and took second place in the World Barista Championship. I'd say the quality is quite good……

Honolulu Coffee Co (in Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 3066
Honolulu, HI 96814

What I'm craving:

Strangely, I'm craving this:

Man, I haven't had the broasted chicken form there in over ten years now! I dropped by on one of my solo trips a couple of months back, but the place was swamped and they told me it would be 2 hour wait! You gotta be kidding….I could be back in San Diego by then! But maybe I should have just sucked it up and waited…sigh….

Guess I'll just have to make due with this.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Oahu – Highway Inn

December 27, 2011 mmm-yoso Hawaiian Food, Oahu, Plate Lunch

I've never really been able to get a half decent lau lau in my time on the mainland and I've tried quite a few. This dish of pork and salted fatty fish wrapped in luau (taro) leaves packaged in ti leaves and steamed for hours seems simple, but here away from home, it ain't. First off, almost every version I've had on the mainland is minus the salted butterfish. Second, many use spinach, though I've seen taro leaves at many Polynesian markets and even 99 Ranch Market a couple of times.

Needless to say, it's one of things that I always mean to get when I go home, from either of my two favorites, Ono Hawaiian Food in my old neighborhood, or Helena's which I understand has moved (and has also won a James Beard award!). Since my In-Laws live all the out in Ewa Beach, finding the time to check out either place when it's not packed to the gills is quite a challenge, one that has gotten the better of me during my last two trips home.

Also, during that time, I'd heard about Highway Inn in Waipahu…which sounded really familiar. I even saw the bit on DDD. During one of our visits, I asked my MIL's former co-worker Melissa, a life long Ewa Beach resident, about the place….and suddenly realized that I'd eaten at the old location on Waipahu Depot Road, near the old sugar mill. Excited, I asked her about the food and was simply met with…."well, it's ok…" Not exactly a seal of approval, but man I wanted some Lau Lau.

So we managed to get some time to check out Highway Inn.

One of the items that folks seemed to be talking about at Highway inn is the Pipikaula, traditionally salted dried beef. The father of a friend on mine used to make a mean version using drying the beef in his front yard in his akule box. Naturally, much of it used to disappear into thin air…….

So the Missus ordered the Pipikaula ($5.45) and a side of rice.

Man, this was kinda tasteless and fairly bland in addition to being sinewy. The version I like at Ono's is more traditional, but not hard like jerky, with a salty flavor that a friend of mine from New York always says tastes like corned beef. The version from Helena's is, I believe made from shortribs and have a real beefy flavor and isn't nearly as tough as this.

Of course I ordered the Lau Lau combo ($10.65):

The poi was a bit too thin for my taste, but I enjoyed the flavor. I'm thinking it was at least a "day old", making it a bit more sour, but I prefer it that way.

The lomi salmon wasn't my favorite, almost all tomato, too salty. It also lacked a good pungency, which is usually provided with some onion. I usually love mixing my lomi salmon with poi….but not today….

I thought the lau lau, though a bit small inside was pretty good, if a bit too fatty.

I love the flavor of luau leaves used on the lau lau; they have a slight bitter taste with a mild sweetness to them, much like collard greens. and when they've been absorbing some of the juices of fatty pork and the savory fish, it's heaven with a dash of chili pepper water which wakes everything up. The pork was fine and I appreciated the flavor the salt butterfish added to the lau lau.

I'm still longing for Helena's or Ono though……

The service was friendly, very local. Folks I know grumble about the portion to price ratio, but I had no complaints. Won't be having that pipikaula anytime soon though.

Highway Inn
94-226 Leoku Street
Waipahu, HI 96797

Funny, writing this brought back memories of my favorite lau lau. And it couldn't be bought from any restaurant or store. When I was in High School I worked in a restaurant. One of the manager's was a Hawaiian-Chinese woman who took me under her wings and taught me the ropes. She could be really tough and took no prisoners…in fact, her nieces and nephews used to call her "Auntie Titta". But she was also the type of person who, if she liked you, would go to the ends of the Earth for you. Once a year, the family, most of whom lived in Waianae would get together and have an all day (and most of the night) party at Pokai Bay. Now Waianae back then wasn't the most welcoming place for a skinny, shark-bait, 112 pound Japanese kid from Kaimuki…..but man did that family welcome me! And they had this huge round thingy that looked like a large metal float that had been made into a makeshift steamer………and they made the best, bombucha, lau lau I'd ever had. It was so good that I easily ate two…then, I stopped myself not wanting to be a bad guest. But someone realized that I still looked hungry and gave me another, then another….until I had consumed five! From that day on they always asked her, "hey, Titta, where's your skinny Japanese son…you know, the one who can really eat!" And as long as I knew her, I was always invited to the family luau……

Monday Meanderings: Fresh Chanterelles from Nijiya, saying goodbye to a fellow blogger and other stuffs….

December 26, 2011 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Here's one from the "I need to pay more attention when I'm shopping files." Walking through the produce department at Nijiyatwo weeks ago, something grabbed my attention….. I looked, then looked again, then read thelabel. Wow, it really was fresh chanterelles……..I don't recall seeing them at Nijiya before. I've seen Chanterelles at Bristol Farm and Whole Paycheck, where prices were pretty high. Here they were $9.98/lb, to me, perfectly affordable.

The Missus had never had chanterelles before….and now She loves them. I've had to go back every couple of days and pick up a pound or so.

Instead of chopping, I'll just "peel" the mushrooms ending up with nice sizes pieces.

I simply start the mushrooms in a cold, dry pan and over medium heat let all the liquid out of the mushrooms. After a few minutes I add a good amount of olive oil, garlic, herbs, then white wine bringing it to a nice bubble before tasting, adding salt and pepper, then cutting the heat. What's left can be used as a base for pasta, or perhaps like the Missus enjoys them; simply eaten with bread. Don't know how long these will be available…..but I'm making the most of it. I just saw FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Xiang Jiao" during my most recent visit.

I need to pay better attention, god knows what I'm missing…..

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Sakura still not ready for business……

I drove by earlier today and it looks like a work in progress.

Saying goodbye to a fellow blogger:

About a week before Christmas, Dennis of A Radiused Corner contacted me with some terrible news. A bit later I read a post on Kat's blog about the passing of Nate, the author of Hwn Pake in Okinawa. I've always enjoyed Nate's no nonsense approach to food and life. Through the magic of blogging I was able to vicariously share in those meals and moments. Nate's "local" sensibility really struck a chord with me, and I can't thank him enough for sharing those moments over the years. Though I never met him, I could really relate to his posts and am thankful that he made space in his life to share them…

The ever-thoughtful Dennis was nice enough to organize a lunch in Nate's memory and kind enough to invite me. It was a nice moment, Dennis, Carol, Cathy, and I were able to share thoughts and memories……..

I did feel that I needed to order something appropriate, so made sure to have gravy all over my chicken cutlet and roast pork.

Goodbye Nate, we'll miss you…….

Christmas Eve Dinner: Pan Fried Duck Breast with Char Siu Glaze and Blanched Watercress with Asian style dressing

December 24, 2011 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

The really nice looking duck breasts were calling out to me at Nijiya and I just couldn't resist buying them. This lead to something of a problem. The Missus doesn't believe that duck should ever be made without five spice….ever. In fact, until we got married, the Missus actually thought that duck naturally tasted that way! He-he-he…..five spice. While driving home I got the idea of doing the standard pan fry technique that I've used many times. I'd season the duck with salt, pepper, and a decent amount of the anise heavy, somewhat potent five spice we have from Qingdao. I decided to go with a glaze that is somewhat similar to what I make for Char Siu Lamb Chops and Chicken. The problem being, that was more of a marinade and glaze using sugar. I didn't want the texture of sugar, but wanted that strong Hoisin flavor. So I substituted mirin for the sugar, placed it over heat to burn off the alcohol flavor and added Kecap Manis, Honey, Hoisin, grated garlic, soy sauce, five spice, and ginger juice, reducing the glaze by about a fourth.

I cooked off the duck in the usual manner to render off the excess fat and crisp up the skin. At the end, I brushed on the glaze. Of course I spooned extra sauce on it….you can't have too much of it!

I served it with Purple Cabbage Slaw with Sesame Dressing and a namul like blanched watercress with a dressing made from rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, ground chili, soy sauce and water.

The Missus was taking a nap while I put this together…….

I did make an adjustment for the Missus' duck. The meat was pretty lean and much of the fat had rendered off….thus, it had a texture close to that of, say, venison. When I put together Her plate, I made thinner cuts on more of a bias. The Missus really doubted that I could make duck breast into something She'd enjoy…..but one whiff and one bite changed Her mind. And so things ended with the ultimate back-handed compliment; "it's much better than I thought you could do!" heh…..

I'm thinking that we'll be eating a bit more duck breast round these parts……

As darkness settles in on our street…….

And all the Christmas lights come on in the neighborhood……..

We wanted to wish you a……

Very Merry Christmas!

Istanbul: Bosphorus Ferry Tour, Balik Ekmek, Yeni Camii, and Hotel Djem

December 22, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

After a fairly hectic couple of days in Cappadocia we caught our flight back to Istanbul. We'd be staying one night then heading onward to Athens and Crete. By this time we had the metro and tram system pretty much down pat and made it to Sulthanmet Park and got out and made our way to the Hotel Djem, which is located across the park and the Hippodrome on the opposite side from our previous hotel. We enjoyed this hotel so much that we decided to make it our base for the rest of our time in Istanbul. Walking out into the street, you can see the back of the Blue Mosque rising into the air….there's something so exotic and exciting about Istanbul.

When we arrived the first thing the manager did was offer us tea while he checked on our reservation. The moment he found our reservation he told us to have some breakfast….and typical of Turkey, it was quite a spread.

There was a little guy who worked the breakfast buffet who was constantly in motion….he seemed to always be on a mission of sorts. Watching him work kept us entertained during our breakfasts.

We loved the gentleman who managed the place…when he found out we'd be leaving early the next morning, before breakfast service, he asked, well more like told us that we'd need something to eat…so they would have something ready for us if we wanted. We told him yogurt and some fruit would be perfectly fine….you gotta love Turkey!

While the Missus was freshening up, I asked the young man about cruises on the Bosphorus…….and really appreciated his honest advice. "You just arrived today and are perhaps a bit tired. Personally, I would just take one of the more inexpensive two hour cruises, the all day ones are a bit long……and after a while, all the buildings will start looking the same. You will stop enjoying it." We took his advice…… He would be our best source during our stays in Istanbul.

We caught the tram down to Eminonu as it started to drizzle and looked over a couple of the cruises near the Galata Bridge which I posted on before.

As we boarded it started raining a bit harder…..it was also fairly cold. The chestnut dude was doing great business though!

Here's what the regular ferryboats look like.

It turned out that two hours was just about the right amount of time for us. Here are some of the sights.

Üsküdar the Asian side of Istanbul.

The beautiful Ortaköy Mosque.

The gentleman at the hotel was right….by the time we hit Rumeli Hisari we had peaked and had our fill……though the cruise really highlighted how little we saw of Istanbul during our trip.

There was one thing that kept us form getting bored though….it was this lovely couple…..

Both were middle-aged. Neither sported wedding rings. The gentleman sported a very serious and conservative suit. The woman wore…well, I mostly remember her for the pointy tipped shoes like we saw in the souvenir shops. Both acted like teenagers in love. As the woman walked to the back of the cabin the gentleman trailed her filming her every move. In fact, he filmed just about every move she took. Once, I thought she had her fill and walked out of the cabin….but no, she was just stepping outside so she could do poses right out the window…..yep, you guessed it, just so the guy could film it! It almost seemed like something out of a comedy. It kept our attention for most of the return trip……it was sweet, cute, hilarious, and just plain bizarre all at the same time.

All along the area around the Galata Bridge are boats selling Balik Ekmek, the famous fish sandwich.

The boats have grills installed on them which already gets your attention, but many have eye-catching…well, almost gaudy design and ornamentation. Some of the hawkers even dress up in what I can only guess is Ottoman style garb…all the while yelling out "BAAaaaa-Liiiik". There's an area where several of the boats gather that have a fairly nice looking dining area set-up.

I walked on over and really didn't like the smell of the fish so I passed.

However, as we got off our boat, I noticed this little boat doing some serious business.

So I decided to try one….you can't beat the price, 2.5 TRY, about $1.25! This being Turkey, the sandwich had quite a bit of bread.

I made a mistake when I first got my sandwich; I had a taste of just the fish, undoubtedly mackerel,which tasted just plain fishy and off. Ick. However, when nestled in the bread, the pungency of the onions helped to cut the fishiness and oil. It tasted much better, but I didn't enjoy the aftertaste…it was not among my favorites from this trip. In fact, I'd take "fish curd" and even "fish poo" (fish preserved in it's own intestinal scrapings) that I had in Laos over this any day of the week.

As we walked to the underground crosswalk I saw the infamous mussel vendor. But after my Balik Ekmek I decided to pass…..

Whenever you're near the Galata Bridge, you can't help but notice the wonderful looking mosque across the street, next to the Spice Market.

The name of the mosque is Yeni Camii, "New Mosque", though it ain't that new being built in the 17th century.

In fact, the Spice Market was built as part of the mosque complex to create revenue for the mosque.

We had heard that the Mosque is quite beautiful and though we passed by several times it was suaully around one of the calls to prayer. We wanted to be respectful and not intrude…so perhaps next time.

There are women selling bird seed to feed the thousands of pigeons that flock around the mosque.

On one afternoon, we saw these men performing Wudu the sacred wash before prayers.

We walked back to our warm and dry room at the Hotel Djem, in need of a shower…..

And perhaps a nap…….

Man, did we love this hotel…….

Carnitas’ Snack Shack

December 21, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants

**** This location of Carnitas' Snack Shack has closed

I first heard about this place from FOY (Friend of Yoso) Candice, who mentioned that Hans Cavin was opening a pork-centric farm to table shop in the spot that used to house Vo's at the end of the strip of University I call the "dead zone"….. Now I'm not really a chef groupie, as a whole I really don't follow much of who's cooking where and think that folks are sometimes more interested in the personality than what they're consuming, though who's cooking what sometimes catches my attention. Chef Cavin used to head up the kitchen at Kensington Grill, where the Missus and I had some good meals in the past. Combined with a pork theme (the shop is named after Carvin's pet pig…Carnitas) and a very casual easy to handle menu, how could I not want to check the place out?

I do love what they've done with the al fresco eating space in back of the place; which I found warm (literally so with the heaters on) and inviting.

It looks like a nice neighborhood place for sucking down some saturated fat, especially once the weather heads toward spring and summer.

The menu changes from time to time, though I'm thinking that some of the core dishes will probably be the same. Prices are on the low end for farm-to-table joints, so meat-huggers will love this place. And there was even a vegetarian offering as well.

Of course I could not resist the Pork Belly ($7):

It was a nice slab of belly with a frisee-apple salad as a counter-point. The pork had a nice crust and though it was a tad more chewy than I prefer, it was still nicely done. The glaze, which I didn't find very spicy, has a fruity component which is teeth rattling sweet eaten solo, but actually complemented the pork nicely. The frisee and apple I found too tannic and puckery for my taste. I realize that one would need something to cut the sweet-richness but it was just too much, sending me on this rather unpleasant rollercoater ride……

Having had it a couple of times North of the border, I love poutine. Here ($7) it is seasoned fries topped with pulled pork, a Vermont Cheddar gravy, crowned with a really, really, delicious julienne of bacon.

For me, this was a case of the parts being much more tasty than the sum. The pulled pork itself was very tender with a mild smoke flavor that is completely overwhelmed by the cheese in the sauce…which had attained a glue like texture by the time it hit the table. The fries were nice, but the seasoning just added more interference to the dish and combined with the cheese in the gravy made this pretty salty as a whole. Having bacon just made this a bit too over the top for me…..

I will say that the dishes didn't make me feel like I needed a shower or anything, so that's a good thing. The portions aren't humongous, though that pork belly was more than enough for me.

The woman manning the front counter, whom I believe is Sara, Carvin's partner in the shack, was a joy. I would suggest checking them out, though you may want to go when they open as the place seems to fill up quickly.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104

Hours: Wed – Mon 12pm – 12am

Oahu: Let’s do lunch, Pineapple Room, Nico’s Pier 38, Poke Stop, and The Alley

December 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Honolulu, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Seafood, Travel

Waaay back when, I started making a list of places I wanted to try when I got back "home"…..as years went by, there just never seemed to be the opportunity to take a trip…and when, after nearly ten years we got back to Oahu it was on the way to and from China and there were family things as well. In fact, I just plain adding to the list since it had pretty much gotten outta control. Happily, the Missus and I managed to hit a couple of places on our last trip…here's a round-up of lunches.

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong:

**** The Pineapple Room has closed

One of my favorite places to eat is the Chef's table at Alan Wong's. I'm not sure how I first heard of Alan Wong's restaurant in Macy's Ala Moana Center, perhaps it was Kathy or perhaps Reid. Either way, the Missus and Her cousins wanted to go to Ala Moana on Black Friday…yikes! I've never been there on Black Friday, I will usually sneak to Ala's the back way run in to grab my omiyagi stuff (Honolulu Cookie Company or whateva's) and get the heck out of the place ASAP. Since it was going to be a major pain, I decided to get something out of it and made reservations for the Pineapple Room. Man, it took us about 45 minutes just to get into the mall! Luckily, I found a free valet parking on Black Friday coupon online…otherwise I'd probably still be circling around looking for parking…..

Surprisingly, the Pineapple Room was just half full when we arrived. Folks were just too busy wrestling each other for deals I guess. Having been to several of those Nordstrom/Macy's/etc restaurants, I found the service here to be top notch, from the timing of the dishes to the knowledge of the servers, it was quite impressive.

On to the food……

The unanimous best dish of the day was the Pan Seared Monchong (Pomfret) on Sea Asparagus with Pesto:

The Missus loved the Sea Asparagus, it was fairly tender, with a ice clean oceany flavor. The monchong was cooked perfectly; it flaked, but was very moist, mild in flavor, the pesto added a nice bit of richness and a savory touch. By the look and flavor (it was light and lacked that strong "green" – pinenut backbone flavor) it seemed more of a coulis.

The Kalua Pig BLT was probably second; mainly because cousin Long Hui absolutely loved her first taste of kalua pork.

The onion roll was nothing special as was the Caesar Salad.

I was really looking forward to the Loco Moco…….

For me, the veal demi glace made this dish, as the fried rice was very "local style" and not very impressive. Loved the eggs which had nice flavor, but that all natural beef patty was tremendously dry and grainy, even though it was cooked medium-well. I've had more than my share of grass fed beef in my time, but this was exceptionally dry, without the flavor I'd been expecting.

Our least favorite dish was the Steamed Chinese-style Onaga:

Personally, I love onaga (long tailed red snapper), the "Fish of Kings". This one was starting to taste "sour", which to me means it's going south, its not spoiled, just not very fresh. It was also overcooked and a bit dry as well. The sweet soy with sesame oil tasted fine, but the fish did in the dish.

Again, the service was excellent and perhaps I expected too much since the place had Alan Wong's name attached to it. But for over a hundred bucks for lunch, I think the dishes could have been better.

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
Macy's Ala Moana
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Nico's Pier 38:

This was another place that folks raved about, so the Missus and I headed over on one of the days we had free. I love the location on pier 38…plus it's right next to a fish wholesaler, you can't get much closer to your purveyor than that.

This place is pretty busy for lunch and at it's heart, it is a plate lunch joint…though the offerings seem decidedly more upscale. It also works on the buzzer system…you know, after you pay for your order they give you one of those coaster looking thingamajigs that scares the daylights out of you when it goes off……

The Missus loves the rather recent "brown rice revolution" in Hawaii…..at meny places you can now get brown rice as an option along with mixed greens. I hadn't had Aku Belly ($9.80) in ages so I ordered that, and though I'm not a big fan of brown rice, I ordered it as well to keep the Missus happy.

Loved how the Aku Belly was fried, the texture was perfect, the oils from the belly gave a nice, almost luxurious texture to the belly. The salsa was on the bland side, it had a touch of heat, but not much else. For some reason the tomatoes didn't give the dish as much acid to cut the richness of the belly, which was seriously under-seasoned as well. Some S&P would have gone a long way here. The brown rice seemed like a mix of brown and white here and was too mushy for me.

We also ordered the Ahi Poke Salad ($8.15):

The greens were wonderfully fresh, but I didn't care for the plum dressing which wasn't that great. The Ahi was seared nicely, the fish still raw in the center, but much like the aku belly, there was some serious seasoning shortage here as well.

Prices are great, food was a bit under seasoned and lacking in flavor for us.

Nico's Pier 38
1133 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817

Poke Stop:

**** This location of Poke Stop has closed

We ordered a trio (Furikaki Mahi Mahi, Coconut Shrimp, Seared Ahi) along with our poke:

This was pretty good overall, the ahi and mahi mahi were on the salty side, but the Missus loved both fish. She's not a fan of coconut shrimp so I had those, which were nice and hot, and not fried to death. The brown rice here was super hard, but the Missus wasn't complaining as She scarfed up all of the fish. On this visit, the cooked food was much better than the poke.

Poke Stop
94 -050 Farrington Hwy, E4
Waipahu, HI 96797

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill:

This was one I really wanted to hit up ever since I read about it on Kat's blog a couple of years ago. Now a bowling alley doesn't seem like a great place for a stellar meal, but Oxtail soup has a long history in bowling alley's though Kapiolani Coffee Shop has moved to Waimalu since Kam Bowl closed down. This little restaurant is actually located in Aie'a Bowl, one of the few bowling alleys still left on Oahu. If you doubt that, you can just check out what's going on from your table…..

The folks waiting on us here were very friendly and efficient. There was so much on the menu that I wanted to try, but I had but one stomach to give for my lunch! The Missus made me a deal, She'd order a combination with the furikake ahi and tasty chicken (I wanted to find out how tasty that chicken was) if I shared my oxtail soup with Her. Of course She knew I really wanted the oxtail soup and that chicken ( remember no chicken and turkey for the Missus).

I gotta say, the brown rice here was made just (the only way) I like it….. Loved the portion control with the rice as it left room to attack the okazu. The Missus was less than pleased with the ahi which was more sesame seeds than furikake, for some reason the Missus is not particularly fond of dishes with too much sesame seeds or sesame oil. The quality of the fish was not quite as good as the other places we had visited as well. As for the chicken….well, I scarfed it without taking a breath. The batter was light, like an airy karaage, even though it was sauced after frying with a nice sweet and very mildly spicy sauce it held texture quite well. I thought the flavor was assertive without being too strong……..I really want this again.

My oxtail soup ($13.75) was delivered disguised as the leaning tower of "china". So what was in those bowls? One held rice, another ponzu sauce (which we thought really didn't go with the soup), and one was empty for your eating pleasure. There was the requisite grated ginger and green onions as well.

I really couldn't believe the amount of oxtail in this bowl. The oxtails were also prepared well, they held form and the cooking was timed well as they were tender without being mushy. The soup here is not the "clear style" but like what I make at home "shoyu style".

The broth had good oil and star anise flavor, with peanuts strewn throughout. The Missus would have a couple of bites of Her fish then tell me "switch" and grab my bowl of soup!

This was by far, my favorite meal of the trip. It was also quite filling as I couldn't eat dinner that night…….. We're coming back here…..

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill
in Aiea Bowl
99-115 Aiea Heights Dr, Ste 310
Aiea, HI 96701

Man, this has been a long one; thanks so much for reading….let me leave you with a photo of a landmark that I remember from "small kid time".

Daddy’s Hot Dogs

December 18, 2011 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

I was driving along University when I noticed a little window and a sign for a shop called Daddy's Hot Dogs. For some reason the name rang a bell….then it came to me, I'd read a short blurb about the place on sdurban, though I don't recall Paul having checked out the place yet. A hot dog seemed like a pretty good idea, something that would hold me until dinner.

There's just a simple counter in front of the mustard yellow(how appropriate) storefront, where you can "lean and eat" and a window to order.

The menu seemed simple with four items, a 100% all beef dog, a bison dog, a veggie dog (?!?), and a "special" which on this day was a buffalo chicken dog. I say "seemed" because you can order all sorts of toppings and additions to your dog (didn't see no ketchup, though!). The dogs are also butterflied and griddled to order….there are those who waffle at waiting more than two minutes for your dog, this ain't the place for you. No hot dog lying in a steamer, dirty water, or on a hot dog roller here……

The wind seemed to be picking up and rain drops began to fall, so the owner "Daddy" whose given name is, I believe is William, invited me into the back of the restaurant where there's another counter and a couple of seats.

Here I watched the self proclaimed "hot dog chef" in action. All dogs are served butterflied, all items are heated on the griddle, the buns are warmed (thankfully not split and griddled), to order. Daddy told me that temperature and the dog is king here, he doesn't like to overdress his pups.

My all beef dog with deli mustard, griddled onions, and kraut – three bucks, perhaps high for New York or Chicago, but pretty much in the pocket for San Diego.

I wasn't sure how I'd like the butterflied and griddled dog, but it had that nice all beef dog and seasonings flavor which completed the mildly pungent onions and mustard, the kraut, nice and warm added the nice acid component to the deal. The only thing I had qualms with was the roll, which was too big…the bread to protein ratio was off. Also because it was place whole on the griddle, the interior was cold. Personally, I'm partial to lightly steamed rolls, which seem to impart a light fluffiness to the whole deal. Still, this was decent, I'd have it again…..of course then I had to ask Daddy what kind of dog he used. He gave me a wry smile and told me, "I'm not going to tell you, no one else in San Diego serves these and I want to keep it that way." Though after chatting with Daddy a bit, I got some clues…Daddy is a New Yorker who favors Papaya King and Gray's Papaya, so I have feeling he uses a Sabrett type all beef frankfurter…..honestly, I don't need to know any more.

Overall, a decent hot dog…….

Daddy's Hot Dogs
1281 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Tues-Wed 11 am – 8 pm
Thurs 11 am – 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am – 2 am
Sun 11 am – 6 pm