I just added a hit counter to the blog!
"To Visit List"
G-Sushi
Fort Ruger Market
Tokyo Noodle House
Kuru Kuru Sushi
Imanas Tei
Ichiriki Japanese Nabe Restaurant
Island Manapua Shop
"To Be Reviewed List"
Gina's BBQ
Ezogiku Ramen
Yama's Fish Market
March 25, 2010
March 20, 2010
Alicia's Market
If you are anything like me, you like to have more than just chips and dip on game day (especially the Super Bowl). Just in time for March Madness, I decided to check out a lead on a market dishing out everything that I need for the big game all in one stop.
Alicia's Market looks just like your ordinary family-run neighborhood market from the outside but stepping inside you will find that it is much more -- like Alice in Wonderland, but you are in awe with the food and not talking rabbits. Located along Mokauea Street near Nimitz and Sand Island, I again set out on another long (Hawaii standards) drive for good food. A drive I will gladly take for the food at Alicia's Market.
"What constitutes bowl game food," you may ask? Being a huge football and food fan I find that the food should be on par with the game itself. This of course means all measures of local delicacies that include (but are not limited to) Char-siu, roast pork, boiled peanuts, soy beans (edamame for you non-local types), at least three types of poke (may also include sashimi), and last but not least, a giant pot of rice (and maybe a barrel of zippy's chili). Alicia's Market has all of this (minus the Zippy's chili) and much more (beer)!
One thing I suggest with places that sell roast meats here in Hawaii is that you get there early. You want your roast meats as fresh out of the kitchen as possible. The same goes for your raw fish. You want your poke and sashimi as fresh as possible. Sometimes this isn't possible if the place you are going to doesn't bring in fresh fish daily. Again, getting your fish early is your best bet. Of course the food is always better the day of the big game as places like Alicia's market need to stock up on fresh product to meet demand.
As always, I'm usually in the mood for roast pork and that day was no exception. Last Super Bowl I had the fortunate opportunity to try a few pieces of roast pork from Alicia's Market. The roast pork was very good but when I visited the place in person this past weekend the roast pork wasn't up to standards. By the time I got home I found the roast pork soaking in a puddle of oil (20 minute drive) and not as good as I had remembered it to be. None the less it was still tasty. The char-siu was much better than the roast pork and was not sitting in oil when I opened it up.
Being the type that likes to try anything at least once, I had the opportunity to try turkey tails. It was cut up sort of like how the Chinese cut up roast duck (ask for it whole). Although turkey tails are mostly fat, they are extremely flavorful and will be on my list for my next Super Bowl party.
In addition to all of this, Alicia's market also provides roast duck, chicken, and PIG!!! Yes, twice a week (from what I heard) Alicia's market roasts pigs (lechon) and will gladly provide their expert roasting services to you for a fair price if you call ahead.
After ordering all of my roast meats, I felt like a kid in a candy store. But it would just get better as I stepped a few feet to my right to the poke counter.
During the last Super Bowl I also had a chance to try Alicia's Market's masago ahi poke. I have to admit that this was some of the freshest poke that I had ever eaten. Just as the roast pork on game day was better, so was the poke. I guess you just can't beat food on game day. However I would still rank the poke as superb even though it wasn't as great this time around.
The poke counter at Alicia's Market is amazing. "Bountiful" might be the right word. If you had ever been to a Foodland poke counter, this was larger and the quality of seafood much better. What more can you ask for? How about wasabi masago ahi poke? For those of you that might prefer the regular masago ahi poke over the wasabi version, there is only a hint of wasabi and it accents the poke perfectly. But for those of you who prefer the pure taste of raw fish over poke, the sashimi at Alicia's Market is excellent as well. Alicia's Market sells pre-sliced sashimi plates (the small ones are the perfect size for a lunch or dinner).
After ordering a 1/4 pound of pretty much everything at the roast meats and poke counters, I passed by the beer section (I was too preoccupied with the food to think about beer) and passed by the front counter (you pay for the roast meats and poke in back) when I noticed one of my favorite game day snacks sitting on the counter. Boiled peanuts anyone?
Growing up I've always been a big fan of boiled peanuts. However, it seems these days there aren't as many places that still make quality boiled peanuts (I can only name a few off the top of my head) so I was pleased to find that Alicia's Market also sells boiled peanuts. I picked up a two-pound bag as well as a container of soy beans (edamame) soaking in some liquid before I headed out the door and back home. After a long meal with a few friends we popped in a movie and eventually took out the peanuts and soy beans. The peanuts (although a bit over cooked) were excellent due to the cooking liquid (probably some of the best I've had) and the marinated soy beans were great as well (marinated in a garlic-poke sauce).
In conclusion, Alicia's Market is the place to go if you are looking for that "one stop shop" for your game day food needs. Just make sure you order ahead if you have a big order and be sure to come early regardless. Trust me, it will be worth it and you will be well pleased.
Alicia's Market
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4
Food Quality: 3.75 (better on game days)
Monetary Value: 2.75
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.5
267 Mokauea St.
Honolulu, HI 96819
808-841-1921
Alicia's Market looks just like your ordinary family-run neighborhood market from the outside but stepping inside you will find that it is much more -- like Alice in Wonderland, but you are in awe with the food and not talking rabbits. Located along Mokauea Street near Nimitz and Sand Island, I again set out on another long (Hawaii standards) drive for good food. A drive I will gladly take for the food at Alicia's Market.
"What constitutes bowl game food," you may ask? Being a huge football and food fan I find that the food should be on par with the game itself. This of course means all measures of local delicacies that include (but are not limited to) Char-siu, roast pork, boiled peanuts, soy beans (edamame for you non-local types), at least three types of poke (may also include sashimi), and last but not least, a giant pot of rice (and maybe a barrel of zippy's chili). Alicia's Market has all of this (minus the Zippy's chili) and much more (beer)!
One thing I suggest with places that sell roast meats here in Hawaii is that you get there early. You want your roast meats as fresh out of the kitchen as possible. The same goes for your raw fish. You want your poke and sashimi as fresh as possible. Sometimes this isn't possible if the place you are going to doesn't bring in fresh fish daily. Again, getting your fish early is your best bet. Of course the food is always better the day of the big game as places like Alicia's market need to stock up on fresh product to meet demand.
As always, I'm usually in the mood for roast pork and that day was no exception. Last Super Bowl I had the fortunate opportunity to try a few pieces of roast pork from Alicia's Market. The roast pork was very good but when I visited the place in person this past weekend the roast pork wasn't up to standards. By the time I got home I found the roast pork soaking in a puddle of oil (20 minute drive) and not as good as I had remembered it to be. None the less it was still tasty. The char-siu was much better than the roast pork and was not sitting in oil when I opened it up.
Being the type that likes to try anything at least once, I had the opportunity to try turkey tails. It was cut up sort of like how the Chinese cut up roast duck (ask for it whole). Although turkey tails are mostly fat, they are extremely flavorful and will be on my list for my next Super Bowl party.
In addition to all of this, Alicia's market also provides roast duck, chicken, and PIG!!! Yes, twice a week (from what I heard) Alicia's market roasts pigs (lechon) and will gladly provide their expert roasting services to you for a fair price if you call ahead.
After ordering all of my roast meats, I felt like a kid in a candy store. But it would just get better as I stepped a few feet to my right to the poke counter.
During the last Super Bowl I also had a chance to try Alicia's Market's masago ahi poke. I have to admit that this was some of the freshest poke that I had ever eaten. Just as the roast pork on game day was better, so was the poke. I guess you just can't beat food on game day. However I would still rank the poke as superb even though it wasn't as great this time around.
The poke counter at Alicia's Market is amazing. "Bountiful" might be the right word. If you had ever been to a Foodland poke counter, this was larger and the quality of seafood much better. What more can you ask for? How about wasabi masago ahi poke? For those of you that might prefer the regular masago ahi poke over the wasabi version, there is only a hint of wasabi and it accents the poke perfectly. But for those of you who prefer the pure taste of raw fish over poke, the sashimi at Alicia's Market is excellent as well. Alicia's Market sells pre-sliced sashimi plates (the small ones are the perfect size for a lunch or dinner).
After ordering a 1/4 pound of pretty much everything at the roast meats and poke counters, I passed by the beer section (I was too preoccupied with the food to think about beer) and passed by the front counter (you pay for the roast meats and poke in back) when I noticed one of my favorite game day snacks sitting on the counter. Boiled peanuts anyone?
Growing up I've always been a big fan of boiled peanuts. However, it seems these days there aren't as many places that still make quality boiled peanuts (I can only name a few off the top of my head) so I was pleased to find that Alicia's Market also sells boiled peanuts. I picked up a two-pound bag as well as a container of soy beans (edamame) soaking in some liquid before I headed out the door and back home. After a long meal with a few friends we popped in a movie and eventually took out the peanuts and soy beans. The peanuts (although a bit over cooked) were excellent due to the cooking liquid (probably some of the best I've had) and the marinated soy beans were great as well (marinated in a garlic-poke sauce).
In conclusion, Alicia's Market is the place to go if you are looking for that "one stop shop" for your game day food needs. Just make sure you order ahead if you have a big order and be sure to come early regardless. Trust me, it will be worth it and you will be well pleased.
Alicia's Market
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4
Food Quality: 3.75 (better on game days)
Monetary Value: 2.75
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.5
267 Mokauea St.
Honolulu, HI 96819
808-841-1921
March 16, 2010
Wailana Coffee House and Cocktail Lounge
"Park in the yellow stalls" is my favorite late-night phrase. Why, you may ask? Because it means cheap, filling food at the right price even if it's two in the morning. Located along Ala Moana Boulevard in Waikiki, Wailana Coffee House is a safe haven for line cooks getting off of work at the stroke of midnight, late night club-goers, the occasional insomniac, night students, and of course the jet-lagged tourist. Being one of only a handful of restaurants here on Oahu that are open 'round-the-clock (there are so few that I actually count Zippy's as a late-night dining option) Wailana Coffee House is usually filled with people regardless of the hour of night you arrive (the location helps I presume).
The ambiance in Wailana Coffee House is spectacular to say the least. It's like taking a trip back in time to the 1970's. Floral print lined seats and carpet, well lit and spacious main room with a back room seating larger parties, it kind of reminds you of old Hawaii -- elegant and classy with it's beige colored rooms yet laid-back (which is classic 1970's Hawaiian architecture).
Being open 24-hours-a-day and serving both local and classic diner food, Wailana Coffee House's menu is hard to beat. A hamburger and milkshake at 8 AM, breakfast at 8 PM, what's not to like? Wailana Coffee House also always comes through with their specials. Be it fried ice cream or endless pancakes their specials always hit the spot.
Did I mention the salad bar? This is probably Wailana Coffee House's best kept secret. If you order an item that includes soup or salad I definitely recommend the salad bar. The salad bar includes your usual salad choices (leafy greens, various dressings, croutons, etc.) as well as a pasta salad, kim chee, potato salad, jello, and a few other choices. Did I also mention that it's endless? Think about it: endless. salad. bar. Not bad for ordering a ten-dollar entree. Just make sure you get there by 10 PM because the salad bar closes by 11.
Aside from the salad bar, breakfast, and endless pancakes, Wailana Coffee House also delivers on their local specialties. While the patty for Wailana's loco moco isn't the greatest (kind of tough) they make up for it with their amazing gravy and their heap of tasty mac-salad! Hungry? Then try Wailana's meatloaf which includes the endless salad bar (score!), butter-roll, and a chocolate-mac nut sundae all for around $12.
Wailana Coffee House also serves your classic diner foods such as burgers and fries, various sandwiches, and is probably one of the last places left on the island (that is NOT Quizno's) that serves a PROPER french-dip (note: I love my french dips).
Overall, Wailana Coffee House is a major contender in Waikiki's over-flooded restaurant scene. Open 24/7 (well, almost. They're closed from midnight to 6am on Wednesdays) and serving both local and classic diner fare as well as breakfast is hard to beat when you don't know what you're in the mood for. As for parking, take a right right after Todai and the garage should be on your left. Just remember, "Park in the yellow stalls."
Wailana Coffee House and Cocktail Lounge
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4.25 (friendly wait-staff!)
Food Quality: 2.5
Monetary Value: 3.25
Quality vs Quantity: Tie (huge menu selection)
Overall: 3.3
1860 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96815
808-955-1764
The ambiance in Wailana Coffee House is spectacular to say the least. It's like taking a trip back in time to the 1970's. Floral print lined seats and carpet, well lit and spacious main room with a back room seating larger parties, it kind of reminds you of old Hawaii -- elegant and classy with it's beige colored rooms yet laid-back (which is classic 1970's Hawaiian architecture).
Being open 24-hours-a-day and serving both local and classic diner food, Wailana Coffee House's menu is hard to beat. A hamburger and milkshake at 8 AM, breakfast at 8 PM, what's not to like? Wailana Coffee House also always comes through with their specials. Be it fried ice cream or endless pancakes their specials always hit the spot.
Did I mention the salad bar? This is probably Wailana Coffee House's best kept secret. If you order an item that includes soup or salad I definitely recommend the salad bar. The salad bar includes your usual salad choices (leafy greens, various dressings, croutons, etc.) as well as a pasta salad, kim chee, potato salad, jello, and a few other choices. Did I also mention that it's endless? Think about it: endless. salad. bar. Not bad for ordering a ten-dollar entree. Just make sure you get there by 10 PM because the salad bar closes by 11.
Aside from the salad bar, breakfast, and endless pancakes, Wailana Coffee House also delivers on their local specialties. While the patty for Wailana's loco moco isn't the greatest (kind of tough) they make up for it with their amazing gravy and their heap of tasty mac-salad! Hungry? Then try Wailana's meatloaf which includes the endless salad bar (score!), butter-roll, and a chocolate-mac nut sundae all for around $12.
Wailana Coffee House also serves your classic diner foods such as burgers and fries, various sandwiches, and is probably one of the last places left on the island (that is NOT Quizno's) that serves a PROPER french-dip (note: I love my french dips).
Overall, Wailana Coffee House is a major contender in Waikiki's over-flooded restaurant scene. Open 24/7 (well, almost. They're closed from midnight to 6am on Wednesdays) and serving both local and classic diner fare as well as breakfast is hard to beat when you don't know what you're in the mood for. As for parking, take a right right after Todai and the garage should be on your left. Just remember, "Park in the yellow stalls."
Wailana Coffee House and Cocktail Lounge
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4.25 (friendly wait-staff!)
Food Quality: 2.5
Monetary Value: 3.25
Quality vs Quantity: Tie (huge menu selection)
Overall: 3.3
1860 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96815
808-955-1764
March 8, 2010
Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant
Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant is one of those hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants that at first glance you might avoid. You make excuses on why you haven't eaten there, "Oh, I don't know if it's open or not it's hard to tell..." or "It's the location. Maybe if it wasn't located in [insert rough neighborhood here. My personal favorite is China Town] I wouldn't mind eating there."
My initial excuse was that Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant has large (and I mean LARGE) posters all over the exterior (and interior) of their restaurant advertising special dishes. Now these posters weren't colorful and displaying pictures of dishes. These posters were black and white large-font print. However interesting pepper-salt frog legs may sound to me I would much rather view a specials menu than gaze around the room looking at the additions to their menu.
Golden Eagle has a number of interesting items on their menu (this much I knew without taking a glance at the actual menu). "Wallpaper Specials" as I will refer to them in the future included pepper-salt frog legs (which I hear are delicious), pepper-salt quail, honey-shrimp with walnuts, shark fin soup, pork belly with taro and so on and so forth (yes I wasn't exaggerating as to the number of these papers lining the restaurant). While I didn't try any of these specials except the honey-shrimp with walnuts, I did get to try their house special for two.
The house special for two ($29.99) included egg-drop soup, chicken with house sauce, honey-shrimp with walnuts and crispy gau-gee mein. My friend and I also ordered beef-broccoli with cake noodle to top it off.
The waitress was friendly and it seemed that she was the only one running the front of the house operations at Golden Eagle. She brought us water and tea and took our order. I noticed that the tea was slightly sweet and not the usual tea that you would find at a Chinese restaurant. But I wasn't in much of a tea-drinking mood that day so I didn't mind too much.
The waitress reappeared with our egg-drop soup and served both of us a bowl-full. There was enough left over for maybe two more bowls so the portions were quite generous. The soup was your standard American-influenced egg-drop. I noticed that the carrots and peas that were added into the soup tasted frozen (maybe canned?) but definitely were not fresh-cut.
By the time I was about halfway done with my soup more dishes arrived. First up was the rice followed by the chicken in house sauce. The chicken was stir-fried with bell peppers and onions and covered in what looked to be a blazing-hot chili pepper sauce at first glance. However after diving into the platter of chicken I found it to be mildly spicy and quite tasty.
Next up was the crispy gau-gee mein and the beef-broccoli with cake noodles. Two very standard dishes that you see in most Americanized Chinese restaurants. The reason why these two dishes were ordered were of course for comparison between other Chinese restaurants around the island. After digging into both I came to the conclusion that they were your average crispy gau-gee mein and beef-broccoli with cake noodles with one exception -- the sauce was a bit too sweet.
Last to arrive was the honey-shrimp with walnuts. If you have read my previous Chinese restaurant reviews, you know that this is perhaps one of my favorite dishes to order. When the dish arrived I started with a walnut. It was good. Crunchy and slightly glazed as it should be. I then took a bite of shrimp. The mayonnaise sauce was a bit too sweet yet it was also lacking flavor (not enough salt or MSG. Not to say that they use MSG here of course). The shrimp also tasted a bit undercooked and slimy underneath the batter. I'm not sure what to make of their honey-shrimp with walnuts. Perhaps I'll have to give it another go.
Overall, the meal was decent and the service was great. Who can complain about a lunch like that? Well, I guess I could but hey, I'm sometimes overly critical (and obsessive) when it comes to honey-shrimp with walnuts.
NOTE: About MSG in your Chinese food...it isn't the bubonic plague. I for one don't mind MSG in my food. Please check out the website below for more information on MSG.
For More Information Click Here
Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4.25
Food Quality: 2.25
Monetary Value: 1.75
Quality vs Quantity: Tie
Overall: 2.75
2334 South King St. (The structure is located along South King however it is facing Young St.)
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-955-5080
My initial excuse was that Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant has large (and I mean LARGE) posters all over the exterior (and interior) of their restaurant advertising special dishes. Now these posters weren't colorful and displaying pictures of dishes. These posters were black and white large-font print. However interesting pepper-salt frog legs may sound to me I would much rather view a specials menu than gaze around the room looking at the additions to their menu.
Golden Eagle has a number of interesting items on their menu (this much I knew without taking a glance at the actual menu). "Wallpaper Specials" as I will refer to them in the future included pepper-salt frog legs (which I hear are delicious), pepper-salt quail, honey-shrimp with walnuts, shark fin soup, pork belly with taro and so on and so forth (yes I wasn't exaggerating as to the number of these papers lining the restaurant). While I didn't try any of these specials except the honey-shrimp with walnuts, I did get to try their house special for two.
The house special for two ($29.99) included egg-drop soup, chicken with house sauce, honey-shrimp with walnuts and crispy gau-gee mein. My friend and I also ordered beef-broccoli with cake noodle to top it off.
The waitress was friendly and it seemed that she was the only one running the front of the house operations at Golden Eagle. She brought us water and tea and took our order. I noticed that the tea was slightly sweet and not the usual tea that you would find at a Chinese restaurant. But I wasn't in much of a tea-drinking mood that day so I didn't mind too much.
The waitress reappeared with our egg-drop soup and served both of us a bowl-full. There was enough left over for maybe two more bowls so the portions were quite generous. The soup was your standard American-influenced egg-drop. I noticed that the carrots and peas that were added into the soup tasted frozen (maybe canned?) but definitely were not fresh-cut.
By the time I was about halfway done with my soup more dishes arrived. First up was the rice followed by the chicken in house sauce. The chicken was stir-fried with bell peppers and onions and covered in what looked to be a blazing-hot chili pepper sauce at first glance. However after diving into the platter of chicken I found it to be mildly spicy and quite tasty.
Next up was the crispy gau-gee mein and the beef-broccoli with cake noodles. Two very standard dishes that you see in most Americanized Chinese restaurants. The reason why these two dishes were ordered were of course for comparison between other Chinese restaurants around the island. After digging into both I came to the conclusion that they were your average crispy gau-gee mein and beef-broccoli with cake noodles with one exception -- the sauce was a bit too sweet.
Last to arrive was the honey-shrimp with walnuts. If you have read my previous Chinese restaurant reviews, you know that this is perhaps one of my favorite dishes to order. When the dish arrived I started with a walnut. It was good. Crunchy and slightly glazed as it should be. I then took a bite of shrimp. The mayonnaise sauce was a bit too sweet yet it was also lacking flavor (not enough salt or MSG. Not to say that they use MSG here of course). The shrimp also tasted a bit undercooked and slimy underneath the batter. I'm not sure what to make of their honey-shrimp with walnuts. Perhaps I'll have to give it another go.
Overall, the meal was decent and the service was great. Who can complain about a lunch like that? Well, I guess I could but hey, I'm sometimes overly critical (and obsessive) when it comes to honey-shrimp with walnuts.
NOTE: About MSG in your Chinese food...it isn't the bubonic plague. I for one don't mind MSG in my food. Please check out the website below for more information on MSG.
For More Information Click Here
Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4.25
Food Quality: 2.25
Monetary Value: 1.75
Quality vs Quantity: Tie
Overall: 2.75
2334 South King St. (The structure is located along South King however it is facing Young St.)
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-955-5080
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