Category: Dining

Posted on

THESE RIBS RUBBED ME WRONG WAY

Welcome to Chow Fun. Beginning with this posting, we’ll share periodic chats about food and dining. More informal revelations than the usual reviews, with focus on chowing … from snacks to casual dining.

Had a recent yearning for BBQ ribs, so ventured to Tex808 BBQ & Brews at the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center. This joint is jumping, for folks hungry for ribs and brisket.

Made two visits, since what I wanted to try the first time – the kal bi ribs – was sold out.

So, I ordered the usual ribs, with a choice of sauces, which wound up being a generous portion. I ate one half, taking the leftover home.

Still curious about the kal bi, I returned a week later and ordered ‘em.

The Tex88 kal bi, served with rice and salad on an aluminum tray.

Alas, I had mixed feelings. While the portion also was plentiful  – two rather thick slabs, not the thinner cuts you get at Yummy BBQ outlets or Kim’s (in Hawaii Kai), so I consumed one, took one home.

Frankly, if you like Korean kal bi, stick to a Korean  BBQ restaurant. The Tex version had the Korean flavor, but it’s smoked like the house ribs, so the ribs were tough and  dry. The butter knife provided (no serrated knife) could not easily cut through the meat.

Menu diversity is wonderful, but the kal bi here turns out to be a disappointing distraction.

The ribs and brisket come with choices of starch (rice, fries) and sides (like potato-mac salad, baked beans). The cafeteria style presentation – an aluminum tray with the entrée, with the sides served in paper luau-type mini-trays – was functional but uninspired.

There are tables facing the Hawaii Kai marina, and boats float by and there are mutual waving, from boaters and diners. On a dark night, blackness rules, with glistening lights from residents across the bay.

The waitstaff is friendly, and your server is your cashier, and mine signed me up for frequent diner points, but didn’t explain the rewards. There’s (loud) music some nights, perhaps targeting bar-area folks.

Another setback: the restaurant doesn’t serve coffee or tea but offers soda and wine.

Posted on

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER — WHY NOT?

It’s been months, since I’ve had breakfast for dinner. ‘Tis the breakfast item — two eggs, plus hamburger patty, with a side of brown gravy — from Liliha Bakery.

The meal comes with rice and a side salad, Just the right fare last night, at the Macy’s Ala Moana Center location.

Posted on

WAFFLING TO JOIN DONUT-TOPPING RACE

A Belgian waffle store, La Liegeoise, has opened at the Koko Marina Shopping Center in Hawaii Kai, in the former Sophie’s Pizza slot a stone’s throw from Zippy’s take-out space.

The concept is a holdable waffle with options for toppings of your choice.

I chose a basic cinnamon sugar topping, sprinkled over a waffle that had a crispy exterior and a tad sticky interior, making it a chewable pastry toasted like a conventional thick Belgian waffle but with a slightly moist inside.

The basic waffle is $7, with a $1 charge for your choice of a topping such as Nutella, peanut butter, strawberry jam and whipped cream, or not-so-common options like Oreo, Fruit Loops, M&Ms and salted butter caramel.

The various toppings kinda makes La Liegeoise’s waffle trying to play catch up with the trendy doughnuts. So far, no bacon topping. Nor maple syrup.

Some considerations: if you’re holding and eating the waffle, you might want a topping that won’t topple. If you eat the waffle flat, you could still use your fingers and munch as you would a slice of toast. Or use utensils like you would a normal waffle.

But here’s the rub: the quicker you eat it (it’ll be warm), the better; if you’re buying for dessert after dinner, it won’t be fresh (it’ll be cold).

Best option: eat in-store, since there are a few tables. You can splurge and buy before or after a movie, make it your breakfast, or your snack after shopping instead of shave ice.

My opinion: It’s a middling newcomer with an uphill battle to compete with fancy doughnuts and malasadas, where patrons order up a dozen. Don’t think these waffles will have too many take-out orders of 12. …

Services set for John Michael White

A memorial service for the late John Michael White will be held at 2 p.m. May 18 at Central Union Church, 1660 S. Beretania St.

White died March 31 at age 81.

White, pictured, was known for his support of a range of community organizations, including Boys Bunch Hawaii, of which he was a founding member, the Hawaii Polo Club and the polo community, and Make a Wish Foundation.

I knew him best as avid theater patron, where he always shared his manao with a handshake and beaming smile, at productions at Diamond Head Theatre and Manoa Valley Theatre.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to John’s favorite causes.

Survivors include a son, Jeffrey Michael White, and a daughter, Tracey White McCarthy, and several grandchildren. …

Make Longs a part of your day, again

Well, you can make Longs a part of your day again, when Kumu Kahua revives the Lee Cataluna comedy, “Folks You Meet at Longs,” May 25  to June 25…

The show, which was a hit when it originally premiered in 2003, is a glimpse of folks who frequent the aisles of the drug store where just about everyone shops. There are monologues and interaction, just like any day at a Longs. Not surprisingly, CVS Longs and HMSA are among the partners in sponsoring this run.

The acting ensemble features Alysia-Leila Kepaʻa, Brandon Hagio, Cori Matsuda,  Darryl Soriano, Dawn Gohara, Jason Kanda, Jonathan Reyn,  Judy Lucina, and Thoren Lagaʻali Black.

Alvin Chan, who is directing the revival, said , “It’s an honor to work on a piece that I consider to be part of Hawaii’s theater canon.”

For ticket information, call  (808) 536–4441 orvisit www.kumukahua.org …

And that’s Show Biz. …

..

Posted on

DINING DELIGHTS — AT ROY’S, UTAGE

Misoyaki butterfish at. Roy’s Hawaii Kai.

Still have fond memories of two separate dining outings the past few weeks. At dinner at Roy’s Hawaii Kai, the misoyaki butterfish still is broke-the-mouth delish; chose a white rice musubi, instead of the standard black-rice ‘neath the exquisitely seasoned fish. The other satisfying lunch meal was at Utage, at City Square in Kalihi, where the nasubi chanpuru, a bowl of nasubi, tofu and roast pork bathed in a perfect sauce, is a wondrous yesterday memory of Okinawan flavors. Oh-so-ono!

Nasubi chanpuru, at Utage’s in Kalihi.
Posted on

FINALLY! ‘HAMILTON’ COMING HERE

Finally!

“Broadway in Hawaii” today (Dec. 2) announced its first three-show season of shows for Hawaii residents. A fourth musical, earlier announced, is an “extra” outside of the premier season packaging.

The slate includes three island premieres led by the unprecedented blockbuster “Hamilton” and the hit-loaded “Beautiful — the Carole King Musical.” “Cats,” which is a venerable return visitor but still a popular title in the repertoire of the Broadway spectrum, is the third season attraction. The rescheduled “Jersey Boys” is not part of the season ticketing because it had to be rescheduled twice, with many tickets previously sold, but it will be its first staging in Honolulu.

Joseph Morales as Hamilton

But here’s a bit of secret behind-the-scenes drama: the touring “Hamilton” company is one dubbed “…and Peggy,” and the lead actor in this ensemble is Joseph Morales, our homegrown Broadway trouper. The producers will not announce cast, until  just prior of the engagement, since actors can be juggled and routed to a different company. So I’ll go on record to press the decision-makers to be certain that Morales dons his Alexander Hamilton costume when the show lands here. It’ll be his “shot” that will memorable not only for him but also the local theater-goers. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed Morales is our Hamilton.

“The success of shows like ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ clearly demonstrate that Honolulu deserves to be a regular stop for touring Broadway in North America,” said Magicspace COO Steve Boulay, the presenter, who has been a key player to book musicals at Blaisdell Concert Hall. “We are thrilled that the commitment of everyone at Blaisdell, the stagehands union and the city, together with the support of Broadway in Hawaii patrons, have come together to make this incredible season possible. We look forward to many more.”

Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement, “The Hawaii debut of ‘Hamilton’ is a remarkable opportunity for our community. We are truly grateful to be able to welcome this marquee production to Honolulu without audience capacity limitations.”

Mr. Mayor is spot-on in welcoming the slate of Broadway in Hawaii shows. Audience support is vital, when these series set down anywhere, and this is the first time ever that a spectrum of four productions, one as a “special engagement,” will be staged here. In many other viable communities, six shows comprise a season, so we have a lot of work to do make this venture worth the producers’ effort by securing tickets.

So here’s the rundown:

  • “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical,” April 19 to 24, 2022. This is a stupendous biographical musical that tracks the ups and downs of prolific rock/pop composers Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin and collaborators Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann,  who have written tunes for a myriad of acts in rock history, including The Shirelles, Little Eva, and Neil Sedaka.
  • “Hamilton,” Dec. 8 to 14, 2022, for subscribers only and Dec. 15, 2022 to Jan. 29, 2023 for other patrons. This is the blockbuster by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, in a hip-hop rendering of the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of America, based on the biography by Ron Chernow. It’s been a revolutionary musical and winner of nearly all the prizes available, the Tony, the Grammy, the Olivier, plus the Pulitzer Prize and KennedyTheatre Honors.
  • “Cats,” June 13 to 18, 2023, The is the Andrew Lloyd Webber creation, inspired by the poetry of T. S. Eliot, that is best known for its “Memory” signature song and is the only musical set in a junkyard. Everyone knows a cat has nine lives, and this show begins a new run for the furry creatures, with updated sound design, choreography and director for a new generation of viewers.
  • “Jersey Boys,” Sept. 13 to 25, 2022. This is considered a “special engagement,” considering its previous on-again, off-again setback. The show is not part of the three-title season. It is the biography musical of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and boasts a soundtrack of trademark toe-tapping hits like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man. Season tickets are available at www.BroadwayInHawaii.com and here are the price ranges, by seat locations:

And that’s Show Biz. …