Tag Archive | American Food

Morton’s The Steakhouse – Honolulu, HI

Jul28

The first time I went to Morton’s Steakhouse was YEARS ago…and it was a bad experience. I think we had a special coupon deal for some kind of set meal and the service was just not it. It soured the restaurant for me for years to come. Well, this past week, Chan’s friend from Japan came to visit so we decided to meet up with her here. They are still around so they gotta be good right? Let’s see if they come right on the service this time. They have an elevator that takes you straight up to their restaurant. It’s really odd because while they are on the second floor, there are absolutely no windows. Figure there must be somewhat of a nice view of Ala Moana beach but I guess they didn’t want it.

Orchard Season | $10.00
apple, pineapple, cranberry, lemon, fever-tree ginger ale

You know how I roll, alcohol free! This was delicious, tastes as crisp as it sounds. This name evokes an autumnal feeling – I really liked it!

The State St. | $20.00
woodford reserve bourbon, carpano antica formula vermouth & cherry bitters filtered through jack daniel’s barrel char…wagyu “bacon” candy

Chan’s fancy drink. The description alone is worth the $20 lol. He let me take a sip and boy was it smooth going down. It’s a good drink!

Complimentary Bread

Usually, I like to scarf down bread but I kept my composure this time. I ate only one slice and saved my appetite for the dinner. The bread was nice and warm and soft with very soft butter on the side. Yum!

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail | $26.00
house-made cocktail sauce, horseradish

Where do I find these bombucha size shrimp myself? So meaty and firm (heh) – it was delicious! Perfect cocktail sauce too, really enjoyed this! But I also enjoy the ones from Costco/Sam’s Club lol.

Chef’s Selection of Fresh Oysters | $25.00
half dozen on the 1/2 shell, house-made cocktail sauce, mignonette

I love a good fresh raw oyster – it tastes clean but also like the ocean. This was good! I enjoyed it!

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes | $15.00
Make it loaded | $4.00

There’s a lot going on with these mashed potatoes, it’s liked a loaded baked potato casserole. It tastes exactly like it sounds and the “bacon” they use are like huge chunks of thick cut bacon!

Creamed Spinach | $15.00

Basic standard cream spinach – classic, nothing to write home about.

Thick Cut Onion Rings | $15.00

Chan has been craving onion rings and here we go! This definitely fulfilled that craving. Good breading on the onion rings and fried just right.

Parmesan & Truffle Matchstick Fries | $14.00

These fries were so good! I’m thinking I should add matchstick to my favorite cuts of fries list.

36 oz. Tomahawk Ribeye | $145.00

Expensive! But no worries, this steak was shared by three people very happily. They almost ate it all! Yum!

Filet Mignon (6 oz) & Lobster Tail | $71.00
center-cut filet & cold-water tail

This was my entree, figured that since all the steaks were around this price anyway – why not get a good piece of meat and a lobster tail! I shared my lobster with Chan. So for these cuts of steak, I asked for it to be cooked rare. Did they pass the test? No. The steak was basically medium but I just kept it, I hate to send food back – especially steak. It was technically edible but boy was the meat tough to cut and chew. Ruth’s Chris definitely beats them in the quality of the meat and cooking temperature. The lobster was good!

Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake | $17.00

So how did they fare with service this time? Incredible. Our waiter was perfect, always checking in on us, making appropriate jokes and serving up some good customer service! He knew that we were meeting up with friends from Japan so he decided to surprise us with this dessert for free! He even gave each of us a scoop of vanilla ice cream with this cake. We weren’t going to order dessert since we were all stuffed but who can resist a free dessert? And I must tell you, this is the best lava cake I have ever had in a restaurant. Super ooey gooey inside but the cake is nice and hot and crispy but soft. Hard to explain, you just gotta try it yourself!

Would I come back? I was disappointed by my steak but maybe I would try a rib-eye next time? Otherwise, it was a good night!

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Café Kaila – Kaimuki, HI

Jul16

Would Café Kaila be considered more Kaimuki or Kapahulu? Sometimes, it’s hard to city-fy these restaurants! Café Kaila is located in Market City Shopping Center and has been a super popular breakfast and brunch place for many years. Can you believe I have never tried them before? Why? Well, everytime I walk by, there’s a long line of people waiting outside! But I had a leisure lunch with a friend this day and decided to swing by at 11AM on a weekday to see how it was. There were a few people outside but I signed in and got seated within 5 minutes. We were only a two-top so that may have helped us!

Breakfast Quesadilla | $16.00
A choice of spinach or flour tortilla grilled with jack and cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs and your choice of breakfast meat or mixed veggies, served with our famous homemade salsa.

This was my friend’s dish, shoot, I forgot to ask if she enjoyed it. I think she liked it!

Meat Loaf Loco Moco | $20.00
Two slices of our homemade meatloaf with two eggs any style, covered in our mushroom onion gravy, served on a bed of rice with a green onion garnish and your choice of toast.

Meat in the form of a loaf? Okay I’m in. Never had a meat loaf loco moco but it sounded so good. Got my white toast which is pre-buttered and enjoyed my entree. It was very good. The meatloaf is very soft and smothered in gravy. You can’t go with this dish.

All in all, I was super glad to have tried it. Am I dying to go back soon? Probably not. I’m not usually a brunch person but it was super nice to try! While they are always busy, they turn around the tables very quick so don’t let the line deter you!

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Recipe: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Jun23

Perhaps I should say “crab” stuffed mushrooms because I bought imitation crab but eh…no can really tell the difference. Also, I found the real looking ones at Sam’s Club. Check it out!

Gadré Surimi Snow Leg Style, 16 oz., 2 pk. | $10.88

I think if I served this up in a seafood boil or something, you would not notice the difference but since I chopped it up, you could tell. I followed a recipe that I’ll credit below but I definitely took a lot of liberties. I’ll share my own recipe and the link to the original and let you make your own decision!

Mushrooms de-stemmed and rinsed, hanging out on the baking pan to pre-bake. We are supposed to bake this for about 3 minutes to help get rid of the moisture. It didn’t really lol…maybe I had to put it in longer?

My version of the stuffing, I basically omitted the egg and didn’t do the panko crust. Didn’t feel like I needed it anyway!

Mushrooms stuffed and ready for the oven! Yummy! I served these up at a BBQ and it was nicely enjoyed! I also had some extra for the bros and boy did they like it too. I think you absolutely need to serve it up with lemon slices and tabasco…it needs a bit of the acid/vinegar kick to cut through the richness of the stuffing.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 2 – 24 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms (Sam’s Club)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • 2 tablespoon salted butter
  • 1/4 cup shallot, small dice (1 big shallot from Safeway)
  • 6-8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 16 ounces imitation crab (snow leg style from Sam’s Club)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup Italian blend cheese (any combination of mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh italian parsley, minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh italian basil, minced
  • 2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste

EXTRAS/GARNISH:

  • lemon slices, for serving
  • Tabasco (or you hot sauce of choice), for serving

Instructions

  • SAUTE THE SHALLOTS AND GARLIC. Heat the pan over medium/high heat. Add the butter, and when it’s melted, sauté the shallots for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Set this mixture aside to cool.
  • COMBINE FILLING INGREDIENTS. The stuffed mushrooms with crab filling is best when it’s chilled for 1 to 24 hours, to allow the flavors to meld together. To a medium bowl, add the crab meat, cream cheese, Italian blend cheese, egg, fresh parsley, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Once the shallot/garlic mixture is cooled, fold that into the crab mixture.
  • PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Remove the mushroom stems (any stems and pieces can be frozen to use for stock later). Thoroughly rinse the mushrooms under cold water then pat them dry. Place the mushrooms cap side down on a baking rack placed over a sheet baking pan. Prebake them in the oven for 3 minutes to remove most of the excess moisture. You can turn the oven off for now.
  • OIL THE MUSHROOMS. Pour some olive oil into a small bowl, and using a basting brush or your hands, lightly coat each mushroom cap with oil (inside and outside). Place the prepared mushrooms into the biggest baking dish you have (you may need to use two depending on the size, which is okay).
  • STUFF THE MUSHROOMS. Fill each mushroom with about a tablespoon of the filling (this small scoop makes it easy). Use more or less of the filling depending on the size of each mushroom.
  • Preheat the oven again to 375° F (190° C) then bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The mushrooms should be tender, and the filling fully warmed through.
  • SERVE AND ENJOY! I recommend serving lemon slices and hot sauce (vinegar based) with stuffed mushrooms with crab. It adds a lot of flavor and acidity.

Recipe Inspiration/Original: Heavenly Spiced

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Mixed Plate Friday

Jun20

Trader Joe’s Shrimp Seafood Burgers

I didn’t have access to a grill or a pan with cooking oil so I just baked them. These were okay, edible but nothing great. I think it would definitely taste better on a grill!

Trader Joe’s Uncured Turkey Corn Dogs

My likes for sausages continue (please, no jokes). Wanted to try the turkey corn dogs, couldn’t taste the difference – it was good! Heated it up in the oven with our leftovers from night one (curly fries and long john silver’s).

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Eggslut – Las Vegas, NV

Jun18

Probably our only trip to the Vegas Strip this time around and it was to try Eggslut! This is my first time trying it and I wasn’t expecting much but it actually was quite good! They are located in the Cosmopolitan hotel. They have a super long line but don’t worry, it moves quite fast! They are more of a take out place but there is some hotel seating areas…and it does seem to clear up as you pick up your food!

Truffle Hashbrowns | $6.00
duck fat, truffle and rosemary salt

We got two sandwiches and two sides of hash browns! The hashbrowns were so good. How could they not be??

Fairfax Sandwich | $11.00
Add bacon | $3.00
cage-free soft scrambled eggs, chives, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, sriracha mayo in a warm brioche bun

Chan super enjoyed this sandwich, but gotta add the protein. The person in front of us was actually telling us this one was a dud but Chan was happy he didn’t listen. He would definitely get it again!

Gaucho Sandwich | $16.50
seared prime tri-tip steak, cage-free over medium egg, chimichurri sauce, red onions and dressed arugula in a warm brioche bun

Of course I had to go bougie on my choice, no can even tell an egg was in this sandwich – was too focused on the meat. It was delicious!

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Sparrow + Wolf – Las Vegas, Nevada

Jun9

Another visit to Vegas, another success. This is one of the meals Chan and I look forward to most. I lose out the most because we are helped by an awesome sommelier – unfortunately I don’t drink. He did try to include me by giving me a non-alcoholic drink which I enjoyed a lot! It was like a tea infused champagne. Don’t worry, I still got my mocktail! Second visit to Sparrow + Wolf, this restaurant will be a forever visit as long as Nick the sommelier works there. For my first visit, go here. Let’s get to it!

Sage Me From Myself (proofless) | $12.00
cold pressed blueberry, raspberry, pineapple, and fennel bulb
scented with sage and lemon

Delicious as always. $2 more this year but what can you do. Still good!

Peruvian Steelhead Trout | $23.00
ikura roe, koji mango, ninja radish

Nick basically takes care of us all night and orders all the food for us to pair with various drinks. I thought this was salmon but as you can see it is trout! This was good! Such interesting ingredients…

Oysters on the Half Shell | $27.00
cold pressed rhubarb, strawberry, opal basil flower

They really mix the most interesting ingredients to create one dish, and I think I would not order these dishes if I saw it myself on the menu. Good thing Nick knows what he’s doing. I haven’t had a bad dish yet!

Hearts of Palm | $21.00
spring peas, kizami wasabi, cucumber blossom

This was good, very pretty but nothing super special.

Grass Fed Beef Tartare | $22.00
confit egg yolk, grilled ciabatta

Mmm beef tartare, one of my favorites as you know. Good dish!

Steamed Clams | $26.00
green curry, peanuts, thai chili preserve

Oh this was so nice. Nice spicy curry – wish I had a big bowl of rice to sop up all the clams and sauce!

Foie Gras | $28.00
milk bread, pineapple, onion chili compote, mole blanco

Okay, this wasn’t quite as memorable since I had foie gras the day before. But the grilled pineapple added a nice acid to the rich foie gras!

BÁNH CUÔN | $20.00
ground duck, wood ear mushroom, habanero, coconut

Another great dish that I wish I had a bowl of rice for! Nice and spicy, so good!

Lumina Farms Lamb | $46.00
artichoke, saffron, matbucha, almond, vaduovan, lamb jus

I love lamb and this was good, but there was a protein that blew my socks more so below

Charred Broccolini | $16.00
green goddess, black garlic, fines herbes crumb

What a wonderful way to eat broccolini! I loved it! Yet another dish I probably wouldn’t order on my own.

Black Pepper Honey Pork Secreto | $38.00
sweet potato banana puree, peanut nuoc cham

Here’s one of the best dishes of the night! A humble pork dish but the flavors were amazing, still waiting on that bowl of rice lol

Vietnamese Coffee
maracaibo cremeux, coffee ice cream, black okinawa sugar, condensed milk espuma

Yes, we had some room for dessert at the end. Don’t worry, the three of us shared this. It was very nice, I enjoyed this deconstructed take on vietnamese coffee!

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Mixed Plate Friday – Trader Joe’s Edition

May16

Peanut Udon Noodle Salad

Meh. Just okay, not great.

Lemon Basil Pasta Salad

Not good.

Truffle Mousse Pate

Yes. A million times yes. This one is made with chicken. Since Chan was not feeling well, I ate this entire thing over the course of the trip. Yeah. I did. Ate it with some golden round crackers (think Ritz Crackers). No regrets here. Chan told me probably get this kine in Hawaii but I haven’t tried it locally yet. IT WAS GOOD AND A GOOD PRICE AND I LOVED IT.

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In-N-Out – Las Vegas, NV

May12

Been back from Vegas for about a week, it was nice to take a breather. I pre-scheduled 3 weeks worth of blogs and it worked out very nicely. I was super looking forward to this trip, not just for the eating and gambling – but just to get away. I’ve been working non-stop with no vacation since early November. I know that sounds like a spoiled statement but especially after my dad’s health scare, I was just deflated.

Unfortunately, poor Chan came down with food poisoning on this trip. I felt so bad for him! That’s awful enough to go through but for him to go through it during travel…awful. No worries, I played nurse and even drove out on my own in Vegas to get nourishment for us. Gotta love navigation on phones – and thankfully the places I had to go didn’t require jumping onto a freeway lol. I enjoy driving but I guess I feel more comfortable with someone if I’m driving around some place unfamiliar. Vegas is pretty good to drive around – anywhere is better than Hawaii to drive around.

Anyway! The night of our arrival, of course gotta go In-N-Out! Just a short post today.

Double-Double!

Animal Style Fries

Long John Silver’s

LOL – yup we went to Long John Silver’s. I had a hankering for some fried seafood. Namely fried fish and shrimp. This didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed it a lot! Yummy…! Too bad we don’t have this here anymore.

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Mixed Plate Friday

May9

Straub Benioff | Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi

Shucks, I forgot the price! I got this plate during my Dad’s stay and it was a pretty good deal! I think like $14? They give you two big pieces of mahi and you get to choose two sides. The fish had a mayo sauce drizzled on top which helped to combat any dryness. The cafeteria isn’t too bad! Too bad they don’t post menus online.

Kotetsu Chaya Chicken Karaage Plate | $15.50

My brother felt like chicken karaage (random) so one of their dinners consisted of chicken karaage from Kotetsu Chaya, I never tried them myself but I have heard good things. A small Japanese shop run by a sweet couple. I would call in an order early if you can, if not, you gotta wait like 20-30 minutes. Also, they don’t seem to understand the concept of all rice because I tried to get one plate like that for the bro who doesn’t eat mac salad and all three plates were rice and mac salad. Also, they give super manani amount of mac salad! It was kind of wild. They ate it but I don’t think they consider chicken karaage a main meal you know? I also see it as more of an appetizer.

Kotetsu Chaya Garlic French Fries | $6.00

Like I am pretty sure they just gave them a small container of garlic powder to shake into the fries. LOL, so don’t expect nice garlic butter on their garlic fries okay?

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Mixed Plate Friday

Mar28

Chicken Katsu Curry | $6.99

Don’t get to frequent 7-eleven too much now but was excited to see this on my last visit so I had to try it! Not going to be a good judge because I had to microwave it myself and timed it wrong so it was still kind of cold when I was eating it but was too lazy to continue heating it after I already opened it up. They have a transparent sheet that separates the chicken katsu from the curry that you pull out when you dig in. Interesting way to keep the chicken “crispy” but let’s be real, it’s not crispy when we are grabbing this from the fridge lol. This was okay but the chicken portion is small, would rather just go L&L to grab a freshly made one.

Homemade Udon Salad

Made a variation of the Japanese Udon Salad I usually make, linked above. Same concept, I just varied up the ingredients a bit! The biggest main stay for me is the goma dressing and fresh cilantro. Other than that, you can do whatever you like! I even made Japanese styled seasoned shiitake mushrooms for the first time. Yum!

Corned Beef

Happy Belated Saint Patrick’s Day! This kine food is more Chan’s style but we bought some corned beef so we made it the other week. Threw in some potatoes, cabbage and carrots. He sous-vide the beef and then we threw it in with the vegetables into his pressure cooker insta-pot. It was spewing things out like a volcano when I released the vent. I don’t use these contraptions like ever. Anyway, have a nice weekend!

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