Kalihi is my hood. Yet, I can only report that I’ve been to Bob’s maybe once? What is it? I don’t know. I know I hate their parking lot (though they have expanded it) and I guess I have never craved their food. Well, on this fateful day, I needed food but didn’t know what. I did have a hankering for teri cheeseburger (what is with me lately?) and I looked them up…and ask and you shall receive. How was it? Delicious. My brother tried their bacon cheeseburger and fell in love, I couldn’t believe it. I guess this is going to become a mainstay.
Bacon Cheeseburger Combo | $10.35 w/fries and large drink
Teri Cheeseburger | $4.60
Really good, it includes mayo and some lettuce. I don’t recall any tomato but who needs that? It was good! Hit the spot. I would get this again.
Polish Sausage w/Baked Beans | $11.50
Interesting combo. I saw a picture and it looked like chili so I wanted to try it. I can’t refuse sausage and beans (sorry for the imagery). Well I only had a few bites of this to try, gave the rest away (not cause it’s bad, it’s good and it was gobbled up!). Delicious. It comes with mac salad but they serve it on the side separately (environmentalists beware). I like that they serve the mac salad separate, no mixing! I think it’s a little pricey but look at the portion!!!
I’m not a drinker. Never have been and probably never will be. But can I appreciate a good bar that serves great food? Absolutely. The Social Eatery & Bar is one of those places, hands down one of the best places to get food. Love that they open early so I can sneak in before all the rowdy drinkers, eat and then go home and probably sleep already because I am old (lol).
Pepperoni and Cheese Fries | $10.00 melted shredded cheese, nacho cheese, fried pepperoni, and marinara sauce
Do I even have to say more? Yes, it’s a heart attack on a plate but is this really a bad way to die? It’s greasy and good okay.
Fried Boneless Chicken Bites (Korean) | $15.00 sweet garlic soy with Korean chili flakes
Not your typical Korean fried chicken taste. Korean fried chicken is usually smothered in a very thick sweet and spicy sauce yeah? Hard to remember the taste of this too, it wasn’t bad but honestly not memorable. Wouldn’t recommend for $15 since that’s the case.
Garlic Bacon Fried Rice | $15.00 sautéed garlic, caramelized onions, bacon, corn, special sauce, 2 sunny side eggs
This is the for sure winner of the night and just…in life. I love a good fried rice but as simple as a fried rice recipe should be, I am easily disappointed by fried rice. I don’t know how to explain it but I don’t think a lot of care and finesse goes into the creating of fried rice in all restaurants. Sometimes, you can tell they are just throwing in old ingredients into the fried rice before it goes bad (and charging you extra for it to boot!). Now, when restaurants focus on the fried rice and treat it like the main dish that it is…magical things can happen. That includes this fried rice. Yes, $15 is a bit steep for fried rice but to me, it is worth it. What’s in this special sauce? I like make this at home because I cannot afford to pay them $15 each time I like eat it! They don’t list it in the description but get takuan all over the rice too which nicely offsets the smokiness of the bacon flavor. You may get this dish and wonder what the big whoop is about, ah well, guess you aren’t the carb queen like I am. I just appreciate simple good dishes. Give it a try folks.
Pancakes & Waffles has been around for quite a while. I remember a long time ago, when I came back from an international trip, I asked my ride to take me there to eat. I just had to grind on some pocho sausage, eggs and rice. Don’t worry, I treated her to breakfast too. Anyway, can you believe that I had not tried their fried chicken and waffles until this past visit? The audacity.
Fried Rice Special | $8.25 fried rice, 2 eggs, choice of bacon, link, spam, or portuguese sausage
Your basic special. Nothing great about it but nothing to complain about either.
Grilled Cheese Benedict with Avocado Fries | $11.45 choice of white or wheat bread grilled cheese sandwich, topped with a perfectly poached egg and covered in creamy hollandaise sauce
Seasonal menu item! I only saw the sign near the door, it wasn’t even on their menu when you go up to order. I didn’t actually get this myself but it was gobbled up!
Honey Butter Chicken & Waffles (3 pcs) | $12.95 crispy fried chicken thighs on a golden waffle
The star of the show. Here it is guys. We got our own entrees but got this to share. Well, four people sharing this plate was JUST NOT ENOUGH. Yes, I had to order another plate. We loved the chicken, delicious! Nicely seasoned and so crispy. The waffle, nice to have it there but I don’t need it. I just need the chicken! Highly recommend the chicken. Actually, I think the second one we got was a fried chicken plate because we just wanted the chicken and not the waffle…haha
I should really post my recipes closer to when I make them. I made this back on New Years Day. Oh boy, thinking about that, feels like years ago huh? I hope you folks are holding on together alright during this pandemic. I am grateful that I am able to currently work from home. It’s been a tough few months for me and sometimes it’s not that easy to really reach deep in and be grateful for what I do have.
I have been following the orders to stay home pretty well. If I go out, I am going out to buy groceries (I am trying to stock up as much as I can so the trips are less). Still have TP and hand soap (knocks on wood). Hope you are all doing well.
HELLO BEAUTIFUL
I had my doubts when I first saw this recipe. You “cook” it for a very short time and then let is sit in the oven with the residual heat for 2 hours. The way I calculated it, it would only cook for 25 minutes. That’s nuts! That’s how long it takes to heat up like frozen fries…! Well I held onto my patience and followed through on the directions and behold…it worked! Isn’t it beautiful?
I don’t have a roasting rack so I made a “rack” of vegetables. I was all excited to eat the vegetables after but ummm…they didn’t work. I feel like my carrot was already junk but since the actual cooking time was short…the carrots were still hard. I never like recook them so I just let it go…
I pierce many holes into the meat and stuff each hole with a clove of garlic. Oh…I just love garlic.
Mix that soft butter with all the herbs and spices you want to create a lovely crust on your prime rib!
Can any dish ever go wrong with that much butter? No, I don’t think so. Do I need to remind you to scroll back up to see the first picture? I am tempted to repost it…
Prime Rib With Garlic Herb Butter
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
7 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped (I don’t think I had this so I used dried Italian seasoning)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped (I used dried)
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
5 lb boneless ribeye roast, trimmed
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C).
Mix together the butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl until evenly combined.
Rub the herb butter all over the rib roast, then place on a roasting tray with a rack.
Bake for 5 minutes per pound (10 minutes per kilo) of meat, so a 5-pound (2.2 kg) roast would bake for 25 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the rib roast sit in the oven for 2 hours, making sure you do not open the oven door or else the residual heat will escape.
Once the 2 hours are up, remove the roast from the pan.
Carve the prime rib into ¾-inch (20 mm) slices.
Enjoy!
Notes:
This was the main recipe I used but I really just used whatever dried herbs I had, italian seasoning and thyme worked great!
I deviated from the recipe by piercing holes into the meat and adding cloves of garlic. How many did I do? Maybe about 15? It’s up to you how much you want to add in!
If you’re from Hawaii, you love Zippy’s Chili. There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. And if you don’t like Zippy’s Chili, what is wrong with you? Just kidding, sort of. Well, while I love the chili…I certainly don’t love the price tag. It’s pricey at the restaurant and pricey in frozen form at the grocery store.
I found a copycat recipe the other day and decided to try it out during this whole Covid-19 hysteria. I went to Target to shop for some ingredients…and eureka! They had all the ingredients. Well all but one…pinto beans. No pinto beans. I guess in an emergency, people stock up on beans. So what did I find? Garbanzo beans. Uh oh, how will this go? Well let me tell you, it went quite well! Can I say it tastes exactly like Zippy’s, I don’t think so but I can’t pinpoint what is different (maybe because I didn’t have pinto beans). The kids loved the chili and it tastes even better after sitting a day. Mmm…I really enjoyed it and will totally make this again. No need Zippy’s when you can make it at home!
I hope you can make it and let me know how it goes for you! I included pictures of the actual products I used in the recipe, click the linked ingredients for pictures of what I used. I doubled the original recipe which is reflected in the recipe I shared below, feel free to cut it in half to still have a good portion!
Fry up that ground beef! No need oil, it’s plenty greasy.
Remove the ground beef and fry up the onions in the leftover grease (plenty grease, what did I tell you?)
Tomato sauce and pureed garbanzo beans in the pot!
Beef base, garlic salt, chili powder, the kitchen sink, etc.
Looks like Zippy’s Chili yeah??
That’s a lot of mayo…
I asked IG to guess if this was mayo and sour cream, the winner was sour cream but the winning answer was the losing one! It’s mayo!!!
Directions: In a large pot, break up and fry up ground beef. Remove ground beef, set aside. Fry up onions in leftover oil on medium heat until limp and golden, add the two teaspoons of vegetable oil if there is not enough grease (honestly, there will be).
Transfer beef back to pot along with tomato sauce, pureed garbanzo beans, light red kidney beans, chili powder, beef base, brown sugar and garlic salt. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium or medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise and heat through. Taste and correct seasonings.
There’s a Denny’s restaurant right down the street from our Tokyo hotel. Yes, we had to go. I know American restaurants in Japan are always so different from…America that I had to check it out! Let’s dig in!
Sangria (Decanter) | ¥899 (500ml)
Absolutely delicious! Well worth the 8 bucks. It’s easy to become an alcoholic at these prices…lol.
Roast Beef & Kale Salad | ¥799
Wait a minute, this salad was like the cost of the alcohol! Looks good ah? It was good! Was nice to nosh into a fresh salad in Japan.
Soy Marinated Tuna Rice Bowl | ¥1,149 served with miso soup & goma (sesame) tofu
Demi Glace Stewed Hamburger Steak with Truffle Cream | ¥899 A Set (Rice and Corn Potage) | ¥300
I don’t have a lot of corn potage experiences but really liked it. So smooth and mild, it’s delicious!
Looks pretty…dark yeah? It was pretty good. I think we came here after our long wait at the airport for our airport limousine. It wasn’t stellar customer service but it was still better than many experiences here. We didn’t get a set that included drinks at their drink bar but the sangria was plenty good.
The finished product looks a bit blah huh? So here’s what I did. I wanted to make one pan of brownies with half regular fudge brownies and half fudge brownies with oreos. So I cut a piece of cardboard and wrapped it with foil while I poured the batter with oreo in, held the cardboard in place as I poured the regular batter in. Then, I just lifted the board out and baked it! The batter is thick enough that it won’t mix into one another…and even if it did…it’s all brownie batter!
I made it for a student training and they ate it all so I’m guessing it was good! Glad it worked!
You’ve heard about the craze. Plant based burgers all over the place. A bit late in posting this but I tried this a few weeks ago. It was good! It tastes just like a whopper, I can’t taste the difference. But honestly, if you think about it, a whopper tastes more like the veggies (onion, tomato, pickles, lettuce) than anything else.
A video blogger did a video about the impossible burger and she asked her location if they fry it on the same grill as the meat burgers and they said they do. WELL, OF COURSE THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGERS WILL TASTE GOOD THEN. Don’t you agree? Would I order it again? Sure! I like these meat alternatives!
I had a wonderful birthday dinner last month at 3660 on the Rise and can you believe it, it was my first ever visit! This restaurant has been around for quite a while, not sure what I was expecting. Somehow I envisioned an interior as a big ballroom type venue, not sure why. Not to say they are not fancy! It’s a nice upscale restaurant but nothing too stuffy. I really enjoyed it! The wait staff were attentive and the food was delish. Let’s get on with the review!
Left: Island Iced Tea: bacardi limon, triple sec, fresh limeade, tropical iced tea (thumbs down) Right: 3660 Mojito: bacardi limon, light rum, fresh limeade, fresh mint leaves (very good drink!)
Ahi Katsu | $18.50 sashimi-grade ahi wrapped in nori and deep fried medium rare, wasabi – ginger sauce
This dish looked familiar and it’s no wonder why, Sansei serves a similar dish! Well now that I’ve tried both, I can safely say, this one is the WINNAZ. I think I could eat this dish on its own as an entree.
3 Course Dinner Special | $67 Clam & Corn Chowder
3 Course Dinner Special | $67 Duet of Braised Short Ribs of Beef Truffle Jus & Oven Roasted Lobster Tail with Roasted Red Pepper Butter Sauce
I can’t comment too much on the 3 course meal, I can say the person who ate it enjoyed it! $67 for a three course meal is pretty good, especially with lobster??
Roast Rack of Macadamia Nut Crusted Colorado Lamb | $49.50 Cabernet Mint Sauce
Now this dish, this dish I can comment on. It was mine oh mine and it was absolutely delicious. Cooked perfectly medium rare and the seasoning was on point! What a great way to celebrate.
Dessert!!
3 Course Dinner Special | $67 Mixed Berry Trifle with Pound Cake
Certainly looks appetizing right? It was pretty good, I enjoyed the fresh berries. I had one really good piece of pound cake and then the rest was blech. Like powdery/flour-y somehow, a bit weird and gritty. I would pass on this dessert.
Granny Smith Apple Tartlette | $11.00 caramelized apples in puff pastry topped with homemade vanilla caramel sauce swirl ice cream
I wish I could do the heart face emoji for this dessert. It was AMAZING. I love myself some apple desserts and this one was perfection. The puff pastry was so buttery and flaky, lovely baked apple slices inside…CARAMEL AND CARAMEL ICE CREAM? Well I know what dessert I will order next time, no regrets!
Sometimes, you just gotta eat. You don’t want to cook and you just want to eat some good ole American Breakfast. IHOP is just that. Yup, I read the reviews beforehand (spoiler alert: they aren’t great) but I figured I could get some not terrible food. Was it good? Ehh…food was alright. A bit pricey if you ask me. The service was a bit inattentive because it was a bit busy, would I return? Well, not anytime soon.
Appetizer Sampler | $12.99 Mozza Sticks, Onion Rings & Crispy Chicken Strips served with marinara & choice of honey mustard or ranch.
Philly Cheese Steak Stacker | $13.49 Signature favorite is stacked with grilled Philly sirloin steak and thinly sliced onion, then topped with melted American cheese on a perfectly grilled roll.
Country Fried Steak & Eggs | $16.99 Get an 8 oz. fried beef steak smothered in country or sausage gravy, then served with two eggs*, hash browns and two buttermilk pancakes.
This was my entree, sorry I didn’t get a picture of the pancakes! This was just alright. The country fried steak was breaded heavily and deep fried too long, so it was too hard for my liking and not enough gravy to soften it. The eggs were cooked perfectly, there are hash browns hiding underneath the country fried steak. Wouldn’t recommend it, you can get better CFS at other restaurants.
Tangö Contemporary Café has been a favorite of ours for quite a few years. Absolutely love their food including dessert (which I don’t always partake in). The service is great, awesome free parking, and of course the food is good. I would recommend calling in a reservation beforehand, they don’t get crazy busy but when I called twice within a month, the whole restaurant was closed for a private party. Let’s get to the food!
Salmon Board | $13.00 Gravlax, Smoked Salmon Rillette, Roasted Garlic and Herb Labneh, Pickled Cucumber, Rye Bread
I know there’s supposed to be a difference in the two salmons but it tastes the same to me? (shoulder shrug emoji). I feel like this dish has changed from the first time we got it, in a good way! It used to come with a certain bread I wasn’t a fan of. I like the crispy salmon skin too! Perfectly crisp.
House-Smoked Duck Breast and Duck Leg Croquet | $27.00 Herb Polenta, Balsamic Demi Glace
I decided to try something different this night. My usual go-to dishes include the lamb (YUM!) or the beef short-ribs…how was this dish? It was okay, not great but not bad. It looks better than it tastes I think, left me wanting some Chinatown Roast Duck. I’m also not a great fan of the polenta – wish it was a bit creamier.
Grilled New York Steak, Kauai Shrimp | $29.00 Garlic Roasted Potato, Peppercorn Demi Glace
This is my friend’s go-to dish, and how can you go wrong? Steak and Shrimp? Delicious! I’ve tried it and it is great!
Kona Coffee Ice Cream Cake | $7.00 Kona Coffee, Vanilla and Italian Chocolate Ice Cream with Chiffon Cake
One of my favorite desserts in a restaurant. Simple choice but sooo good. The flavors just work so well together and I really enjoy the lightness of the chiffon cake against the rich ice cream. If you like the taste of coffee, you will love this dessert!
