Food Quest, Day 3

Today was my choice.  I selected Hinone Mizunone on S. King Street near Keeaumoku.  I have passed this restaurant on a number of occasions and decided it was time to give it a try.  The boys and I got there around 11:30 AM (the place opens at 11) and the parking lot, which is pretty small, was already filled to capacity.  We were fortunate to find a metered parking stall nearby. 

The restaurant is a lot smaller than I had imagined it to be and there were at least 6 parties ahead of us crammed into a small side room.  We were assured that a table for 3 would be ready in about 20 minutes.  We decided to wait (outside) and in about 15 minutes we were seated.  During our wait, people kept coming, but they were also going--though this is a sit-down restaurant, the impression was one of fast food; the customer turnover was extremely rapid.

We were seated by 12:00 and there was already a sign that announced the daily special (teriyaki chicken for $8.50) was sold out.  Wow.  The menu was not as extensive as I had anticipated but it did feature some classic teishoku plates:  tonkatsu, chicken karaage, misoyaki butterfish, grilled salmon and so forth.  There were several udon/curry combinations as well.  Our waiter was efficient but his brisk, businesslike attitude unintentionally (I am assuming) indicated that building a warm and fuzzy server-diner relationship was pretty low on his list of priorities.

C ordered the tonkatsu teishoku with ponzu, I ordered the misoyaki butterfish teishoku and T ordered the shrimp tempura udon and curry combo.  The prices are reasonable; teishoku meals average $10-14 and T's combo was about $15.  T also ordered a green apple soda which he really enjoyed.

The teishoku plates were attractively plated and came with an individual rice container, miso soup, gobo, takuan and kabocha.  My meal came significantly ahead of the boys' though.  I thought that was a bit strange.  The miso soup was very tasty and full of small cubes of tofu and bean sprouts.  C enjoyed the flavors of the tonkatsu and ponzu and said he preferred it to the traditional tomato-based katsu sauce so many other places serve.  He also liked the kabocha a great deal; I thought it was good but a tad on the sweet side.  The butterfish was moist and delicious and T's udon filled him up so much that he couldn't finish the curry.  He enjoyed them both though.

I didn't take pictures of the boys' meals because C gave me one of his Mom-is-embarrassing-me looks when I snapped the photo of my teishoku and T's green apple soda.

So overall:  on the plus side the food is very good and the prices are reasonable; service is efficient and brisk.  On the down side:  parking sucks--the lot is small and the street parking during the weekday is only 1 hour; this means I had to drop another quarter in midway through the meal (we had that 15 minute wait at the beginning, remember?); daily specials sell out extremely quickly (judging by today anyway); the noise level is very high since the restaurant is pretty much one large square with lots of wooden surfaces and the high speed service does not make this a place you would feel encouraged to linger and chat in (we were out in under an hour).  Since the chatting is a big part of the dining experience, at least for me, I felt slightly cheated somehow.

Food Quest, Day 2

It was T's turn to choose and he opted for Panya Bistro and Bakery in Ala Moana Center.  Panya is an Asian/Italian/American fusion restaurant that features a rather expansive menu of appetizers, salads, noodles, sandwiches and drinks.  Their bakery is set-up in the front of the restaurant so the variety of breads and sweet treats are a temptation going in and coming out; bakery items can be served at table with a modest serving fee.

T ordered the fried baby octopus appetizer and when they say "baby octopus" they mean baby octopus; tiny tentacles curled and crisped are still attached to the head.  C declined--whether it's because he was saving himself for his lunch or because T's comment that he could, "see where the eye used to be" grossed him out too much, I could not fathom.  The little darlings were quite tasty (though chewy) and the mixture of mayo and shoyu that accompanied them, though not my dip of choice, went over well.

The boys opted for ramen--C had miso and T had the gomoku which had a shoyu base.  Both bowls had a generous serving of noodles, flavorful broth and an abundance of toppings that included aburage, shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko and bean sprouts.  C said the miso had a bit of a kick to it and he enjoyed the broth so much that he finished it off completely.  T enjoyed his as well but filled up rather quickly; must be from all the tentacles tangoing in his tummy.

I had the baked pork chop which was basically rice fried with egg then topped with thin slices of onion, peas and bread pork chop slices all swimming in a tomato sauce.  Think smothered tonkatsu and you'll get the picture.  Though the pork was tender (and boneless, which is a plus), I found the rice rather ordinary and the tomato sauce was too sweet for my taste. 

The appetizers are priced in the $8-10 range and the meals average $10-18 or so for good-sized portions and lots of variety.  Our waitress was friendly and efficient but the bakery workers at the door, who also doubled as hosts, left much to be desired.  The initial greeting was cursory and we were waved in the general direction of our table where our waitress greeted us and seated us. When we paid for our bakery items on the way out, the man who rang up our purchases was talking on the phone while also talking to the girl who was wrapping up our treats--in Korean.  She did say thank you when she gave me my change.

Overall rating--good food, reasonable prices and good table service.  I hope they work on the other stuff.

The Great Food Quest!

So the boys and I decided to spend at least part of our summer on a quest for food.  It's a noble endeavor, this seeking of restaurants we have not yet discovered and one we are willing to take on.  For the greater, uh, good.  The only requirements we have established thus far:  we take turns picking places and we try to pick places we either rarely frequent or have never frequented before.  Ever.

Today was C's pick and he opted for Greek cuisine.  We headed over to The Greek Marina located in the Koko Marina Shopping Center.  The Greek Marina is a small-ish place that features both inside and outside dining.  The patio option allows diners a very up-close view of the marina along with its ducky inhabitants.  Though the ducks have been known to wander up to the walkway to scrutinize diners, they were well-behaved and kept to the water today.

We started with appetizers of tzatziki (yogurt mixed with dill and shredded cucumber, served with pita bread) and spanakopita (filo turnovers stuffed with feta and spinach).  The combination of yogurt and cucumber is spectacular and even C who does not really care for cucumber, thoroughly enjoyed the tzatziki. T, who has never eaten Greek food before, seemed to really like the spanakopita and was even able to get the pronunciation down--unlike his older brother who couldn't get the pronunciation down before and now finds it amusing to say "spankatopia" instead. 

We all opted for the gyro as our main course.  The one time C and I went there before, the gyro were solo sandwiches.  This time, we each got a full plate.  Triangles of pita are served alongside a generous portion of thinly sliced lamb and beef. The meat was lightly crisped along the edges and well-seasoned; the additional yogurt dip that came along with it complemented the meat nicely.  A Greek salad of sliced Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, sprinkles of feta and kalamata olives was included as well.  The salad dressing had a pleasant zing and the only item that was not enjoyed by any of us were the olives; T and I aren't big on olives in general and C found it far too briney for his tastes.

The appetizers averaged $8-10 and the gyro plates were about $12.  The portions are generous, the service friendly and prompt. The Greek Marina at Koko Marina Shopping Center.  We highly recommend it.