As a young girl, I remember going to the Aiea Bowling Alley with friends and on school outings. What I remember (besides the bowling, of course) was the little drive-in restaurant that they had in the front. I can recall them serving really good French fries, local style plate lunches, and other drive-in type of food.

Inside The Alley

A little while ago, I heard through a friend that they had completely remodeled the restaurant, now known as The Alley. I was told that it transformed from a casual/simple drive-in to a modern/contemporary restaurant - that just happens to be in the middle of a bowling alley. I decided to give it a try, and much to my surprise, the restaurant was beautifully designed and had really delicious food! The Alley has become one of my favorites, especially when I’m in the mood for a plate lunch style dish (minus the typical drive-in décor).

My friend was in town from the mainland and when we planned on going to dinner, he chose The Alley. We arrived at around 5:30, but the parking lot was still a bit congested despite the earliness of our dinner. The restaurant, however, was only beginning to pick up so we had choice seating. After the renovation, they created more of an open air ambiance. Sure, you can hear the bowling balls hitting the pins a bit clearer, but nonetheless it’s a welcoming and comfortable environment. The bright colored furniture and multiple plasma TVs make you feel right at home.

“Award-winning” Tasty Chicken

Shortly after we were seated, we were greeted by our server. She was very friendly and made helpful recommendations on the menu. The one dish that we knew we HAD to order was the Tasty Chicken. This was a dish that was popular dating back to the pre-renovation era. This Award-Winning chicken (along with many of their other entrees) can be served in a bowl or on a plate. My friend decided to order the bowl, which was $7.50. The bowl includes a choice of starch and salad, so he ordered brown rice and a tossed salad. The best thing about the Tasty Chicken is the coating and seasoning. It’s both sweet and spicy and has a caramelized texture almost like candy. The salad was also really good because it was accompanied by The Alley’s spicy and creamy Thai dressing.

Handmade Hamburger Steak

There were so many items that I wanted to try, so with our server’s help, I narrowed it down to my final choice which was the Handmade Hamburger Steak. I also got this in a bowl, except I ordered white rice and macaroni salad. The hamburger steak was grilled, yet still soft, and very tasty. The gravy was delicious as well. The bowls are generous portions, but still left me enough room for dessert (my favorite part!).

Mama Miya’s Chocolate Cake

The desserts at The Alley are absolutely worth saving room for. For a bowling alley, you would never think that they would have such delightful desserts, but they do! Why, you might ask? With executive/pastry chefs’ roots stemming from Kapiolani Community College and Diamond Head Market & Grill, you have the perfect ingredients for a budding bakery. Probably one of the most popular desserts/cakes is Mama Miya’s Chocolate Cake. This is layers of chocolate cake and chocolate cream, glazed with chocolate ganache. It’s great because even though it’s chocolatey, it’s not too sweet for the palate.

Lemon Drop Crunch Cake

Another favorite cake for those not fond of chocolate is the Lemon Drop Crunch Cake. It is lemon curd layered between yellow cake and decorated with crunchy toffee bits. The yellow cake layers are so moist, but the best part is the crunch toffee bits on top of the cake. It’s simply scrumptious!

Besides the dishes mentioned, The Alley also offers breakfast, burgers/sandwiches, an assortment of entrée salads, and even ochazuke bowls. Although I didn’t order the Mega Crunch Fries that day, it’s a definite must-try! Also, if you happen to be dining at The Alley during breakfast hours, another favorite are their scones. They didn’t have any available during dinner, but I’ve had them before and they were the best scones I had ever eaten (and I’m usually not a fan of scones!).

Final thoughts: Truly a “diamond in the rough”, stop by The Alley the next time you’re craving home-style cooking with a gourmet twist. Whether you’re there to dine on old favorites, or try something new, you’re sure to be impressed by their assortment of innovative desserts.

Service:		Above Average
Food:		Above Average
Atmosphere:		Above Average
Overall Value:		Above Average

*Star ratings are based in comparison to similar establishments by food type and price range.

Price:

$10+ per person

The Alley (located at Aiea Bowling Alley)
99-115 Aiea Heights Drive Aiea, HI 96701
Phone: 808.488.6855

Yama’s Fish Market has been serving local Hawaiian style cuisine since 1980 from it’s long standing Moilili location. One of my favorite places to go for good takeout food, Yama’s offers a variety of local foods from kalua pork to haupia.

Parking is probably the one drawback to making a stop at Yama’s. The small lot out front can accommodate perhaps six cars. During peak lunch and dinner hours there is often a few cars who try to get away with parking along the wall (which ultimately blocks some folks in). When I arrive at Yama’s during the busy hours I often find myself waiting for a chance to snag a parking stall.

As a take out and catering business, Yama’s does not offer any seating to enjoy their food. When you step inside the building you are greeted by a large display case filled with various poke selections. Yama’s prepares their poke fresh throughout the day, and it isn’t unusual to see employees scurrying back and forth between taking orders and making a new batch of poke.

Yama’s offers a wide variety of local Hawaiian foods including kalua pork, lau lau, poke, haupia, lomi salmon, mochiko chicken, and more! I typically stick with the kalua pork or lau lau (and of course the poke!).

Kalua Pork & Cabbage Plate

For tonight’s take out dinner the first plate we ordered was a classic kalua pork and cabbage. Yama’s plates typically come with either macaroni salad or lomi lomi salmon and a generous helping of rice. The kalua pork is quite good, having that great salty and smoky flavor we’ve come to love locally. I’ve seen people add shoyu (soy sauce) to kalua dishes, but Yama’s take on this island favorite packs more than enough seasoning and flavor to make any additions unnecessary.

Lau Lau

Our second plate was yet another classic local fish, lau lau. Yama’s standard lau lau offering is a combination of chicken and pork. Wrapped inside the traditional leaf packaging and steamed to perfection, Yama’s lau lau is packed with flavor. The simple yet delicious seasoning and natural flavors of the ingredients come together perfectly.

Spicy Ahi Poke

No visit to Yama’s would be complete for me without sampling some of their poke, and tonight I decided to go with the spicy ahi poke. Yama’s generally offers a variety of ahi and tako (squid) poke mixtures everyday.

This spicy ahi poke did not pack nearly as much of that spicy kick as I’d like (but my tolerance to hot foods is very high), but overall the poke tasted good. The ahi was not fishy at all, and each piece was a quality bite, lacking in the excessive “chewiness” you sometimes get with low grade poke.

Final thoughts: Yama’s Fish Market offers its customers an inexpensive venue for enjoying well prepared island classics. The staff is very friendly, fast, and efficient. In additoin to take out Yama’s does offer a catering option for larger parties, and is often a favorite spot for large orders of some of its more popular dishes. If you’ve got a craving for some good Hawaiian food, I would highly recommend checking out Yama’s Fish Market!

Service:		Average +
Food:		Average +
Overall Value:		Average +

*Star ratings are based in comparison to similar establishments by food type and price range.

Price:

Under $10 per person

Yama’s Fish Market
2332 Young Street·Honolulu, HI 96826
Phone: 808.941.9994

What began as a single location in 1998 has since grown into a five location franchise spanning the island of Oahu. Big City Diner has made quite a reputation for good service and food at reasonable prices. With a very family-friendly atmosphere, Big City Diner has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades in its relatively short history.

Inside Big City Diner

Big City Diner’s locations are almost always buzzing with activity. The restaurants are decorated to be reminiscent of an old fashioned diner. Red booths flank either wall of the restaurant with an array of standard tables in the center. Big City Diner also features a bar in their locations which serves a variety of beers and cocktails. The atmosphere is always very relaxed and the staff very friendly.

Once we were seated by the hostess our server introduced herself immediately. She went over the fresh catch of they and the soup of the day, then walked away to give us a few minutes to review the menu.

Strawberry Shake made with Bubbies Ice Cream

The first thing we ordered was this delicious milkshake made with Bubbies Ice Cream. The shake was very rich and creamy, nothing less than what you’d expect from Bubbies.

House Salad

Each “Local Specialty” item comes with your choice of soup or a house salad. Not in the mood for anything really heavy I opted to get the house salad. The salad included lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and shredded beets. Big City Diner offers the standard selection of salad dressings. For my salad I went with the house dressing, which had a semi-creamy and tangy flavor. The vegetables used in the salad were quite fresh.

Spicy Ahi Poke

Recently Big City Diner had an “Iron Chef” competition among its own staff and two dishes came out on top. One of these was the Spicy Ahi Poke, which features ahi in a spicy aioli sauce on a bed of crispy wonton strips. The ahi used in this poke was average grade, with a few pieces being a bit chewy in consistency.

Overall the flavor of the dish was quite good. The chili aioli added a great spicy kick to the poke. The crispy wonton strips added another layer of flavor and texture, rounding out the dish nicely.

Chili Bowl

My fiancee was not very hungry so she ordered a small bowl of Big City Diner’s chili. The chili was not rich and creamy like Zippy’s variation, but proved to decent in taste. Perhaps in need of a few more spices though.

Kim Chee Fried Rice

One of the dishes that has been very popular at Big City Dinner is the fried rice. I have always enjoyed the kim chee variation. The fried rice is a bit different from your regular Chinese restaurants, being stickier in consistency rather than dry. The kim chee adds a spicy flare to the rice, but doesn’t overpower your taste buds too much.

Final thoughts: Big City Diner has made a fine reputation of providing good food at low prices, and in my numerous visits this has mostly held true. Service is always fast and friendly throughout three of the locations I have patronized so far. While not the place to go for a fine dining or gourmet meal, Big City Diner is a great choice if you’re looking for a relaxed setting with good value.

Service:		Above Average
Food:		Average +
Atmosphere:		Average +
Overall Value:		Average +

*Star ratings are based in comparison to similar establishments by food type and price range.

Price:

$10+ per person

Big City Diner
3569 Waialae Ave Honolulu, HI 96816
Phone: 808.738.8855

Whenever I go to the Windward side of Oahu, I always make it a point to stop by Boots & Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen. This Kailua restaurant has been a popular staple for breakfast for both locals and tourists. In 2005-2006, Boots & Kimo’s was featured in Honolulu Advertiser’s ‘Hawaii’s Best Restaurants’ in the Breakfast category.

I usually only have time to go on Saturday or Sunday mornings for breakfast, the restaurant’s peak serving times. During weekend mornings, expect to wait anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes depending on how many people are in your party. As soon as you drive to Boots & Kimo’s, you already see a crowd waiting outside this tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Parking is available on the street.

We went on a Saturday morning, and as usual, there was a mass of people in front of the restaurant waiting. However, the wait wasn’t too bad – about 30 minutes – probably since there were only two of us. A change that the restaurant has made since I first starting eating there is now, a server comes outside to give you a menu and take your order while you are waiting. When our table was ready, they quickly brought our drinks and our food came out almost immediately after.

Although Boots & Kimo’s is a homestyle kitchen, you almost feel like you’re in a sports bar when you walk in. The walls (and ceiling!) are filled with sports memorabilia, including a large collection of Wheaties boxes featuring various athletes.

Boots & Kimo’s is best known for their macadamia nut sauce. Rumor has it that this sauce is so popular that the Betty Crocker Company wanted to manufacture it. They also have great omelettes (they even have one called “Pakalolo Omelette”) and delicious sugar cured bacon. That morning, we decided to order a Sugar Cured Bacon Omelette (made with extra lean crispy bacon smothered with Haleakala Swiss cheese), Huelo Paniolo Omelette “Boots & Kimo’s Favorite” (corned beef, Kula onion, tomatoes, & melted Haleakala Swiss cheese), and a short stack of Banana Pancakes with Kimo’s Macadamia Nut Sauce.

Sugar Cured Bacon Omelette

The Sugar Cured Bacon Omelette was really simple, but the bacon is so good and crispy that you wouldn’t want anything else to take away from its flavor. The bacon and cheese is really all you need. The omelettes are served with a choice of starch.

Huelo Paniolo Omelette “Boots & Kimo’s Favorite”

The Huelo Paniolo Omelette “Boots & Kimo’s Favorite” had a bit more complexity to it. This omelette is great for corned beef fans, like many locals are. When I go out to breakfast, my favorite is corned beef hash, eggs, & rice. At Boots & Kimo’s, it’s like you’re getting all of that and then some.

“Banana Mac” Pancakes

Last, but definitely not least, came the short stack of “banana mac” pancakes. This is what everyone goes to Boots & Kimo’s for and is a definite must-try. The banana pancakes are extremely soft. If you don’t like bananas, they also offer plain pancakes. Kimo’s Macadamia Nut Sauce is light, creamy, not too sweet, and has a somewhat frothy consistency. The sauce almost reminds you of melted macadamia nut ice cream. With the combination of the soft pancakes and creamy sauce, it just melts in your mouth with every bite!

The most criticism that this restaurant has received is about the service. The staff is not the friendliest and customers feel a bit rushed while dining there. Expect to hear staff yelling out orders. Despite this, Honolulu Advertiser has still described Boots & Kimo’s as “Inexpensive, with lots of aloha.” Dine there and decide for yourself.

Final thoughts: On the day that I went, the service was mediocre. The food, everything else aside, is always onolicious. If you’re on the Windward side and want a breakfast made with lots of fresh local ingredients, try Boots & Kimo’s. The macadamia nut sauce alone is worth the trip!

Service:		Average
Food:		Above Average
Atmosphere:		Below Average +
Overall Value:		Average

*Star ratings are based in comparison to similar establishments by food type and price range.

Boots & Kimo
131 Hekili St Kailua, HI 96734-2866
Phone: 808.263.7929

Hours:
Tues-Fri 7:00am - 2:00pm
Sat-Sun 6:30am - 2:30pm
CASH ONLY

For anyone who lives on Oahu, Matsumoto’s shave ice is one of the classic “must try” shave ice places since 1951. Featured in many national venues like the Food Network, Matsumoto’s shave ice has become a staple for this local favorite to residents and visitors alike. (more…)

After a long hard day at the water slides my friends and I drove around and around until we all finally decided on En Fuego Grill and Poke.

The inside was far from fine dining and since we were all in our bikinis and board shorts, it was perfect.

I ordered the Ahi Tofu Patty Salad, $5.50. I don’t know about you guys but after any water activity I just can’t eat anything heavy so I threw out the crispy won tons. The patty was delightfully dry, and I mean that in the best way; it’s still a tofu patty. The garden salad was bright and fresh and came with their house salad dressing that was super creamy and heavy. I only used very little of it. In my opinion they should invest in more than one salad dressing. Although I really enjoyed the patty, I don’t think it goes well with the salad. It was just an odd mix. The patty would crumble into pieces when I tried to break into it.

Shane ordered the Garlic Chicken Salad, $6.75. It was the same salad mix as before but with garlic chicken instead of the ahi tofu patty. Shane was hugely disappointed with his pick. He kept saying, I just ordered the wrong thing, so I had to taste it to see for myself. The chicken tasted a bit heavy and like the tofu patty it was a weird mix with the salad. Shane barely touched it and ended up getting some food on the way home.

The Beer Battered Fish and Chips, $8.50 was Ray’s pick. If I were in the mood for something fried I would of been really happy with this pick. Everything came hot and crispy. The fries weren’t super skinny and the fish was nice and meaty. Again, it came with the same house dressing that came with our salads. Pretty ridiculous, somebody needs to inform these people that this universal sauce is not so universal. I think the traditional tarter sauce would of done just fine.

Overall I think this place was worth the try but I think I’ll be moving on. If you do plan on coming here, I suggest you bring a little canister of your own sauce. Oh, by the way the water slides in Hawaii suck dirty dick cheese.

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En Fuego Grill & Poke
590Farrington Hwy # 534
Kapolei, HI96707

Get Directions(808) 674-8805

I’m sure some of you have been to Ono Hawaiian Food so maybe one of you guys could tell me what the hell is really going on here. I mean every time I drive by during peak hours there’s this ridiculous line out the door. My sister came down from Los Angeles not too long ago so when she said she wanted some authentic Hawaiian food I was like, “sweet I know the perfect place, ” so I think. The food has got to be pretty freaking spectacular if people are willing to wait in line out in the rain like it was the morning of black Friday or something.

We got there just before closing and the people that came a few minutes after us were denied entrance enough though the neon sign said open. As you can see from inside the place looks like a small hole in the wall. I felt like I walked right into someones scrapbook. The walls were covered with clutters of pictures, memories, old newspaper clippings, and random scraps that was obviously pieces of someones life but meant diddle lei squat to me.

Service was below average. There’s Hawaiian service with aloha spirit and then there’s island service with an attitude. This was closer to island service. My sister, being a tourist and extremely picky, kept asking questions that are stupid to us but typical for tourist. “What is haupia? What’s laulau? What’s poi? How is it cooked? Do you guys use a lot of oil? Can you steam it?” I just kept telling myself that she’s your sister and a tourist, they don’t know any better but I could tell our waiter’s patience was wearing thin. Finally we decided upon the Combination Plate. Since it was a combo of a few of their signature items and the most expensive item on the menu, $14.75, I was certain that it would be a kick ass meal. The combination plate came with kalua pig and laulau, pipikaula, lomi salmon, haupia and rice.

Looks like a pile of shit.

This is your asshole . . .

This is your asshole on drugs . . . it blows up. Any questions? I think laulau would have been much more effective then that stupid egg commercial they played year after year. Watching them fry it only made me hungry for a loco moco. Now kids don’t judge a book by its cover. Although the laulau here may look like someones asshole on drugs, it tastes real good. So go ahead and toss that salad. I did and I loved it. No really, this was probably the best thing in the combo plate. The meat was really tender with just enough fat for flavor. I think every tourist that comes here should get their hands on some real laulau before they leave so they know what they’re missing out on back in the mainland.

This is the Lomi Salmon. If this dish looks small to you it’s because it is. All the food came in these small sauce dishes. The sad thing is the picture makes it look bigger than it really is. I took a close up so you guys can see what the food actually looks like. Maybe I just didn’t know how to eat it because It seemed like I was just eating salsa. It was bits of salmon and tons of tomatoes.

This is the Kalua Pig. Like the laulau it was tender, moist, and just overall really good. It wasn’t too salty or too greasy.

Along with our meal came some hot sauce. It was brought in the same sauce dishes as everything else so you guys have an idea of how small everything was.

This is the Pipikaula and no I didn’t eat any of it before I took a picture. It only came with two pieces of meat. Pipikaula can mean anything from cold beef jerky to slow smoked ribs. In this case it was cold beef jerky. And that’s exactly what it tasted like, cold jerky or left over scraps of someones food from two weeks ago left in a to go box in the back of a refrigerator for stupid tourists. It was weird to eat beef jerky for dinner, but fuck it. All I’m saying is next time I get invited to a pot luck my ass is bringing a bag of beef jerky. “What, you guys don’t know about beef jerky for dinner, man you guys gotta get out more. Hawaiians do it all the time, it’s tradition.”

And this is sliced onions. I’m not trying to be ignorant but I am clueless. The more I looked at my dinner the more it seemed like left over scraps. Onions for dinner? I don’t get it. Am I suppose to eat it with the laulau? Put hot sauce over it and eat it with the beef jerky? Or maybe, just maybe it’s plan B for a really bad date. “Oh sorry, I would love to kiss you but I just had a dish of raw onions but thanks for dinner and don’t call me I’ll call you.” That has to be it.

And the last of the Combination Plate was the haupia. It was mushy. I’ve had better.

Along with our Combination Plate Selena ordered a side of Kim Chee, $1.80. It was good. I love homemade kim chee.

Selena also ordered a side of Plain Butterfish (Boiled), $5.25. This was the biggest disappointment for my sister. She kept going on and on about how this tasted exactly like moms fish and how mom would go to the grocery store buy a whole fish and make it exactly like this and it cost less than $5.00 and have enough for two days. I have to agree, $5.25 for a few pieces of cheap fish is absurd to me. The fish was good but I will probably never order this again and my mom makes it so much better.

Like I said, I just don’t get it. This place was on my list of places that I had to try just because of the crazy lines that formed out the door. It’s sad but it seems as though every time I go to one of these long ass lines out the door places I end up being hugely disappointed. This place was no different.

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Ono Hawaiian Food
726 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, HI
(808) 737-2275