Ono Hawai'ian Food (and other ono grinds)

When vacationing, it is easy to overlook the really good places to eat for a number of reasons: the place looks dicey, the staff has attitude, its in an alley behind the gas station, etc. Sometimes these are the very things that make a place charming and homey. Other times, despite these things, the food is outstanding. Either way, to get a taste of the real local flavor, dispell your preconceived notions and ask a local where THEY think is a good place to go. This rarely turns against you. So, following this advice, I will share my culinary adventure through Hawai'i.

Ono Hawai'ian Food

Ono Hawai'ian Food came as a recommend from my buddy Miles, who was raised around O'ahu. We located it just outside of the Waikiki beach area, following the road alongside the zoo (if that is helpful). We were the first ones to arrive, but the sign said to wait outside in a single-file line, so we did, but were brought in immediately. We cozied into a corner table and admired the numerous photos on the wall of celebrities and locals alike. I love a place that shares its community. As the regulars poured in, they were greeted with open arms.

I ordered the Kalua pig plate, which came with a delicious (and salty) piece of jerked pork, poi, ahi poke (raw fish cut into small bits and seasoned) and a coconut gelatin for dessert. This definitely fit the bill for local flavor. Poi is really not that bad. It gets a bad rap, but it is basically a flavorless (perhaps a bit sour) starch with nutritional value. Just mix in a bit of the salty pork and it is good. Big thumbs up for the Kalua pig at Ono!

Boots & Kimo's

We saw a menu for B&K's at the Papaya Paradise, with "Famous Mac Pancakes" in bold. Seemed like a no-brainer, so we went. Forgetting that it was Father's Day, we arrived to a small restaurant with a line out the door. However, everyone was waiting for a table for 4 or more and we were only 2, so we were seated immediately at the front counter! What luck! We ordered the mac pancakes and some guava juice and sat back to watch the waitresses make order out of chaos. The staff there ruled - no bullshit from anyone and everyone moved quickly, plus they did it with a smile!

The mac pancakes were 4 or 5 huge griddle cakes with macadamia nut pieces in the batter. This is big for me. I hate it when you see banana, blueberry, or other pancakes on the menu and they arrive with a few pieces on top. I want it in the batter! I digress, not only were the cakes themselves tasty, but they had a homemade macadamia nut sauce on top. It must have had a ton of butter in it, because it was heavenly. Not too much sauce to make it overly sweet, just enough. The best part was that the sauce, while drizzled over the entire stack, never made the cakes soggy (which is another big one for me). If you are ever in Kailua, Boots & Kimo's mac nut pancakes are amazing, check it!

Matsumoto's general store

Okay, so I am pretty sure that everyone knows about the Matsumoto family and their shave ice. If you don't, they're on the north shore of O'ahu. What separates them from the other shave ices in town? Perhaps its name recognition, I don’t know. I do know that shave ice is not a sno-cone. I had mine with a scoop of ice cream and sweet azuki beans in the cone. It was sweet and refreshing. The family is still in the grocery business, but I would bet that they make more money on the shave ice and t-shirts than they do on regular groceries.

Blossoming Lotus

This "live" vegan cafe is located in old Kapa'a on Kaua'i, inside the "Dragon Building". Blossoming Lotus serves elegant dinners that would have even the most savage carnivore satiated and ignorant of the fact that they were missing the meat.

My dish was a spicy tempeh vindaloo with lemon jasmine rice. The lemony sauce that covered the rice actually tasted pretty creamy. If I didn't know better, I'd say they cheated. Melanie ordered a Japanese inspired noodle dish. I can't remember what it was called, but it was delicious. The Beets were cooked only until they were tender to eat. The key is that they retain the natural enzymes and nutrients in their raw vegetables by not cooking them over a certain temperature.

The dinner was so filling, we didn't have room for dessert (but it looked scrumptious). We did order a carafe of sangria with dinner, which was lauded with sweet pineapple and had a long skewer with which to pluck the pieces out. All in all, a great experience! If you don't think you'll get to Kaua'i anytime soon, but are interested in their food, visit their sister restaurant in Portland or buy the cook book.

Other food notes

I experienced a lot of great food along the trip, but the ones above were the most memorable. One thing I can say is that you are pretty much guaranteed fresh fish (ahi, mahi mahi, ono) anywhere and anytime. Another breakfast favorite I tried is called "Moko Loco", which is a ground beef patty on a bed of rice, topped with an egg and smothered with red-eye gravy. It sounds strange, but its yummy. While I never actually went to McDonald's, it was fun to note that they served spam and rice for breakfast. One last thing, Lappert's ice cream on Kaua'i was good, but basically it was a coldstone with Hawai'ian flavor trappings. Don't get the guava ice cream. Guavas are good for juicing only, anything else is hideous.