More Eats on Kauai

I need to catch up on our Kauai eats.

First, more on garlic shrimp. Savage Shrimp, on the corner of Lawai Road and Hoonani Road in Poipu, is housed in a lunch truck. It may move in the next two years, depending on what happens with the shopping center that is supposed to be built across the road–but for now, the truck can be found mid-day, with Susan dishing up freshly cooked shrimp in a handful of preparations. We had the Garlic Scampi and the Bahia Scampi, both of which were delicious. It’s worth noting that the prices are a tiny bit higher than indicated in the Roadfood.com review, but only by a dollar or two. Portions are generous and flavorful.

Next, Hamura Saimin. This is a small place on shabby Kress Street in Lihue, but it’s good for a cheap bite. The menu is small, but the Special Saimin is quite good. Try the lilikoi pie–light and fluffy. At one end of the restaurant is Halo Halo Shave Ice. Their hours are limited, but the shave ice is vastly superior to the mainland Sno-Cone and its kin. We had it plain, without ice cream at the bottom, and found it very refreshing–just the thing for a hot day. The serving was big enough for both of us, so keep that in mind when ordering.

The Camp House Grill in Kalaheo offers enormous, messy breakfasts with spicy-but-not-too-hot gravy in the morning and big, tasty burgers in the afternoon and evening. Be sure to have pie. They excel at pie.

If you’re in Hanalei (and why wouldn’t you be? It’s delightful), try Polynesia Cafe. Their plate lunches and fish sandwiches are quite good, and they’ll provide you with fuel for hiking (at least part of) the 11-mile Kalalau Trail, which begins at Ke’e Beach and provides cliffside views of the Na Pali coast. Even if you only make it to the first overlook, you’ll have worked off your lunch and seen truly spectacular scenery.

That’s it for Kauai, unless I remember something else that I just have to share. Eat hearty.

 

Fine Dining in Poipu

When in Kauai, our favorite restaurant for a nice dinner is Plantation Gardens, in Poipu.

My parents came here in the early/mid 1970s and loved it, and we had a terrific meal at the same place during our honeymoon. This time, we started with the tempura plate and moved on to surf’n'turf and the fish of the day, which in this case was a pan-roasted ono. Everything was cooked perfectly, and the sauces for each dish were fantastic.

Plantation Gardens is in the Kiahuna Plantation Resort, and is definitely worth a visit–no matter where you’re staying on the island.

 

Burritos

If you’re in Kapaa, why not stop at Burritohead? We went because it’s owned by a friend of a friend, but we’re talking about going back because of the food. As you might guess, they have burritos–as well as tacos, flautas, and quesadillas. These come with pork, chicken, or beef, and are all in the $7-9 range, or fish for $2 more. We had a pork quesadilla and fish tacos, and everything was really good.

 

Shrimp, Glorious Shrimp

In the town of Waimea, on the south shore of Kauai, is a roadside restaurant called Shrimp Station. Actually, “restaurant” is a generous term–it’s basically a cookstand with a patio. But no matter how basic the setup is, the outcome is fantastic. The sauteed garlic shrimp are to die for, and the beer-battered shrimp are crisp and light. Please, sir, I want some more.

 

BBQ in the Valley

Last night we made our second trip to the Bear Pit. It’s not my favorite BBQ spot in the San Fernando Valley, but it’s a nice family place that is clearly a local favorite. I found the chicken and spare ribs a bit dry, but the beef ribs are good–as is the ham sandwich.

Another option, which I enjoyed on my one trip there (so far) is Dr. Hogly Wogly’s Tyler Texas BBQ. Both are on Sepulveda, but the Bear Pit is in the shadow of the 118 (literally), while Dr. Hogly Wogly’s is just south of Roscoe. On the whole, I think Dr. Hogly Wogly’s has better ribs and more tender meat (and brisket, which the Bear Pit does not offer–maybe brisket isn’t “Missouri style”).

But they both have great names.

 

And You, Sir, are No Pinkberry

I was walking up Westwood Boulevard today and spotted Mr. Snowberry, on Weyburn. It’s on the north side of the street, just east of Westwood Blvd. And the verdict? Pass on it. The yogurt is chalky and just not good. Yoku Yoku, at Palms and Sepulveda, does it better if you want tangy yogurt that isn’t Pinkberry.

 

Hey, Diddle Diddle

Looking for an English pub? Stop by The Cat and Fiddle, in Hollywood. The shepherd’s pie is quite nice (although it may be a cross between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie, for those who are English cuisine purists–hah, I have made myself laugh). Also, the beer is good.

 

James’ Beach

On Monday nights, James’ Beach in Venice has bottles of wine for 50% off. And they have a very extensive wine list. I wasn’t drinking that night (DayQuil and NyQuil in the recent past), but the waiter was very knowledgeable about food and wine offerings alike. The sand dabs with spinach, pine nuts, and golden raisins is a good choice, but the menu was full of things I’d like to try. This would be a great restaurant for a nice dinner, or a celebratory Happy Hour.

 

NBC Seafood

If you don’t know that the best Chinese food in town is found in Monterey Park and surrounding areas, then you really haven’t been paying attention. So listen up!

NBC Seafood has been around for something like 20 years, which is an eternity in the restaurant business. My recent (first!) visit there helped explain why.

The restaurant is brightly lit, but not blinding. The menu focuses, as you might expect, on seafood–but there are terrestrial options as well. We had duck two ways (Peking and lettuce wraps; the latter was my favorite, but both were terrific), cashew chicken, lemon cod fillets (more on these in a moment), asparagus with black bean sauce, and some kind of beef that was delicious. Let’s say it was Mongolian, and move on with our lives.

Service was excellent. The waiter answered our questions and described the dishes well. The duck came out first, in two stages, which helped the later dishes fit on the table, and kept us from starving. (Hey, when you drive across town from the Westside, you’re going to be hungry. Sitting in traffic does not fill your stomach.) The prices weren’t amazing, but they were fair, particularly considering the quality of the food. Everything was really tasty, and the restaurant atmosphere was comfortable and welcoming.

My only disappointment was that I still have not found a replacement for the lemon cod fillets that were served at the now-defunct Dragon Regency. Those were wonderful, and I haven’t found anything that measures up. NBC’s are just a touch too sweet, and need to be a bit more lemony. Alas.

Still, if you’re looking for good Chinese food, NBC Seafood is a great place to try.

 

Welcome to Pink’s

Pink’s, on La Brea just barely north of Melrose, claims to be the “Home of the World’s Best Chili Dog.” There are lots of chili dogs I like, but I do have to say that Pink’s is up there. They’ve been in business since 1939 without a change in location, so clearly I am not the only one who thinks this. The lines will testify as well–yesterday we waited for an hour to place our order. On the other hand, once the order was placed, it took about one minute to get our food.

I don’t know how the staff keeps things straight, but on our three visits (we don’t live in the area, so we don’t get there often), they haven’t missed a beat. In spite of what looks like mayhem behind the counter, and customers shouting out orders, everything seems to get to the right person.

A trip to Pink’s has become a minor tradition for us. After running (in my case, watching) the L.A. Marathon, or participating in a 5K fundraiser in the general vicinity of downtown (I did do this one), chili-cheese dogs are a welcome treat. We like ours with no mustard or onions. I’m not sure what either of those is supposed to add; they seem like they result in too many flavors and distract from the chili. I also think the fries (seasoned–not my favorites) benefit from a dollop of chili. They’re cooked just right, but I prefer the chili to the flavor of the seasoning. So while I’d get a chili dog and regular fries at most places, at Pink’s it’s chili on everything. Mmmm….

Pink’s dogs are also helped, as far as I’m concerned, by their stock of Bubble Up. This lemon-lime soda is sort of like 7-Up, but better. Why? Glass bottles and real sugar, instead of corn syrup. I discovered it on my first trip to Pink’s and was instantly hooked. Try it, you’ll like it. Or you won’t, which leaves more for me. Cheers!

BTW, the Melrose Pinkberry is right around the corner. Pinkberry, your yogurt is awesome, but your website is just plain weird.

Update (6/19/07): Okay, the site is less weird now. Way to go, Pinkberry!