Goin’ to the Hukilau

While the Bay Area clan was visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday, we accompanied them on requisite trips to several local restaurants and the main shopping trip to Ala Moana Center… four plus hours at Ala Moana. And this was already on top of several hours spent previously by the family on Black Friday (gift shopping should NEVER start at 6am even if the merchandise is free) at Ala Moana. Of course, after a full day of shopping, what’s a family to do? Eat of course. However the University of Hawaii also is playing a crucial game that starts at 5:30pm. What now? Go to a sports bar of course! Food and TV! But what sports bar do we patronize?

“Oh, I’m goin’
To the Hukilau
A huki, huki, huki, huki, Hukilau
Ev’rybody, loves the Hukilau
Where the lau lau is the kau kau at the big luau”

Hukilau Sports Bar and Grill

What do you get when you combine an expat from Kapaa, Kauai an expat from Ewa Beach, Oahu and and an expat from Hilo, Hawaii and drop them in the Bay Area? You end up with three former local boys ono (craving) for Hawaiian food and hospitality. Add a little extra cash and maybe a little too much free time (and perhaps one drink too many) and you might end up with a restaurant venture where none of the principals had ever ventured before; The Hukilau!

The (ad)venture first started at the top of Masonic Avenue where it bridges above Geary Boulevard at a former neon lighted bar. While I was attending UCSF years ago, I would always drive by this corner bar whose name I can’t even recall. All I remember was the bright green and red neon lights. Well, fast forward many years and you now have the original Hukilau Grill.
Their menu includes many favorites that Hawaii locals still enjoy on a regular basis like Spam. Spam?! Yuck! Well, before you knock it, hear me out. Straight out of the can, I agree, it is gross. Slimy, pinkish meat like product with about 1 week’s supply of sodium. However culinary tastes are sometimes born out of necessity. During WW II when many food items were rationed, this was especially severe in the 50th (well, it wasn’t the 50th at the time) where geographic isolation intensified rationing. Locals were looking for alternate protein sources and low and behold, the military provided protein in canned form. Like Spam, Vienna sausage and corned beef. And the saltiness of these canned proteins helped stretch a meal that much farther. Just a little protein with lots of vegetables or lots of rice. However the Spam on Hukilau’s menu isn’t born from necessity as much as taste. Spam Musubi. A ¼ inch slice of pan crisped Spam – maybe dipped in a thick teriyaki sauce – placed on hot rice and wrapped with nori. The thing legends are made of! Even Tony Bourdain polished off a whole Spam Musubi on his No Reservations episode in Hawaii (of course, his Spam was placed on a fried rice musubi).
Hukilau also features that glorious plate lunch specialty created in Hilo, Hawaii many years ago; the Loco Moco. The original version is a pan fried hamburger patty placed on steaming white rice in a bowl then topped with a fried egg – usually a sunny side egg – then smothered in thick brown gravy. In tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Loco Moco, Hukilau serves several renditions of the Loco Moco. Some on fried rice, some with chili and cheese instead of brown gravy and others with chicken katsu, fried fish or veggie patty instead of hamburger. Any way it’s served, it’s all good!
The Hukilau also has been hosting the Sam Choy Poke Festival for the past 8 years. For the uninitiated, poke (po-kay, NOT po-kee) is Hawaii’s version of a fish tartare with larger cuts of fish – usually about ¾ to 1 inch cube – spiced with rock salt and a variety of other flavorings. Limu (seaweed), sesame seed oil, white and green onions, inamona (kukui nut), shoyu and chili pepper are a few of the various flavoring agents added to the mixture. Fishes include ahi (yellowfin tuna), kajiki or au (blue marlin) or salmon and also include tako (octopus) or various cooked and raw shellfish. In fact, poke, a cold beer and a 40 inch flat screen are the three major food groups during the football season.

“We'll throw our nets out into the sea
And all the ama ama come-a swimming to me
Oh, we're going to a hukilau
A huki, huki, huki, hukilau”

Hukilau Honolulu

The third location is based in the motherland of all the Hukilau’s, right in central downtown Honolulu in the basement of the Executive Centre. When they first opened about 2 & ½ years ago, I wondered how a Hawaiian themed restaurant (while great for Hawaii expats living in the Bay Area) would fair in the motherland. After all, denizens of the 50th don’t get homesick for Hawaii, they’re already living here! The theme for Hukilau Honolulu strays a little from Hukilau’s stateside locations. While you’ll still find surfboards and Hawaii memorabilia on the walls, the theme is more sports bar including showing University of Hawaii games on the many flat screen TVs. The menu is also more Regional Hawaii Cuisine instead of kitschy homesick Hawaiian food.

We sampled two excellent renditions of local favorites, the musubi and nigiri sushi. The first was musubi but with curried chicken and candied pecans added to the mixture so that the final result was like a curry spiced onigiri. The second was a reversed nigiri sushi with a nicely browned slice of Portuguese sausage as the toping (bottom) with kim chi fried rice instead of the usual vinegared rice. Both were delicious! Executive Chef Jason Takemura (originally Executive Chef at Chai’s Island Bistro) also made a great moi (Hawaiian threadfin fish) with fresh ginger sitting on a bed of shiitake tempura. The oil and fish juices permeated the tempura perfectly. The grilled rib eye steak with truffle porcini cream also was perfectly cooked medium rare and very tender. We also sampled one of their many renditions of french fries choosing the truffle and Asiago fries (they also offer plain, garlic or chili cheese). We washed everything down with Stella Artois on tap though owner Kurt Osaki also offered a bottle of 2008 Domaine Depeuble Beaujolais – a very food friendly light red wine. It also didn’t hurt that the University of Hawaii upset Navy 24-17.

So the next time you’re visiting the 50th, plan a side trip to Hukilau Honolulu or if vacation isn’t in the imminent plans, visit either Hukilau San Francisco or Hukilau San Jose for Hawaiian hospitality and food.

Hukilau Honolulu
1088 Bishop St, LL13
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 523-3460

Hukilau San Francisco
5 Masonic Ave
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 921-6242

Hukilau San Jose
230 Jackson St
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 279-4888

“What a beautiful day for fishing
In the old Hawaiian way
All the hukilau nets are swishing
Down in old Laie Bay
Oh, we're going to a hukilau
A huki, huki, huki, huki
huki, huki, huki, huki
huki, huki, huki, hukilau”

Dinner at Hiroshi's Eurasion Tapas

Celebrated my brother's B-Day while he was visiting for Thanksgiving. Initially wanted to sample Chef Mavro's special Beaujolais Nouveau dinner but their earliest seating was at 7:30pm and the Mrs worked that weekend... plus that's almost bedtime! I then secured a 6:30pm seating at Elua only to be called the day before notifying me that the restaurant "formerly known as Elua" wasn't ready to re-open. What gives!? I then made a reservation at Hiroshi's... which was honored and not too late.

Bro never tried any of their sushi so we started with the Sushi Duo of Cold Smoked Hamachi and Miso Glazed Salmon and Foie Gras Sushi with Kabayaki Sauce. Oishii desu nee! We also tried the Portuguese potstickers with garlic chili foam. I'm usually not a big fan of "foams" since they usually don't contribute much to the dish but this foam was bordering on light meringue and nicely complemented the haerty potstickers. At Chuck's recommendation, we also had abottle of Evening Land Gamay Noir. If you're wondering what this is; for starters Evening Land wines are a partnering of uber winemaker Sashi Moorman and Famed frenchman Dominique Lafon. The Gamay grape produces that very food friendly winr, Beaujolais - same grape (and almost same wine as Beaujolais Nouveau) but this light red pairs micely with heartier Hawaii Regional Cuisine (also does wonders with East Indian cuisine).

We then progressed to entrees with the Mrs trying the Maui Cattle Co Rib Eye Steak - very tender and perfectly done medium rare, Bro trying the Brie and Pancetta Stuffed Pork Tonkatsu - the best entree of the evening especially with the Gamay Noir and yours truly trying the special Roasted Duck Breast - the most visually appealing and very good though a distant 2nd or 3rd to the Tonkatsu.

The evening ended with the Lemon Cake with Adzuki Ice Cream and the Macadamia Nut Cheesecake with "POG" Foam. Bro usually doesn't order dessert but I guess since it was his 39th... give or take a decade or two, he was entitled. The Mrs ALWAYS orders dessert so no reasoning needed.

You should make a point of visiting Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas for yur next celebratory dinner!

Not as Offal as it Sounds

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines offal as:

1: the waste or by-product of a process: as a: trimmings of a hide b: the by-products of milling used especially for stock feeds c: the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal removed in dressing: variety meat
2: rubbish

I love definition number 2. Really doesn’t make it seem as if the stuff is edible at all. But yet, these parts of the animal historically have produced some of the greatest meals because face it (pun intended, head cheese, face parts get it?), you need to be a great cook to make these tough, fibrous parts of the animal savory. Anyone can grill a nice tenderloin steak to perfection in a couple of minutes but can you do the same with stomach lining?
We recently returned from our annual sojourn to the Bay Area and discovered several dishes – one which was another one of our many food epiphanies – that had us rethinking “traditional” menu selections versus eclectic selections, in this case the often discarded animal parts known as offal… but definitely not awful.

Poggio

Located just under the Casa Madrona in the heart of Sausalito, Poggio’s Chef Peter McNee considers himself a novice in the world of offal having added selections of these underutilized cuts only in the past 4 or 5 years. While most of Poggio’s menu remains traditional Italian faire, there are always several selections of that… that other meat. While we were there, he offered a couple of dishes with chicken liver – both chicken liver pate and sautéed chicken liver. I know that since chicken liver is usually a traditional dish in delicatessens, you may not consider it as you would that other meat but it still is an organ meat and qualifies as offal. See, you may have already had offal in your usual diet without even knowing it.
We were lucky that Lingua or Lamb’s Tongue was on the fall menu while we were in town. And boy was it good. Food epiphany good! Good enough that I’ll probably check to see if my local food purveyor, Y. Hata carries it. It was grilled and slightly charred on the outside but one bite was reminiscent of the texture of that thin strip of meat around the heart of a piece of Prime Rib. All the flavor of lamb with the texture of Prime Rib served under a bed of arugula and water cress tossed in a light vinaigrette so that the bitterness of the greens and acid of the vinaigrette helped balance the richness of the tongue. Along with some roasted baby beets for sweetness, this was a magnificent dish. A return visit just for this dish would be in order!

Supermarket Offal

Most supermarkets sell fresh chicken liver but the quality varies from market to market. Often it’s pre-frozen then thawed or semi-thawed before sale which isn’t as desirable as fresh chicken liver. I’m sure you’ve also run across beef or calves liver – the stuff of nightmares of my youth due to the perceived nutritional qualities of liver (a multi-vitamin gets those same nutrients without the nasty flavor of supermarket beef liver) – but once again these renditions are either frozen and thawed or not just very… fresh. I’m not sure if the States offer beef stomach lining or tripe as readily as you find it in the 50th. Tripe stew is a regular menu item in most Hawaii local eateries – in fact most locals know the difference between the honeycomb versus smooth versus leaf tripe. Like most of the “less’ desirable cuts of meat, tripe does take its fair share of cooking time for edibility. Boiling (+/-) with several water changes for up to 3 hours is the rule… and this best be accomplished outside because of the fragrance that boiling tripe imparts to your kitchen… drapes… carpet. This is a big reason why the Tatsumoto clan never had tripe on a regular basis. However I recently reacquainted myself with the stomach lining only a mother (cow?) could love. As I mentioned, Hawaii locals do have a love affair with tripe, so much so that it’s not uncommon to find tripe poke at the local market. The local Marukai Market does sell tripe poke on a regular basis so I decided to purchase a pound on a recent visit. I reasoned that since the 3 hour boil was already prepared by the Marukai staff, all I had to do was add seasonings for my own rendition of an offal masterpiece (NO pun intended). I added the tripe poke to 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, 3 slivered garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of dried mint and salt and freshly ground black pepper. I simmered it in a slow cooker for 4 hours then tossed it with about 2 tablespoons of chiffonade fresh mint right before serving. I served this over polenta seasoned with salt, black pepper and freshly grated Parmegiano Reggiano. Mighty tasty if I must say so myself!
In the local markets, oxtail is another staple from the nether region of the animal. As a young college student, I often shunned oxtail reasoning that its sole purpose was to swat flies from the bovine’s butt. This reasoning persisted despite the Kam Bowl’s famous oxtail soup served with copious amounts of grated fresh ginger and chopped cilantro. I don’t know when it happened but at some point, I had some braised oxtail spiced with traditional Asian spices and boy was that a food epiphany! Savory rich meat with an abundance of gelatinous broth, perfect with a Central Coast Pinot Noir or Syrah. I’ve been on the oxtail bandwagon since then.

Incanto

We also visited the unofficial king of offal, Chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto who annually hosts a pure offal menu. On our visit he had no less than 6 menu selections featuring offal selections incorporated into several starters and pastas from tripe to sweetbread to trotter to bone marrow to tuna heart to liver. And since few chefs in the 50th highlight the treat of offals, we had to sample a couple of these dishes. We tried his Veal Sweetbread Terrina with Dates and Pickled Ramps which basically was a rustic pork based terrine with sweetbread. I’ll admit that I would not have known that sweetbread was in the mixture if I didn’t see the menu. But I think that’s part of the inherent nature of sweetbread which is either the thymus or pancreas of the animal. My own assessment of sweetbread is that it’s the organ culinary equivalent of tofu – white and slightly creamy texture but not much flavor on its own. But the terrina was very good none-the-less with a nice balance of sweet (dates) and sour (pickled ramps and mustard) to balance the richness of the pork. We also tried the Parsnip & Bone Marrow Ravioli with Sangiovese Sauce. Being primarily slightly beef flavored fat, the bone marrow replaced the butter or other fat that normally would have been incorporated into the pureed parsnips. It may seem like a waste since bone marrow roasted in the bone fetches a hefty price in most restaurants. Incanto’s version was a slightly more decadent version of the traditional ravioli with a sauce that helped to cut any residual “fattiness’ of the marrow.

Going Green
If you would like to live a “greener” life and contribute to the perpetuation of the globe as we know it, I encourage trying some of these “other” meat dishes. For starters, they utilize the entire animal without waste. Remember that cows are more than ribs, ribeyes and filets. They also come with heads, stomachs, tails and all that digestive stuff in between. And not all of these parts goes to Kibbles and Bits. Some of these parts are actually healthier alternatives since they often are full of connective tissue and lower in fat. And since preparing offals requires a lot of work, it measures the true cooking skill of a chef so if it’s on the menu, it HAS to be good, not awful.

Brunch at Formaggio Grill in Kailua

Just back from 1 week of constant eating in the Bay Area means it's time to fast right? Not even! Didn't even wait a day until we visited another restaurant... well it was back to work the next day so make the most of the vacation. We visited Formaggio Grill in Kailua for brunch/lunch. Formaggio seems to have revamped their menu - at least the brunch/lunch menu. I was also surprised that Manager Patrick Okubo was working on a Sunday - I sat for the Certified Sommelier exam the same time as he did though he's now leagues ahead just a step away from MS (Master Sommelier). We started as we usually do, with the Truffled Shoestring Fries though we also indulged in their soft fish tacos. I love that crunch that cabbage and radish give to soft tacos with the fish perfectly spiced and cooked.

We then proceeded to the main courses, the Mrs had the beef tenderloin omelette with cottage fries while I had an open faced sandwich with proscuitto and two sunny sides (as Tony Bourdain said and I'll admit to, I'm a total egg slut, especially runny yolks).

We planned on skipping dessert but the server temps you by bringing out the 7 possible selections - $3.95 for 1 or $21 for all 7! The Mrs selected the pumpkin mousse since tis the season for bobura!

Last Lunch(es) in the Bay Area

Wow! A week has come and gone. Our last day (and not even a full day to boot) in the Bay Area until next year. At this point, we usually check out of the hotel then mosey on over to the Inner Sunset for a super chicken burrito from L'avenida Taqueria on Irving and 5th (if they're closed or just too busy, we'll settle for a super carnitas from Gordos on 9th). Sometimes I'll pack one in a tube and hermetically seal it in the luggage for the trip back (for the father-in-law). However on this day we trekked up Fillmore to la Mediterranee. We usually pay homage to la Mediterranee but since we had SO MANY reservations, it was placed on stand-by. Might as well eat there on this day. We normally have the Mediterranean Meze for two but since this was lunch we both settled for the Middle Eastern Plate which included Lamb Lule or lamb meatballs on rice pilaf, Grecian Spinach and Feta or a mini version of spanakopita, Levant Sandwich or cream cheese mixed with herbs and spices rolled in Levantine bread, Chicken Cilicia or chicken and spices baked in phyllo dough and Armenian Potato Salad (the Mrs opted for soup). A totally satisfying meal...

Since we had 90 minutes to spare before leaving The City for SFO, we also stopped by Sapporo Ramen for lunch number 2. Since the noodles are handmade here, we couldn't pass up the time simply window shopping. The Mrs had the Shoyu Ramen while I had the Cold Noodle. Thicker noodles with a slight bite (al dente) and refreshing broth (and sauce), it was the perfect end to the gastronomic spread we enjoyed over the past 7 days. Until next year, we'll see (and dream about) you again by The City where we left our hearts... and stomaches... and antacids....

Friday dinner at Incanto

Oh woe is me! This was our last night in the Bay Area and we didn't even scratch the surface of our culinary gluttony. Bro got us a gift certificate to Incanto and since they were on the short list of restaurants, I immediately made a reservation for Friday night. Located in the burb part of The City, I first heard about Chef Cosentino when he competed for the "Next Iron Chef" position that Michael Symon eventually won. His dishes looked a little strange at times but entrancing at the same time. What sealed the deal to dine there was his appearance on No Reservations with Tony Bourdain. I previously ignored all strange cuts of meat, especially offals but in the past year or so have been experimenting with various oxtail recipes, tripe and heck, I'd even experiment with sweetbreads if you can find them at the supermarket.

We started with the Veal Sweetbread Terrina, Dates and Pickled Ramps and the Parsnip and Bone Marrow Ravioli with Sangiovese Sauce. I'm sure sure if these sweetbreads were the thynus or the pancreas cut since they were in basically what was a rustic pork based terrine (especially since sweetbreads don't have a lot of flavor on their own - I think of them as organ tofu). The terrine itself was very flavorful - if not a bit large for 2 diners - and the dates added a nice touch of sweetness while the acidity of the pickled ramps helped cut the richness (pickled ramps also go by rakkyo in Japanese cuisine). The mustard also helped cut through the richness of the dish.

The ravioli were very good on their own but to tell the truth, I wouldn't have known that there was bone marrow in the filling. They bascially substituted for butter or any other fat that normally would have been incorporated with the pureed parsnips. None the less, it was very good with the Sangiovese sauce (the acid in Sangiovese also helped to cleanse the palate).

The Mrs then proceeded to the Marinated Grilled Sardines with Grilled Watermelon Radish, Red Onion and Parsley. She dispatched the bones from those 5 sardines with the skill of a neurosurgeon... mind you with a knife and fork sans hashi which is the tool of choice for bone-in fish. A little sweetness, a little sour, a little salty and very fresh sardines. Yum!

I chose the Pork Shoulder with Pumpkin Agrodolce (sweet and sour) and Creamy Polenta. The dish was a flavor melange of sweet, sour, savory, creamy and very good until I hit the wall. About 2/3 through my entree, the large lunch started hitting me like the ghost of Christmas Past... or like the ghost of Steak Tartare Past. I barely finished the entree and could only look at the Mrs' selection of Fresh Ginger Cake , Warm Butterscotch and Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert. I settled for an espresso.

I would like to return to try the Mint Pappardelle and Beef Brasato and the Handkerchief Pasta and Rustic Pork Ragu. Of course, the next time we're in the Bay Area the menu will have changed but I'm sure Chef Cosentino will have more than a few more savory selections on the menu... I'll just have a salad for lunch the next time.

Lunch at Lark Creek Steak

The Mrs one "must-do" while in the Bay Area is pay a visit to the Westfield San Francisco Centre. Mostly window shopping but an occasional purchase here and there - she also found a new favorite shop, Edition by Banana Republic. I personally like cruising the basement market section, if not to purchase then simply to drool over the vast selection of foods. Of course shopping, even window shopping does require a lot of energy and energy replacement so "what's for lunch"?

We perused the restaurant offerings on the 4th level and selected Lark Creek Steak. Being a steak house, I had to start with that traditional steakhouse drink, the Manhattan. Since we did have dinner reservations later in the evening, we didn't want to stuff ourselves to capacity so we simply ordered one entree apiece. The Mrs decided on the Steakburger. Eight ounces of freshly ground steak cooked to your liking (medium rare) then topped with grilled onions, bibb lettuce, tomato and pickles and the Mrs added a slice of Gruyere. Served with 1/2 inch cut fries doubled cooked for that tender, baked potato like interior and crisp on the outside but not greasy. Our server James even brought 2 plates of ketchup for the fries (a big WOW from the Mrs since she always runs out of ketchup). She said it was the BEST burger she's EVER had to date. It was an excellent burger.

I selected the 6 ounce Filet Mignon Steak Tartare served with fries and baby greens along with Sauce Bearnaise. The overall service and accoutrements served was the BEST rendition of steak tartare I've had. And I've tried quite a few. Sometimes it's mixed tableside, sometimes there's hints of truffle oil in the meat, sometimes it's cubed vs ground meat but for the most part, the meat has always been very good in texture and flavor (duh, it's raw so the quality HAS to be good). But served alongside a baby green salad (to help cleanse the palate) and served with excellent fries and since I'm a mayo kind of guy with frites, the Sauce Bearnaise was icing on the cake. Along with a glass of 2006 Handley Pinot Noir, I was in taste bud heaven! James even told me the secret of the spicing addition to the meat but swore me to secrecy so you'll have to try it on your own.

We didn't intend on having dessert but since the Pear Crumble sounded so good, she had to try it. I continued on my semi-liquid diet and opted for the Mocha Martini... a perfect balance of chocolate and coffee that I immediately tried to copy it as soon as we returned home.

This was our 2nd visit to one of the Lark Creek Group's restaurants on this trip and on both occasions, they didn't disappoint!