 
Go to Hawaii to eat Spam? That’s probably not one of the
top reasons most people visit the islands, but the canned processed
pork is popular at restaurants catering to locals, sharing the
menu with other classic Hawaiian dishes such as lau lau (fish,
beef or pork wrapped in taro leaves), loco moco (steamed rice
topped with a hamburger, a fried egg and brown gravy) and shredded
Kalua pig.
American soldiers introduced the Hawaiians to Spam during World
War II. Now nearly 7 million cans are sold annually in the islands,
according to the Hormel website. But if Spam doesn’t appeal
to your tastebuds, it’s not a problem. There’s plenty
of other grind (food) that locals find ono (delicious).
One favorite is the inexpensive but generously portioned Hawaiian
plate lunch. It can incorporate Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino,
Hawaiian and American dishes — often all on one plate — and
is best eaten on a day when there’s nothing planned for
the afternoon except a nap on the beach.
Here are some fun, funky and fabulous places for local grind.
Maui
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| The exterior of the restaurant, which
has no sign. Top left: The clay pot at A Saigon Cafe |
A Saigon Cafe
There is no sign for A Saigon Cafe, but people
find it anyway, says manager Nguyan Nguyan (friends call him
Chicken Wing.) Located in Wailuku Town, about 15 minutes from
Kahului Airport (Maui’s main airport), A Saigon Café uses
fresh, local ingredients for its Vietnamese dishes, which have
attracted an enthusiastic local following.
Nguyan said the Food Network’s Rachael Ray recently featured
the restaurant for a Maui segment of “$40 A Day” and
interviewed him. “I’m a movie star,” he said.
Favorites include calamari, shrimp and clay pot (shrimp and fried
rice), sauteed string beans, chicken salad, stuffed tofu, steamed
fresh fish of the day (served whole) and spring rolls.
A Saigon Cafe, 1792 Main St., Wailuku; (808) 243-9560
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| Da Kitchen’s fish tempura |
Da Kitchen
“People will eat any kind of food, the same
food two or three times a week, as long as it’s good food,” said
Da Kitchen’s owner Les Tomita, explaining the restaurant’s
philosophy.
Five minutes from Kahului Airport, Da Kitchen is popular with
tourists and locals, who drop by to enjoy traditional Hawaiian
food — Kalua pork, lomi (salted salmon chopped with tomatoes
and onion), lau lau, chicken long rice, poi and plate lunches
with such entreés as teriyaki chicken, Korean Kobe ribs,
hamburger steak cutlets and fish tempura served with rice and
macaroni salad.
Da Kitchen, 425 Koloa St., Kahului; (808) 871-7782
For more information about Maui restaurants and cuisine
visit, www.visitmaui.com.
Kauai
Caffe Coco
Located on the edge of a cane field, with a view of
Sleeping Giant Mountain across the fields, Caffe Coco’s
courtyard dining room is all lush vines, exotic foliage and
tropical flowers. At night, tiki torches blaze, live jazz plays
and the food is, according to owner Ginger Carlson, “unpretentious,
healthful and world class. No deep frying.”
Offerings include macadamia nut and black sesame crusted ahi
with wasabi cream, Moroccan-spiced tofu and roast-veggie wraps,
curried sweet potato samosas and silver noodle salad.
Carlson also sells a line of condiments used in the restaurant.
A favorite is Jungle Jazz, a guava-based grilling sauce ($4 a
jar).
Caffe Coco, 4-369 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa; (808) 822-7990
Tropical Taco
Surfer and restaurant owner Roger Kennedy is something of a local
legend on Kauai. Back in the ’70s, the California native was given a
one-way ticket to Hawaii from his father as a high school graduation present.
After stints working in the pineapple and cane fields, Kennedy started looking
for a way to “teach surfing and not starve.”
He bought a lunch wagon and parked it, loaded with surfing paraphernalia, on
the edge of Hanalei and waited for the lunch crowd to show up. They arrived
in droves, ravenous for his tacos, burritos and Fat Jacks (10-inch burritos).
Five years ago, he opened a sit-down place (24 chairs and 17 stools) outside
in Hanalei Town. All the food is made to order which, Kennedy admitted, can
sometimes lead to a 25-minute wait for a taco, especially since he likes to
talk to customers as he cooks. Said manager Celine Molina, “Everything
is made with love. We just ask for patience.”
Tropical Taco, Halele’a Building, 5-5088 Kuhio Hwy. Hanalei; (808)
827-8226
Hawaii
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| The main dining room at Huggo’s. |
Huggo’s (indoor dining) and Huggo’s On The
Rocks (informal)
When Hugo and Shirley von Platen Luder opened Huggo’s
back in 1969, it quickly became a gathering spot where local
fishermen met to “talk story” (Hawaiian for shoot
the breeze).
Today, it’s still the place to go for fish macadamia nut-crusted
mahi mahi, crab-crusted ono (the No. 1 requested dish) and Asian-seared
ahi. Times change, though. Where commercial fishermen once called
in on two-way radios to report their catch, they now use cellphones,
says the von Platen Luders’ son, Eric, who now manages
the restaurant. The yellow fin tuna caught in the morning, he
said, may end up as the dinner special that night. Live entertainment
is featured at the spectacular oceanfront location.
Huggo’s, 75-5828 Kahakai Road, Kailua-Kona; (808)
329-1493
Ocean View Inn
In business for 70 years, the family-owned Ocean
View Inn, across from the Kailua Pier, is the oldest restaurant
in Kona. Jeannette Kuwadu, the restaurant’s manager and
granddaughter of the original owners, said that except for the
prices, which have gone up a bit, the menu hasn’t changed
much over the years. One can still find chopstick rice, tripe
stew, poi, lau lau, Kalua pork, raw fish and Spam with eggs or
cabbage. Inexpensive and popular with locals, the restaurant
has a casual and friendly service. Go with an appetite — the
plate lunches are large, fried and carb laden.
Ocean View Inn, 75-5683 Alii Drive; (808) 329-9998
Oahu
Wally Ho’s Garage & Grill
Wally Ho ran a gas station
and repair shop at this location for 40 years. But a few years
back, the gas tanks sprang a leak so they were hauled away, a
commercial kitchen was installed and Wally’s became a garage
and grill.
Ho is retired now, but his daughter, Willette — who manages
the family-owned business — describes the fare as healthy
Hawaiian with an emphasis on fresh. This means, for example,
you can choose brown rice instead of white for your plate lunch,
order a green salad and know that the food is prepared without
a lot of fat. The fish is fresh.
On Fridays and Saturdays, Wally’s serves Hawaiian food — lau
lau, Kalua pig, lomi, a choice of rice or poi and, for dessert,
haupia, described by one aficionado as a sinful but angelically
white coconut desert.
Wally Ho’s Garage & Grill, 98-380 Kamehameha
Highway, Aiea; (808) 488-2220
Janice MacDonald is a freelance writer based in Vista.
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