DINING OUT:Ohana offers paradise on a plate

So your neighbors have left on their summer vacation and you are stuck watching their house, watering their lawn and staring at their latest postcard from Hawaii. OK, maybe they have surf, sand and clear blue skies, but now you have a reason to take out that tacky Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts and flip-flops. Paradise has surfed into Downtown Burbank. Ohana Hawaiian BBQ offers a genuine taste of the islands — no plane ticket required.

As soon as you walk into the brightly painted and decorated Ohana, you feel the welcoming spirit of a real aloha. Forget Downtown Burbank. You have just entered a local Hawaiian establishment complete with eclectic flavors, fast service and native favorites from grilled mahi mahi to kalua pork.

The idea for Ohana originated 35 years ago from Kamuela Deli, a tiny luncheonette in Waimea, Big Island Hawaii. When tourists discovered the flavorful dishes enjoyed by local residents, they were hooked and a new mission was born. To satisfy tourists back on the mainland and islanders away from home, a small chain of restaurants was created to bring local island fare to our California shores.

The menu at Ohana is based on the Hawaiian plate lunch, a staple in every islander’s diet and an important part of Hawaiian culinary culture. It always consists of heaping scoops of white rice, cold macaroni salad and the main entree. Entrees include chicken, mahi mahi, beef, or pork. Portions are usually generous. The plate lunch really falls under the category of comfort foods for islanders. At Ohana, most of the entrees are served this way with generous portions.

In the spirit of the plate lunch, my cousin Ron and I ordered the value meals, which include two pieces of meat, rice, macaroni salad and a soda ($6.20). There are several meat choices, including various types of chicken, beef and pork. I enjoyed the kalua pork served with shredded cabbage. It had a great smoky flavor that tasted like the traditional, slow-cooked kalua pig I had on my last trip to Hawaii. Ron had the Hawaiian barbecued chicken, which was tender and served with a tangy, slightly sweet sauce.

The Japanese influence on the menu is clear. The chicken katsu, inspired by the Japanese tonkatsu, is boneless chicken coated and deep-fried, then served with a tangy sauce. The chicken katsu saimin or grilled Spam saimin are served with noodles (saimin). The musubi dishes are simply a block of rice with either Spam or barbecued chicken wrapped in seaweed.

There are some dishes that are definitely Hawaiian and may therefore require an islander’s spirit of culinary adventure. The gravy fries, literally French fries covered in gravy, were different. So was the hamburger steak, which also comes with gravy. The presence of Spam on any menu seems strange to most of us mainlanders, but is very common and popular in Hawaii.

One hearty dish, the Loco Moco, two hamburger patties (or spam) covered in gravy and topped with a fried egg, is also very popular among islanders but may require a true island spirit to try.

The selection of seafood seems more like the Hawaiian cuisine we expect. The fried shrimp was crispy and packed with flavor. They also have three different selections of mahi mahi, a favorite island fish. Grilled, fried or served as a burger, the mahi mahi was fresh and prepared with just the right blend of spices. With my mahi mahi burger, I stayed with the plain French fries.

The best part of Ohana is that you can either dine in, and pretend you are in Hawaii, or take your order to go, and bring a little bit of paradise home. When the mercury is soaring over 90 degrees this time of year, even a small island breeze can make all the difference. And when your neighbor returns with that big-kahuna sunburn and endless hours of home videos, you can always sit back, smile and enjoy your plate lunch like a real islander.