I really enjoyed the Kung Pao burger, partially because it reminded me of Peking Duck. Rich Wagu bee slathered with sweet hoisin balanced by a raw red onion. Yum.
Also tried the Southern Belle, which I found very rich. Beef, fried green tomatoes, bacon, ranch dressing.
Hog Island BBQ is just a few blocks from my office, and I confess that I've passed it several times without stepping inside to see what it's all about. I had actually wandered over with a hankering for soon dubu chige (spicy tofu soup), but once I smelled the smoke and hickory wafting out of the shop's narrow entryway, it called for a change of plans. (I was also accompanied by my coworker from Alabama, which convinced me that this was a meeting of fates! BBQ Shop, meet my Southern Friend!)
Turns out, the shop is run by a sweet couple of self-identified "food snobs from San Francisco." They brought in and trained a chef from the South, armed with a bona fide South'un smoker and all. My coworker and I were pretty excited.
We both ordered plates of the pulled pork. Each came with two sides, so we decided to get four different ones and share: baked beans, mac and cheese, potatoes, and cole slaw.
In the end, we were full and happy. The pulled pork was tender and smoky. It fell apart easily with a mere nudge of my plastic fork. The plate also came with a plastic cup of BBQ sauce, which was sweet and rich.
We felt the sides were a mixed bag. I was happy with the baked beans because they were tangy and flavorful, but my coworker — who knows much better — said that she's had much better. They carried a pepper bite. The mac and cheese had some impressive number of cheeses inside, but I felt disappointed that they didn't carry more punch. Potatoes were soft and could have benefited from a thicker sauce. Lastly, I enjoyed the coleslaw. (I always find coleslaw so hard to judge — there are just so many types of the salad, doesn't it seem? I'm not sure how it's supposed to taste. The most prominent slaw in my memory is from my elementary school cafeteria, which was either ice berg lettuce and mayonnaise or shredded carrots, raisins, and mayonnaise.) It had green and red cabbage and also a few raisins.
Overall, a fun lunch expedition!
We carried on the family tradition and headed down to the Original Pancake
House in Honolulu. We ordered our favorite: Forty-niner flapjacks--thin,
gooey pancakes that cover the whole face of your plate. Mmmm.
We vary a bit in methodology. My dad and brother like to cut through the
stack of three. My brother douses in maple syrup; my dad lays on the coconut
syrup. For myself, I like to push each of the stretchy pancakes into a roll
and eat one at a time. I like biting through the many layers.
Since my godbrother is visiting from China, this called for a special
occasion: ordering a dutch baby. This fluffy pancake that takes 20-30
minutes to bake, so the trick is to order it as soon as you sit down. I like
mine with drizzled lemon and lots of powdered sugar.
There are tons of Original Pancake Houses everywhere (I think the Walker
Bros one in Wilmette, IL, claims to be the original?), but we went to the
one in Honolulu on Kapiolani Street. There's often a significant wait for a
table. My dad and brother have even started a log with what time they went
and how long it takes, in search of the optimal time to go--still no
conclusions. :-)
The Original Pancake House
http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/
1221 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
808-596-8213
When I could bum a ride, I went to this one during college:
Walker Bros
153 Greenbay Road
Wilmette, Illinois 60091
847-251-6000
Mom got sukiyaki and I got the steak roll with garlic! Yummm. Only $6 and
$7, respectively!
