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Plate Lunch Reveiw Thread |
dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
|  Posted: 2004-09-05 10:22 pm Permalink
Waihole Poi Factory, 48-140 Kamehameha Hwy. (This one needs some directions; first, it’s on the Hwy 83 Kamehameha, not the Hwy 99 Kamehameha; also note that as you head north it splits into Hwy 83 (which is then named Kahiliki Hwy) and Hwy 836 (which takes the Kamehameha name), but then these two come back together after awhile and it’s Hwy 83/Kamehameha. The Factory is not too far past the junction of the two highways). The place looks really run-down from the outside, but DO NOT BE PUT OFF. This is real Hawaiian food, the kind which the stuff at commercial luaus is only a pale imitation of. I had the tripe, stewed in a tomato sauce just like my Aunt Betty used to make, with absolutely incredible chicken long rice on the side. My husband had the Aloha (?) plate with lau lau, lomi lomi, and chicken long rice; he also chose to have poi (you can have rice instead) which I admit was better than the poi you get at luaus, but was still poi (he liked it; some Hawaiians there mistook us for locals, me because I looked local, him because he was eating the poi). The meals also came with little hunks of steamed taro and breadfruit and with two squares of haupia, one traditional coconut, one chocolate. The coconut was the best haupia I’d ever had until I tasted the chocolate, which was even better! They sell boxes of haupia for $5, you should strongly consider bringing along a cooler and buying some to go.
By the way, seating at the Poi Factory is on picnic tables outside, and the place is only open from 10 to 2. But you just can’t get more local than this. Again, don’t pass this up when you go to the windward or north shores.
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freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2983
From: San Diego, Ca.
| Posted: 2004-09-06 2:20 pm Permalink
Ooh, I've been falling down on the job on my own thread!
Name: Tiki Hut Island Grille and Sushi
Type: Restaurant
Street: 9450 Scranton Rd. #114D
City: San Diego (Sorrento Valley)
state: Ca.
Zip: 92121
Phone: 858.646.0914 Fax 858.646.0915
Status: Operational
Description: Mall Food Court level Plate Lunch, it's OK if every place else in the area is closed. All you see is the little counter counter out front with a little bit of SoCal surfer decor. The food's only passable, everything's a little greasier, a little less fresh, a little less attention to presentation than the other local places. As example: the Spam Musubi comes in a Big Mac-type syrofoam sandwich holder like many of the others, but it's an unformed scoop of rice with a piece of plain fried Spam pushed down in it and a strip of Yaki Nori draped over the top.
_________________
Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., Th.D., D.F.S
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christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2004-09-07 7:35 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2004-06-24 14:12, lanikai wrote:
its a prop and mainstay round here. real kama'aina business. we all grew up on da plate lunches and have em almost every day;
teriyaki chicken and beef, mac salad, two scoops rice.
ono grinds, broke da mout!
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My favorite is the garlic shrimp, just like the North Shore.
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dangergirl299
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Feb 18, 2003
Posts: 893
From: Bay Area
| Posted: 2004-09-08 11:09 am Permalink
Kilohana Grill
1061 Market Pl
San Ramon, CA
(925) 830-1144
San "Remote" is 30 mins east of Oakland, nestled between the 580/680 interchange and Walnut Creek.
Kilohana Grill has no liquor license, and is largely take-out - they took over a Subway I think so the seating area is small. They sell some Hawaiian tchotkies (sp?)
They only serve the Kalua Pig and lomi lomi on Fri and Sat nights; everything else all nights. It's most excellent but unfortunately not so good for the waistline...
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princessP
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 17, 2004
Posts: 133
From: alameda, ca
| Posted: 2004-09-13 5:08 pm Permalink
Hawaiian walk in restaurant
402 404 15th st
oakland, ca 94612
510-839-9391
hours m-f 10:30 til 9 pm
sat 11 am - 9 pm
sunday 11 am- 7pm
no frills restaurant
no liquior license
few tables
mostly takeout
good , filling,cheap plate lunch
prices as of 9-13-04
sea food combo is $6.25
mahi mahi,fried shrimp choice of , teri chicken,teri beef,teri short ribs
2 scoops rice 1 scoop mac salad
teriyaki mixed plate $5.55
teri short ribs, teri chickem, teri steak
2 scoops rice 1 scoop mac salad
bento $5.25
mahimahi, teri steak, teri chicken and ham
2 scoops rice 1 scoop mac salad
pork lau lau $4.99
1 scoop rice 1 scoop mac salad
loco moco
hambuger steak and eggs with gravy $4.75
2 scoops rice 1 scoop mac
mahalo chicken combo $6.99
teri chicken,lemon chicken,chicken katsu
1 scoop rice , 1 scoop mac salad
aloha dinner combo $9.99
bbq chicken, mahi mahi, teri steak
saimin soup, kim chee, 2 scoops rice 1 scoop mac salad
I get the mahalo chicken combo I eat for 2 or 3 days.
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Shipwreckjoey
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 29, 2002
Posts: 1794
From: San Diego, CA
| Posted: 2005-06-04 5:29 pm Permalink
Went up to L&L Hawaiian BBQ last nite for plate lunch pick-up. We had the seafood combo & BBQ mix. Almos broke da mouth it was soooo good. My L&L is about three miles from me at Campus Plaza near SDSU here in San Diego. I plan on making this a weekly thing. If you don't have an L&L close to your hut, check out the web site and open your own franchise.
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Rum Balls
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 828
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2006-01-28 11:12 am Permalink
Portland, OR:
Ohana Hawaiian Cafe
6320 NE Sandy Blvd.
http://www.ohanahawaiiancafe.com/
Wife and I checked it out last night after this newspaper review:
http://portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=33149
We both had kalua pig with lomi-lomi salmon. Mmmmmm,mmmm! Bellies were full after that, so didn't have room for some genuine shave ice. No alcoholic drinks, but plenty of island-style fruit sodas.
Friendly staff, quick service. Bright interior with some stunning photography on the walls (for sale, if you've got several hundred bucks to drop).
The Portland area's blessed with several great Hawaiian restaurants like Noho's and Bamboo Grove, and it's a pleasure to add this one to the list. Highly recommended!
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freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2983
From: San Diego, Ca.
| Posted: 2007-10-06 10:23 pm Permalink
Name: Big Kahuna's
Type: Restaurant
Street: 3780 Ingrahm St
City: San Diego (PB)
state: Ca.
Zip: 92109
Phone: (858) 270-9200
Website: http://www.bigkahunaspacificbeach.com/Default.aspx
Status: Operational
Description: More Florida Tiki than Poly-Pop, kind of a Surfer Pizza Joint/Sports Bar vibe, with reed matting on the walls & palapa thatch above the bar, half a dozen TVs around the place (mostly big screen), and Party City Tikis all over. But at least it doesn't have a white ceiling.
The Plate Lunches aren't all that great, with a bland Mac salad, under-flavored Kaluha Pig, fishy Mahi & tough Beef Teriyaki. But the Mixed Plate is not why you come here, you come for Pizzas like the Kanaka, with its Kaluha Pig kicked up with a sweet BBQ sauce & Green Onions, or the Sumo Special which is covered in Pepperoni, Ham, Italian Sausage, Kaluha Pig, Linguisa, Bacon, Onions, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, & Ripe Black Olives. Or you come for the Kahuna's Balls, a dozen Garlic & Cheese topped Pizza Dough Balls. Or the Big Kahuna's Burger, a 1/2 pound burger in a hollowed out fresh baked loaf of Hawaiian Bread and topped with Jack & Cheddar Cheese, Tomatoes, Red Onions & shredded Cabbage.
They also have Breakfast and week-nightly Beer & All-You-Can-Eat specials, check the website for more info.
Name: Maui Maui Hawaiian BBQ
Type: Restaurant
Street: 7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
City: San Diego (Clairmont Mesa)
state: Ca.
Zip: 92111
Phone: (858) 279-6284
Status: Operational
Description: An L&L knock-off, with nearly the exact menu as all the Mainland L&L's but slightly smaller. The dining room in painted in nice bright colors with some nice prints & Indonesian Masks & Tikis on the walls. The food wasn't quite up to L&L standards, with some grease & gristle in the beef I had, but at least the Mac salad had some good flavor & enough mayo to not be dry.
_________________
Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., Th.D., D.F.S
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tikipedia
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 25, 2004
Posts: 488
From: San Diego
| Posted: 2007-10-08 4:08 pm Permalink
My local favorite
Name: Ohana Hawaiian BBQ
Type: Restaurant
Street: Various
Website: http://www.ohanabbqcorp.com/main.html
A good selection of Hawaiian favs. I always get the BBQ beef plate lunch, with the requisite scoop of mac salad and two scoops of rice. Don't forget Spam, fried egg, as well as a version of fish tacos(!).
The one I go to is in a strip mall, and the interior is painted a strong orange with yellow trim. There are some paintings on the wall depicting tikis and Hawaiian scenes. I go there so often, the guy who runs the place rings up my order before I even walk up to the counter. Now that is service! 
_________________
The Tikipedia
www.tikipedia.com
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Mongoloid
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 25, 2008
Posts: 555
From: Long Beach
| Posted: 2011-08-03 5:20 pm Permalink
Heres the history of Hawaii told through plate lunches.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/07/book-trailer-hawaii_n_832491.html?ir=Food
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