Taking someone from the office to the airport before lunchtime means, “Byron’s Little Red Hen fried chicken,†to us. For around seven bucks, you get three pieces of crispy fried chicken, a roll, fries, and a little tub of cole slaw… oh yeah, and a packet of honey. The chicken is great! It is crispy on the surface, and moist on the inside. On par or better than Zippy’s fried chicken. The roll is average, and the slaw is a little on the wet side. The take-out box is generally taped shut id you order more than one, so open it as quickly as possible so your fries don’t get soggy. I haven’t ever used the honey on either the chicken or the roll. The chicken gets a definite A! If you have a fax machine, give them a call and they will send you a menu. There are 10% discount coupons on the bottom of the menu, so you can save a little that way. Continue reading ‘Byron’s Drive-In Little Red Hen Fried Chicken’
Archive for the 'Food' Category
Page 41 of 49
Pilsner, Pilsen, or Pils beers are one of the original lager-style beers, and get their name from the city of Pilsen in what is now the Czech Republic. These lagers were originally created in response to the advent of Bavarian-style lagering technology and the associated bottom-fermenting yeasts, as existing brewing techniques yielded inconsistent and often unsatisfactory results. This Pilsner from Otaru Bakushu Brewery in Western Hokkaido has the bright flowery hop flavor common to some examples of this variety. The aromatic is sweet, but not sickeningly so as in some Belgian or Dutch Pilsens. There is however very little initial or finishing bitter. The malt flavor is very faint, and is barely detectable below the hopping. The color is the typical clear amber. The initial flavor is clear and flowery, and the finish earthy. There is very little aftertaste. The carbonation is moderate. This is an easily drinkable Pilsen. One could say it has no character, but I instead find it is without the bad traits that make certain Pilsens objectionable. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Otaru Bakushu Organic Beer Pilsner-Type Jibiiru’
Dave had gotten the sudden mysterious urge for okonomiyaki, I guess that happens to all of us. We know Okonomiyaki Chibo in Waikiki, and excellent as it is, we decided to look into alternatives. But where? One place Derek knew of is closed. I learned of a small place in Waikiki next to a shop I did some work for, but there’s no parking. Then Derek mentioned a new place, Shouchan, in Puck’s Alley. Isn’t that near Kohnotori that we reviewed a few weeks back? Yes, and it’s not really an accident that a lot of places we go to are in this general area, it’s where we are at this time of the day. Anyway, we decide to check it out. It’s located on University, across from what used to be Varsity Theaters, up a few shops from Cocoichiban. I find Derek waiting outside. I look at the cloth banner and the first thing that comes out of my mouth is “Hiroshi”! It takes a while to realize it’s not Hiroshi Mayaki. Hiroshimayaki is the style of okonomiyaki served here. Continue reading ‘Hiroshi Mayaki, Shochan’
After last week’s St. Louis downhill, Ckucke and I met Root for post ride food. We went down the hill to Tenkaippin. This time around, I tried the Miso-aji ramen. The broth was lighter and thinner than the broth used with the Kotteri and Assari ramen. Instead of distinct, seperate toppings, there is a cooked mix of moyashi (mung bean sprouts), green onion, cooked ground pork, and diced charsiu. There wasn’t really a strong miso flavor in the broth. Of the three varieties I’ve tried, this was the only one I didn’t really like. This was unexpected, since the other things I’ve had here have been great. Maybe it’s just my personal taste and preferences (the crew knows how much I hate moyashi).
Not recommended unless you are a total miso ramen fan (try the other varieties instead)
One-and-a-half grinning monkeys out of four
Past thursday culinary caper was Hale Vietnam at the top of Kaimuki. Been there a couple times in the past and the experience was good. Pretty good stuff at decent price was my memories. Continue reading ‘Hale Vietnam’
How can you go wrong with meat, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese? If this is in fact possible, then Burger King definitely doesn’t know how to do it. The new seasonal variety of the Steakhouse Burger is tops! Starting with the cornmeal “artisan†bun and oddly-shaped Angus beef patty that is common to the other Steakhouse varietals, they add a sheet of Swiss cheese, and sautéed mushrooms. This is then topped with fried, onions and thick steak sauce. In the sales information images, the layers are beautifully presented: In the actual example, everything sort-of melts and settles into a single layer, such that only the bread and the protruding meat are visible. This may be just a workmanship issue at the particular BK I visited (Beretania, which also had multiple empty soft drink cartridges on both machines – only Coke and root beer worked). The flavor is good, with all the constituent parts detectable, but all complementing each other for a good taste combination. Personally, I’d swap the steak sauce for some mayonnaise, and add some bacon to it and it would become The Best Burger Known to Mankind™. I couldn’t find any published nutritional information on this version, but it is probably between the 950 kcal Steakhouse burger and the 970kcal Loaded Steakhouse burger. The mushrooms themselves have few calories if any (or for that matter any nutritional value whatsoever), but whatever they sauté them in probably does.
About $8.05 USD as a large-sized value meal with onion rings
Recommended
Three-and-a-half grinning monkeys out of four
India pale ales are heavily hopped ales originally formulated to survive the long sea voyage from England to India during the colonial days before the advent of refrigeration. The higher level of hopping along with a higher alcohol level helped prevent spoilage. This IPA from Onuma Brewery in Southwest Hokkaido has the typical sweet, fruity flavor common to the variety. The color is similar to other ales. The initial flavor is sweet and flowery with a fruity finish. There is no significant bitter, and the malt flavor is buried by the hops. The carbonation is low. I personally dislike IPA’s, but from memory, this one is not much different than others of this variety that I’ve tried. This one packs a good buzz, having about 150% the alcohol content of most other beers! Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Onuma Brewery India Pale Ale Jibiiru’
Koelsch beers are old-style beers that use top-fermenting yeasts like ales, but the yeasts are active at warmer temperatures. This variety is the regional specialty of Cologne, hence the name. Koelsch beers are very similar to altbiers in technology, manufacture, and flavor. This koelsch from Onuma Brewery in Southwest Hokkaido has a clear, light malt flavor and a moderate bitter note, typical of the variety. The bitter note is lower than the Hakodate Beer koelsch – the only other example of this variety that I’ve tried. Although the hopping has provided the bitter, it doesn’t impart any sweetness of flowery notes. The blond color and clean flavor is not unlike a light, dry lager. The initial flavor is dry and crisp, with the bitter in the middle, and a light maltiness in the finish. The carbonation is moderate. This is a very drinkable beer. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Onuma Brewery Koelsch Jibiiru’
Scat picked us up at Ckucke’s after the Monday Night Freeride, and we stopped by at Hide-chan restaurant in Mo’ili’ili. The word “rafute†caught the corner of my eye as I was glancing over at the menu written on sheets of paper affixed to the wall. Mmm… I hadn’t had Okinawa-style simmered pork belly in a while, so my mind was made up. Both Ckucke and I ordered the miso rafute-don. Root and Scat got the katsuo tataki teishoku. The miso rafute don for those unfamiliar with this is a donburi (large bowl of rice served with an entrée topping) topped with large, thick pork belly chunks that have been simmered in a sauce primarily flavored with shoyu and miso. A pinch of kizami beni shouga (thinly slivered pickled ginger) garnished the top. The pork was tender and appropriately fatty. I could cut the pork with chopsticks! The flavor was outstanding. Shiawase! Sides of miso soup and tsukemono (pickles, in this case radish) were included as part of the meal. If fatty pork bugs you, best steer clear of this one (the more for us who love it!). It’s not inherently unhealthy – just don’t overdo it. It is not uncommon for people to live past 100 in Okinawa, just remember that the people who live that long generally don’t have an “American†caloric intake (especially in the serving size of meat), have a diet high in vegetables, and engage in rigorous physical work daily.
I haven’t had such good rafute since having some “home-cooked†many years ago.
Highly recommended
Four out of four grinning monkeys
Around $15 USD including tax and tip
This past thursday’s dinner out with the boys was just Derek and me. Our initial phone conversations were indecisive on where we wanted to eat. After tossing some ideas around, it came down to thai or that “inexpensive izakaya place you went to before Derek.” Not having been there myself, I suggested I pick up D from UH and we could decide from there, with the izakaya as first choice. We found decent parking on street, just a short walk. Walking is good for you! Go to Japan, it’s the way to go there. People here are so lazy! Like how all the fitness buff canoe paddlers parked their cars along the road in the beach park when there was a virtually empty parking lot that the road leads to. Anyway, it’s early so we walk to newly opened Ninja Market (Nijiya Market) to check it out, we’ll blog about it sometime. Continue reading ‘Happy Bird – Kohnotori’