Off the menu

Remember when I said it was good to know people? This past Saturday I had the pleasure of sampling some of CK's dishes at Unnamedrestaurant. While I usually enjoy everything that is on the menu at Unnamedrestaurant, I was there to eat CK's food this time. He's never let me down in the past in any regard, and certainly didn't on that night either.

Short-rib and foie gras manju with short-rib marmalade

I was joined at dinner by another friend that CK and I grew up with, RM. As soon as we sat down to eat we were greeted with 3 manju fresh out of the oven, stuffed with short-rib and foie gras and brushed more with rendered foie. This dish took me from eating midnight bone marrow and oxtail marmalade with CK @ Blue Ribbon in NY (post coming eventually) to home for the holidays at a Christmas party where CK and I tried real homemade manju that blew Home Maid out of the water. I'm glad CK got the dough recipe from that party. Perfectly buttery and flaky, it was made all the more indulgent by the brush of the rendered foie gras right after they came out of the oven. Hey, if you got foie you might as well use it.

Next was our 1 x 1 pork belly course.

"Bacon & Eggs"

"Onsen Tamago"

24 hours sous vide pork belly with perfectly crisped skin. I loved how CK used 90 percent of the same ingredients in both dishes, yet the flavor profiles were so different. The pork belly and soft-boiled egg accented by chives, sel gris, and truffle butter in CK's bacon & eggs dish made for the ultimate in breakfast-for-dinner fare. But the onsen tamago might even trump that dish with its delicate flavor and aroma imparted by the ginger tea that you pour tableside. The richness from the oozing egg yolk mixed with the tea, the perfectly cooked pork belly, and the crunch of the pork skin also mimicked by the bubu arare CK used to finish the dish made for a perfect combination of flavors and textures.

CK made this next dish knowing how much we like to frequent the various izakaya all over town.

Maitake Tempura

Simply prepared, fried crisp, and topped with yukari salt CK let the mushrooms speak for themselves and allowed us to enjoy their rich, earthy flavor.

And then we went back to a 1 x 1 toro course.

Seared bluefin toro, tomato, scallion vinaigrette, balsamic gelee, pickled jalapeno

Toro sashimi, confit orange, ponzu gelee, truffle vinaigrette

The seared toro was finished with a tomato water (not pictured), perfectly seared to enjoy two textures of toro with the acidity of the tomatoes and balsamic gelee to cut through the natural richness of the toro. The toro sashimi was another well thought out dish with a delicate balance of earthiness from the truffle vinaigrette, the buttery toro, and the acid from the ponzu and orange segments.

Finally, and mercifully CK allowed us to stop eating after the next dish. In all honesty, RM and I could have stopped after the 3 manju, but with CK leading the way we didn't want to.

Seared scallops, vadouvan, and lime

The perfectly seared scallops (an impressive feat in its own right knowing that it is absolutely impossible to get dayboat scallops to Hawaii at the peak of freshness) seasoned with vadouvan,  a sort of french curry-like spice that CK has made in San Francisco, and finished with butter under the broiler.

A special thanks to CK for letting us sample his food. Hopefully those of you that read this get a chance to try the things that he's making in that kitchen. I know his passion and I know he puts great thought and care behind every dish he puts out where ever he is. We're all lucky to have him cooking in Hawaii for a while. I have no idea how long it is going to be for, but I'll be there trying everything he sends out to me while I can.

Side Street Inn

Having friends in town is always a good excuse to go out and eat. For CK and I, its always a good excuse to get to Side Street Inn. Renown amongst locals for years for having great food in a casual atmosphere, Side Street is the perfect place to meet up, have a few drinks, and sample some of the best local-style food around.

Kim Chee Tako Poke; Ahi Limu Poke

Spicy Chicken

I always get a kick from reading their menu describing the sauce as "our own mild spicy sauce." Uh, so which is it? Mild or Spicy? In actuality it is not that spicy at all and has a strong garlic flavor like Korean-style chicken.

Side Street Fried Rice

Pan-fried Island Pork Chops

See the glisten. Thats how you know its good!

Another shot of the Pork Chops

"Pake style" sliders

Side Street's Chinese-style interpretation of the mini hamburger. One order comes with a steamed bun filled with cold ginger chicken, char siu, and roast pork.

Kalbi

You don't need to go to a Korean restaurant to find the best Kalbi in town. Thick cut and perfectly cooked.

I got put in charge of placing the order for 9 that night so we got basically double everything that you see here. Side Street has a pretty extensive menu, but every time we go we always order pretty much the same things you see here. (With the exception of the sliders which are a special that I didn't order). They are just too good to give up to try something else instead.

Sushi Izakaya Gaku

After a short debate over which Izakaya we should eat at last Saturday, CK and I finally decided to check out Sushi Izakaya Gaku. I had only been once and it would be a first for CK and we were both in for a treat.

We called ahead and said we were interested in a table for 2 and were on the way. The host on the phone informed me that a table was just opening up and should be ready when we arrived.  

After perusing the menu for a bit we decided on the following dishes....

Also known as the "foie gras of the sea" the ankimo, or monkfish liver, was classically served at Gaku. For those who haven't had the opportunity to try ankimo, it and has a really delicate flavor and silky texture perfectly complimented by the tartness of ponzu and the heat from the of the spicy grated daikon and raw green onion.

Ankimo ~ Monkfish Liver, Ponzu, Negi, Momiji Oroshi 

One of the our favorite dishes of the evening, the Spicy Hamachi Tartare came on ice topped with tobiko and a quail egg. After mixing everything together, you spoon the mixture onto the unseasoned sheets of nori that come on the side.

Spicy Hamachi Tartare

The TNT or dynamite has become a staple of Japanese restaurants around the country and usually comes with an assortment of scallops, shrimp, squid, and/or other assorted seafood as well as mushrooms and onions all baked in a slightly spicy mayonnaise. The previous time I went to Gaku the TNT was heavy on the shrimp and scallops. This time it contained more squid and tako. At a less scrupulous restaurant, I would think it was because they were trying to get rid of seafood a bit past its prime. However, nothing about Gaku led me to believe that the choice of seafood wasn't simply based on what they had fresh on hand at the time.

TNT ~ Shrimp, Squid, Tako, & Mushrooms baked in a spicy mayonnaise

The Maguro Chazuke was another winner. A small bowl of rice topped with high quality slices or raw tuna. It comes with a pot of hot tea to pour over top and a garnish of fresh (frozen?) wasabi and green onions). Japanese comfort food at its best.

Maguro Chazuke 

Being a "Sushi Izakaya" we decided that we had to try some sushi. While not approaching Sasabune status, the sushi was fresh and I appreciated the presentation (no wasabi on the side, you only get as much as the chef wants you to have on each piece). The mackerel was intriguing in that it actually tasted nothing like mackerel, but was good nonetheless. 

Assortment of Sushi

All of this quality food as well as a couple of large Sapporos cost exactly $100 and was totally worth the price. We tipped $5 Rachel Ray style* and went on our way....

*Thats a joke, by the way and hopefully the first and last time I mention RR on this blog. Sorry CK........

Close, but 4,000 miles apart

Some people think a hot dog is just a hot dog. Those people aren't from Chicago. Actually, I'm not even from Chicago. However, I do have ties to the city and recognize that Chicago hot dogs, particularly those made by Vienna Sausage (absolutely no relation to the canned stuff so popular in Hawaii), stand head and [broad] shoulders above the rest.

The modern "twist" to the classic hot dog stand formula can be found both in Chicago at Hot Doug's and in Hawaii at Hank's Haute Dogs. 

After standing in line outside of Hot Doug's for about 45 minutes, made much more bearable by the beautiful weather on that particular Saturday afternoon, my family and I ordered up a few different dogs to try. 

Hot Doug's proprietor Doug Sohn made headlines during Chicago's absurd ban on foie gras by continuing to serve this...

Duck & Foie Gras Sausage, Truffled goat cheese ~ Hot Doug's

Lamb Merguez Sausage ~ Hot Doug's

Thuringer Bratwurst ~ Hot Doug's

Duck.....fat......fries ~ Hot Doug's

Henry Adaniya of Trio fame recently fulfilled his life long dream of opening up a hot dog stand here on Oahu. Borrowing a bit from Hot Doug's successful formula, Hank has put his own twist on the Chicago hot dog stand out here in Hawaii. He spares no expense to ensure that the Chicago dog he delivers is the real deal, going as far as importing the dogs, green relish, sport peppers, and even the steamed poppy seed buns directly from Chicago and always finishing the dog with a sprinkle of celery salt.

First the classic polish dragged through the garden...

All-beef polish sausage ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

Onto the the twist....

"The Fat Boy" ~ Deep fried bacon wrapped sausage ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

Classic sides...

Best fries in town ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

I'm going to have to return to try Hank's version of duck fat fries (served only on Saturdays and Sundays)

Maui Onion Rings ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

Hank's is enough of a draw that my father (probably the only individual that ever had a personal account with Vienna Sausage, importer of 1,000+ hot dogs and polish sausage every year and a guy who boasts the direct line to the VP of Vienna on his cell phone contact list) still makes his way down to Coral Street to get his fix. The draw is undoubtedly the nostalgia brought on by Hank's flawless reproduction of the classic (my dad, forever the purist, won't go near any of the "haute" sausages). I, on the other hand, usually love to try whatever crazy concoctions Hank can come up with.

There is probably one thing that Doug Sohn, Henry Adaniya, my dad, and I can all agree on though....NEVER PUT KETCHUP ON A HOT DOG!