Quick Pic: Yuki Lunchwagon Oven Baked Chicken

Brown on Brown

The beauty of this, of course, is that it's brown on brown (brown gravy on brown rice).

Yuki Lunchwagon
Lauhala Street between Queen's Hospital and Board of Water Supply, on the Ewa side of the street.  It's the one closest to the street.

Quick Pic: Willows Pork Belly with Natural Jus

Father's Day Buffet at the Willows and Umami couldn't resist one of these . . . Pork Belly with Natural Jus.  Essentially, super thick cut of bacon.  One piece is plenty.

Ummm . . . Bacon . . . !

The Willows Restaurant
901 Hausten Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
Phone: (808) 952-9200
Fax: (808) 952-0050
Email: feedback@willowshawaii.com

Lunchwagon Wars: Xtreme Tacos

Umami's sorry he hasn't posted, but he's been a busy devourer of worlds (and the occasional cheese fry)!  Sometimes one has to run out and grab a meal from a convenient lunchwagon . . . in this case Xtreme Tacos, parked on Punchbowl.

Now, Umami tried these once before and thought they were decent, but smallish, tacos.  But he is a sucker for a sampler plate, and Xtreme Tacos has one, for $7.50.

Sampler Plate . . . Pretty!

Clockwise from top:  BBQ Pulled Pork (tasty, but then it's hard to screw with BBQ pork and coleslaw!), Smoked Chicken (curiously bland for something supposedly marinated in a smoked chipotle sauce), Spicy Beef (okay), Falaco (falafel in a taco . . . winner of the bunch!), and Shrimp Ceviche (pretty good).

Umami really likes the Falaco because, well, he likes falafels, and the crunch of the falafel in the tortilla is neat, and makes a compact little bite.

"Ignacio" is a big truck

They also do five salsas in order, from mildest to hottest:  Sweet, X, XX, XXX, and XT.  Umami's tried them all and the XT isn't that hot.

All told, it's not that there's anything wrong with any of these . . . they're all . . . fine.  They're just . . . not enough.  Worth a try, but not necessarily a repeat.

Xtreme Tacos
Follow on Twitter: @xtremetacos

Quick Pic: California Rock n' Sushi Triple Combo Early Bird Special

Umami had a family dinner on Saturday at California Rock n' Sushi.  It's the sushi place next to the Kanpai (fka Tio's Garage fka Dixie Grill) on Ward, across from Ross and Sports Authority.

From 5:00 to 6:30, CRnS has a Triple Combo Early Bird Special:  for $13.50 you get Tempura (two shrimp, and assorted vegtables), your choice of Grilled Salmon or Chicken Teriyaki, and your choice of Sushi, Sashimi or California Roll.  Comes with rice, miso soup, and salad.  Not bad at all!

Triple Combo Early Bird Special - Tempura, Sashimi, Salad, Chicken Teriyaki

Tempura was nice and crunchy, but, thankfully, the shrimp was not overcooked!  Vegetables were:  broccoli, carrot, zucchini.  Representing the fungus group:  one mushroom.

Sashimi pieces were small-ish, which was fine given the amount of food, but might be disappointing if you're expecting larger pieces.

The Chicken Teriyaki portion was generous, with a tasty, albeit somewhat generic, sauce.

All in all, a perfectly respectable combination plate.  

Given the prices, you can expect a crowd, but the restaurant now takes reservations for parties of four or more.  Or, you can time it to arrive as the first rush leaves (around 6:00), get a table, then as long as the order goes in by 6:30, you're all good! (Or, as Umami's friend, Shellie, would say, "all good in the hood!"  So street, yah?  Word.) 

California Rock ‘N Sushi
404 Ward Avenue (across Sports Authority & next to Kanpai)
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Tel. (808) 597-8000www.californiabeachrocknsushi.com

Sweet As Sugar: PIRATE CUPCAKES.... "AARGH!!!"

MiaO's latest post . . . supercool: Sweet As Sugar: PIRATE CUPCAKES.... "AARGH!!!": "We recently had the pleasure of doing cupcakes for a Pirate Themed first birthday and decided to make custom chocolate wafers to decorate 10..."

Quick Pic: Berry Pie from Camille's on Wheels

Makizushi was trapped in meetings again today, so Umami and Ms. D wandered out to pick up lunch.  They didn't have to wander far, because on Thursdays, Camille's on Wheels is across the street.  Camille's is a favorite of Umami's and has been the subject of a prior post.  Today, though, they picked up Camille's Berry Pie ($4 per slice).

Berry?  Verily!

Funny thing, everyone was so full from lunch that they didn't eat dessert!  They'll have to eat it for breakfast tomorrow!  But a little taste revealed an intense berry filling in a beautiful pastry crust.  And, as Umami's friend, Louise, put it, "Look at the edges . . . they're crimped with love."  True enough.

Camille's on Wheels
On this occasion:  Punchbowl between Honolulu Hale and State Library, Main Branch

But no real fixed address, so follow on Twitter: @Camillesonwheel
(808) 282-1740

Lunchwagon Wars: Tiki Truck

Poor Makizushi was trapped in a meeting at lunch today, so Ms. D and Umami wandered off to pick up lunch for her (and themselves too, of course).  Umami had to run by the post office, so they headed down towards the Hawaii Supreme Court building aka Five-0 Headquarters.  As they approached the post office, they spotted a small truck decorated in blue and white.  "What could that be?"  they thought as they crossed over to get a look.

Tiki Truck (with Five-O Headquarters in the background!)

Lo and behold, another lunchwagon!  This one was called Tiki Truck and was new to Umami and Ms. D.  They scanned the menu . . .

The Menu

Umami was immediately drawn to the Twisted Cuban Sandwich.  Umami loves Cuban sandwiches, and this version substitutes Spam and pork adobo for the usual ham and roast pork.  And pickled papaya instead of the usual . . . pickle.

Twisted Cuban Sandwich 

Umami loved this!  But it's a tricky sandwich, because if you eat with the Spam side of the filling down, the Spam dominates (though the pork comes through in the finish).  However, if you eat with the pickled papaya side down, you get the crunch of the relish and the pork and Spam blend in more harmoniously.  Umami had to explain this all to Makizushi, much to Ms. D's amusement.

Ms. D and Umami also picked up a Sloppy Slider, which was basically a Sloppy Joe on a dinner roll.  They don't recall any cheese on it and thought it was not exceptional.  Not bad, mind you, but not a must try.

Completing the trifecta of sandwich offerings, they also picked up the Steak Sammy (for Samwich?).  Which was a decent enough steak sandwich, but not much more than that.  Umami did think it was very nicely assembled and made good presentation.

A Nice Looking Sandwich . . . the Steak Sammy

The problem for Tiki Truck is going to be that the serving sizes are rather modest for the price and the food, while good, is not necessarily going to draw repeat business.  Umami thinks drawing repeat business might be tricky.  The exception to all this would be the Twisted Cuban, which is fun enough for a second go round.  But even that could use more fillings.  Double up the fillings and charge $7 and now we're talking!

Umami will keep an eye on it . . . after all, he still has to try their tacos!


Tiki Truck
Mobile, but happened to be on Mililani Street between Supreme Court and Main Post Office.
Follow on Twitter:   @tikitruck
And Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/tikitruck?sk=wall

Scrambled Egg Manapua Pocket

Background:  one of Umami's co-workers, let's call him Young Boy, has been out for a while with a medical issue, (some say) caused by improper diet and insufficient exercise.  Whatever.  :)  Today happened to be Young Boy's first day back at work, and the girls have decided to welcome him back with a healthy breakfast, with all the fixings for wraps . . . tortillas, ham, scrambled eggs, salsa.  (Okay, Umami is not clear on why that's necessarily healthy, but that's what they did.)

Young Boy, however, thanks everyone for their "get-well-soon" wishes with six boxes of various manapua filled with all kinds of goodies, including hot dogs, Portuguese sausage, the standard char siu, and, oddly enough, a vegetarian version.

Vegetarian Manapua

Of course, Umami is dying to have a Portuguese sausage manapua, but he's stymied by both fear of Dr. Lois and having to attend to supposedly important work at his desk.  So, by the time he gets back, the hot dog and Portuguese sausage manapuas are long gone.  :( 

But that's okay, because Umami is a healthy soul, and opts for a vegetarian manapua.  It's a good manapua,  with onion, mushroom and celery, but not really stuffed.  In fact, there's quite a bit of space in there . . .

Scrambled Egg Manapua Pocket

Umami flashes back to many years ago, when Jack in the Box used to make a Scrambled Egg Pocket, with ham, bacon, (fluffy, fluffy) scrambled eggs, cheese, all in a pita pocket.  It was possibly the best fast food breakfast ever.  And it occurs to him that with the scrambled eggs and ham from Young Boy's welcome back breakfast and the half empty vegetarian manapua . . . 

It is brilliant!  Stuffing ham and scrambled egg into the manapua, with a little salsa, it's a Scrambled Egg Manapua Pocket!  The manapua is slightly sweet, setting off the savory ham and egg.  The salsa and the vegetarian filling make it healthy enough for Dr. Lois to approve (tho she probably wouldn't just out of general principles!)!

It's a fine breakfast that Umami highly recommends to everyone.  (He hopes we have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!  Heck, it's been a late night . . . so he wouldn't mind one now!)

Manapua:

Royal Kitchen
Chinatown Cultural Plaza
100 North Beretania Street Shop 175
Ph:  (808) 524-4461 or 524-3843

Fax Number for Advanced Orders: (808)538-1668

Young Boy Breakfast Wraps . . . you wish!

Umami Goes Vegas (2011): Day 3: Studio B Show Kitchen Buffet

Isn't this an absurd name for a restaurant:  "The Studio B Show Kitchen Buffet?"  It appears the "show kitchen" part of the name stems from the fact that it's also a live action cooking show studio, but, alas, there was no live cooking anywhere to be seen at lunchtime on Day 3.


The food, however, was pretty good (for a buffet, and you know Umami doesn't care for buffets).  A big plus is that beer and wine are included, which makes a very reasonable cost of entry (Lunch is $14.99 M-F for adults, but keep an eye out for specials) even more reasonable.

Clockwise from top:  Ciopinno, Orzo Salad, Caprese, BowTie Pasta Salad,
Greek Salad (essentially, tabbouleh), Stuffed Grapes Leaves.  Center:  Antipasto Salad.

Top from left:  Poke, Lomi Salmon, Kim Chee
Bottom:  Kalbi

Umami liked the pizza (after all, what goes better with beer?) and Kalbi.  He really liked the pork chile verde . . . and it's now his theory that Vegas buffets are better at meats and Mexican food, and not so good on sushi and fish.  Indeed, the California roll at the M is only slightly better than at Harrah's .


Let's be clear, it's a great deal, especially at lunch, especially factoring in comp beer and wine, and the food is pretty decent.  Just don't set your expectations too high.


The M Resort itself is worth checking out, so if you're there enjoying the resort, it's well worth going to the buffet.  What you save on food might win you big on the tables . . .  

Studio B Show Kitchen Buffet
12300 Las Vegas Blvd S
Henderson, NV 89044
(702) 797-1000
www.themresort.com

Chuck's Lunch at The French Laundry

Foreward

Umami has several friends that have talked about starting food blogs for some time now and Umami himself had been posting random food pictures on Facebook (which he still does).  But he decided that Facebook posting was too disorganized and lacking in context to be meaningful.

But perhaps the tipping point came when his friend, Chuck, posted a Facebook photo album of his (Chuck's, that is) lunch at The French Laundry (Thomas Keller's restaurant in Yountville, California).  Besides making him hungry, it inspired Umami to start this blog.

So, with Chuck's permission, and a tip of Umami's proverbial hat, here are the posts that set Umami on his way a little over year ago.  Enjoy.

Lunch at The French Laundry, June 22, 2008 (by Chuck)

We knew we were going to Sonoma, so I tried to get reservations. You have to call exactly two months ahead to the day, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. So on April 22, I woke up early and started calling. I had heard that it is next to impossible to get through, so I was happily surprised to get through after only 18 minutes of busy signals, and actually get a reservation.

The table settings were simple. All white, with their signature wooden laundry pin napkin holder to take home as a souvenir.

Canape. First, some starters. We were served a gruyere cheese puff and their signature salmon “ice cream cones”. Inspired by a visit to Baskin Robbins, the “cone” is a sesame flavored pastry shaped as a cone. It is topped with smoked salmon and filled with crème friache. Both were incredibly flavorful and good.

Cauliflower “panna cotta” with Island Creek Oyster glaze and California White Sturgeon caviar. The panna cotta was a cauliflower-flavored custard. It complemented the saltiness of the caviar well. Served with a mother of pearl spoon. (Apparently, eating caviar with a metal utensil affects the taste or something).

First bread course. The first of three bread courses. A brioche style roll, baked at the Bouchon bakery down the street. Served with two butters, one salted and one unsalted, both made by local farmers.

Moulard Duck “Foie Gras en Terrine” Sour Cherries, Piedmont Hazelnuts and celery branch. Our next course was a choice between this (30.00 supplement) and a Hearts of Palm salad. I had this and Lani had the salad, which is pictured in the next slide. A dollop of hazelnut puree is on the left of the plate. The sour cherries and hazelnuts and shaved celery branch were excellent accompaniments. I had to ask the server how to eat this. He instructed me to spread the pate onto the toasted brioche, then sprinkle on one of the three salts above. There was a salt from France, one from Molokai, and one from a copper mine. All were good. They brought me a second brioche before I finished the first one, so I would have hot brioche at all times.

Salad of Big Island Hearts of Peach Palm, Hosoi Pears, Garden Radishes, Watercress and Horseradish Gastrique. Lani thought this was just all right.

Second bread course. The second bread course came next. Lani had the multi-grain, at the top. I had the ciabatta and a French style roll. I could not get enough of the salted butter, which was the best butter I have ever had.

Grilled Pave of Kindai Bluefin Tuna. Broccolini, Kalijira Rice, Preserved Meyer Lemon and “Essence de Piment d’Espelette.” We had a choice between this and a sea urchin dish. Both of us had this. The rice was awesome, with small shavings of preserved Meyer lemon. The fish was cooked rare, though mine was more cooked than Lani’s. I was a little surprised that the cooking was not consistent. No complaints, everything tasted great. The fish was simply seasoned, with some salt. They are not shy about using salt here. The “essence” is the orange stripe on the plate, some sort of pepper puree.

New Bedford Sea Scallop “Poelee.” Sacramento Delta Asparagus, Pickled Green Garlic, “Pommes Puree” and Spanish Saffron Emulsion. The emulsion is the orange stuff drizzled on the plate. The pickled garlic was great, and the scallop cooked just right, very meaty.

“Rouelle de Tete de Cochon.” San Marzano Tomato Compote, Romaine Lettuce, Applewood-Smoked Bacon Wafer and Hass Avocado. Traditional preparation of pig’s head. The small bacon strip was extremely thin and crisp. The pork inside the deep fried patty was very fatty and rich. The tomato made it taste somewhat like barbecue sauce, which I think is what they were going for.

“Four Story Hill Farm Milk-Fed “Poulard.” Black Winter Truffles, English Peas and Sweet Corn Kernels. We had another choice here, between the pig’s head and this chicken dish. I had the chicken, Lani had the pig’s head. The chicken was stuffed with a truffle mousse. The peas and corn kernels were very sweet. Of the two, we both preferred the pig’s head, but this was very good as well.

“Chateaubriand” of Marcho Farms Veal. Grey Morel Mushrooms, Barletta Onions, Savoy Cabbage and “Sauce Bordelaise.” You may have noticed by now that Thomas Keller likes to put quotation marks in his menu descriptions. This was a sizable hunk of veal, perfectly cooked and simply seasoned again. The morels were fantastic and everything worked well together.

“Stella de Capra.” Golden Beets, Fennel Bulb, Red Ribbon Sorrel and Katy Apricot. The cheese course, a cheese from somewhere in Italy. A little apricot puree, some very small yellow beets, some very cool sorrel with red veins,and a fennel bulb came with. The fennel bulb tasted like licorice, and everything gave a different spin to the cheese. I liked it, Lani didn’t like it so much.

Gros Michel Banana Sorbet. Andante Dairy Yogurt “Granite” and Granola. As a pre dessert, they brought this sorbet. Very intense flavor, like many of the dishes we had. My favorite part was the granite – it is the stuff that looks like white powder. It was actually frozen icy chunks of yogurt, sort of like very fine dippin’ dots. Amazing.

“Coffee and Doughnuts.” My internet research paid off, and I knew that you can ask them to make this dessert for you if it is not on the menu. The “coffee” is a coffee-flavored semifreddo, like a custard, topped with milk froth. The “doughnuts" are brioche style, coated with cinnamon and sugar. Fantastic. The table next to us saw us getting this and had to ask for it too.

The table next to us offered to snap our picture. I include it to discuss our beverages. They served flat or carbonated water. We also told them that we were not big wine drinkers but that we had heard (more internet research) that they can do a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. The server happily set us up with a selection of dry sodas, made in Washington State. He served us a lavender soda with the appetizers, a rhubarb soda with the meat courses, and finally a wild cherry with dessert. Each in a separate wine glass, you can see the cherry in this picture. All of them were incredible and went really well with the meal.

“Regal de Fruits Rouges au Romarin.” Rosemary-Scented Genoa Cake, “Crème Patissiere” and Summer Berries. A pound cake filled what tasted like a hazelnut crème. Various red fruits came with, and a raspberry sorbet. This was one of two choices, and Lani had this one.

“Lingot de Chocolat en Mousse de Malt Crostillante.” Candied Spanish Peanuts, Popcorn Sherbet, and Caramel. The other dessert choice, this was mine. It was like a candy bar. Peanut butter and chocolate puree on the plate. It came with popcorn flavored sherbet and some tiny caramel corns. Unusual but very good.

“Mignardises."  The meal was topped off with coffees and some additional treats. They brought Lani a small crème brulee (I started eating it before remembering to take a picture), and me, a star anise infused custard. Not a great fan of the star anise, but it was very flavorful. Also some cookies and chocolate covered and sugar dusted mac nuts. They wrapped the cookies and nuts to go for us, and also gave us some shortbread cookies as a favor.

The courtyard and front entrance.

I don't even remember who took this picture, must have been some other tourists. Yeah, I would love to go back. Maybe if I win the lottery or something.

A Final Word

Some of the photos have been adjusted for exposure and other minor tweaks, but, other than that, the pictures and text are as Chuck first posted them.

Hopefully, Umami will get the chance to do his own "Lunch at The French Laundry."  And, hopefully, it won't take winning the lottery to do it!

The French Laundry

6640 Washington Street

Yountville, California  94599

www.frenchlaundry.com