Plate lunch questions

[Walkoff Balk]

LIST: Food combinations only found in Hawaii (khon2.com)

Not only in Hawaii. You can find those combos in Vegas.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Plate lunch prices could reach $20 soon | KHON2Plate lunch prices could reach $20 soon | KHON2

I bought a plate lunch today with a three dollars price hike for the same item.

[zff]

Re: Plate lunch questions

You can still get an old-fashioned plate lunch -- on a paper plate, covered in cheap tin foil, all in a cardboard box -- at The Heights in Aiea. Pretty good hamburger steak over there.

..and speaking of Zippy's, did you know you can do substitutions in the Zip Pac? I don't know what all the rules are, but I always order mine "no teri, extra chicken". They'll leave out the crappy teri beef and give me an extra piece of fried chicken, no additional charge.

[helen]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Some places will offer brown rice instead of white rice but they will charge extra for it.

[Barry]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Great photos and the food is very tempting. Yet I never liked sticky rice in Hawaii. I think we eat Basmati rice (Tatt will put you on the correct route if I have made a mistake.) It's separate and fluffy. I mix mine with some dried veggies before I cook it and also throw in some saffron.

[susie]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Wow, thanks for all the great pictures.

[Barry]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Great Pickies which make my mouth water,

[Honoruru]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Pomai, your photos are always so good. And I’m with you, I prefer the old-style paper plate with waxed paper. Here’s a photo I took of a beef curry plate at Kanda’s just before they closed in 2003. It’s not nearly as good as your photos. You can hardly see the paper plate because of the paper lining. The only thing that’s missing to make it real old-time is a wooden spork instead of the plastic knife and fork.

Kandas.jpg

Here’s a link to a Star-Bulletin article about Kanda’s closing in 2003. You can see better photos of the paper plate/paper lining.

[Barry]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Fantastic > Are they original photos ?

[1stwahine]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Wonderful write-up as always Pomai-san.

Now I'm HUNGRY.

I'm gonna walk to Zippy's.

Mahalo,

Auntie Lynn

[Pomai]

Re: Plate lunch questions

This was mentioned before, but since we're back on the subject, it's not only what's on the plate, but also the plate itself. You may recall Kanda "Kewalo" Lunch Wagon, formerly located at the Daimond Head entrance to Kewalo Basin. Even in modern times when everyone else served their plate lunches in those sterile (characterless) white plasti-foam clamshells, "Kewalo's" continued to serve their fantastic plate lunches the old school way, using a "Chinette style" (cheap) paper plate, wrapped up to stay hot in butcher paper and rubber band. Gosh, do I miss that. Gosh, do I miss them!

Another more old school style way of serving plate lunches was the paper plate placed into a cardboard box, with a square piece of wax paper placed on top to keep the steam in. Zippy's used that method for years, only in the last, what? 5 years? 10 years? did they cave in and went with plastic shells. At least theirs is black though. Looks much more elegant than than white as far as presentation. Richie's Drive Inn in Kalihi still serves their plates in cardboard box. So does Rainbow Drive Inn.

Here's an example of the "sterile" (characterless) plasti-foam clamshell "plate" everyone uses nowadays, in this example, Kim Chee Fried Rice and Teriyaki Beef from Kristen's Kitchen in Waipahu...


Kristen's Kitchen in Waipahu - Kim Chee Fried Rice & Teriyaki Beef, $6.95

Here was have the more old school style, in this example from Jin Joo Korean Restaurant in Waimalu Shopping Center...


Jin Joo Korean Restaurant in Waimalu Shopping Center – Mundoo/Meat Chun/Chicken, $7.25


Jin Joo Korean Restaurant in Waimalu Shopping Center – Mundoo/Meat Chun/Chicken, $7.25

For me, I much prefer this old school style paper plate and box. IMO, that sterile white plasti-foam clamshell container takes away some of the dish's character, no matter how good the food itself is. Perhaps the paper material of the plate and/or cardboard box absorbs the scent of the food and preserves its flavor better than the plastic plate. The grease that soaks into the paper plate making it soggy just adds to the romance of it. lol

Some of the REALLY old school okazuyas (there's one on Kauai) serves their food in the cardboard box, SANS the plate! For realz! They just put the stuff in the cardboard box, with just a piece of wax paper liner underneath to prevent the oil from soaking through the box and that's it. Classic.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: plate lunch questions



If it bleeds. We can kill it. You have to call Sigourney Weaver to kill this Alien.

[1stwahine]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Ditto for me when it comes to Zippy's, Lynn.

Right now, we all kind of take Zippy's and what it has to offer for granted because they have always been there. But if they were to be gone tomorrow, I dare say that life in Hawaii would not be the same.

EXACTLY.

Mahalo,

Lynn

[musubi]

Re: plate lunch questions

cynsaligia, where do you go for ice cream slush? I'm looking for a place that uses REAL ice cream to make a slush float (as opposed to soft serve). Most places use soft serve nowadays... and it's just NOT the same!

i'm happy with the one rainbow drive inn dishes out....unfortunately, i'm almost positive it's made with soft serve. not completely sure tho.

Thanks for the tip! I haven’t been to Rainbow’s in soooo long… I think the last decent slush float I had was at Byron’s Drive-Inn (Airport). Hmmm… maybe I have to do a “Slush Float” quest this weekend!

another look at ethel's grill here...which eric and i think are amongst the best hole-in-the wall old school places to eat.

And also a big mahalo for the lowdown on Ethel’s Grill.
I must’ve missed that edition of “Cheap Eats.” That plate lunch you had looked terrific!

[craigwatanabe]

Re: plate lunch questions

Hamburger Steak.

Two hamburger patties covered in fried onions and slathered in gravy along with two ice cream scooper scoops of rice, plus a scoop of macaroni salad.

Looks like this:

Oh man that look so ono!!! Tomorrow night it's hamburger steak for sure!