Plate lunch questions

[cyleet99]

Re: Plate lunch questions

Hey! Hey!!! Don't go there, FM! No way. That does it, I'm gonna eat there more often.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Plate lunch questions

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

They are the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to local grindz. Very convenient, with some of the 24 hour locations. And then, there's the iconic chili-and-rice. Everybody likes to pick on it and talk about how their family recipe tastes better, or how some personal favorite hole-in-the-wall in their neighborhood takes first prize. But through it all, Zippy's chili is used as the benchmark by everyone on this island. And that's saying something.

Hopefully, the economy doesn't take too long to rebound. But for the sake of discussion, imagine if the entire Zippy's chain suddenly closed down and went out of business. 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.

[1stwahine]

Re: plate lunch questions

I would only order dessert at Zippy's, but that's just me. Wasn't too impressed with their food.

Too bad. Cause Zippys is really great to me!

I go there all the time.

Das one of my favorite places.

Zip Pac, Hamburger Steak, Pork Cutlet, and Tripe Stew are my favorites. And where you said you live? Juss joking.

Auntie Pupule

[cynsaligia]

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.

i didn't have time to have breakfast yesterday so eric brought me plate lunch from ethel's grill cause i felt like a starvin marvin....

mahimahi, hapa rice, miso soup, tossed green salad with parsley dijon ($7). i was so hungry i ate all but one third the fish, half the rice and maybe a third of the salad. buggah was beeeeg!

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. the fried ahi and ahi tataki are sooooo ono and everything comes at a great price. just last year, i ordered hamachi kama and got two big pieces, plus rice, miso soup, salad, drink for $10.

[Ninja]

Re: Plate lunch questions

There are only a couple of L&L's in Arizona but there is a competitor, Ono's Hawaiian BBQ. A bit pricey even by Hawaii standards...a single choice plate is $7, BBQ Mix almost $9. But it is tasty.

Their website is here: http://www.onohawaiianbbq.com/index.html

[surlygirly]

Re: plate lunch questions

The choice of entrees would be dependent on where you are purchasing your plate lunch from. For instance if I go to L&L Drive Inn (or L&L Hawaiian BBQ) I would order the BBQ Chicken plate lunch. If I went to Grace's then it will be the Chicken Katsu, mainly because they don't make the BBQ Chicken. I don't know what I will order at Zippy's but they too don't make BBQ Chicken.

I would only order dessert at Zippy's, but that's just me. Wasn't too impressed with their food. Guess I'd pick Terrikayi Sandwich if I had to.

And Zff, that looks like a monster!

[musubi]

Re: Plate lunch questions

*My current favorite plate lunch is what Nam Fong calls their "Roast Pork plate."
It's simply chopped pieces of roast pork over rice, but we're talking about the BEST roast pork in Chinatown!
The crowning touch is the roast duck "gravy" that gets ladled over everything. Man, that roast duck gravy would even make cardboard taste good!

(*Tried to add this onto my earlier post to get back on topic, but the edit time had expired.)

[oceanpacific]

Re: Plate lunch questions

GRACE'S DRIVE-INN - BBQ Pork Spare Ribs (Monday, Thursday);
RAINBOW DRIVE-INN - Mixed Plate (BBQ Beef, Boneless Chicken, Fish);
RICHIE'S DRIVE-INN - BBQ Pork;
Korean places - Spicy Pork

For Korean, my sides choices are bean sprouts, watercress, egg roll, tofu.

[musubi]

Re: plate lunch questions

now i want a kalua pork/shoyu chicken plate and a ice cream slush. dang you, HT!!! *shakes fist as her belly rumbles*

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!

The old Big-Way Burger in Wahiawa used to make their Slush Float with hand-scooped vanilla ice cream (the real deal!). Back in the day, THAT was my favorite Slush Float! Zippy's also used to use real ice cream, but they got rid of their slush machines several years ago, IIRC.

[cynsaligia]

Re: plate lunch questions

Also, what is hawaiian bbq like? On the Mainland, Kansas City style is a tangy and flavorful sauce poured all over the meat before cooking. Southern style sauce is sweet, but spicy. And they usually use pork more often in the south whereas in KC they usually use beef. In Memphis they dry rub their bbq with spices and dip it in the sauce. I figure that if it is so different in different parts of the mainland, in Hawaii it must be a horse of a completely different color.

generally speaking, no one in hawaii really bbqs, if by bbq, you mean low & slow over a grill. we mostly just grill, and our meats are usually marinated in some sort of soy-sauce-based marinade.

typical korean marinade.
typical japanese marinade.

oh, and don't confuse "local food" with Hawaiian food. L&L refers to itself as 'hawaiian barbeque" on the mainland but no one in hawaii really equates hawaiian food with barbeque.

typical hawaiian restaurant menu.

when you refer to a plate lunch, you're generally referring to local food, which has its roots in plantation populations of various ethnicities (japanese, chinese, korean, filipino, portuguese and so on) sharing their food. but to confuse you further, there are plate lunches that have hawaiian entrees.

now i want a kalua pork/shoyu chicken plate and a ice cream slush. dang you, HT!!! *shakes fist as her belly rumbles*

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: plate lunch questions

cyleet99: Don't forget that Grace's (at least back in the day, I haven't been there in a while) used to have all of these on their plate lunches: rice, mac salad, and noodles! LOL!

As Andy Bumatai would say, "Hey, Where my bread?"

[susie]

Re: plate lunch questions

the L&L website is very informational.

[Sharilyn]

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.

OMG, my husband's favorite. I can't eat that way anymore.. gives me stomach pains!

[zff]

Re: plate lunch questions

What are your favorite plate lunch entrees?

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:

[helen]

Re: plate lunch questions

What is Chicken Katsu like?

Boneless chicken with a bread like crust. Served with one of two sauces.

There is a video intro to the L&L Hawaiian BBQ web site. Chicken Katsu is shown with the red sauce pouring over it (just before the shrimp being displayed).