There are days when i hate living in my neighborhood. Mostly in the Fall when UH is back in session and my street is turned into a student parking lot. My walkway is adorned with empty fast food containers and Slurpee cups, my one car carport is blocked by cars blocking the entry, and on occasion, the distinctive smell of pakalolo is in the air. You'd think I'd be sympathetic since I was once a UH student but now that I am a homeowner, I hate the suckers! Plus, I caught the bus to avoid dealing with parking. So, from August to September, if you are planning to stop by and visit us, please do so only ons weekends or after 7 pm because you will not be able to park anywhere closeby.
Recently though, there have been a bevy of new restaurants (or new to us anyway) opening nearby which has made the pain of living in a college town much less painful. Here's a quick rundown of the places we've visiting in the past few months:
BELLA MIA PIZZA AND PASTA
Where: Corner of Waialae Avenue and Dole Street, where the shave ice place used to be
What: Italian food - thin crust pizza, pasta dishes, strombolis and sandwiches
Thumbs Up: Crispy NY style pizza that is just as delicious and a few dollars cheaper than the other Bella Mia locations. Oscar the Grouch said it was the best pizza he's had here. Professor loved the chicken parm sandwich. Very friendly staff.
Thumbs Down: They have only one small pizza oven so call in your order if you don't want to wait.
What to Order: From 3 pm to 5 pm every day, they have $1 slices of pizza. The slices are huge - 1/4 of a whole pizza.
FAIRWAY INN
Where: Kaimuki Shopping Center (close to Longs)
What: Take out plate lunch and Chinese food
Thumbs Up: No line so no waiting, everything is clean and new, and huge portions
Thumbs Down: Everything we ordered was very bland, including the spicy eggplant. The teri beef was very gristly and hard to eat (the boys ended up giving everything to the dogs). Several items were ordered were specials listed on the board outside at a lower price but we ended up getting charged the regular price. I'd suggest driving down Kapiolani to McCully Shopping Center and eat at Regal Diner instead.
What to Order: The boys did like the honey garlic chicken but there were only a few small p[ieces (they had the local boy mixed plate which was $9).
KING'S BBQ
Where: Old Stadium Mall, next to Kozo's
What: Korean food
Thumbs Up: I have to disclose that the owners are friends of a friend so he told me about this place since he knows I am a big Korean side dish fan. He said the owners make everything from scratch each morning and cook to order. The food is always incredibly fresh, tasty and lightly seasoned, never salty or overcooked as can often happen when you go to a Korean plate lunch place. Diva said their Kal Bi is the best - very soft, good quality meat.
Thumbs Down: Because everything is cooked when you order, it can take some time so call in your order. When Longs was nearby, I would kill time there but now that it's moved, I phone in.
What to Order: Familly pack (enough food to feed 8 people for three days), kim bap (Korean sushi), Kal Bi plate, spicy rice cakes, Korean pancake with cheese
KISS MY GRITS
Where: First floor at Puck's Alley (behind the Spot Restaurant)
What: Southern cuisine made by real Southerners
Thumbs Up: We've gone for dinner and take out and everything on the menu was delicious and freshly made. Even my Mom did not grumble about the cost which rarely happens. Mad Cow said they had the best fried chicken and he's tried them all. The kids loved the unllimited sweet tea served in jars.
Thumbs Down: It's in what used to be a plate lunch take out location so it has a very homey ambiance with paper plates and plastic utensils. Good for families but probably not a romantic first date.
What to Order: Shrimp and grits, meatloaf special with collard greens, fried chicken, smoked mac and cheese, banana pudding.
PHO 97
Where: Kaimuki Shopping Center (enter through Fairway Inn)
What: Pho and some Vietnamese dishes
Thumbs Up: A very beautiful interior and friendly staff
Thumbs Down: Like Fairway, the food was very bland. While the restaurant serves three sizes of Pho, there is only one size for take out.
What to Order: The only thing I can recommend is the giant bag of veggies and herbs that came with the Pho as this fed Piglet for over a week
SWEET E'S CAFE
Where: Kilohana Square (where India Cafe used to be)
What: Upscale breakfasts and trendy lunches
Thumbs Up: Bright, beautiful and cheery place which is sure to start your day off right. A great selection of breakfasts including three types of eggs benedict, various unique omelets and egg dishes you won't see anywhere else. Probably the best fried potatoes and pancakes (crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and bigger than your head) ever. A great spot to meet your friends as well as drag the kids to on those mornings you're too lazy to cook.
Thumbs Down: Each time I have gone, the service has been incredibly slow which I don't understand since there are only 12 or so tables and two waitstaff in a very small location. I've tried to figure out why the service is so bad since I did not see them talking story, texting on their phones or not moving around frenetically. It doesn't seem like they are really focused on what's going on at their tables, more on getting the food out of the kitchen. Nobody is rude, they are just non-entities. If you are not patient or assertive (twice we have not had silverware and have had to grab someone to ask for some, even after our food got there), you will not enjoy your time here. Also, they do not have decaf coffee.
What to Order: Any of the benedicts (the most popular is the fresh corned beef hash benedict with huge chunks of real corned beef rather than mushy canned stuff), a stack of pancakes (no need syrup even) and according to the Professor, anything with hollandaise sauce on it
THAI HOUSE
Where: Market City Shopping Center (next to Foodland)
What: Thai dishes (over 100 items)
Thumbs Up: Absolutely beautiful decor - you will not believe that you are in a former Blimpie's sandwich shop because everything looks so elegant. We went on the opening day as is our way and it was packed but the very young staff was friendly and unfrazzled. Everything we ordered was delicious, piping hot and the portions were huge.
Thumbs Down: When I got home, I discovered about 1/2 of our order was missing (had 2 of 3 sticky rice, 1 of 2 chicken dishes and no pork for the fried prok curry) so I had to go back. They were truly apologetic but I had to sit there for another 30 minutes while they made the missing items. It would have been nice to have something thrown in to make up for their mistake and having to wait again. Mad Cow did not like either of the chicken dishes - said the sate was "too peanut buttery" and the fried chicken special was "too lemony".
What to Order: Pineapple fried rice, any of the curries, fried chicken appetizer (very juicy and flavorful)
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