157099 Tue May 30 13:42:56 -0700 2006 20 12 Boston Area 0 845677 Ok, not exactly, but my friend spent some time living in Hawaii and really fell in love with the place. Now living in Boston, said friend's birthday is approaching, so I started wondering..."Where would one go to get that Pacific feel in a dining experience in the Boston area..." The only things I could think of were East Coast Grill and its former-sister restaurant, the Back Eddy in Westport, MA as even remotely close to this idea. So I'm looking for a place that has either the setting or the cuisine (or both) that might evoke fond Hawaiian memories. A long shot I know, but thanks for any thoughts you may have. Tue May 30 13:42:56 -0700 2006 0 Bob Dobalina 1 845679 Island Hopper, 91 Mass. Ave. across from Newbury St. Link: http://boston.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=6695&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=0 Tue May 30 13:48:19 -0700 2006 845677 0 Taralli 2 845736 Island Hopper's mostly a S E Asian restaurant that focuses on Malaysian stuff. Been meaning to try their kueh pie tee for a few years, but never made it there. Tue May 30 19:51:13 -0700 2006 845679 0 Limster 1 845681 Sounds like something that can only be done at home (bonus points for going to Trader Joes for supplies, I guess), unless you'd count Carribean/Central-South American as a substitute (I would not; hip as Orinico in the South End might be, it ain't Hawaiian by any stretch), or circa 1950s Polynesian (think Kowloon, in Saugus, which still has a devoted following....). Indonesian/Malaysian food does have some coverage in the area, and that would be a bit closer, but not too much closer. Tue May 30 13:50:02 -0700 2006 845677 0 Karl S 2 845693 If you do decide to make dinner at home, don't forget the Spam. The Islands have the highest compustion of the stuff. You can even find Spam sushi! Hawaii is not noted for its cuisine. Cocktails, yes, food, not so much. I leave in about 15 days! Tue May 30 14:49:32 -0700 2006 845681 0 kate@50 3 845697 Yes indeed, we saw spam sushi! We had a spam version of an egg mcmuffin from a local eatery. It tasted about like what you'd expect. The food was absolutely mediocre. It's bad when you can't find anything that you can't cook yourself and much better than what's being offered. The best thing we found were malasadas. And Kona coffee is good. Tue May 30 15:07:27 -0700 2006 845693 0 cheryl 4 845734 Okay, this is funny because the few folks I know from Hawaii have exceptionally mediocre taste in food! The S&S is NOT a destination and neither is the Border Cafe. Tue May 30 18:58:16 -0700 2006 845697 0 Just sayin' 1 845683 We were on the Big Island in January for a week and found the restaurants uniformly disappointing. The settings are spectacular but standards of freshness and cooking not high. For a wonderful setting, try My Place By the Sea in Rockport. It sits on Bearskin Neck which overlooks the sea. The food's also a lot better than anything we had in Hawaii. Tue May 30 14:00:40 -0700 2006 845677 0 cheryl 1 845690 Maybe the Tiki Room on Landsdown when the Sox are not in town? I've only been once, years ago, and the food was pretty good (the pupu platters) but it won't wow you. I'm not very familiar with Pacific Island cuisine so I cannot comment as to the authenticity of the food either. Good drinks. Tue May 30 14:26:43 -0700 2006 845677 0 Dax 1 845699 Well, I don't know why all these people had lousy food in Hawaii. I found lots of wonderful fresh fish beautifully prepared and great organic veggies and salads in Hawaii. We had excellent food on all 4 trips. The atmosphere is hard to duplicate since Hawaii has breathtaking views and sunsets. Back Eddys is a good choice for good food and water view. Another farther away place with excellent food, including excellent seafood as well as homegrown produce is MC Perkins COve in Ogunquit Me. It is owned by the owners of famous Arrows- that has its own gardens. MC has a nice water view. Quite a bit more upscale than back Eddys but not outrageously expensive. Tue May 30 15:17:55 -0700 2006 845677 0 Emilief 2 845705 Local produce in Maine will be pretty skimpy for a few weeks... Tue May 30 15:57:05 -0700 2006 845699 0 Karl S 1 845704 I also don't know where these people had such bad eating experiences, we just got back from the Big Island and had lots of great meals, way better than Boston IMHO, just shockingly expensive. My recommendation for something with a similar atmosphere as the best places in Hawaii, albeit with a much more distinctly New England atmosphere, is the Chart Room in Pocasset, not too far from the Bourne Bridge. It's a Cape Cod version of aloha. Tue May 30 15:46:30 -0700 2006 845677 0 winedude 1 845712 East Coast Grill and Gargoyle's both have excellent tuna poke. If you're willing to drive, there's a Roy's outpost in NYC. Tue May 30 16:20:01 -0700 2006 845677 0 GaryLovesFood 1 845728 Thanks for all the great thoughts and suggestions. I am thinking Gargoyle's with the tuna poke and the spiced bourbon may be the order of the day, but these are all great suggestions, and I will be sure to try them out. Esp. love the spam! That's definitely going in the memory banks. Tue May 30 17:36:18 -0700 2006 845677 0 Bob Dobalina 1 845737 Having been born and raised in Hawai'i and frequent visitor to visit family, I've been very interested in reading the responses. I'd definitely 2nd Gargoyles for Poke (not to mention their signature duck dish). East Coast Grill ... forget it. I've eaten at the Roy's in NYC ... it wasn't as good as the other Roy's I've eaten at but still ono. If your friend is a real kamaaina she'll be happy to know there's an L&L Hawaiian Barbecue plate lunch place also in NYC. Locally, dim sum at China Pearl reminds me of dim sum at long-gone WoFats in Chinatown-Honolulu or Patty's Chinese Kitchen. Super 88 on Comm Ave also has several oriental "fast food" counters that remind me of the food court in Ala Moana Shopping Center. For those of you who say Hawai'i doesn't have good food I wonder where you've been eating? You must be eating in your hotel! Tue May 30 20:53:35 -0700 2006 845677 0 Redwoman 2 845747 OK, you sound like the person to ask: Per my other post, how is Hula Moon? How does it rank with the likes of L&L? Not really in the habit of 4 hour drives for a plate lunch! But 45 mins to Rockport...yeah, maybe that's worth a trip. Tue May 30 22:17:01 -0700 2006 845737 0 WitchGal 1 845749 I'm glad a couple of true Hawaiians stepped up to defend the islands. First off, to answer the original question: You should find out what exactly your friend fell in love with. Was it the tropical climate/scenary, the heavily Asian influenced cuisine, or the cheesy Hawaiian theme that you get in the tourist areas? If it was the latter, you can certainly follow the advice from earlier posts and go to places like the Kowloon and get a 'pupu platter' and be greeted with a nylon lei. If it was the tropical scenery, then...I think you're out of luck because New England has it's own unique foliage and water front that just isn't the same as Hawaii. If it was the 'plate lunch', there is L&L Hawaiian BBQ in NYC, and the fore mentioned Hula Cafe. I haven't tried any food from Hula Cafe (it was under renovation last summer), so can't speak much of it. But, if it is Poke that you are looking for, consider Fugakyu. Specifically, ask to sit in front of the Hawaiian sushi chef (name intentionally witheld) at the sushi bar. He was born and raised in Hawaii, and still holds true to his local accent and style after many years in Boston. You can request Tako (octopus) or Ahi (tuna) Poke from him (it's listed as "Special" on the bill and the price has ranged from 10-15 dollars a serving). It's not listed on any menu, so he has to be there for you to order it. The one thing you can't buy, but will receive at no extra charge by sitting in front of this chef is to 'talk story' about Hawaii, different foods you miss, places your friend liked to go to etc etc. Your friend was also extended an open invitation to check out the Boston Hawaii club - it's a great gateway to meeting ex-Hawaiian patriots. Also, most of their functions are organized around food. Now, to defend restaurants in Hawaii. There are many award winning Chefs and restaurants in Hawaii, and you can find amazing meals from $5 to $100. Check out a recent Saveur for an in depth look at Hawaii cuisine (still written with a slightly touristy point of view, but it's a national publication....so it was probably necessary) and look up Chef Mavro (recent James Beard award winner), Alan Wong and Hoku's, to name a few restaurants/Chefs. I would choose any of them over Nobu's in New York. Nobu's is a great estabilishment. I had a delicious meal and got to see Al Pacino too! It's just that, if you're one of a few stars in the sky, you don't have to shine as brightly. As far as Pacific Rim or Asian fusion fine dining, Nobu's was a pioneer in NYC and is practically untouchable in public opinion. The string of celebrities chatting it up helps too. Lastly, to Spam. It is not Spam sushi, it's spam musubi. True sushi chefs take years of training before being able to plate up and serve customers. A musubi is a snack made by moms throughout Japan. Hawaii's high consumption of Spam is directly related to World War 2. http://media.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=16&id=130 Without going through too much history, Spam was a main ration of the armed forces. Pearl Harbor was a major strategic point for the U.S. activity in the Pacific. With all supplies routing through Hawaii, where did all the Spam end up after the war ended?? It got shipped back to Hawaii of course. Since then, Spam has become part of the culture, just as Haggis or pickled pigs feet, are a part of their respective cultures. Humans aren't born to enjoy processed canned meats, offal, or even apple pie. Children watch their parents experiencing joy and satisfaction from eating these foods, so when they grow up, they are thus trained to enjoy these foods also. On the nutrition front, Spam is a horrible, unhealthy, preservative laden product. The slurping noise that it makes when coming out of the can sure doesn't making it appetizing either. But Spam is just as nutritionally and conceptially bad as Oscar Mayer bologna, or Slim Jims. Horrible as it is, I still eat my average 4 can's a year....because it's delicious! http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/History/Spam.htm Ignorant writers, such as the one who wrote the above article, labeling Spam a 'delicacy' and Hawaiians having a 'love affair' with the product, just perpetuate the misconceptions of Hawaii....just like those who ask me if women actually wear coconut bras, or if we live in a little grass shack and do the hukilau. As Hawaiians living on the mainland, we just have to patiently explain oursleves. Wed May 31 00:16:54 -0700 2006 845677 0 navi 2 845758 Wow - as I love Hawaii and will be there again in 14 days (YEE HAW!), I understand your native defense. I still remember the noodle soups I ate in Hawaii on my last visit and have desperately attempted to duplicate in Boston (never have). As with any region, there are local cuisines that are certainly worth seeking, but I still stand by my first statement that Hawaii is not noted for it's cuisine. I was extremely disappointed to see "Kona lobster" on several menus. These are farm raised Atlantic lobsters. And that is where they should stay - in the Atlantic. I enjoy local foods when I travel out of my own state and I have enjoyed the local fish and fruits of Hawaii, but I have not been wowed by the food as much as I have been wowed by the local. Wed May 31 09:06:09 -0700 2006 845749 0 kate@50 3 845859 Use a little common sense - if you saw "Vermont Pineapple" on a menu, would you take that as representative of New England cuisine?! I think the problem here is that most of the naysayers here stayed in hotels, ate tourist food, and came back bitter. For those of us with some real connection, the local diet consists mainly of SPAM, BURGER KING, and DORITOS.... Once you get past that, though, THESE are the dishes you'll want: http://www.greggman.com/pages/hawaiian%20food/hawaiian%20food.htm I imagine there are better pages around, but that's the first one I found with photos. And, MAN, is it making me *HUNGRY*!!!! Those of you on the kona lobster and choco-mac diet are excused.... Wed May 31 22:11:44 -0700 2006 845758 0 WitchGal 1 845752 I'm not sure where the folks who had bad dining experiences ate in Hawaii, but my wife and I got back from our Honeymoon on Makena in Maui, and Poipu in Kauai and we had several great meals. Did I dine in more tourist areas than a native Hawaiian? Of course, I never pretended I wasn't a tourist, and unlike most places, people were more than happy to recommend places to eat because they wanted our experience to be enjoyable. As for specific places, The Beach House in Poipu on Kauai was incredible for both the views and the delicious meal. We also enjoyed the SeaWatch near Wailea in Maui. I'll get grilled for this one I know, but the Tidepools restaurant at the Hyatt Resort on Poipu was also fantastic. Was it a hotel restaurant? Yes, but that doesn't preclude it from offering great cuisine. We ate mostly seafood on our trip and tried to take advantage of the local Pacific catches like Ono, Mahi Mahi, Manchaug, and Opakapaka. There were always several options available for preparation. We also saw several corn fed cattle farms in Kauai, so you can get a good piece of beef. I had a great piece of Short-Rib at the Seawatch in Wailea. Royal Kona makes very good coffee (and I as a Starbucks devotee like a very strong blend), and grab an ice-cream at Lapperts if you stay in Kauai or Maui. If you are on Poipu have a Puka Dog at the Shops at Poipu. Unfortunately you'll never match the atmosphere and scenic land and seascapes of Hawaii here in the hub. Wed May 31 07:42:13 -0700 2006 845677 0 Breakfast Club 2 845770 Many thanks for a great post. However, we're really bummed that folks who are looking for Hawaii chow will miss this, because they will never ever think to look on the Boston Board for chow tips on Hawaii. Would you be kind enough to repost this on the Elsewhere in American Board, where Hawaii chow is discussed? We'll remove this from the Boston Board once you've done so. Many thanks! P.S. you may post a pointer here on the Boston Board indicating that the digression into Hawaii in continuing on the Elsewhere in America board. Wed May 31 10:26:21 -0700 2006 845752 2 The Chowhound Team