Dining Guide Ka Leo O Hawaii

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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

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Cornering the Cookie Market ... 8 Local food that hits the spot ... 9 Zap your way to late night entertainment ... 10 Irie grinds that’ll heat up your palate ... 11 2600 reasons to smile ... 12 Amazonian treat with a local twist ... 13 Seafood done right ... 14 Rapid fire chinese noodles ... 14

Taste bud busting burgers PATRICK TR AN Staff Writer

Reconsider your options the next time you are craving a burger, and try out the delicious, juicy burgers at the Honolulu Burger Co. Honolulu Burger Co. is a short drive away from UH to South Beretania Street, or a long walk if you are feeling adventurous.

At the end of such an adventure

lies one of the most delicious burgers you’ll have of all time.

The ingredients are fresh and locally grown, with the beef coming straight from the Big Island.

Honolulu Burger Co. features free -range grass-fed beef from Kulana Ranch in Hilo.

The fries are freshly cut every morning, so you’ll know you’re getting the freshest stuff instead of the fl ash-frozen fries from fast-food

restaurants. Any imperfection that may exist in the cooking of burgers will not show, because you’ll be too busy trying to savor each bite. You can create your own classic burger, or simply choose one of the chef’s tried and true burgers, such as the Blue Hawaii burger or the Mushroom Mushroom Burger.

Endulge yourself in their thick chocolate or vanilla milkshakes.

For those who are feeling extra

BRIAN TSENG / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

hungry they have a variety of fries including garlic, bleu cheese, sweet potato, and truffle fries.

If you’re a lover of burgers, looking for a delectable meal, or simply just hungr y, come check out the Honolulu Burger Co. You’ll wonder why you even bothered paying for a Big Mac. A nd as for me, this place has easily made its place into my top three places to grab a burger.

Hours: 10:30a.m. to 9:00p.m. everyday.

Address: 1295 S. Beretania St. across from Times supermarket Number: (808) 626-5202 After school special: Small fries and drink w/ UH ID.

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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

thedining the diningguide guide

Best cookies can be found around the ‘Corner’ the best ingredients we can buy. We don’t skimp on ingredients and only we create everything we make.”

At the end of the day, McKibbin and McArthur donate whatever is left to the Blood Bank and to other local charities. With generosity like that, it’s no wonder their cookies are so sweet.

The Cookie Corner also sells mind-blowing chocolate chip fudge brownies. Moist and indulgent, the chocolate melts in your mouth like hot cocoa in dough form. These brownies are bucket-list worthy.

So the next time you walk by the Cookie Corner, instead of controlling yourself, just give in to the temptation. These cookies are well worth the calories.

H AIYA SARWAR Staff Writer You see it there in the corner: the Cookie Corner, that is.

Their sign is shining in many malls on O‘ahu. It’s a signal that you should go there because the cookies are out of this universe.

The cookies are baked fresh daily and are utterly delectable.

Chewy and soft in a way that’s cozy and comforting, they come warm and taste the way a homemade cookie should. From chocolate chip to snickerdoodle, there are plenty of fl avors to get your inner fat-boy skipping.

“The cookies are all my own recipes. I’ve always loved cookies,” says Angus McKibbin, cofounder of the Cookie Corner, Hawai‘i’s largest locally-owned cookie store chain.

After graduating from Cornell and discovering the unmatchable quality of his cookies, McKibbin was inspired to make his mark on the world in the most delicious of ways. And so, in partnership with

With 12 O‘ahu locations , including Kaimuki Shopping center, Ala Moana Shopping Center and Kahala Mall, the Cookie Corner is just a short bus ride away from UHM.

The Cookie Corner also offers fundrasing opportunities.

ALEXANDER DANIELS KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

his best friend from his high school days at ‘Iolani School, Jim McArthur, McKibbin made his sweet dreams a reality. The Cookie Corner made its

sweet debut in January 1981.

There are millions of delicious cookies, but what makes their cookies the best?

Cookie Corner www.cookiecorner.com

“Well, we use the best ingredients,” said McKibbin. “We use pure, real, butter. We use Ghirardelli chocolates. We always, always use

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Sunday: 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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PATRICK TR AN Staff Writer

Feed me up, Mr. Spot.

“To provide you with the best-tasting meal, we use the best ingredients to maximize the flavor and bring new meaning to the words ‘Good Fast Food & Service.’” This is Spot’s Inn’s philosophy regarding their home-style cooking.

Students have probably seen this little corner restaurant on the way to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Located conveniently in Puck’s Alley, this place is pretty hard to miss.

The fi rst thing you’ll notice is the large mirror on the left side of the room, which makes the restaurant appear larger.

The next thing you’ll see is a back wall fi lled with your potential lunch or dinner choices and

thediningguide thedining guide Plate lunches that really hit the spot Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

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their prices. The prices are what you would expect for a locallyrun, home-style restaurant.

Students who consider themselves as indecisive food-grubbing machines should opt for the MEGA Plate. This dish consists of hamburger steak, teri chicken, mahi mahi and chicken katsu.

When they call it a mega plate, they mean it. The dish is generously portioned and guaranteed to satisfy.

Entrées include tossed or macaroni salad and two scoops of rice.

Spot’s Inn is well worth the walk from the dorms if you’re seeking a tasty meal. If you’re hungry, indecisive and have money, come down to Spot’s Inn and enjoy some great home-cooked meals.

PETER PARK / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

Located right down the hill from UHM, Spot’s Inn features all your favorite plate-lunch meals as well as some great deals for the ravenous college student that needing to restock on calories after a long day.

After School Special: Free home Fries and a Drink after 3:oo pm daily with your UH ID

1295 S. Beretania St. | Honolulu, HI 96814 www.honoluluburger.com Free Parking in Back!

Spot’s Inn (808) 941-4554 Suite 104, 1035 University Ave

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Sunday : Open for breakfast/ full menu 8a.m. - 4p.m.

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Zap Café & Lounge an ‘oasis’ for students

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thedining the diningguide guide

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Lisa Cabral (far left), Alyssa Cabral (center left), Samantha Smith (center right) and Alex Cabral (far right) enjoy a sunday afternoon at Zap Café.

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Zap Café will be celebrating its grand opening on the weekend of Sept. 24, but you can beat the rush by visiting now.

“Whenever somebody comes in the door, they kind of immediately feel like it’s an oasis. You can look out of course and watch the world go by, but yet when you’re here it’s just ... like everything else is closed off, and it’s just your space and your time,” said Sandee Ashby, co-owner of Zap Café. “I definitely see that in our customers.”

Zap Café & Lounge is located in the old American Savings Bank building on McCully between Beretania and South King street.

Open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., if you are going there in the evening time, there may not be parking in the Zap lot. Fortunately, after 6 p.m. or on weekends and holidays, Central Pacifi c Bank across McCully turns into paid parking.

If that lot is full, there is generally parking on either King Street or at the Sushi Company after they close. If you want to avoid parking issues, you can put your semester bus pass to use

and catch Route 4 from campus.

Their food ranges from breakfast served all day, various pupus, steak of the hour and Ashby’s “Legendary Longhorn” chicken strips. Drinks include soda, coffee and alcoholic beverages with happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m. daily.

The structure of the old bank building not only blocks out most sound from outside, but also has great internal acoustics. Zap Café has a juke box that plays throughout the building, and at 10 p.m. on various evenings, Zap Café will host a DJ for several hours, putting the great acoustics to good use.

Zap Café was created as a location to hang out. Within its walls are various areas that will feel comfortable to different crowds.

First, they have your standard bar with two large LCD televisions, draft beer, as well as bottled beer and a bartender ready to make various mixed drinks (including soda for those not of legal age). Second part of the Café includes the coffee shop and diner.

And fi nally, there is a lounge area including comfortable couches, darts and two pool tables.

Ashby’s background in-

spired the idea of Zap Café. His previous café, Café Portofino, was located just off the campus of Appalachian State University in North Carolina. The café, formerly owned by Ashby, was geared as a place for university students to hang out and rest between classes.

A fter selling Café Portofino and coming back to Hawai‘i, Ashby’s son and co-owner Chad Garcia expressed his desire to start Zap Café, and that is exactly what they did.

Growing up around restaurants and cafés, Garcia had always had a desire to run some kind of a restaurant. That, coupled with the fact that he and his friends always had issues finding nice places to hang out, Zap Café was born. A place dedicated to peace, music, friends and amazing food.

Zap Café & Lounge was set up so that there is something for everyone, says Ashby.

Zap Café & Lounge 1018 McCully Street Sunday and Monday 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Tuesday to Friday 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.

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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

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Jamaican grinds is broke da mout’

M ICHAEL BREWER Associate Opinions Editor

As you drive along K apiolani Boulevard and you pass Ha’oli Street, look to the right side of the road for a parking lot housing a cit y of busses.

Here, you’ll f ind the the Jawaiian Irie Jerk lunch wagon.

The ďŹ rst thing you’ll probably notice is the Jamaican music coming out of Chef Cassie’s lunch wagon. He’s hooked up a banging sound system on the service counter where you order, so even if you can understand his thick, authentic Jamaican accent, you’ll need to strain your ears to hear him above the music.

But it’s OK — the food here is good, regardless of what you order. It’s one of those places where the only differences on the menu are the entrees, so it’s hard to choose something bad.

I ordered a mini chicken plate to test the waters, and watched Chef Cassie walk back and forth in his wagon, having done it so often BRIAN TSENG / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I he knew where everything was, The Jawaiian Irie Jerk wagon can also be found at Redda Fire, downstairs at The Living Room (Fisherman’s Wharf) on Thursday nights right down to the cumin at the top of his well-stocked spice rack.

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I got a reasonable amount of food for $5: a fried bread side dish that tasted like deep-fried starch, killer cabbage and carrot stew beside the jasmine rice and a few good-sized pieces of barbequed chicken, cut katsu-style.

The chicken was slightly overcharred, making it a little dry, but the natural grease from the curryinspired marinade and the taste of sweet-spicy coconut infusions from the stew deďŹ nitely made up for it. It’s food that’s supposed to be eaten all across the board; you can’t nitpick about anything because it all ends up absorbing the wonderful  avor anyway.

I’m deďŹ nitely going back, not because I want to try anything new off the menu (and it’s a small menu), but because the chef came out, greeted me and gave me a good time. It was like home -cooked food.

What more is there to say?

Jawaiian Irie Jerk 669 Ahua Street (across the street from Hard Rock CafĂŠ on Kapiolani Blvd in large bus lot) (808) 388-2917 Monday to Friday noon- 5 p.m.

Saturday noon - 7 p.m.

from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Chef Cassie also caters parties and can be contacted at csimmonds@hawaii.rr.com or at (808) 388-2917.

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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

thedining the diningguide guide Coffee and quiet makes 2600 the study spot

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M AY SALCEDO Contributing Writer One step into CafĂŠ 2600, and you can bet your bottom dollar that you will be welcomed with a smile.

Their menu is simple and a bit pricey but the made-to-order sandwiches, coffee, lattes and smoothies are sure to please and make up for every dollar spent.

Despite the trafďŹ c that buzzes by right outside the window, this place is as quiet as a library.

Silence plus food equals happy students in a great place to study.

Located next to Curry House and Nijiya Market, CafĂŠ 2600 is open everyday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. It’s a 5 to 10 minute walk away from campus and the cafĂŠ does parking validation. Computer stations enable printing, copy making and internet for a small fee. Large tables, armchairs and all-day access to wiďŹ scream “college-student-friendly.â€?

Rogelio Yadao, a KCC student who was drinking a mocha

cappuccino, explained how CafĂŠ 2600 stands out. “I like the mocha because it doesn’t have the bitter coffee taste that mochas at other cafĂŠs have,â€? said Yadao.

The hot cocoa, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup, is also a must. The acai bowl has a fusion of banana, Sambazan acai and apple juice, topped with pumpkin seed, ax granola, banana slices and honey.

It will leave you wanting more. “As much as we can, we try to use the freshest ingredients,� said manager Matt, who chose not to disclose his last name for personal reasons.

Although loaded with antioxidants and omega-3 acids (a fatty acid great for brain development), the acai bowl is $6.50 and the bowl is only half full.

Want something a little more substantial for your $6.50? Order a sandwich. Whether it’s turkey pesto or the breakfast sandwich, or if you choose to make your own, they all come fresh and hot.

The employees also let people bring in food (not beverages) from other Puck’s Alley restaurants. “At the end of the day, it’s all about community,� said Matt. He added that they plan to expand their espresso-making skills and host an open-mic night and live band in the near future.

CafĂŠ 2600 Food: Build-Your Own Sandwich $6.50 Breakfast Sandwich $5.95 $5.95 Turkey Pesto Sandwich $6.50 Beverages: 12oz. 16oz. 24oz.

Cappuccino $3.75 $3.95 $4.45 Mocha $4.05 $4.35 $4.85 Hot cocoa $2.95 $3.20 $3.65 Fruit Smoothie $4.95 (808) 946-2400 2600 South King Street #101

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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

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Diamond Head Cove Health Bar: Oahu’s best açai T hou gh t hey of fer t a ke out , eat i ng it on p rem is e is a must . Just bei ng i n t hat ador able l it t le ba r is a n ex p er i enc e i n it s el f .

In fact, Tuesday, Wednes day, T hursday, and Sunday from 8 to 10 p.m. are Awa nights. T he bar is transformed into a music hot spot with spe -

cial guest appearances by local talents such as Makana and A nuhea and guests can sample the traditional K ava drink ( pro nounced “ava” in Hawaiian).

So t ake a break f rom that beer and put some goodness into your body and soul. Head out to the Diamond Cove Health Bar for some good,

clean and healthy f un.

The Health Bar’s traditional açai bowl (a.k.a. “Da Cove Bowl”) comes in two sizes and runs from $6.50 to $8.50.

Diamond Head Cove Health Bar (808) 732-8744 3045 Monsarrat Avenue

MIKO WALCZUK / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

Parking near the Health Bar is limited, and stalls are cramped. Students may want to utilize their U-Pass and catch the bus for their açai bowl.

H AIYA SARWAR Staff Writer At the edge of Wa ik ī k ī is a lit tle sun-k issed sur pr ise.

It ’s the Diamond Head Cove Health Bar. With walls covered by pictures of surfer boys, the bar encaptures the essence of that stereotypical surfer lifestyle.

It ’s small, quirky, cozy and perfect for a healthy snack after a long day at the beach.

F r om f r e s h l y s que e z e d j u i c e t o s mo ot h ie s , t h i s b a r h a s got p l e nt y of non - a l c o hol i c b e ve r a ge s t o s a t i s f y you r t h i r s t a nd you r v it a m i n de f i c ie nc ie s . B ut a s go o d a s t he d r i n k s a nd fo o d a r e , t he r e a s on you m us t go he r e i s

for t he i r a ç a i b ow l .

The bowl comes fi lled with açai, bananas, strawberries and sweet blueberries. The whole dish is fl avorful and delicious and it will likely have you rushing back for more.

T he a ç a i c r a z e h a s s p r e a d worl d w ide a nd t he r e a r e g r e a t a ç a i b ow l s a l l ove r t he i s l a nd . B ut w h a t m a ke s t h i s a c a i b ow l s o s p e c i a l ?

“For one, the people who ser ve it are amazing. But we have this awesome white le hua honey f rom the Big Island and that ’s what I think makes our aca i so good,” sa id T i f fany Navar ro, Diamond Head Cove Health Bar manager. “ We use all f resh ingredients and there’s no ice added.”

Buy a half and half roll, get one free large drink. rink.

Bring coupon or show your student ent ID Waipuna Sushi Manoa

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2801 East Manoa Road #B Honolulu, HI 96822 (808) 988-1200 www.waipunasushi.com

Enchanted Lake Shopping Center 1020 Keolu Drive #D-4 Kailua, HI 96734 (808) 263-7470

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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

Slammin’ seafood in the deep blue sea CONIA BOIES Contributing Writer Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood Co. will fill your belly without emptying your wallet.

Glancing over their menu might even put a smile on your face.

Plates start at $6.95 with choices like shrimp scampi, fresh fish or garlic shrimp. Every plate includes rice, tossed salad, garlic bread and corn.

Still hungr y? Combo plates range from $8.95 to $13.95 and of fer choices of steak, garlic or plain shrimp, pork chops and crab, in just about any possible combination.

Daily specials on the menu keep customers coming back.

From island favorite loco moco

for only $6.95 to teriyaki or garlic steak plates for $7.95, you’ll wish you had more room in your stomach.

Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood 4725 Bougainville Dr. Honolulu, HI 96818 (Navy Exchange Parking Lot) (808)699-6541 Salt Lake Shopping Center (Next to Safeway) 848 Ala Lilikoi Street Honolulu, HI 96818 (808)636-8729 International Marketplace (Waikīkī) 2145 Kuhio Avenue Honolulu, HI (808) 926-3532

thedining the diningguide guide Get ready, get set, Chun Wah Kam A SHLEY WOOD Contributing writer Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory is a local food joint that caters to customers looking for good food, fast service and cheap eats. The restaurant chain is a favorite when it comes to local Chinese food.

“I really like their steamed char sui manapua with some pork hash on the side,” said Josh Lualemana, standing in line at the Waimalu branch. “I always get it when I come here.”

As a customer, Lualemana says Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory is a place where he can get great food at affordable prices.

“My family usually caters from here when we have parties, which is good because all the food is gone

by the end and there’s not much to clean up,” said Lualemana.

Upon arriving, customers can see an array of different food selections, that include many types of manapua, chicken, authentic Chinese noodles, won ton wrappers and dim sum.

“When I come here, I usually get a mini plate lunch with noodles and orange chicken with a drink,” said Tina Vu, “It’s less than $10, which isn’t bad, because they give a generous amount.”

Vu, a UH Mānoa student, says that it’s a place where she can “indulge from time to time, without having to break the bank.”

Long lines can be expected, but it does not seem to deter customers from waiting to order.

“It gets pretty busy during lunch hours, and a line forms,

but you get your food fast, and you can get out in less than 5 minutes,” said Vu. “Unless you don’t know what you want, because there’s so much choices to choose from.”

Chun Wah Kam is affordable, has great food, friendly service, and perfect for UH students who are eating on a budget between hectic schedules.

Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory Kalihi 505 Kalihi St. Waimalu Shopping Center 98-040 Kamehameha Hwy. Kapolei 885 Kamokila Blvd.