L&R Drive Inn

 If there’s one place our family visits every week, it’s L&R Drive Inn in Kāne‘ohe. For the past few years, we’ve been picking up a plate of their chicken katsu to-go like clockwork. The boys absolutely love it — crispy on the outside, tender inside, and always consistent. We’ve tried a few of their other dishes before, but honestly, nothing quite compares to the chicken katsu.

When the boys’ birthday rolled around this year, we decided to keep things easy and cater instead of cooking for 15 people (including the in-laws!). Of course, the birthday boys requested their favorite — chicken katsu — so we ordered a whole pan of it. 

To round things out, we added beef with vegetables, fried noodles, and fried rice.

Everything turned out really good! The katsu was just as tasty as always, and the noodles were a surprisingly big hit — flavorful, perfectly cooked, and not greasy at all. I think we’ve just found a new weekly addition to our usual order.

L&R never disappoints — simple, local comfort food done right.

L&R DRIVE INN

45-582 KAMEHAMEHA HIGHWAY

KANEOHE, HI

808-247-8484

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G-Town Catering and Flour Lei at Kaiser Honolulu Clinic

Every Wednesday, you can find reasonably priced local plate lunches outside of Kaiser Permanente's Medical Office Building on the corner of Pensacola and South King Street. The plate lunches are offered by G-Town Catering (Instagram: @gtowncatering), which I had never heard of before.  But as I saw one of the guys loading a take-out container with noodles, that caught my eye and I knew I just had to try it (I love noods!).

Here's what today's menu looked like - as you can see they have a nice selection of local favorites, from shoyu chicken to furikake crusted ahi. But what I really wanted was the fried yakisoba noodles with ahi cake. 

For $11, this was a deal! The plate was loaded to the max with yakisoba. They left just enough space for a decent-sized ahi cake to fit on top. The 

I knew I was not going to finish all the noodles, which meant I would have leftovers for dinner (or the next day's lunch - woohoo!). 

The ahi cake was amazing. As you can see from the picture below, it's primarily all ahi, with some veggies and minimal fillers mixed in. Even without the aioli drizzle, this ahi cake would have been moist and flavorful.

While I was waiting to pay for my plate, they offered me a sample of the ground beef curry - delicious! I'm definitely coming back if I'm ever nearby on a Wednesday during the lunch hour.  There's only street parking available (unless you're coming here to visit one of the offices in the building), but there's lot of metered parking in the area.

Also here on Wednesdays (9 am - 12 pm) is Flour Lei (@flourlei) - she specializes in breads (honey whole wheat bread), cinnamon rolls, and cookies. Unfortunately she was sold out of cinnamon rolls by the time I got here, but I bought a bag of soft sugar cookies and boy were these super soft and chewy! 

Find these two vendors every Wednesday at Kaiser Honolulu - 1010 Pensacola Street, Honolulu, HI.

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Local Japanese Favorites from Ige's Lunchwagon and Catering

For Mother's Day, we gave the moms a break from the kitchen by ordering the Japanese Menu Package from Ige's Lunchwagon and Catering in Aiea. The package included: sushi, potato mac salad, namasu, chow mein, shoyu pork, fried chicken, and andagi, all for $185 plus tax. It was intended to feed 10-16. We had 15 people at our party (3 of which were keiki), and we had a lot of leftovers! It was such a great deal and the process is so easy: I called a couple of weeks in advance and paid with credit card over the phone. I arrived at Ige's at my designated pick up time, gave my name to the staff member who came out to greet us, and they loaded the pans into my truck. The food was nicely prepared in foil pans, and covered with both saran wrap and foil to prevent spillage. 

Here's what the spread looked like:

 

No substitutions are allowed, and you have the option of adding additional items such as beef teriyaki ($52), pork nishime ($42), and sweet sour spareribs ($47). We didn't add additional items since we knew the package would be more than enough food for our family.

This Japanese Menu Package is available on a regular basis (must have a minimum of 25 people), along with other packages.  Check out their catering menu for more information. 

Ordering this package and enjoying it at home was much easier and more comfortable for everyone than going to a crowded restaurant. The moms certainly appreciated not having to cook on this Mother's Day!

IGE'S LUNCHWAGON AND CATERING
98-025 HEKAHA STREET (behind Cutter Ford Aiea)
808-486-8728

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Jersey Mike's Subs by the Box

If you're contemplating what to bring to your next potluck or gathering, consider a Subs By the Box from Jersey Mike's Subs. I was recently brainstorming what to bring for my niece's baby shower, and it had to be from a place that had gluten-free options (because one of our guests has a gluten allergy), and a good friend of mine who happens to be gluten-free and also a great resource for everything about food (esp. take out!) recommend Jersey Mike's because they have gluten-free bread. It turned out to be the best idea ever!

Jersey Mike's Subs by the Box comes with 12 individually wrapped sub sandwiches, presented in a sturdy cardboard box that is easy to carry and display. The 12 sandwiches are actually four of their "giant" sized sandwiches (14-15 inches), each cut up into thirds.  You get to select the four sandwiches for your box.  

Each indivually wrapped sandwich is labeled with the type of sandwich, so you know what you're getting.  And they do mark the ones that are made with Gluten-free bread!

The four sandwiches I selected for the party were: The Super Sub, Jersey Shore's Favorite, The Original Italian, and the California Club Sub with Gluten-Free Bread.  The Gluten-Free bread is $3 extra.

The size of each sandwich varied slightly, since they're all hand-cut, which is great since everyone's appetites vary and some had wanted a smaller sandwich, and some (like me!) wanted one of the larger ones.

Jersey Mike's uses high quality, fresh ingredients, which is apparent in presentation and taste. At first bite I could definitely tell the difference bewteen Jersey Mike's and their competitors. Everyone at the party (including myself) had never tried a sub from Jersey Mike's before, and they all raved about how fresh and delicious their subs were! 

I would recommend calling your local Jersey Mike's shop at least one day in advance to place your order.

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JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS
2615 South King Street

(808) 744-4288 

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Catering from Pagoda Restaurant

My father-in-law turned 90 this year. We initially planned to throw a party for him at a local steakhouse, however we had to change our plans when our Mayor limited the numbers at indoor social gatherings.  We decided to have the party outdoors (which has a larger gathering limit), and catered a special feast for the family from Pagoda Restaurant.  Everyone was very impressed with the presentation and quality of the food.  Honestly, the food was much better than when we dine-in!  

Here's what we enjoyed for this very special occassion: 

Sashimi

Sushi Cake

Potato Salad

 Tofu

Okara

Rice (top) + Sekihan (bottom)

Roasted Veggies

Tsukemono

Miso Butterfish (top) + Nishime (bottom)

Chicken Katsu

Prime Rib (top) + Potatoes (bottom)

In addition to their dine-in buffet and catering, they also offer "Weekend Tailgate Specials" such as Roast Prime Rib, Clam Bake, Snow Crab Legs, Cakes, and more!  Check out their website for their menus: pagodahawaii.com.
 

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Spring Break Pop Up with JMR Food Concepts at the Embassy Suites Waikiki

Lobster Rolls 2.0

Last weekend, I was invited to attend the Spring Break Pakini Bar & Lounge Weekend Pop Up series at the Embassy Suites Waikiki featuring a VIP Chef's Table by Chef Jason Ramirez of JMR Food Concepts.  Guests of the Chef's table were treated to many delicious dishes as well as innovative and tasty wine cocktails by Oeno Winemaking and sweet treats by Coco's Cakes Hawaii.

Chef Jason is the owner of JMR Food Concepts and has over twenty years of culinary experience in San Francisco and Honolulu. He recently participated as a sous chef at James Beard House Foundation and lucky for us that experience has inspired him to bring his skills back to Hawaii. His company JMR Food Concepts provides private Chef's table, private catering, and consulting.   

Be on the lookout for more great events by Chef Jason of JMR Food Concepts and Embassy Suites Waikiki!

Embassy Breeze complete with passion fruit smoke!

Oeno Winemaking's Pineapple Hibiscus Smash

24 Karat Magic Ribs

Blazed Dynamite Opihi

Truffled Lobster Mac n Cheese

Fried Lumpia

Heart Spam Musubi

Strawberry Rose Japanese Cheesecake Push Pop

Li Hing Pineapple Dole Whip Japanese Cheesecake Push Pop

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EATnPrivate at EAT Honolulu

Clockwise:  Seared Beef Sirloin; Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, Gnocchi, Seared Scallop, Sautéed Prawn, Guava Granita, and Grilled Lamb Loin. 

Eat Honolulu serves up breakfast and lunch within the Na Lama Kukui Buidling (formerly known as the Gentry Pacific Design Center) on Nimitz Highway.  When they are not doing that, they are also a unique catering company with an exclusive private room and also offer personal chef services.   

I was invited to a dinner at their EATnPrivate concept where a party of up to 14 guests can enjoy a private meal created by Executive Chef David Passanisi and Team Eat.  EatnPrivate features Hawaiian Regional Cuisine and supports local Island ranchers, farmers and fishermen. 

The dinner was amazing and I enjoyed each gourmet creation.  I especially liked how the sauces complemented the main ingredient of each course resulting in a beautiful meshing of flavors.  The private room is casual and makes for a super fun time.  The service was excellent and the Chef took the time to describe each course to our party.  EATnPrivate would be a treat for anyone who appreciates great food!     

Eat Honolulu 

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I Love Country Cafe Introduces Line of Baked Goods

I Love Country Cafe, a local eatery with several locations around Oahu, recently introduced a line of freshly baked goods with Asian and European influences.

"Growing up around pastry and experiencing a variety of flavors traveling throughout Europe and Asia inspired me to create my own baked items...I truly believe that they will translate well whether you are from Hawaii or Asia," says co-owner Millie Chan.

I was fortunate to attend an event in which I was able to sample some of the baked goods, as well as meet Millie Chan and her daughter Elizabeth, for whom the restaurant was inspired by.  With a mission to focus on fresh, healthy ingredients - foods that they wanted their daughter to grow up on, Millie and her husband, Richard, founded I Love Country Cafe in 1987.

Millie and Elizabeth Chan

I went to the Windward Mall location last year and tried their Grilled Mochiko Chicken, which was very delicious, so I was eager to try out the new baked goods, which are baked using wild yeast versus dry active yeast.  The end result is fresh and tasty breads, rolls, and other specialties.

Hokkaido Bread Char Siu Baked Manapua

Hawaiian Sweet Raisin Bread

Coconut Bun

Kalua Pork Sliders with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

Focaccia

Hokkaido Custard Bun

Roast Turkey Sliders with Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Corn & Ham Bun

My favorite items included the Kalua Pork Sliders (the Pineapple BBQ Sauce gave it a nice sweet and tangy flavor), the Hokkaido Bread Char Siu Baked Manapua (such soft bread surrounded the flavorful char siu), and the Sweet Corn and Ham Bun (I liked the combination of the sweet corn and ham).

Millie's love for her daughter, her extended "family" (her staff calls her mommy!), and her customers is not only reflected in the heart symbols in the I Love Country Cafe Logo, but it is also reflected in the service and food.

And that kind of passion translates well no matter where you are from.
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I Love Country Cafe
885 Queen St
Honolulu, HI
(808) 596-8108

Visit I Love Country Cafe for information on their menus and other locations.

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