KISS MY GRITS

KISS MY GRITS

HONOLULU, HAWAII 

A friend of mine recommended Kiss my Grits over a month ago.  Totally forgot about it until we were driving by Puck's Alley and my memory kicked in.  We decided to stop in for lunch.  Kiss my Grits is located in the back parking lot and cannot be seen from the street.  It is a very small place that delivers big on authentic Southern Food.  We arrived to find the small dining room packed with a few people waiting.  There are three tables outside that were also filled.  We waited patiently and were rewarded with a nice outdoor table that was cool and comfortable.  The inside seating area was a bit warm and very crowded.  Tables are packed tightly so that you get to know your neighbors whether you like it or not.  The star of the show is the food, but the guy in the front of the house who's name is Hector made the show.  Hecter talks with a slight Southern twang and makes everyone feel comfortable here.  He is a gracious host who understands how customers should be treated.  Makes you feel at home and takes the time to make sure you are happy with everything on the plate.  We started with the Brunswick Stew ($2.50 cup).  This is a thick tomato based stew with shredded chicken and pork.  Corn, Lima Beans and Potato add texture and richness to the soup.  Hector told me that the stew cooks for two days before it is served.  Loved it and wish I had a gallon of it in my fridge.  The Shrimp Po Boy ($12.95) was absolutely delicious.  The shrimp is very lightly breaded and bathed in cajun spices.  Served with lettuce, tomato and onion.  The shrimp were delicious on their own.  The Po Boy is served on a baguette that is really too much bread for the sandwich.  We loved the sandwich but not all the thick bread.  Served with Cole Slaw, Hush Puppies and a Deviled Egg.  The Carolina Chopped BBQ Sandwich ($9.95) can be ordered North (vinegar and red pepper sauce) or South (tangy mustard sauce).  I went with the North.  Was surprised to see that the BBQ Pork was not served with BBQ sauce.  I guess this is a Carolina thing.  I liked the BBQ pork but would have preferred it with some BBQ sauce.  I added some chili water and hot sauce that was on the table.  Still wanted BBQ sauce.  The sandwich got a bit soggy and fell apart.  The pork was good though.  The sandwich is served with Cole Slaw, Hush Puppies and a Deviled Egg.  The Deviled Eggs are good but really nothing special.  My wife loved the Hush Puppies served with sweat butter.  She packed up all the uneaten ones and took them home along with the butter.  I liked the Cole Slaw.  A bit of a vinegar kick.  The Sweet Melissa's Egg Salad Sandwich ($7.95) is served on toasted bread.  The wife said it was bland and tasteless.  The Smokey Mac-N-Cheese ($5.50) was a huge hit.  Flavor bomb of cheeses and topped with fried onions.  The entire table loved the Mac-N-Cheese and I think you will too.  Finished the meal with Cornbread ($2.00) that was served with the best Apple Butter I have ever tasted.  My daughter does not like apple sauce but devoured the Apple Butter and even put it on her watermelon that was complimentary.  There is so much on the menu at Kiss my Grits that I want to try. They have Crab Cakes, All you can eat Popcorn Shrimp, Fried Chicken, Ribs, Chicken Fried Steak, Pimento Cheese Sandwich, Oyster Po Boy, Fried Shrimp, Fish and Oysters, Fried Green Tomatoes, Biscuits and Gravy, Meatloaf, Fried Okra, Collards, Black Eyed Peas and Candied Yams.  All this plus some home made Sweet Things like Cold Oven Pound Cake with fruit and creme, Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies, Bread Pudding and Banana and Nilla Wafer Pudding.  Oh yes, I will be back.  Maybe for dinner.

CAROLINA CHOPPED BBQ SANDWICH WITH COLE SLAW,
DEVILED EGG AND HUSH PUPPIES

KISS MY GRITS IS IN THE PARKING LOT IN PUCK'S ALLEY

BRING A SIX PACK AND ENJOY SOME REAL
GOOD AUTHENTIC SOUTHERN FOOD 

SMALL INDOOR SEATING AREA WAS PACKED

OUTDOOR TABLES ARE THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE

CHILI PEPPER WATERS AND HOT SAUCE ON THE TABLE

DRINKS SERVED IN JARS AND YES,
THEY HAVE SWEET TEA

SWEET MELISSA'S EGG SALAD SANDWICH

SMOKEY MAC-N-CHEESE WITH FRIED ONIONS.
THIS IS A CHEESE FLAVOR BOMB!

SHIRMP PO BOY WITH DELICIOUS SEASONED SHRIMP

DEVILED EGG

HUSH PUPPIES

COMPLIMENTARY WATERMELON

BRUNSWICK STEW IS GREAT!

CORNBREAD WITH APPLE BUTTER

HARD ROCK CAFE - GUAM

HARD ROCK CAFE

TUMON BAY, GUAM

I have not stepped foot in a Hard Rock Cafe for years but can remember the days when I went to every one possible to buy a t-shirt.   Still have quite the collection gathering dust in my closet.  On previous trips to Guam, I have avoided the Hard Rock.  This trip I had a work associate from California who wanted to go there. We entered through the gift shop on the ground floor and then walked up steps to the dining room where we were greeted by a very friendly staff.  We chose to sit on the balcony overlooking the main street.  It was about 90 degrees and humid and we were the only people out there.  Everyone else was sitting comfortably in the air conditioned main dining room.  As we sat outside the main dining room began to fill up with mostly twenty something year old Japanese tourists.  Turns out on this night there is an Elvis impersonator singing at 7:00.  We ordered some cold drinks and some Chicken Wings.  Half mild and half hot for me.  The wings were large and meaty.  Actually filled me up.  We ordered a Full Rack of Memphis Style Ribs for around $18.  Wow.....huge slab of beef that could have fed my entire family.  The ribs were meaty too and covered in a rich tangy sauce.  The Half BBQ Chicken was smothered in BBQ sauce and served with French Fries, Cole Slaw and BBQ Beans.  Elvis was in the building and performed two short shows.  Actually good lip syncing to some Elvis classics. 

HARD ROCK CAFE GUAM

LOCATED ON TUMON BAY NEXT TO
OUTRIGGER HOTEL AND SHOPPING SQUARE

MOTORCYCLE GREETS GUESTS AS YOU WALK UPSTAIRS
TO THE MAIN DINING ROOM AND BAR

MAIN DINING AREA AND BAR AREA

VIEW FROM OUTDOOR SEATING AREA

CHICKEN WINGS SERVED FROM MILD TO SPICY

FULL RACK OF MEMPHIS STYLE RIBS

HALF BBQ CHICKEN

ELVIS WAS IN THE BUILDING.
MY FRIEND CHRIS GETS A HUG

MEMORIAL DAY BBQ AT HOME

OUR GUESTS OF HONOR

MEMORIAL DAY BBQ
AT HOME


Keli planned a sleep over with friends for the Memorial Day Weekend.  This was a great time to do a BBQ for friends and parents.  Started the day with fresh Ahi Sashimi and Poke.  We enjoyed burgers and mini burger sliders hot off the grill.  I stuffed some jalapeno peppers with creme cheese and pimento and wrapped them in bacon.  Grilled them until the bacon was cooked.  These were good.  Shirley put a bunch of Langoustine in the Mac and Cheese which put in over the top.  Ended this great meal with some sweet watermelon.

PARIS AND KELI - FRIENDS SINCE BIRTH

FRESH AHI SASHIMI ON PLATE MADE BY TOYE

TAKO POKE, SPICY AHI POKE AND SHRIMP POKE

CREME CHEESE AND PIMENTO STUFFED JALAPENO WITH BACON

BLEU CHEESE AND BACON BURGER HOT OFF THE GRILL

CHEDDAR CHEESE BURGER

BURGER WITH THE WORKS

THE BLEU CHEESE AND BACON BURGER

GREAT BURGER

LANGOUSTINE MAC AND CHEESE

BBQ RIBS

BBQ BAKED BEANS WITH HAM, BACON AND ONION

CORN ON THE COBB

SHIRLEY'S HOME MADE COLE SLAW

BIG THUNDER BBQ - DISNEYLAND

BIG THUNDER ROUNDUP AND BARBECUE

DISNEYLAND, CALIFORNIA

Last time we visited Disneyland we found a great place for lunch nestled behind the Big Thunder Roller Coaster ride.  There are no signs showing what the BBQ is all about or how much it cost.  They rely on real people to great you at the front and explain that this is an all you can eat buffet with unlimited ribs, chicken, beans, coleslaw and corn bread.  The price is $19.95 per person.  We loved the BBQ on our first visit and made a point to return on this visit to Disneyland.  This is really good food for an amusement park.  The ribs and chicken are absolutely delicious.  The beans, cole slaw and corn bread are also top notch.  The ribs and chicken are brought to your table in pots.  They just keep coming for as long as you can eat.  We saw tables with bucket after bucket of ribs and chicken.  We probably had the least.  Only finished one bucket before throwing in the towel.  Sitting on the shaded benches is a relaxing time away from the large crowds.  The service is excellent and there is also a show featuring country western singers.  This is an expensive lunch but actually is enough to fill you up for lunch and dinner.  Highly recommend the Big Thunder BBQ.
Click below for another post on Big Thunder BBQ
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2010/06/big-thunder-ranch-bbq.html

GREAT RIBS, CHICKEN, COLE SLAW AND BAKED BEANS

ALWAYS NEED TO FIND A GOOD PLACE TO EAT AT DISNEYLAND

BIG THUNDER BBQ IS A HIDDEN GEM INSIDE DISNEYLAND

BIG THUNDER BBQ IS A GREAT PLACE TO EAT AT DISNEYLAND

JUST WAITING FOR THAT BUCKET OF RIBS AND CHICKEN

WARM CORN BREAD AND BUTTER

BAKED BEANS ARE GREAT!

COLE SLAW IS TANGY AND GOOD

UNLIMITED BUCKETS OF RIBS AND CHICKEN