JAWAIIAN IRIE JERK RESTAURANT

JAWAIIAN IRIE JERK RESTAURANT
HONOLULU, HAWAII

JAWAIIAN IRIE JERK RESTAURANT

1137 11TH AVENUE

HONOLULU, HAWAII 96816

808-388-2917

www.jawaiianiriejerk.com

Literally stumbled into Jawaiian Irie Jerk Restaurant while looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Kaimuki.  I saw the menu on the wall next to Hog Island Smokehouse.  The restaurant is in the same location as the old Mexitlan Kitchen which did not last a year I think.  Great little spot at the entrance to Bella Mia and doorstep of the Himalayan Kitchen.  We entered and were greeted by a nice woman who seated us and brought us menus and water.  I could hear the Jamaican accents in the kitchen so I felt we would get a good taste of the Island.  We started with the Spicy Jerk Wings ($7.95).  These are very dark wings that have been marinated in Jerk spices and then cooked on the grille.  The meat fell off the bone.  Good flavor with not too much heat.  For heat, the waitress brought out a serving

of hot sauce that she said included "Ghost Peppers".  Be careful she said.  I added the hot sauce to the wings and "bam".  Blew my head off in a good way.  Great flavor and huge heat.  While the wings were good, they just did not seem fresh.  Don't know if this is the way they should be as I have never had Jamaican wings before.  The star of our lunch was the Seafood Chowder ($6.95 bowl).  Shrimp, Fish, Scallops, Root Vegetables and other seafood simmered in a non-dairy jamboree.  This was a great soup.  Full of flavor and richness.  Entire family loved it.  My daughter devoured most of it and did not want to share.  The Blackened Chicken Bites ($7.95) was an attractive plate of chicken tenders covered in a pineapple relish.  I liked the sweetness of the pineapple with the spices on the chicken.  The Jamaican Jerk Chicken Plate ($13.95) is filled with marinated chicken that is finished on the grille.  You can taste the spices and the grille.  I added that Ghost Pepper sauce and again hit the roof hot in a good way.  The Jerk Chicken is served with a nice rice and peas plus Ital Stew.  The stew is chucks of cassava with carrots and curry sauce.  You also get a Fritter that had very little taste.
I would and will return to Jawaiian Irie Jerk Restaurant.  Want some more of that hot sauce and a bowl of the Seafood Chowder.

JAWAIIAN IRIE JERK RESTAURANT

JAWAIIAN IRIE JERK RESTAURANT
LOCATED BEHIND BIG CITY DINER IN BUILDING WITH HOG ISLAND SMOKEHOUSE,
BELLA MIA AND HIMALAYAN KITCHEN

11TH AVENUE ATRIUM 

OPEN AIR RESTAURANT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF BELLA MIA

JAWAIIAN IRIE JERK RESTAURANT IS BEHIND BIG CITY DINER

INTERIOR WAS CLEAN AND COOL

SAME MENU FOR LUNCH OR DINNER (CLICK TO ENLARGE) 

COMPLIMENTARY BREAD AND BUTTER

BLACKENED CHICKEN BITES WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA

SPICY JERK WINGS

SEAFOOD CHOWDER IS ONE OF THE BEST IN HAWAII

OPTIONAL HOT SAUCE WITH GHOST CHILIES.  VERY HOT BUT ADDICTING

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN - SERVED WITH RICE N' PEAS, ITAL STEW AND FRITTER

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN - KAHALA MALL

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN

KAHALA MALL 

If there is one place my wife and daughter would eat every single day it would be CPK.  They love this place.  My daughter can eat the Pasta with Meat Sauce three times a day and still order it again.  I usually try different pizzas.  Love the BBQ Chicken Pizza but as the years go on I notice there is less ingredients on the pizza and more dough.  This was the case with the Chipotle Chicken Pizza.  Two inches of dough on the outside with no toppings.  Everything was pushed towards the middle of the pie.  You just cannot get the taste of everything while eating 3/4 of the pizza.  I am a big fan of the Miso Shrimp Salad.  This salad is light and fresh.  Great to share while enjoying a pizza half empty of toppings.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN

MISO SHRIMP SALAD
NAPA AND RED CABBAGE, SHRIMP, AVOCADO, CUCUMBER,
DAIKON, EDAMAME, CARROTS, SCALLIONS, CILANTRO,
RICE STICKS AND WONTONS WITH A MISO DRESSING

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN PIZZA
SPICY CHIPOTLE SAUCE, CHICKEN, MILD CHILIES,
MOZZARELLA AND ENCHILADO CHEESE WITH ROASTED
CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALSA WITH CILANTRO AND LIME SAUCE

PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE. 
MY DAUGHTER WOULD EAT THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN KAHALA MALL.
ALWAYS BUSY AND ALWAYS GOOD

BEST WESTERN FAIRFIELD EXECUTIVE INN - FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY

BEST WESTERN FAIRFIELD EXECUTIVE INN
ON ROUTE 46 IN NEW JERSEY

BEST WESTERN FAIRFIELD EXECUTIVE INN
FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY 

Registration for some business training included accommodations at the Best Western in Fairfield, New Jersey.  The hotel was selected because of its close proximity to the training center we were attending.  Turned out to be a great place to stay.  Rooms were good sized and clean.  The front desk staff helped with booking transportation and helping us out with getting to and from New York City.  The hotel has a great complimentary van service that will take you within 5 miles of the hotel.  They will also pick you up.  We needed to get to a golf course beyond the 5 mile limit and the manager accommodated us at no cost.  They also hooked us up with the best way to get to New York City from the hotel.  There is a non stop bus that stops just a about a block from the hotel.  For $10.50 one way they take you right into the center of New York City.  Just a few blocks from 42nd Street and Times Square.  The ride took 30 minutes early one morning and two hours at rush hour.  To book a cab to the city runs around $80 or more plus tip.  This hotel was filled with business people and a lot of school groups.  The restaurant and bar were excellent.  Loved the Italian restaurant within the hotel.  Adjacent to the hotel there is a small strip mall with a bakery, Italian Sub Shop, Cheese Shop and Chinese restaurant.  Not a bad place to stay for around $89 per night.

ROOMS ARE CLEAN, LARGE AND COMFORTABLE.
LOUD AIR CONDITIONER THAT SOAKED THE FLOOR.

SMALL FLAT SCREEN T.V. AND NICE DESK WORK AREA

GOOD SIZE REFRIGERATOR AND MICROWAVE

STANDARD BATHROOM

CALIENTE CAB MEXICAN CAFE - NEWARK AIRPORT

CALIENTE CAB MEXICAN CAFE

NEWARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 

With a six hour delay in Newark, I had time to try another eating spot before our departure.  Saw a sign that said Mexican Cafe and I was in there.  Ordered up the Mini Tacos ($9.95).  Your choice of (3) beef or chicken tacos.  Ordered two beef and one chicken.  These were some of the worst tacos I have ever tasted.  The beef taco was about 10 steps down from a Taco Bell beef taco.  There was mushy, oily meat substance in the shell and not much more.  Chicken was boiled and tasted like the beef.  The sauce served with these tacos was like a sour tomato sauce.  YUCK!

CALIENTE CAB MEXICAN CAFE

CALIENTE CAB MEXICAN CAFE WAS TERRIBLE!

MINI CHICKEN AND BEEF TACOS ARE SOME OF THE
WORST TACOS I HAVE EVER TASTED 

NEXT TO NOTHING IN THE SHELL

SIX HOUR DELAY GAVE US TIME TO
SAMPLE FOOD IN THE NEWARK AIRPORT

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE - NEWARK AIRPORT

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE 

NEWARK AIRPORT TERMINAL

NEW JERSEY

A lifetime resident of New York recommended Gallagher's Steak House as a must try steak house in New York City.  We did not have time to visit Gallagher's in the city, but were amazed to find a Gallagher's in the Newark, New Jersey airport terminal.  With several hours to kill before our flight we decided to splurge a bit and have a nice steak lunch.  The restaurant features a dry aged steak display in front and then wraps around to rows of tables overlooking planes lined up to take people all over the world.  Photographs and autographs of the famous line the walls.  Seems like everybody who was anybody has dined at Gallagher's in New York.  I started with the Caesar Salad ($12).  This salad is huge.  Really enough for two or three people.  Served rather warm and covered in Parmesan Cheese shavings.  No anchovies but I could taste anchovies in the dressing.  Not my favorite Caesar.  The Filet Mignon ($36) was one of the worst steaks of my life for this price.  Absolutely no seasoning or flavor.  I ordered the steak medium rare and it was fully cooked on the outside to almost dry and a bit pink when you got to the very middle.  I was craving for some A1 Steak Sauce to give this meat some flavor.  I poured more salt and pepper on this steak than I have ever done before.  The steak still had no flavor.  THIS WAS ONE OF THE WORST STEAKS OF MY LIFE PERIOD!!!!.  The Gallagher's Potatoes ($9).  That is correct my friends, $9 for a potato.  Once again absolutely NO SEASONING AT ALL.  You could tell by the staff working and in the kitchen that no one here really gives a shit.  This is my honest opinion.  We voiced our opinion about the lack of seasoning and flavor to our waitress and she really did not seem to care.  Don't waste your money at this place.  

Here is a bit of history from their website.

For over 80 years, they’ve come for the Steak

In 1927, at the height of Prohibition, two things were pretty hard to find in New York- a good stiff drink and a great steak. Except, of course, at a speakeasy that came to be known as Gallagher’s.

 This storied gathering place is where New York’s famous and notorious assembled to indulge themselves in pleasures of the palate and forbidden spirits. A place where gamblers, sports figures, show people, novelists, playwrights and judges sat at tables across from gangsters, strippers, ballerinas and business titans.

In 1933 prohibition ended and speakeasies across the country began closing their doors. Gallagher’s, however, became more popular than ever. A simple truth became clear: while anyone could now get a drink everywhere, a great steak was still hard to find.

Today, they still come for the steak. A steak that is USDA Prime Beef and dry aged for 21 days at a constant temperature of 36 degrees. This all-natural process ensures tenderness without any of the “fiddling” that occurs at the vast majority of steakhouses in New York and across the country.

Additionally, Gallagher’s is the only steakhouse in New York City that grills their steaks over hickory coals. This combination of all-natural dry aging and hickory coals makes a steak you cannot find any place else in the New York area.

Much of the credit for maintaining this historical establishment and its incredibly high standards goes to the legendary restaurateur Jerome Brody. Under Mr. Brody’s guidance Gallagher’s décor and ambience have been passionately preserved. This celebrated restaurant remains exactly the same as it always has been and so does the extraordinary mix of our clientele- showbiz and entertainment people from all over the world, sports figures in the boxing, horse racing, football, baseball, basketball and hockey world, and business professionals.

USDA Prime Beef

Annually less than 2% of US beef is worthy of earning the grade of USDA Prime. This is determined by several factors: the amount of marbling inside the meat and the age of the animal. Marbling is the flecks and streaks of white fat you find distributed throughout the beef. The higher the degree of marbling, the more tender, juicy, and flavorful the beef will be. Gallagher’s Steak House hand-selects all of our beef. Only beef that meets our specifications in terms of marbling, texture and color, is served to our customers.

Gallagher’s Dry Aging Room

All of our steaks are USDA Prime and remain in this aging room for 21 days at a constant temperature of 36 degrees.

The Dry Aging Process

Dry aging is the natural way to tenderize beef and enhance its flavor. It is a relatively simple, but time consuming procedure. The drying process, which slowly eliminates moisture from the meat, causes the beef flavor to become more concentrated and pronounced. Additionally, this process allows the beef to actually tenderize itself and gives it Gallagher’s signature taste.

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE AT NEWARK AIRPORT

DRY AGED STEAKS ON DISPLAY

GALLAGHER'S DRY AGED STEAKS

VERY LARGE RESTAURANT WITH MANY
DIFFERENT DINING AREAS

RESTAURANT OVERLOOKS RUNWAY AND TERMINAL

PHOTOS AND AUTOGRAPHS OF MOVIE STARS,
ATHLETES, POLITICIANS AND PRETTY MUCH
ANYONE WHO WAS EVER FAMOUS LINE THE WALLS

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE MENU

GALLAGHER'S APPETIZERS, SALADS, SANDWICHES AND STEAKS

GALLAGHER'S STEAK AND SIDES MENU

HUGE CAESAR SALAD IS ENOUGH FOR TWO PEOPLE

10 OZ. FILET MIGNON IS $36.
NO SEASONING OR TASTE - ONE OF THE WORST!

GALLAGHER'S POTATOES
NO SEASONING AND VERY LITTLE TASTE

CUCINA CALANDRA - FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY

CUCINA CALANDRA

BEST WESTERN

FAIRFIELD EXECUTIVE INN

FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY

Cucina Calandra is located in the Best Western Fairfield in New Jersey.  The owner not only owns the restaurant but the entire hotel and adjoining strip mall that houses his private bakery, Italian Sub and Cheese Shop plus other specialty stores.   A true entrepreneur that is doing it right.  We stayed in this hotel and enjoyed several outstanding meals at Calandra's.  This is a Family restaurant filled with the middle class working families from the adjoining neighborhoods and tourists and businessmen heading to New York City.  Each night we dined here there were families with young children, parents and grandparents enjoying some really good Italian food.  On Tuesday nights all the pasta dishes are half off so the place was really hopping. On my first visit I tried a Veal dish that was incredible.  It was not on the regular menu but part of a three course special that we were treated to by one of my suppliers.  Loved the veal and sauce. Dish did not have any pasta so we ordered a bowl on the side.  Wow....all of the pastas here a freshly home made.  I love the taste and texture of homemade pasta.  On two subsequent visits I ordered the Zuppa Di Pesce ($31.95).  Lobster, Clams, Shrimp and Scallops in a Garlic White Wine Sauce.  I ordered this with Linguine rather than the Angel Hair pasta it is normally served with.  LOVED THE LINGUINE.  Fresh and homemade.  This totally sets the dish apart from what we get in Hawaii.  Rarely do we find homemade pasta on menu's here.  While the Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops were a bit overcooked, they still had flavor and matched well with the sauce.  Loved this dish so much that I ate it two times.  There is enough on the plate for two people so share if you can.

CUCINA CALANDRA

ENTRANCE IS JUST OFF THE LOBBY
OF THE BEST WESTERN FAIRFIELD

THIS IS TRULY A "FAMILY KITCHEN" AND RESTAURANT

LARGE TABLE SEPARATES DINING AREAS

CHILDREN LOVE TO WATCH THE PIZZA MAKER IN ACTION

CENTER OF THE RESTAURANT CONTAINS PIZZA OVEN.
WATCH YOUR PIZZA BEING MADE

NOT YOUR NORMAL BREAD IS SERVED HERE

BREAD IS FILLED WITH GARLIC, BUTTER AND CHEESE

FRESH MOZZARELLA, PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA AND PEACH

COLD ANTIPASTO DELLA CASA
PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA, GENOA SALAMI, CAPICOLLA,
BOCCONCINI, ARTICHOKE HEARTS, CHUNKS OF
PARMIGIANO, PROVOLONE CHEESE AND OLIVES

CUCINA GARDEN SALAD

PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE

VEAL DISH WAS DAILY SPECIAL AND DELICIOUS!

FRESH PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE

DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS.  MY FRIEND ORDERED IT

MEATBALLS AND MARINARA SAUCE

HUGE SHRIMP

LARGE MEATY CLAMS

GOOD SIZED SCALLOPS

CHOCOLATE CAKE WAS THE BOMB!

TIRAMISU

FRESH BAKED BREADS FROM THE BAKERY