BAKED LOBSTER - DINNER AT HOME

 BAKED LOBSTER

DINNER AT HOME

When I saw Spiny Lobster on sale for around $7 each I grabbed three for the family.  My wife baked the lobster at 375 degrees for 15 minutes and then poured garlic butter all over the crustacean.  Served with some leftover Risotto and fresh Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots with garlic and butter.  Imagine a great lobster dinner for three for under $30 total.  This was great food at a great price!

BAKED LOBSTER WITH RISOTTO AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS

LL HAWAIIAN BBQ - SAIMIN BURGER

SAIMIN BURGER

LL HAWAIIAN BBQ

HONOLULU, HAWAII

LL HAWAIIAN BBQ

INSIDE WALL MART 

710 KEEAUMOKU STREET

HONOLULU, HI  96814

808-955-3382

www.hawaiianbarbecue.com

I was amazed when almost one thousand people lined up in Kakaako to taste a Ramen Burger made famous in New York by Chef Keizo Shimamoto.  Keizo came to Hawaii and in a few short hours sold out of 700 Ramen Burgers at ten bucks a pop.  This burger frenzy made the local news and propelled several local eateries to make their own version of the Ramen Burger.  One of the first to copy Keizo's concept was LL Hawaiian BBQ.  The LL version is $5.95 and believe me it did not cause a frenzy with me.  I found the burger to be greasy and pretty bland.  I ordered my Ramen Burger with cheese which was .35 extra.  Basically a $6 burger with some chopped green onion.  The green onion which looks so vibrant and fresh on the Original Keizo version is lost in the LL version.  Cannot taste it.  There also was no lettuce on the LL version and I think it really needs it to add texture and a fresh pop.  I did not really like the Ramen Burger at LL.  The beef did not taste fresh, the noodles were greasy and the burger lacked flavor.  When I think that I could buy three In n' Out Burgers for this price, I want to jump on a plane and head to California to hit and In n' Out.  Don't waste $6 on this Saimin Burger.  

LL HAWAIIAN BBQ

IN SEARCH OF THE RAMEN BURGER INSIDE WALL MART ON KEEAUMOKO STREET

ORDER AT THE WINDOW

BIGGER, BETTER AND CHEAPER THAN THE ORIGINAL RAMEN BURGER.  CHEAPER IS RIGHT.

LOVE THE LL GIRLS

WAITING FOR MY RAMEN BURGER INSIDE WALL MART

THE LL GIRL IS EATING HEALTHY.  I WENT FOR THE GREASE

LL SAIMIN BURGER FOR $5.95

THIS IS THE LL VERSION OF THE FAMOUS RAMEN BURGER ORIGINATED IN NEW YORK

SAIMIN BURGER WITH CHEESE

LL SAIMIN BURGER

GREEN ONIONS AND WAIT......IS THAT THE LETTUCE?

THIS WAS THE LINE WHEN CHEF KEIZO SHIMAMOTO CAME TO HONOLULU TO SERVE
UP HIS ORIGINAL VERSION OF THE RAMEN BURGER

THE ORIGINAL RAMEN BURGER BY KEIZO SHIMAMOTO

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH RISOTTO

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH RISOTTO

DINNER AT HOME

Wanted to give my girls a really good seafood dinner without spending a lot of money and did not want to serve them fish.  Went for some nice scallops that were actually on sale.  Served them Scallops with Risotto.  This was a delicious meal that was really pretty easy to prepare.  Tasted as good as a restaurant about about 1/4 the cost.  Started with a tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of olive oil.  Heated in pan and then added lots of chopped garlic.  Cooked the garlic and then added chopped mushrooms and asparagus.  Cooked until mushrooms were cooked and asparagus was cooked through but still a little crunchy.  Seasoned with salt and pepper and set aside.  Made a Risotto and then added the mushrooms, garlic and asparagus mixture along with some regular butter and a tablespoon of Truffle Butter.  Mixed well.  Cooked the scallops in olive oil for around two minutes on each side.  You want a nice sear on each side but do not want to overcook the scallops.  

SEARED SCALLOPS AND RISOTTO AT HOME 

SLICED MUSHROOMS, ASPARAGUS, GARLIC SAUTEED IN OLIVE OIL AND BUTTER

MEDIUM SIZE SCALLOPS

COOKED RISOTTO AND THEN ADDED IN THE MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS MIXTURE

ADDED PARMESAN CHEESE AND A BIT OF TRUFFLE BUTTER

FINISHED RISOTTO  

FRESHLY CRACKED PEPPER AND SEA SALT ON SCALLOPS

HEATED OLIVE OIL IN PAN AND PLACED SCALLOPS IN WHEN IT SIZZLED 

SEARED ON EACH SIDE FOR TWO MINUTES

VEAL CHOPS

DINNER AT HOME

Found some nice Veal Chops at Foodland Farms for around $7 each.  Decided to sear them off on an indoor grill pan and then finish in the oven for five minutes at 375 degrees.  You must be careful not to overcook veal chops.  You want a perfect medium rare with a pink middle.  Pulled it off perfectly thanks to my wife who after only five minutes in the oven pulled them out.  I added some coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper along with fresh rosemary from our front yard.  Served with garlic mashed potatoes and corn with onions and red bell pepper.  Restaurant quality dinner that was inexpensive and fast.

VEAL CHOPS

VEAL CHOPS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE - COATED BOTH SIDES WITH LOTS OF SALT AND PEPPER

COOKED ON HEATED GRILL PAN - TWO MINUTES ON EACH SIDE TO SEAR

SEARED VEAL CHOPS WERE THEN PLACED IN OVEN AT 375 DEGREES FOR FIVE MINUTES

ADDED A BIT MORE SALT AND PEPPER WITH FINELY CHOPPED ROSEMARY

BREAKFAST BURRITO

BREAKFAST BURRITO

COOKED AT HOME

After eating a terrible Breakfast Burrito in Napa Valley, I came home and found some ingredients in the refrigerator that we needed to use.  The beauty of a Breakfast Burrito is that you can pretty much use whatever you have and like to make the burritos.  I like mine with a bit of shredded beef but we did not have any on this day.  I simply sautéed some onion, green and red bell pepper and jalapeño in a teaspoon of oil.  While the vegetables cooked I placed four eggs in a bowl and added salt, pepper, hot sauce and about a tablespoon of milk.  Whisked the eggs and set them aside until the vegetables were cooked.  Added the eggs to the vegetables and began mixing it all up in the pan.  The eggs cooked in minutes and I folded them into a four tortilla and added some hot sauce.  Great Breakfast Burrito made fresh and fast!

BREAKFAST BURRITO 

GRABBED WHAT WE HAD IN THE REFRIGERATOR AND COOKED UNTIL TENDER.
RED AND GREEN BELL PEPPER, ONION AND FRESH JALAPENO

WHISK FOUR EGGS WITH SALT, PEPPER, HOT SAUCE AND A TINY BIT OF MILK

ADD EGGS TO VEGETABLE MIXTURE

COOKS UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES AND MAKES ENOUGH FOR TWO BURRITOS

ADDED FRESH TOMATO AND GREEN ONION AT THE END PLUS SOME SALT AND PEPPER

WARM FLOUR TORTILLA

PLACE EGGS ON TORTILLA AND ADD SOME HOT SAUCE FOR KICK

GRILLED ONO WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

 DINNER AT HOME

Enjoyed an incredible piece of fresh Hawaii Ono for dinner.  Ono is a Hawaiian word meaning "good to eat" and the fish is commonly known as Wahoo which is a close relative of the King Mackerel.  Ono is meaty and has a very light flavor.  You really need a good sauce to kick up the taste of Ono.  I made a Garlic Cream Sauce using shallots, garlic, butter, white wine, cream, salt and pepper.  Sauce is easy.  Melt tablespoon of butter in pan and then add garlic and shallots.  Cook and then deglaze with white wine.  Reduce the wine and add 1/4 cup of cream, more butter to taste and salt/pepper.  The sauce was amazing and really worked well with the fish and mashed potatoes.  Cooked the Ono on an indoor grill pan until both sides were seared.  Finished in a 350 degree oven for around ten minutes.  This was an exceptionally good meal that would have cost $25-$30 per plate in a Hawaii restaurant.  I pulled it off for around $15 total for three.

GRILLED ONO WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

SEARED ONO ON INDOOR GRILL PAN

FINISHED COOKING ONO IN THE OVEN AT 350 DEGREES FOR AROUND 10 MINUTES

GARLIC CREAM SAUCE WITH SHALLOTS, GARLIC, BUTTER, CREAM,
WHITE WINE, SALT AND PEPPER

RESTAURANT QUALITY AND TASTY DINNER FOR THREE FOR $15.
GRILLED ONO WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE SERVED WITH MASHED POTATOES AND VEGETABLES

BBQ CHICKEN - PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

DINNER AT HOME

Search this blog and you will find many recipes from Bob Warden's Great Food Fast Cookbook.

This is the "must have" book if you own a pressure cooker.  The recipes are easy to follow and really do deliver great food fast.  The Moist and Tender BBQ Chicken recipe was nice because it was raining and I could not fire up the grill.  Followed Bob Warden's recipe and had dinner on the table in about half an hour.  Just watch when you place under the broiler.  If you let it cook too long, the chicken may get a little dry.

Click below for more Chicken Pressure Cooker Recipes:

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/12/pizza-style-chicken-breasts-pressure.html

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/10/stuffed-chicken-breasts-pressure-cooker.html

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/09/sweet-onion-teriyaki-chicken-pressure.html

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/06/honey-dijon-chicken-pressur-cooker.html

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/02/honey-garlic-chicken-pressure-cooker.html

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/03/chicken-broccoli-and-rice-pressure.html

You may buy the Bob Warden cookbook on Amazon via the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Presents-Wardens-Ultimate-Pressure-Recipes/dp/1934193798

BBQ CHICKEN PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU BUY BOB WARDENS "GREAT FOOD FAST" COOKBOOK

HEAT OIL AND BROWN CHICKEN ON BOTH SIDES

CHICKEN BROWNED ON BOTH SIDES

ADD CHICKEN STOCK, BBQ SAUCE, CIDER VINEGAR AND BROWN SUGAR

PRESSURE COOK FOR 12 MINUTES

FINISHED BBQ CHICKEN AFTER PRESSURE COOKING.  FROM HERE I PLACED ON SHEET PAN
AND HEATED UNDER BROILER FOR FOUR MINUTES

D.K STEAKHOUSE

D.K STEAKHOUSE

HONOLULU, HAWAII

D.K STEAKHOUSE

WAIKIKI BEACH MARRIOTT

2552 KALAKAUA AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI  96815

808-931-6280

HOURS:  Daily 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

www.dksteakhouse.com

People often ask where can they find the best steak in Hawaii.  Answer:  The Paniolo Rib-Eye at D.K Steakhouse in Waikiki.  This is hands down the best and most flavorful steak in the State.  Most of my friends agree and go here when they want steak.  On this visit I went with my buddy for his birthday and he and his wife also declared the Paniolo Rib-Eye as the best steak ever!  We started our meal with a Scallop Appetizer that was pretty disappointing because the scallops were about the size of a quarter.  The Wedge Salad is served with Thousand Island Dressing so I changed mine to Bleu Cheese.  This Wedge is good but it needed some onion and bacon.  We ordered a slice of the Thick Cut Bacon and everyone loved it.  Served with sautéed mushrooms and a chutney.  Amazing flavor combination that really worked.  The Truffle Mac n' Cheese here is awesome.  It would be easy to kick back and knock back the entire bowl of this stuff.  Nice Truffle flavor and not too cheesy.  Flavors work well.  The star of the evening was the Paniolo Rib-Eye ($48).  This is the best steak in Hawaii.  I have eaten a dozen of them now and they are always good.  D.K's dusts the steak in a blend of spices that are then charred into the meat.  The outside of the steak has a nice char but the inside is cooked perfectly.  The steak is served with grilled Maui Onions which I make sure are included with every bite of steak.  The combination of the steak and the onion is amazing.  Enjoyed a few desserts too because it was my buddies birthday.  All were delicious.  Highly recommend D.K's for the Paniolo Rib-Eye.  Service on this night was great.  We brought our own wines and they waived the $25 corkage fee per bottle when we purchased a bottle of wine from their wine list.  

Click below to view previous post on D.K Steakhouse:

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/12/dk-steak-house.html

 

D.K'S PANIOLO RIB-EYE IS THE BEST STEAK IN HAWAII

 

WEDGE SALAD

SCALLOPS

THICK SLICED BACON WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHUTNEY

BROUGHT MY OWN BOTTLE OF HOBEL CABERNET TO ENJOY WITH THE RIB-EYE

HUGE BAKED POTATO

TRUFFLE MAC N' CHEESE

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MINT N' CHIP ICE CREAM 

BANANAS FOSTER

BREAD PUDDING 

A LITTLE SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR MY BUDDIES BIRTHDAY