FAT BOY'S HAWAIIAN STYLE GOURMET PLATE LUNCH

FAT BOY'S 

KEEAUMOKU STREET

HONOLULU, HAWAII 

A trip to Wall Mart on Keeaumoku Street ended up at Fatboy's after we saw the fresh new exterior from the highway.  While I am not a big fan of Hawaiian Style Plate Lunches we wanted to give Fatboy's a try.  The new interior is modern and clean.  You order at the window and then take a seat.  The food comes to you by a staff member in minutes.  We tried the Kalua Pork and Cabbage Plate ($7.95).   This is a nice portion of Kalua Pork served with cabbage, two scoops rice and tiny salad.  My girls seemed to like it.  I noticed that a lot of patrons were eating the Sesame Garlic Chicken which is their most popular item.  This must be good because people were finishing the plate.  Also saw a nice plate of Pork Chops that looked good.  I could not make up my mind on a Plate Lunch so I tried the Cheeseburger ($4.30).  Came with large cut fries for additional $1.75.  The burger came out looking great.  I took one bite and lost my appetite.  The hamburger patty was one of those cheap frozen types you get in the frozen foods section in a large box.  Really ruined the burger.  The fresh tomato, lettuce, onion and grilled bun were good.  The patty just killed everything.  Next time I will try the Sesame Garlic Chicken.  Fatboy's serves up a nice breakfast menu all day long.  Gourmet Plate Lunches include; Chicken Katsu, Fried Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Pork Chops, Local Sytle Kalbi,  BBQ Mix Plate, Beef Stew, Fried Fish and Seafood.  Special Plates include; Rosemary and Alaea Crusted Prime Rib, Dijon Crusted Rack of Lamb, Local Grass Fed Ribeye, Saute Garlic Shrimp and Grilled Local Fish.  They also have Bento Boxes, Burgers and Sandwiches.  They have a "Crazy Burger" with Bacon, Fried Hot Dog, Crispy Fried Onions and Potato Macaroni Salad.  Also Teriyaki, Mushroom Swiss, Kim Chee and Pineapple Cheezy burgers.  Just hope they don't use those same frozen hamburger patties for these burgers too.  I will try other items at Fatboy's before knocking them just because of the frozen hamburger patty.  Looks like they do a good job and use quality ingredients.  Will return again.

Fatboy's menu shows that they have been in business since 1999 and now have three locations on Oahu.  They have re-branded themselves into a Gourmet Plate Lunch establishment and are trying to perfect a great affordable meal in a fresh and trendy atmosphere filled with Aloha.  They use local ingredients whenever possible.  All good so please use some local beef and make a "fresh" burger!

FAT BOY'S HAWAIIAN STYLE GOURMET PLATE LUNCH

FAT BOY'S ON KEEAUMOKU STREET.
FRESH AND CLEAN EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR

ORDER AT THE COUNTER

INDOOR SEATING AND A FEW TABLES OUTSIDE

KALUA PORK AND CABBAGE GOURMET PLATE LUNCH

WORST BURGER EVER ON THIS BLOG.
HAMBURGER PATTY HAD THAT CHEAP FROZEN TASTE

STAN SHERIFF CENTER - WARRIOR BASKETBALL

MY BOWS LOST TO UTAH STATE 

STAN SHERIFF CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
MENS BASKETBALL 

Lost a heartbreaker to Utah State in Mens Basketball.  Hawaii led most of the second half and with only 7 seconds left in the game Utah State hit the winning shot.  The game was a "White Out" where they ask all fans to wear white shirts.  My girls tried the Teriyaki Chicken Plate ($7.50).  Three large pieces of chicken, two scoops rice and a salad.  The chicken was really dry they said.  My Stan Sheriff favorite with a cold one are the Bamboocha Nachos.  A huge plate of tortilla chips covered in cheese sauce and topped with ground beef, tomato, onion, olives and sour creme.  We put on a pretty healthy scoop of jalapeños too.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN PLATE

BAMBOOCHA NACHOS

TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP

TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP

DINNER AT HOME 

Bought a new contraption for the kitchen after watching QVC a few weeks back.  When I saw the guy on t.v. place frozen ribs in the cooker and then eat them in 20 minutes I was sold.  I purchased Bob Warden's Great Food Fast Cookbook with the Pressure Cooker.  The book is filled with recipes designed for the Pressure Cooker.  The book includes chapters on Soups and Starters, Beef, Poultry, Pork, Seafood, Pasta and Rice, Vegetables and Sides, Lighter Fare, Holiday Cooking and Desserts.  The wife wanted Tomato and Basil Soup so I followed the easy recipe and had a delicious home made soup done in under 30 minutes.  The actual pressure cooking time is only 8 minutes.  The recipe did not call for it, but I used a hand blender at the end to blend all the tomatoes into a silky smooth soup.  If you don't do this there will be chunks of diced tomato and basil in the soup.  Really liked the fact that you can sauté and brown in the pressure cooker before you set the pressure time.  This reduces the amount of dishes.  Really cool to throw all the ingredients in a pot and have meals done in 8 to 20 minutes.  I made Chili in the pressure cooker too.  It cooked fresh kidney beans and made a great chili in just 26 minutes.  You may buy the Bob Warden cookbook on Amazon via the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Presents-Wardens-Ultimate-Pressure-Recipes/dp/1934193798

TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP GARNISHED WITH

COOKS ESSENTIALS PRESSURE COOKER FROM QVC

ROMA TOMATOES, ONION, GARLIC, CHICKEN BROTH
AND TOMATO SAUCE.  SIMPLE AND HEALTHY!

FRESH BASIL

SAUTE ONIONS AND GARLIC RIGHT IN THE COOKER.
NO NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PANS.

THROW IN THE INGREDIENTS AND PRESSURE COOK
FOR ONLY 8 MINUTES!

ADDED CREME AFTER PRESSURE COOKING FOR 8 MINUTES

TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP GARNISHED WITH
FRESH BASIL AND PARMESAN CHEESE.
SERVED WITH GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

JOINUS TEPPANYAKI - TUMON, GUAM

ENTRANCE IN TUMON SANDS PLAZA

CHEF COOKS AT YOUR TABLE

JOINUS TEPPANYAKI
TUMON, GUAM 

A customer took us to one his favorite places in Guam.  Joinus Teppanyaki in the upscale shopping center called Tumon Sands Plaza.  The placed was jam packed at lunch with mostly locals celebrating birthday parties.  We were seated at the back Teppanyaki table.  The vents above the metal cooking surfaces did not seem to work or the air conditioning was blowing the air away from the vent.  The area was smokey and hot.  The entire table, menus and floor were greasy.  This place needs a good degreasing.  The lunch menu includes four options;
Steak, Chicken and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Steak, Salmon and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Chicken, Salmon and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Salmon, Scallops and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

I went with the steak, chicken and shrimp.  The chef begins the meal by slicing, flipping and flaming onions, bean sprouts, carrots, Bell Pepper and Tofu.  While he is cooking, they bring you  a Green Salad with Japanese Dressing and Miso Soup.  Both the salad and soup were good.  First down on the plate after the vegetables were the bacon wrapped shrimp.  Cooked in butter and white wine.  Delicious.  The waiter brought out a dipping sauce that was vinegar based with lots of onions.  This sauce put the steak, chicken and vegetables over the top.  I could have drank this sauce by the gallon.  It was just that good.  Added some heat and flavor to everything on the plate.  I was amazed by the amount of steak on my plate.  Large portion for lunch.  Other than the grease and smoke, I really enjoyed this meal.  Think the price was around $15.

FIRST COME THE VEGETABLES

BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP, CHICKEN AND STEAK

THIS SAUCE MADE EVERYTHING BETTER

THIS IS A HUGE LUNCH 

DENNY'S RESTAURANT - GUAM

DENNY'S RESTAURANT

TAMUNING, GUAM 

With breakfast costing $28 at the hotel in Guam, we went local style and had breakfast at Kings (on this blog) and Denny's on Marine Drive.  Denny's serves up all the breakfast classics plus an entire menu of local Guam favorites.  I enjoyed a healthy breakfast with egg whites served with spinach and Turkey Bacon.  This was great tasting once I added the Ketchup and Tabasco Sauce.  The staff at Denny's Guam is friendly and they give you a complimentary newspaper every day.  Prices are reasonable for Guam.  Breakfast was around $8.

Click link below to view another post on Denny's Restaurant Guam and see the menu"

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/09/dennys-restaurant-guam.html

DENNY'S GUAM

DENNY'S IS RIGHT ON MARINE DRIVE
WITH LOTS OF PARKING

INSIDE IS SPACIOUS AND CLEAN

HEALTHY BREAKFAST WITH EGG WHITES,
TURKEY BACON AND FRUIT

SEJONG RESTAURANT - GUAM

SEJONG KOREAN
RESTAURANT
TAMUNING, GUAM 

I have a great customer in Guam who always recommends good local restaurants when I visit.  Last time we did Thai Food so this time he recommended we try a Korean restaurant just down the street from his shop.  Sejong Restaurant serves up some really good Korean food in Guam.  The staff is friendly and efficient and the place is clean and cool.  I enjoyed the Kal Bi Ribs.  Marinated in a delicious sauce and served with a half dozen Korean vegetables and rice.  My friend ordered another beef dish for the table that was awesome.  Don't remember the Korean name for it, but do remember the flavor was incredible.  This shredded meat would make an awesome Korean Taco.  Sejong was a winner on all points.  Food, service and atmosphere. 

VEGETABLE AND SEAFOOD 

SEJONG KOREAN RESTAURANT

INSIDE IS CLEAN AND LARGE

KOREAN STYLE VEGETABLES AND KIM CHEE

KAL BI RIBS

SOME REALLY GOOD SLICED BEEF

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

UNITED B777 - HAWAII TO GUAM

UNITED AIRLINES B777 

HONOLULU TO GUAM

Flying 8 hours on the B777 in Economy Class is tough.  The seats are small and the isles are the tightest I have ever seen.  There is just enough room in the isle to get a service cart through.  There is no walking around the cart on this bird.  This is a cattle car for humans.  No attention to human comfort is considered in this design.  It is just pack as many people in as possible and let it fly.  I was lucky on one leg to get an opportunity to upgrade to an Exit Row for $89 extra.  Leg room was excellent despite having the exit door in front of me.  Still was nice and roomy and worth the extra charge.  The Exit Row upgrade was not available on my return flight so I sat in regular coach.  The seats were tight and small.  Very tough to sit in this small seat for 8 hours.  I was on the isle and every single cart and person that walked by brushed my side.  The isles are just that tight.  Both United crews were good.  Very friendly given they have to cater to 300 passengers in tight quarters.  We were served two small meals.  Chicken with vegetables and a very tiny ham and cheese sandwich with crackers.  Crew did good job offering water throughout the flight which is good.  The United B777 ends any idea that airline travel is fun and luxurious.  I can see the B778 coming where they place each passenger in a tube so they can get 400 people in the same space.  When you look at the size of the people getting on this plane and then look at the seats and isles, you can only think cattle car.  Worst thing about this cattle car that it cost $1200 to $2400 roundtrip to fly from Hawaii to Guam in COACH CLASS!

UPDATE 10/1/12 - Went to book roundtrip from Honolulu to Guam.  Coach class was $2100 and Business/First was $3000.  I went Business/First.  See photos below.  Seats did not recline very far and there were no foot rests.  This is the biggest example of making airlines cattle cars with no regard for the customer.  Food service was o.k.  Several selections for dinner and breakfast.  United has a monopoly to Guam and this results in ripping off the customer.  You can fly to the Philippines or Japan on Hawaiian Airlines for $900 roundtrip.  It is more than double to take United to Guam.

UNITED B777 IS HUGE AIRCRAFT
MY TRIP WAS HONOLULU TO GUAM

UNITED B777 AT HONOLULU AIRPORT

PAID $89 FEE FOR UPGRADE TO ECONOMY PLUS
EXIT ROW SEAT.  WELL WORTH IT FOR THIS LONG HAUL

THIS PLANE IS PACKED WITH SEATS AND JUST ENOUGH
ISLE ROOM FOR THE SERVICE CART

8 HOURS IN THESE TIGHT SEATS IS ROUGH

ECONOMY SEAT IS TIGHT

I AM 5' 5" AND MY KNEES ALMOST HIT
THE SEAT IN FRONT OF ME

 BUSINESS/FIRST CLASS SEATING TO GUAM
NO FOOT RESTS AND KIND OF TIGHT

BUSINESS/FIRST LEG ROOM TO GUAM
C'MON UNITED.  $3000 ROUND TRIP FOR THIS

 FIRST CLASS IS 2-3-2 CONFIGURATION 

 FIRST CLASS LEG ROOM ON B777 FROM HAWAII TO GUAM

 LEG ROOM IS NOT BAD BUT WAY TOO EXPENSIVE

CHAMPAGNE IN A PLASTIC CUP TO START THE FLIGHT