CHEF SALAD

CHEF SALAD

DINNER AT HOME 

Decided to use up the last pieces of a Costco Rotisserie Chicken and some vegetables we had in the refrigerator to make a delicious Chef Salad in just a few minutes.  Salad included the Chicken, Lettuce, Bacon, Salami, Cheddar Cheese, Carrots, Bell Pepper, Tomato and Hard Boiled Egg.

Added a light Balsamic Dressing and enjoyed!

BAKED BBQ CHICKEN

DINNER AT HOME

Had a problem with the BBQ and it was a bit too windy outside so I decided to make BBQ Chicken in the oven.  Picked up some really nice frozen Chicken Thighs at Costco that are large and meaty.
Gave them a coating on both sides with Weber Kick'N Chicken Spice Blend.  This is a delicious blend of spices but beware, it is does pack some heat.  I also sprinkled garlic powder and a bit of salt on the chicken.  Mixed up about 1.5 cups of BBQ Sauce with 1/4 cup of Chicken Stock and then coated the chicken after searing in a grill pan for about four minutes on each side.  Covered the chicken with aluminum foil and baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Chicken cooked perfectly and was moist a full of bbq flavor.  Great little meal that was super easy and completed in under an hour.  Served with Mashed Potatoes and some vegetables we had in the refrigerator.


BAKED BBQ CHICKEN

BAKED BBQ CHICKEN IS A FAMILY FAVORITE

CHICKEN THIGHS COATED WITH WEBER KICK' N CHICKEN SPICE, GARLIC POWDER AND SALT 

COOKED FOR ABOUT FOUR MINUTES ON EACH SIDE 

PLACED IN OVEN SAFE PAN

COVERED WITH ABOUT 1.5 CUPS OF BBQ SAUCE MIXED WITH 1/4 CUP OF CHICKEN STOCK

COVERED PAN WITH ALUMINUM FOIL AND BAKED AT 350 DEGREES FOR 40 MINUTES

BAKED BBQ CHICKEN

LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE

LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE

DINNER AT HOME

Celebrated a 16th Anniversary at home where we are most comfortable. Rather than go out and spend a lot of money in a busy restaurant we opt to have special dinners at home with the family.  I thought of making Steak and Lobster or Crab, Beef Wellington or maybe some fresh fish.  None of those interested by lovely bride so I said "how about Linguine with Clam Sauce".  She gave me the green light and I cooked up one of our favorite dishes in just a few minutes.  Started the meal with a delicious Liver Pate with Raspberry jam and fresh baked bread.  The Jam went perfectly with the Pate.  This was delicious.  Followed up the Pate with a very small salad consisting of Romaine Lettuce, Bell Pepper, Carrots, Tomato, Bacon and Egg.  Served with a Balsamic Dressing.  This was delicious and I purposely made it small so we would not fill up and not leave room for the dessert that I had planned.  Chocolate flourless Mouse Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  Yummy!  No picture of that dish because we did fill up and did not have room for dessert.  Three days later it is still in the refrigerator because we have been so busy.  The Linguine and Clam Sauce was "perfect" according to my wife.  I used a combination of Chopped Clams from a can and large Little Neck Clams that I picked up at Whole Foods.  The fresh Clams were huge, meaty, sweet and delicious.  Absolutely love this dish and will continue to make it whenever the Boss requests it.  So thankful and blessed to have a wife that has put up with me for sixteen years.  Hope I am cooking for her for the rest of my life!

Click below for the Linguine and Clam recipe:

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/02/linguine-with-clam-sauce-dinner-at-home.html

LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE

APPETIZER OF LIVER PATE WITH RASPBERRY JAM AND BREAD

STEAMED THE LITTLE NECK CLAMS IN THE SAUCE (SEE LINK ABOVE FOR RECIPE)

SMALL SALAD WITH BOILED EGG, BACON AND BALSAMIC DRESSING

LINGUINE AND CLAMS COOKED AT HOME

RYAN'S GRILL AT WARD CENTER

RYAN'S GRILL AT WARD CENTER

HONOLULU, HAWAII

RYAN'S GRILL AT WARD CENTER

1200 ALA MOANA BLVD

HONOLULU, HI  96814

808-591-9132

HOURS:  Lunch Daily 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

                 Sunday thru Thursday 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

                 Friday and Saturday 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

www.ryansgrill.com

There are few places left in Hawaii that I can say that I have been going to for 30 years.  Ryan's opened in 1983 and I have been a customer ever since.  Granted I do not go here often anymore, but back in the day this was a weekly stop for pupu's and drinks.  Back then this was one of the hotter places to meet girls if you can believe that.  A recent visit brought back memories especially since when I walked in the door the same bartender from at least twenty years ago was still behind the bar.  As always at Ryan's we were greeted by a hostess that welcomed us to the restaurant and quickly seated us at a table along the window in the back.  Water and menus came quickly and we ordered the Spicy Avocado Ahi as soon as I saw it on the menu.  The Spicy Avocado Ahi ($13.95) was fresh and delicious.  The Ahi was great but there were too many thick cut onions on the place.  I love onion in my Poke but not huge pieces that overpower the fish.  The Avocado in this dish was almost non existent.  Think we counted three small pieces that were basically mush.  Even with the large chunks of onions and lack of Avocado this was a good dish that I would order again.  I went for the Grilled Fresh Catch ($17.95) which on the menu showed Opah.  The waiter said they were substituting Kajiki which is Striped Marlin.  The fish was super fresh and delicious.  The description of this dish said that it was served with Stir Fry Vegetables.  There were 2-3 thinly sliced vegetables under some Chinese Cabbage.  The Black Bean Sauce was very weak.  Wish it had packed more flavor.  What saved this dish was the fish.  When fish caught in Hawaii is fresh it is pretty hard to mess it up.  With Marlin, people usually overcook the fish so it is dry and hard.  Ryan's cooked it perfectly and it was delicious.  The Kalbi Beef Bowl ($10.95) was served with Kim Che Rice, Egg, Vegetables and Ketchup.  Yes a huge pile of Ketchup was placed on the plate.  Cannot figure out why this was here.  Have never been served Kalbi with Ketchup.  The Kalbi was delicious and did not need Ketchup.

My wife enjoyed this dish and pretty much devoured it all.  Nice to have neighborhood restaurants like Ryan's.  Congratulations on being in business here for so long.  Hopefully all the building and revitalization of the Ward Village area will bring more business and another 30 years!

Click below to view another post on Ryan's Grill at Ward Center:

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2011/01/ryans-grill-at-ward-center.html

RYAN'S GRILL 

RYAN'S GRILL AT WARD CENTER

BRIGHT AND COMFORTABLE ENTRANCE AND BAR AREA

THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF HAWAII'S ORIGINAL OPEN KITCHENS

BACK DINING AREA AT RYAN'S

BACK AREA IS A LITTLE QUIETER THAN AROUND THE BAR

RYAN'S LUNCH SPECIALS

RYAN'S MENU HAS DOZENS OF SELECTIONS

FROM SOUPS TO PIZZA, TACOS AND POKE

PLENTY OF SALAD SELECTIONS

APPETIZERS, KOBE BURGERS, SANDWICHES AND ENTREES

A FEW TABLES HAVE VIEW OF ALA MOANA BOULEVARD AND ALA MOANA PARK

SPICY AVOCADO AHI - NOT MUCH AVOCADO IN THERE BUT DELICIOUS

LUNCH FRESH FISH - GRILLED KAJIKI

KALBI BEEF RICE BOWL

COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHY 1/4 OF THE PLATE WAS KETCHUP

AGU RAMEN

AGU RAMEN

HONOLULU, HAWAII

AGU RAMEN

925 ISENBERG STREET

HONOLULU, HI  96826

808-492-1637

HOURS:  Daily 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

www.aguramen.com

We were still looking for another neighborhood gem when we visted Agu Ramen in Moilili.  The restaurant is in the location of the old Da Kitchen and across from Old Stadium Park.  We arrived to find the place packed around lunch time and had to wait outside for a few minutes.  The polite staff came out and said they could seat us at the main double bar that runs the length of the dining room sitting maybe six people on each side.  We took the seats and were greeted enthusiastically in Japanese as we took our seats.  The all male wait staff was on our table quickly offering drinks and menus.  We looked over the menu and had no idea what to order.  The waiter came back with water and asked if we were ready to order or had any questions.  I asked what he would recommend and he mentioned the Gyoza, Karaage and a few other sides.  We ordered the Gyoza and Karagge Chicken as appetizers to share.  I asked about the "spicy" Ramen and he directed me to the Spicy Kotteri and said that it got hot at level 3 where they use Thai Chili's.   My girls ordered the Original Kotteri and I went for the Level 3 Kotteri.  A few minutes passed and our appetizers arrived.  The Gyoza ($5.75) was a bargain and delicious.  All three of us thought that it was the best dish of the meal.  Gyoza was fresh and filled with pork and a hint of ginger.  Delicious.  Could have eaten them all by myself.  The Karaage Chicken ($10.75) was good but really lacked flavor.  It was served with a vinegar based sauce that helped but the chicken really needed some spice.  Seems like it as just fried.  The Original Kotteri Ramen ($12.75) was really oily and bland according to my wife.  Both her and my daughter took scoops of my spicy broth and added it to their Ramen to try to kick up the flavor.  My Spicy Kotteri Level 3 ($13.25) cleared my sinuses and made my nose run. Really was the perfect level of heat for me.  The first few bites were hot but after I got into the noodles and ate more the heat was fine.  My favorite part of the Ramen was the boiled egg that had absorbed the flavor of the broth.  The broth however was super oily and greasy.  Difficult to enjoy or finish something with this much oil.  Our impression of Agu was good.  Liked the vibe and feel of the place and the service was excellent. 

AGU RAMEN

AGU RAMEN ON ISENBERG ST ACROSS FROM OLD STADIUM PARK

SMALL BISTRO IS CLEAN, HIP AND COOL

AGU RAMEN SELECTIONS

SOME LIKE IT HOT LIKE ME

AGU SEASONAL SELECTIONS

AGU EXTRAS

AGU SMALL AND REGULAR PLATES

AGU BEVERAGES

SAUCES, SPICES AND PEPPER

READY TO EAT

GYOZA

GYOZA DIPPED IN A LITTLE SHOYU AND CHILI OIL

KARAAGE CHICKEN

FRIED CHICKEN NEEDED SOME FLAVOR

ORIGINAL KOTTERI

ORIGINAL KOTTERI WITH EGG, PORK, GARLIC, GREEN ONION AND EGG

SPICY KOTTERI LEVEL 3

SPICY KOTTERI WAS VERY GREASY AND OILY