The Drop In Cafe - First Take

One of my blog readers suggested that I try a new place in the Aikahi Shopping Center in Kailua (near the Marine Corp Base): The Drop In Cafe. It's in the space previously occupied by the Muddy Waters Cafe.

It has coffee, sandwiches, and the like. When I walked in, I was met by a very cheerful and particularly nice server/host. When I said that this was my first visit and what would she recommend, she immediately said, "the Chicago Dog - it's fantastic!"

So I got one, and it was pretty good. The bun was sesame seed instead of poppy seed, but it was good nonetheless. Some of the other requisite ingredients - including pickle spear, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and the famous "nuclear green" relish - were present. I'm guessing that mustard was omitted to give the diner the choice of how much to put on; celery salt was listed as an ingredient, but didn't seem present in mine. It didn't bother me, though. I enjoyed it.

I still think Hank's is better, but this one is a bit bigger and for my taste, better than Flavors of Kailua.

I was, however, very heartened by the enthusiastic attitude. At a time when good service is hard to find, I appreciate a new place that tries hard to please.

How would I rate the experience? I'm humbled that another one of my blog readers has started using a code term at restaurants for whether or not she and her husband liked a place. She now asks her husband: "Would you blog about it?" which means "Do you think it's good?" This is because I don't blog about restaurants that I don't like or that have little or no redeeming value.

The other ways of evaluating from other companions are: "Would you make a special trip to go to this place?" or "Would you come back?" or "Would you tell your friends that you absolutely have to go to this place?"

Well, I'm blogging about this place, and I do plan on coming back. I would not, however, make a special trip just to go if I wasn't already in Kailua.

All this is to say that I hope that you give the Drop In Cafe a try. The food is fine and I want to see nice people succeed in business.

Grace and aloha,

Tom

P. S. We've all been concerned about the situation in Haiti. It's at times such as these that I'm proud to be part of the United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is one of many organizations that provide relief. The one very compelling reason to give through this channel is that 100% of your donations go to relief efforts, because UMCOR's administrative structure is supported by the denomination.

A poignant note to this is that the executive director of UMCOR, the Rev. Sam Dixon, was in Haiti to strategize ways to help this already beleaguered nation when the earthquake happened. Rev. Dixon perished in the catastrophe.

If you would like to donate to Haiti relief through UMCOR, you can do so online: http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=418325&id=3018760.

The Peanut Challenge

In my September 2, 2009 blog post, I said that Costco had a number of their proprietary brand products were the best at any price. Among those was the Virginia peanuts.



One of my church members took exception to this claim and insisted that the peanuts from the Peanut Shop of Williamsburg (Virginia) were superior.



So I issued a challenge: we would have different people in the church from various generations do a blind tasting and vote for the one each thought was the best.

The results: 20 people chose the Peanut Shop peanuts. 19 chose the Costco peanuts. Those who preferred the Peanut Shop peanuts thought they had a more pronounced peanut flavor (I do agree with that opinion). Those who like the Costco peanuts cited the larger size of each peanut and the particularly nice crunch.

Technically, I lost the challenge. But consider this: a 32 ounce tin from the Peanut Shop costs $21 (it nets down to a little under $17 if you buy a case of 6) plus the required express shipping to Hawaii: $15. That makes it $36 for a single 32 ounce tin.

A 40 ounce tin from Costco costs a little less than $8. For a product that is essentially evenly matched with the premium brand and slightly more than 20% the net cost, I'll take the Costco brand every time.

Grace and aloha,

Tom

P. S. Virginia figures prominently in the birth of the United States. There is also a lot of debate about the faith and religious life of the Founding Fathers, such as Virginians George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. It seems that like America today, the Founding Fathers were a mixed bag religiously: Deists, Unitarians, and Orthodox Christians. One important difference: even those that did not have traditional Christian beliefs nonetheless saw civic importance of organized religion and most never made a formal break with the churches of their upbringing. These days, it seems that the importance of organized religion is diminishing, and the result, I'm afraid, will be a further splintering and division of people, for when people are individuals about everything, they will disagree on much.

I think the Founding Fathers had it right.

Breakfast on the Windward Side of Oahu - A Brief Roundup

Kailua has received some national attention when Rachael Ray visited a couple of this Windward town's restaurants for her "Tasty Travels" show on Food Network. One of them specializes in breakfast, so I thought that this post would focus on breakfast places on the Windward side. I'll be focusing on distinctively Windward places, so I won't be talking about Denny's, IHOP, or even Zippy's.

I'm trying to be nice, so I'm going to say at least one redeeming thing about each place.

Best Muffins - Moke's Bread and Breakfast
Moke's is located at 27 Hoolai St in Kailua, next to Boston Pizza and across the street from Blockbuster. It has homestyle breakfast (and only breakfast, BTW) with nice service. I must also say that the interior is very nice and homey.

Now by homestyle I mean that if I were to get Moke's kind of food at someone's home, I would be delighted. As a restaurant, however, the food is okay, but not great, and certainly not the kind of accolades it received on Yelp (whose reviewers with whom I consistently tend to disagree). I have gone to Moke's a few times, the last time in December with a party of 12. The service was good, with just about everyone saying pretty much the same thing: the food was okay, but they've had better.

The sole exception was the truly outstanding banana nut muffin. It was light but substantial, flavorful without overdoing the banana flavor.

I think if you would like to have a nice, relaxed breakfast in a cute setting with good service, Moke's is for you, especially if you like muffins.

Biggest Portions - Times Coffee Shop
Times is on 153 Hamakua Dr, pretty close to Safeway. Times is a local style place: big portions, hole in the wall atmosphere, fairly good service.

From pancakes, to Loco Moco, to meat and eggs plates, Times does a good job. Their fried rice is among the better ones around.

The ambience is definitely "Spartan," and the service is generally polite and pretty efficient, if not overly friendly.

Who would like Times? Local folks and people in general who have big appetites. It's definitely a solid choice.

Excellent Breakfast with the Most Unusual Meat Dish - Koa Pancake House
Located on 46-126 Kahuhipa St, Koa Pancake House has a big menu and good food with cheerful, attentive service. Pancakes, waffles, omelets are all good.

What makes Koa's distinctive is Vinha D'alhos (pronounced Vinna Dosh - like the first part of "Kosher" - the pronunciation indicates that the Portuguese who introduced this dish to Hawaii came from the Azores, an island archipelago off the coast of Portugal; maybe that's what attracted these islanders to the Hawaiian islands). It is a Portuguese dish that means "wine and garlic." The Hawaiian version appears to be stewed and then fried chunks of pork in a vinegar base. The waitress described it being like pork adobo but drier. I thought it looked and tasted a lot like the Cuban dish masitas de puercos. In any case, it is delicious and good alongside eggs and potatoes, or in an omelet.

Koa Pancake House would be one of my two favorite places to have breakfast on the Windward side.

The Best Single Breakfast Dish in Hawaii - Boot's and Kimo's
*Sigh* I have a real love/hate thing for this restaurant, located on Hekili street in a new location across the street from Hawaiian Island Creations. On one hand, the food is excellent, with great tasting omelets and if you hang around late enough for lunch, one of the best garlic chicken plate lunches around.

They also have what I think is the single best breakfast dish in Hawaii: pancakes with the macadamia nut sauce. Many people have speculated what this sauce is made of, as it is absolutely delicious and a deeply guarded secret. My guess is that it is melted and heated vanilla ice cream with crushed macadamia nuts on top. I have to try that sometime at home to see.

But I must regretfully confess that I do not particularly care to go there, except when people visit us who have never been there. For one thing, the wait to get a table is interminable (it's kind of like what Yogi Berra said once about a restaurant in New York: "Nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded").

The other thing that is difficult is that the service is generally rather indifferent. I thought it was just me, but nearly everyone I have talked to says the same thing. I would characterize the service as giving off an attitude along the lines of "If you don't like the service, that's okay, you don't have to come back...we have plenty of diners who will take your place." And unfortunately, that is true: they have tons of diners lining up and waiting outside to get a table at almost all hours of operation.

But those pancakes are heavenly. If you are visiting Hawaii, it is definitely on the to do list, but be prepared to wait and think only about how good the food is. If you live in Hawaii and you've never been there before, do go once and then decide if on balance it's worth going back.

The Best All Around Breakfast on the Windward Side - Cinnamon's
This restaurant located in a large business plaza that's off of Maluniu (or Aulike or Uluniu, depending on where you're coming from...the best landmark is that the plaza is across the street from the McDonald's on Kuulei). I don't think that there is anything that is absolutely the best I've ever had, but just about everything is very good to outstanding. This was the place featured on Rachael Ray's show (the other place in Kailua, by the way, was Kalapawai Cafe, which I'll write about in a future post).

They are famous for their pancakes, which aren't quite as good as Boot's and Kimo's, but close enough without the wait. I recommend the guava pancakes, the carrot cake-like pancakes, and the strawberry cheesecake pancakes (occasional special item).

Their best omelets are actually more like frittatas (or egg foo yung), with ingredients mixed in with the eggs before cooking. I like the Chinese omelet, which has things like bits of char siu, bean sprouts, and green onions. The Hawaiian omelet is good too, with kalua pork as the main ingredient.

They have good Eggs Benedict (no place will ever quite replace the superb Eggs Benedict from the old Tahitian Lanai, but Cinnamon's is the next best), with creative alternatives to Canadian Bacon, like mahi mahi, and spinach and tomato.

S.A.N.D. (Start of A Nice Day) is popular: kind of like a version of the Grand Slam Breakfast: pancakes, one egg, and bacon (a three run home run?).

The service is outstanding and they are able to accommodate large parties with ease. They also have al fresco dining in the courtyard.

Happy Eating!

Grace and aloha,

Tom

P. S. The word "Breakfast" means to "break a fast," which is the long period without eating that comes with sleep.

Breakfast is featured prominently in one of the accounts of the Post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. In Luke 24, the first thing that Jesus does when the disciples see him is serve them breakfast.

Perhaps the breakfast was symbolic of breaking the fast from the presence of Jesus that the disciples experienced. With the resurrected Christ, they would never be without him, and that opportunity is available to us.

So may breakfast always be reminder of the constant and renewing presence of Christ in our lives.

The Week of Living Tastelessly

[Note: this post was adapted from my Christmas Eve service message, delivered at Kailua United Methodist Church last week]

When I say that I spent a week of living tastelessly this doesn’t mean that I spent seven days watching Jerry Springer’s talk show, listening to Howard Stern’s radio program, or getting media advice from Richard and Mayumi Heene, the parents of the Balloon Boy, whose hoax infuriated America.

Actually, a couple of weeks ago, I had a bad cold, and what it did was give me sinus congestion such that I couldn’t taste any food for a week.

For a food blogger, this is not good. I think my office manager, Shelley, put it best: when I told her that I couldn’t taste food, she said, “Wow…that would almost be like dying for you!”

She wasn’t too far from the truth. For me, the worst part of being sick is not being able to taste food – for one week, I experienced a complete absence of flavor in my food. I could sort of figure out if something was salty, bitter, or sweet, but not with any enjoyment.

I basically live to eat…but for a week, I had to eat to live. Did I survive? Sure…but some of the great joy in life was gone.

I was particularly concerned, because at the end of the week on that Saturday was our church's Christmas Party, which featured gourmet food prepared by a professional chef and culinary students. I was thinking in horror that I would not be able to taste fully that wonderful food.

I tried everything…medications, Vapo-Rub, even a straight shot of wasabi, hoping it would clear out my nasal passages…nothing…

By Friday morning, there was the first sign of flavor! I made some Lipton’s Chicken noodle soup, and there was just a wisp of that chicken bouillon saltiness. Such a simple thing, but it was very exciting!

I found that if I blew my nose, I could get just a touch of flavor (at this point, you are simultaneously grossed out and empathetic). I found out during a meal of Panda Express later that day (a favorite of my daughters) if I gently blew air through my nose, I could get a little bit of flavor. Things were looking up!

By the next day, I could taste the nuttiness of Cheerios – very thrilling! Later that morning, I could taste some of the Christmas cookies made by some of our dedicated church members.

By the time of the Christmas Party, I was able to fully taste food! Yes! I could taste the steamship round of beef…I could taste the yummy ahi crostini…the chicken satay skewers…the fried wonton with two piquant sauces…kalua pig on a guava roll…even the vegetarian salad with green beans and two kinds of beets! Amazing! Delicious! Fantastic!

I really understood how much being able to taste food adds so much to my life.

Now…if I had been born without the sense of smell – which is really where we get most of our sense of flavor from – I would certainly be alive, I would certainly be able to get through life…but I would be missing out on so much of the joy, the satisfaction, the wonder of living. That’s what life lived tastelessly would be like. The absence of flavor in my life would be tragic.

And that’s just the absence of the sense of smell and flavor. I would say that there are those who don’t think their lives are missing much because of the absence of Christ in their lives. But if they only knew what the presence of Christ does to their lives, it would be like adding flavor to the mere eating of food.

There is a reading from Isaiah 9:2: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." The people of that time are experiencing the absence of light – which is what darkness is. Of course, Isaiah is speaking figuratively…what he meant was that they were living in the absence of true joy, happiness, and fulfillment in life.

But then the people who have lived in darkness…the people who have lived in the absence of light…saw a great light. It started as the light of a star that shone over a tiny little town in Palestine on the first Christmas. And as impressive as that light was, it was nothing compared to the light that came from a beautiful infant child, radiating nothing but joy, hope, love, peace, possibilities, and fulfillment. And those shepherds, abiding their fields at night – the time when light is absent – witnessed the light of the angels, and went to see the Christ child, full of grace and truth, and the light that shines in the darkness of hopelessness, of despair, of pessimistic times…and promises possibilities that go beyond the imaginations that we can conjure up in our wildest dreams.

It is no accident in the book of Genesis that when you see the passage of days, that it says, “And there was evening and morning, another day.” We usually think of the days as morning to evening…but the biblical writers wanted us to be reminded every day of the goodness of God, and so we begin each day in darkness – in the absence of light – and move into the light the shines in the darkness…a reminder of the light of joy, hope and love from God. That’s why Jesus was born in the darkness, and then came into the light – because he IS the light of the world.

One last note on taste and flavor. We all know that Jesus was born in something called a manger. A manger is a feeding trough for animals. The word itself comes from the French word “manger,” which means to eat.

I don’t think it is coincidental that Jesus is identified with something to eat, to taste. When Jesus grows up to be a man, he teaches, he heals, he astounds, and gives hope and joy to people who needed it badly. And then when he was to give himself as a sacrifice for the world, he had a final meal with his disciples, and told them that to remember him, they would need to symbolically taste him in the life giving elements of food and drink…and that from then on, when we taste the goodness and flavor of food and drink, we give thanks for the flavor and joy and goodness that Christ gives to everyone.

So…may you go from the absence of flavor and the absence of light in your lives to taste and experience the light fullness of joy, goodness, happiness, peace, hope, and love.

May you know that no matter how your life is now, that there is the hope that it will be so much more in Christ…

And may the light that shines in the darkness, Jesus Christ, born in a manger, a place that provided taste, flavor and nourishment, be with you and remain with you this Christmas, and always….Amen.

Grace and aloha - and Happy New Year!

Tom

The Princess and the Frog - The Power of Love and Food

Opening boxes from our move to our new home, I was pleasantly surprised to come across some movie passes that were gifts from a thoughtful friend a few Christmases ago. With most of the groundwork laid for Christmas Eve and Sunday, I decided to take my daughters to see Disney's latest animated film, "The Princess and the Frog." The trailers looked like it was going to be a light, fluffy film, but it had some pretty good lessons and subtle faith messages.

The film is an updated version of the Grimm's fairy tale, but instead of being set in Germany, it is set in early 20th century New Orleans. Tiana is the daughter of a hard working family that nonetheless has time for family and friends, especially with food as the centerpiece. Tiana shows skill at cooking gumbo, and her benevolent father invites the entire neighborhood, basically saying that food builds community (hence, its appropriateness for this food blog).

The years pass and Tiana is now a hard working double shift waitress, trying to make enough money to buy her own restaurant. Her childhood friend, the wealthy Charlotte, is vying to marry a prince, and one happens to be visiting New Orleans - Prince Naveen from country of Maldonia.

Into the picture comes Dr. Facilier, AKA the Shadowman, a voodoo magician who turns Prince Naveen into a frog and plots to have Naveen's crooked butler, Lawrence, help Facilier gain the fortune of Charlotte's father and control New Orleans.

Naveen convinces Tiana to kiss him so he can be restored to human form, but instead, Tiana turns into a frog. The rest of the movie is the resolution of this crisis and also the development and resolution of the relationship that develops between Naveen and Tiana.

This is a well made film that belongs in the pantheon of Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Pocahontas, etc. It probably won't be quite as beloved as those named, but I think it is one that will grow on you.

The characters of Tiana and Naveen are very well developed, and are very much appropriate to contemporary tastes. Tiana, for example, is bright, independent, and goal oriented - and the goal isn't a man and living happily ever after with him and doing what he wants.

The score is by Randy Newman, who is known to many as the composer of such pop songs such as "Short People" and the theme song to the TV series "Monk." Newman, however, comes from perhaps the most prestigious family of film score composers, beginning with his uncles, Alfred, Emil and Lionel Newman, and his cousins, Joey, Maria, David, and Thomas Newman, the latter the composer of the scores of such films as "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile," and "Pay It Forward." Randy's score is playful, diverse, and appropriate to the jazz birthplace that is New Orleans.

The key themes are: that the love of others is more important than fame, fortune and ambition; that one can rely on good luck or even divine intervention only so far, that personal dedication and effort are key to realizing one's dreams.

One of the most important, but perhaps overlooked, subplots is the star that various characters make wishes to. The star is named Evangeline, which means "the bringer of good news." For me, it alludes to the star that shone over Bethlehem pointed the way to the ultimate definition of Good News: Jesus Christ, born in a manger, to give hope, joy, and peace to all, and taught that love is the greatest force in the universe, and transcends all other values.

May that Good News be brought to all of you during this time and always.

Merry Christmas.

Grace and aloha,

Tom

Carrabba's Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup - My Take

Those of us who live in Hawaii and California are fortunate in almost every way, except that we don't have a Carrabba's Italian Grill near us. I would describe it as Italian-American food in the very best way that term can mean. It isn't super authentic Italian food, but it is as good as a chain restaurant gets, which in this case, is very good: http://www.carrabbas.com.

I think they make terrific steaks, good chicken dishes, and the pastas are fine. But what I love and crave is their Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup they make often. The service is also very good. We went to the location in Mechanicsburg, PA (a lot better than it sounds). I was crushed when they said they didn't have the soup that day. The waiter slipped away for a moment, came back and said, "My manager said, 'Tell us when you can come back, and we'll make it especially for you.'" Now that's great service! We did go back a couple of days later, and it was great.

It doesn't sound like much, but it is a hearty, deeply satisfying soup that goes great with the rustic Italian bread they serve with it.

I won't be making it back to Mechanicsburg anytime soon (although I found a Nashville location, so there's a good chance I'll make it there in the spring), so I've been trying to come up with a reasonable facsimile of my own.

So here's my take...it's adapted from guesswork and different recipes I've seen. I think it's pretty good...maybe not quite as good as Carrabba's, but I can make it anytime. Served with some good, crusty bread, it makes a terrific winter time meal.

For the vegetarians, you can omit the sausage and substitute vegetable stock. My sister, Portia, who has been published writing about the wonders of lentils, likes the vegetarian take. I'm not so sure, but lentils are packed with iron and are high in protein, especially when eaten with rice or other grains. In any version, so good and good for you.

1 pound Italian sausage (spicy or mild, depending on your family's taste)
1 pound lentils
2-3 round onions, depending on size, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery, chopped
1 can (14-16 oz) stewed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4-6 cups of chicken stock, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Hot pepper flakes
Bay leaf, basil, oregano
Vinegar (apple cider or balsamic)

In an eight quart Dutch oven, sauté sausage in olive oil, breaking up sausage into small pieces. Drain all but one tablespoon oil if needed.

Add lentils, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chicken stock, black pepper (I waited until near the end to see if it needed salt), and optional hot pepper flakes (if you prefer to use Italian herbs, you can add them now if desired – I usually don't add them; I think it turns out much better without, and so does Becky, but is a personal taste thing).

Bring soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours or until lentils are tender. Add water or stock during cooking if the soup becomes too thick. Adjust for seasoning if necessary before removing from heat.

Serve with good crusty bread. If desired, pass around a bottle of vinegar and invite diners to add a small amount to each bowl. Start with a few drops or more to taste. I like a little bit of vinegar, Becky and the girls don't care for it.

Enjoy....

Grace and aloha,

Tom

P. S. Lentils show up often in the Bible. For example, when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob, it is for a bowl of lentil stew. When fleeing from his rebellious son, Absalom, King David and his men were strengthened with a meal that included lentils. It's interesting to know that such a humble legume played an important role in biblical narratives.

Corn Souffle - An Easy and Good Dish for the Holidays or Anytime

At Thanksgiving time or potluck time other times of the year, my wife Becky and I will often make something called Corn Souffle. It is very easy to make and it is delicious. It's been a part of Becky's family for many years.

I've been asked for the recipe often, including this year, so I am posting the recipe so that anyone can access it at any time.

One warning: it is not a diet dish! As my seminary literature professor, Peter Hawkins, might describe: it is "heartstoppingly" rich. I usually double the recipe for potlucks and dinner parties.

Corn Souffle

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter (melted then cooled)
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 can corn (w/liquid) 11 oz. (we prefer the Green Giant White Shoepeg variety)
1 can creamed corn 15 oz.
1 box JIFFY corn muffin mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg and mix with both cans of corn. Add sour cream and cooled melted butter, mix together well.

Add muffin mix, mix together until well blended.

Pour into casserole dish and bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour until golden brown & not obviously runny.

My good friend Deborah Tom decided to make it at the last minute. She forgot to add the eggs and substituted cream cheese for the sour cream. She said it still turned out well.

Enjoy!

Grace and aloha,

Tom

P. S. If I had to choose a quintessentially American food product, it would have to be corn. That is both a good and bad thing. Great things come from corn: popcorn, corn on the cob, even the best environmentally friendly picnic ware.

Corn also turns up in an incredibly high percentage of food products, especially sweetened foods. High fructose corn syrup shows up in almost anything sweet nowadays. There are big debates about the healthiness of high fructose corn syrup, and while I don't have the personal knowledge to make a judgment either way, it does give one pause at how ubiquitous it is. It's worth taking an inventory and understanding what we are ingesting into our bodies.

By the same token, it's also worth taking an inventory at what we are ingesting into our souls. We may be surprised at how much or how little we are receiving in terms of spiritual nourishment.

The season before Christmas that we are now in is called Advent. It means "coming," in other words, the coming of Christ. It has been traditionally set apart as a time for reflection and meditation on the meaning and significance of Jesus. The hustle and bustle of commercialized Christmas has basically taken that completely away from most.

This year...please carve out some time to reflect prayerfully and seriously. If "Jesus is the reason for the season," let's take some time to figure out exactly what that means.