Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Roxy's Island Grill

Roxy's Island Grill (Tualatin and Beaverton) serves their take on Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch classics. This review focuses on my trip to the Tualatin location.



One of their signature menu items, shoyu chicken
Menu
I had been eyeing Roxy's for some time now, and decided to stop by after working for a little bit in Lake Oswego. When I went in last week, the woman behind the counter asked if I would like to sample some of their entrees. I couldn't say no to free food, so I tried their kalua pig and shoyu chicken.

The kalua pig was good, but I felt like it needed a touch more salt and a just a bit more smoke to get that authentic Hawaiian feel to it. Who knows, maybe they are good on other days and I just got a subpar batch on that particular occasion. It was still tender and moist, a good thing.

The shoyu chicken was better, in my opinion. I enjoyed the sweetness of the chicken, basically soy sauce mixed with brown sugar. The garlic in the shoyu chicken gave the dish authenticity. Very nicely seasoned here. Nice job on the shredding of the chicken here, too. Very nice and moist.

Shoyu chicken, cooked veggies, and macaroni salad
I went with a plate of shoyu chicken, a side of veggies, and mac salad for $6.50.

The veggies were the freshest item on the plate, having been cooked to order by the chef in the back. The shoyu chicken was sitting out in a chaffing dish the entire time, and while it's a good thing for faster service and for free sample purposes, I would prefer very hot, fresh shoyu chicken instead if I paid for my food at a restaurant.

Good flavors on the mac salad -- and it included  that must-have peppery bite -- but the pepper was not as noticeable in this mac salad when compared to other places I've tried. There was just too much mayonnaise for my liking, and this likely masked the other flavors.

Overall, Roxy's does an OK job, but I'm all about getting hot, fresh food. When the vegetables are the freshest cooked item you'll get, that does present a bit of a problem. The flavors are nice, but I know I can go elsewhere for fresher, great-tasting, temperature-hot entrees. 6/10

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