Hawaiian Time

Hawaiian Time (Beaverton, OR) serves up their take on Hawaiian plate lunches.

Cool, a surfboard hanging from the ceiling....lovely

Hawaiian Time has some traditional plate lunch menu items, such as kalua pig, but they also have their take on food items (look at their Mauna Loa chicken, using sweet chili sauce). I decided to try their regular mixed plate of kalua pig and Mauna Loa chicken. The plate also comes with one scoop of white rice and one scoop of macaroni salad ($8.95). Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's brown rice here (menu says white rice, with the word "white" underlined).

Kalua pig on the bottom left, Mauna Loa chicken on the bottom right

I waited about 10 minutes for my food. There were a few customers who had ordered before me, so I felt that was a reasonable wait for fresh food.

When I received my plate lunch, I could immediately tell the meats had just been freshly prepared. I could also tell where the mac salad was -- it was the only area of the container that was cool to the touch.

Very good sticky rice here. Enough said on that because I expect rice to be cooked well.

The mac salad gets mixed reviews. While I again got the nice peppery bite (woohoo, that's three Hawaiian food places in a row with proper mac salad), the macaroni was a bit underdone for me. The pasta was still a bit chewy.

Now for the meats. The kalua pig was very good here as well, moist and flavorful with a good smoky flavor. Ohana Hawaiian Cafe is still my top pick because they added the cooked cabbage on top.

The Mauna Loa chicken was flavorful. I enjoyed the sweet chili sauce on the grilled boneless, skinless chicken. However, I did not detect any heat; the sweetness just took over here.

One gripe: I saw that the kalua pig and the Mauna Loa chicken were sitting on another bed of white rice. While I like the rice on the bottom (so I can eat flavorful rice), I feel like I got tricked a bit here. I thought the only rice on the plate was the scoop on the top left portion of my plate. Maybe to a lot of Hawaii locals, this is welcome, but I am a huge protein person all the way and limit my carbohydrates. Rice can be made for mere cents compared to the meat, so it's the food establishment's ploy to make the customer believe he/she is getting a good deal on quantity. Yeah, a boy from Hawaii complaining about too much rice seems too good to be believed, but that's just me. Give me the proteins, not more carbs.

After snapping the picture of the food, I immediately added a ton of sriracha on everything. Sriracha makes all my savory meals better.

Hawaiian Time has a warm, inviting feel to the place with bright colors. However, I'm not sure if I like the light yellow color inside. And fun, the chairs match the walls! Lots of windows here, folks. This allows the sunshine -- if Oregon happens to get any -- to get in and really liven the place up. And really? A surfboard hanging from the ceiling? Sure....

I felt bad for their senior citizen employee. He was going solo taking orders from people coming into the restaurant -- and also taking orders from Hawaiian Time's drive-thru window. Yes, Hawaiian Time also has a drive-thru. I wish one employee would take the drive-thru and another employee take in-house orders. Were they short-staffed that day or something? The senior citizen employee did a fine job, in my opinion.

I wish Hawaiian Time had a brown rice option and I also wish they had more menu items. The Loco Moco is missing from the menu, and they do not have as many options as the other places I've been to. Still, the quality of the food is undeniable, and I applaud them for that.

Will I return to Hawaiian Time? If I'm in Beaverton and really want a plate lunch, I'll certainly consider it, but it's not a must-stop on the list. I know I could easily find another place to go to (perhaps in Portland) for more Hawaiian food options. 6.75/10

Chicken Bar

Chicken Bar (otherwise known as The Original Chicken Bar) is located in the Beaverton Town Square in Beaverton, Oregon. They only serve chicken breast meat with a choice of white rice, brown rice, or vegetables. Chicken Bar also offers 5-6 different sauces.

I thought this was a cool photo I snapped.
It almost looks like God is blessing Beaverton Town Square.

Female employee cooking up some chicken

I should have snapped a better photo of the menu

Too many pictures on the wall! Argh!

Right away, I did not like the number of pictures on the wall. The place basically resembled a sports bar, but hey, it is a chicken bar, right? Regardless, I'm not a fan of the decor.

I went with a half-sized portion of chicken and brown rice for about $6. I asked for some of the smoky BBQ sauce on the side.

Holy crap, that is WAY too much rice for the amount of chicken I received. The proportions are so far off, it's bloody ridiculous. I personally was expecting a smaller plate with less rice.

The chicken was quite dry, but at least it was cooked through (don't mess with chicken). The brown rice, to me, was also a bit dry, so I'm unsure if the staff gave the rice enough water.

The sauce was the best part of the meal, but again, that's not saying very much. It balanced a smoky flavor and a sweet tang, but it's really just another BBQ sauce to me.

Chicken Bar offers a smoky BBQ and a sweeter BBQ sauce. The problem...I tasted both and they both taste the same. Even the employees admitted they taste the same. What gives?

Chicken Bar gets props from me for their healthy menu options (brown rice, vegetables, all-white meat, etc.). Unfortunately, I don't think the food quality/presentation and the decor are that great. The food is also overpriced...$6 or so for chicken and rice?! I could get a better chicken meal at a food cart. This is not the place for me. 1.25/10

Local Boyz Hawaiian Cafe

(Also read part 2 -- September 2011)

Local Boyz Hawaiian Cafe, located in Corvallis, Oregon, is a dive serving some classic local Hawaiian plate lunches. Their signature item is the sweet shoyu chicken, "chicken marinated in one of Roy's special sauces."

I went with a menehune (small) mixed plate. Of course, I went with the shoyu chicken, but I also added some Kalia's sweet ribs to the mix. The ribs are marinated in Kimo's Portuguese Style sauce. And of course, gotta go with the Hawaiian macaroni salad!

Kalia's Sweet ribs on the left, sweet shoyu chicken on the right, white rice underneath

Macaroni salad

When I walked in Local Boyz, the place was packed, mainly with students from nearby Oregon State University. There was a bit of a line when ordering, and I feel that's a good thing with such a restaurant-friendly location. The decor felt old-school and just bland, not overly happy at all. But seeing the customers happily eating their food significantly makes up for that.

I asked the woman taking my order if Local Boyz had a brown rice option. She apologetically said there was none. I did see that vegetables could be substituted for macaroni salad or rice, so Local Boyz does at least carry a healthier option. And Local Boyz also does a vegetarian plate: "Roy's Ono Veggies" ($5.50 for menehune size, $7.50 regular).

They have a house sauce, titled "Da Sauce." When tasting some, I got a nice teriyaki flavor. I got a bit of sweet (probably sugar) and salty balance; I also tasted some garlic in there, which was nice. You can add "Da Sauce" on your food for free, but if you want it on the side, be prepared to cough up another 25 cents per container. I'll put Da Sauce on my food then, thanks.

My food arrived pretty quickly, which can be a good and a bad thing. Would the quality suffer?

Ha, not this time! The pulled shoyu chicken was amazing and lived up to the hype. I got lots of bold flavors from Roy's special sauce. The chicken itself was moist and tender.

The sweet ribs were drop-dead awesome. The meat was tender and the Portuguese-Style sauce brought tons of flavor to the party. It really reminded me a lot of Korean kal-bi (or gal-bi) ribs. It had a marvelous char to it as well. Since I picked up the ribs and ate them with my hands, my fingers smelled like I had just been to a kickass BBQ.

I also appreciated Local Boyz keeping the mac salad in a separate container to stay cool. That allowed me to eat the mac salad in its natural state, with no other flavors interfering with the experience. Mac salad...yup, also damn good. Like Ohana Hawaiian Cafe, Local Boyz captured that peppery bite nicely. The ratio of mayonnaise and macaroni was good. I still prefer Ohana's mac salad because Ohana adds the carrot in there for a nice color, (slight) flavor, and texture difference.

The food got to me quick, but it was also fresh and delicious. The ribs were temperature-hot, the chicken and the rice were very warm, and the mac salad stayed cool. That is awesome, folks.

I had gone to Local Boyz on Memorial Day because I had a craving for local food -- and of course, they were closed. I'm so happy I made the drive down a few days later. These guys don't disappoint on the food or the flavors.

In the end, I can't give Local Boyz as high of a score on the rating (as Ohana Hawaiian Cafe) because they don't have as many menu options as Ohana and the decor was nowhere near as nice. I will say this, though, seeing at least 25-30 people in that small establishment at 11:15 in the morning (a mere 15 minutes after opening) is a testament to their positive reputation. That reputation is not just in Corvallis, but likely reaches Hawaii as well (face it, a lot of Hawaii guys and gals move to Oregon for college and will hit up Local Boyz for sure). Local Boyz is a place that should be a must-stop for anyone who wants some food from the Islands.

Macedonia Greek Cuisine

(Please read part 2 from September 2011)

Macedonia Greek Cuisine is located in the Reed Opera House in downtown Salem, Oregon. Macedonia actually serves Italian dishes as well.

Macedonia only has a couple of signs on the outside of Reed Opera  House.
This is one of them.

Waffle Window

The Waffle Window is quite literally, a window where you order your waffles from. Just look for the Bread & Ink Cafe on SE 36th Street and SE Hawthorne. Waffle Window is on the side.

Bread & Ink Cafe

There's the Waffle Window!

Originally, I was just going to get a simple liege waffle. However, my eyes grew big upon seeing the specials. I wanted to try their Rose City Waffle special, a Belgian waffle topped with rose creme, fresh strawberries, rhubarb sauce, and whip cream.

Rose City waffle
(The rose creme is the pinkish creme in the center of the whip cream)

First of all, the waffle was cooked to order and delicious. The outside was firm, the inside fluffy and light. The strawberries are in season right now, giving a sweet, fresh feel to the dish -- along with nice color and texture contrasts. The whip cream was spot-on and the rhubarb sauce is a classic combination with strawberries (and anything that resembles a dessert).

I was the most intrigued by the rose creme -- and it was just amazing. From the first taste, your mind just instantly thinks...that's the flower right there. I've looked online for recipes for rose creme, and I'm quite certain they either use rose water, actual rose petals (which are then fished out), or a combination of both to make the creme. The pink color is gorgeous when combined with the browned waffle background and put in the center of a white whip cream topping. The strawberries and the rhubarb sauce also are arranged beautifully for a gourmet-like presentation.

Oh, did I mention this came from a damn window? Yeah, this was impressive.

Waffle Window doesn't stop with the specials. They have lovely savory and sweet waffle options. You can also get a liege waffle for $2 -- and a chocolate-dipped liege waffle for $3. Shana from King's Wings raved about the "Three Bs" savory waffle ($4), a Belgian waffle topped with bacon, brie cheese, and fresh basil (and then that is all topped with peach jam). You really can't go wrong with this place and that price.

Waffles are meant to be eaten right away, especially if you put toppings on it. Don't complain that your loaded waffle was soggy if you get the food fresh and then only eat it five hours later.

The scrumptious savory options and the amazing specials are the two reasons Waffle Window gets a far superior rating than BelgiQue. But hey, check BelgiQue out anyway because they're still great. I'm also giving points to Waffle Window for their unique dishes and the lovely presentation of the food.

I received prompt service at Waffle Window and the food was delicious. Waffle Window has a lovely array of delicious menu options. This means a outstanding score all around. Hell, if I had to nitpick, I don't care for the outdoors bench seating (I didn't get a picture of that, but it's really just some old-looking park benches). Anyway, check this place out...now. The fact that you can eat waffles for breakfast, lunch, or even a dessert? I love that! 9.25/10

King's Wings

King's Wings is a food cart located in SE Portland. They can be found in the food cart "pod" near SE Division and SE 50th St. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of their food cart. Not surprisingly, King's Wings serves...chicken wings here! There are also several different sauces and seasonings to choose from.

No food cart picture, but here's their menu (click to enlarge)

My timing was spot-on again. I arrived at King's Wings just before they opened, and there was no line. I got six wings ($4.50), half with "Lava" sauce and half with "Extreme" sauce. The Extreme sauce has habanero peppers in there.

Lava wings on the left, Extreme wings on the right

The woman running the food cart, Shana (hopefully that is the correct spelling), was kind enough to let me sample both the Lava sauce and the Extreme sauce. I spoke with her for a bit. She was extremely friendly and gave me more info on other great food carts in Portland.

The Lava sauce is basically a traditional buffalo wing sauce, in my opinion. But I preferred the Extreme sauce; it was a perfect balance of sweet and heat here. The mix of habanero peppers and honey gave an ideal "sweet and heat" combination for my taste buds.

The wings (fresh chicken wings, NOT frozen!) were cooked to order, so I got fresh, temperature-hot wings right out of the fryer. The wings were then put into a pitcher. The sauce was added in, and then the pitcher is shaken around to evenly coat each wing. See what I just wrote in this paragraph? This is the reason why King's Wings gets a very favorable rating from me.

Food carts are not known for their in-house dining experience (so that does not apply here).

I think the six wings were worth $4.50 and then some. This is why you hit up the Portland food carts. You can get excellent food at a great price. Considering that I love fresh, hot chicken wings and spice, this food cart is a gold mine to me. 8.5/10

Pok Pok

Pok Pok is a predominantly-Thai restaurant in SE Portland. However, they are likely more accurately classified as Southeast Asian cuisine, with the majority of their food with North and Northeast Thailand roots.

You can see some of the full bar in the background. Go nuts, my fellow drinkers.

I originally thought the restaurant opened around 11 a.m., so I arrived at about 11:10. However, I saw the hours had changed and they now open at 11:30. I talked with a friendly couple who raved big time about the Vietnamese chicken wings. A friend of mine had told me about Pok Pok and explicitly told me to get the wings. Considering the wings were also on an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," I figure you can't go wrong with those.

I'm actually glad that I got to Pok Pok early. By the time the place opened, about 15 people (including a group of seven) were waiting outside. Seems normal for a popular restaurant, and I like it.

I was seated promptly, and the service was great. I ordered the spicy version of Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce chicken wings, and then I ordered their "Yam Tuna" to go. The Yam Tuna is a "Thai-style tuna salad with ginger, garlic, Thai chilies, green onions, lemongrass, cherry tomatoes, and canned Oregon albacore in a spicy lime and fish sauce dressing."

A better view of the wings. I know you're hungry. Go get them. Now.

Yam Tuna (Thai-style tuna salad)

The wings are $12 and worth every penny. There is just so much flavor in there. The fish sauce and the sugars combine for an off-the-hook experience. Adding the red chili flakes on the wings adds a hint of spice, but of course, that spice is just child's play to me.

The tuna salad ($10) was good, although I don't personally think this is worth the price. I wish the tuna was fresh, as opposed to canned, for the price they list. The sauce is great. The combination of citrus and fish sauce works well here. I don't think they needed to drown the salad in the dressing, however. thankfully, the dressing is liquid and not a creamy dressing.

For the person wanting some alcohol, Pok Pok has a full bar with an extensive list of drink options. Go nuts, my friend.

Two criticisms: the water in the carafe was warm (it should always be ice water or cold water), and the aluminum cups gave an off-putting aftertaste of rice. Well, it was either the water or the cups.

Overall, this place still gets a thumbs up. I would come back just for the wings, but there are also some other options on the menu that intrigue me. Their "Kai Yaang" (Thai BBQ chicken) and the "Papaya Pok Pok" (spicy green papaya salad) are their other signature menu items. Also, if you're there for dinner, check out the "Muu Paa Kham Waan" (boar collar) that was also featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." 8/10