Bobs BBQ and Rainbow Drive-Inn, a closer look

Aloha!

8/11/08 - Well, well, here we are. It's the last leg of our journey through three very similiar, yet different types of local grinds. All of them - okazuya, local bento (not Japanese-style bento), and plate lunch - have their qualifying differences, but all of them can be counted upon for inexpensive, take-out friendly, local-style meals.

As entrenched and popular as both okazuya and bento are here, it is the plate lunch that has received the most attention and fanfare. These haunts have become the single most familiar name in cheap eats in the islands, every local bruddah around having had their fair share of chicken katsu, bbq meats, hamburger steak, roast pork w/gravy, beef stew, and the myriads of other all-star items in the plate lunch world. These eateries can be found at just about every shopping center or retail outlet around, with such names as L&L, Locomoco, Grace's, and the subjects of today's closer look, Bob's BBQ and Rainbow's, all being well-established, virtual institutions. L&L Drive-Inn, the once-humble eatery born out of a single location in Liliha, has even burst out of the 808-State to become one of the fastest growing franchises in all of America, with outlets popping up across the west coast and as far away as New York.

The most basic illustration of a plate lunch is very simple - two scoops white rice, one scoop mac (macaroni salad), and some kind (or kinds) of meat. That's about it. That's what a plate lunch is! Locals are are so familiar with the description that it's completely superfluous to mention. It would be like saying "Alan Wong and Russell Siu can cook," or "Andy Irons can surf," or "BJ Penn can fight..."

However, in consideration of the many visitors that help prop up our economy and provide us with much-needed employment, let's take it from the top, shall we?

Though plate lunch does have a reputation for throwing caloric intake to the wind, many spots will offer brown rice instead of white rice and a simple vegetable salad in place of macaroni, options that can even turn certain plates respectably health-conscious. Most, however, forego such heroic disciplines. Some even savor taunting every notion of self-respect to body symmetry and form, going for extra scoops of rice or mac salad and even double-servings of meat. L&L recently revealed a whopping 3 lb. super-plate, which is basically a regular and mini-plate combined into a single serving!

These days, I can't imagine ever attempting extra's of anything, but I guess I was guilty of this very gluttony back in high school, when we'd hit Rainbow's right after football practice and I'd always order a teri beef plate, extra meat and extra salad! Come to think of it, maybe if Coach Chan and Coach Dino were still yelling in my ear tomorrow, hounding me with 110's, hills, and gassers for two hours straight, I just may be able to do it yet!

The costs for a standard plate run from $5 to $8, and come as very hearty, very substantial meals. Personally, I order mini-plates, which are almost always available and set you back some $4-$6, sometimes even less. Unlike an okazuya or most bento houses, meals are made to order, and arrive not quite as fast as fast-food does, but still, pretty darn quick. Simple, self-service tables are usually provided but take-out is commonplace, as the accomodations are not always the best. Who can complain, at these prices?

So anyway, instead of getting carried away with explanation, let's just pay a visit to a couple of very well-known spots, two established legends of fabled plate lunch lore.

First off, let's visit the corner of busy Dillingham blvd. and Waiakamilo Rd. in Kalihi, where Bob's BBQ puts out quite the tempting plate, indeed.

Hawaiian bbq is different from the red, zesty, American bbq. Ours comes from a shoyu/sugar-based marinade derived from Japanese teriyaki, only much sweeter. Uncle Ken has interestingly informed me that there is a reason it has evolved heavier on the sugar. But before we get to that, I'll give you a shot of an actual bbq mixed plate. Coming with kalbi-ribs, boneless beef, and chicken, three of the most familiar meats used at plate lunch houses, this is the quintessential way to experience a real, local-style, Hawaiian bbq plate. Many of the newer spots favor a lighter marinade on their meats, but Bob's still carries that strong, sweet, old-fashioned taste that screams out local and embodies island grinds perfectly.

Not that they were necessarily expensive, but while salt, shoyu, flour, and just about anything else came in limited quantities and at a price, sugar was naturally plentiful, and best of all - completely free for the taking! All anyone had to do was grab their own containers, walk down to the warehouse, and scoop up as much as they wanted from gigantic piles of raw, brown sugar, all sitting in preparation for shipment to California, where it was then refined into white sugar under the familiar C&H brand - "C" for California and "H" for Hawaii.

In a time when refrigeration was non-existent, fresh fish was often soaked in a sweet shoyu/sugar mix for preservation purposes and eaten the next day or thereafter. The initial sashimi and salt-and-pepper frying on the first day was indeed delicious, but creative means had to be employed for consumption on later dates, as hard as that is to imagine today.

Uncle Ken's grandmother ran a small general store while grandpa worked as a carpenter for the Onomea Sugar Plantation on the Big Island, so he grew up hearing all the stories during dinner table chats and get-togethers. For more insight and the full scoops on a few other of Uncle Ken's stories, check out "Uncle Ken's Corner."

Meanwhile, wifey and I also got busy chowing down on another item Bob's is known for, that being American-style bbq, interestingly enough!

Yet another item Bob's is rather famous for are their bbq burgers, which are prepared in the shoyu/sugar of local-style bbq. You can get them with little else than a patty and bun, or get the deluxe with cheese, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. Both are very economical and perfect for a cheap, yet delicious burger.

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Heading out of Kalihi and onto Kapahulu Blvd., a main thoroughfare right outside of Waikiki, there sits another well-loved, long-time eatery. This one has to be the busiest plate lunch house anywhere, with constant lines forming even at odd hours like 9:30am or 3pm. But not to worry - they move so fast that I'd take a four-deep Rainbow's line over a one or two-deep line anywhere else! I guess they've gotten the system down to a quick-serve science over the years, so you won't be waiting very long, no matter how bad it looks.

One of my favorites at this plate lunch mecca is the boneless chicken w/gravy. Nothing fancy, just breaded chicken with brown gravy as an option, but a plate that always hits home with me. The old-fashioned taste is deceptively fabulous, its simple, no-nonsense, home-style goodness right out of a local kitchen of yesteryear. The crisp breading, sometimes a step away from being burnt, is tasty and delicious, holding up well to the sogginess-inducing brown gravy.

Old-school type's also know about the chili, legendary for its combination of value, portion, and taste. As the reddish-brown chili mixes with the white rice and mac salad, there is scarcely a local bruddah who can't keep his mouth from watering.

Both Rainbow's and Bob's BBQ have outdoor seating arrangements, with park-bench-like tables and chairs not of the most desirable of conditions. However, this seeming deficit does bring in a favorable atmosphere for a certain set. Say you're a construction worker on lunch break, arriving with dirt-covered jeans, heavy workboots, and a t-shirt with wet spots visible not just upon lifting up the arms, but everywhere! How about a bunch of surfers with their shorts still wet, bare-footed, bare-chested, with crystal granules of salt forming on their backs? The outdoor tables are the perfect fit for these two genres and more. Rainbow's, shown next, is an especially beach bum-friendly oasis, always full of water-worshippers from nearby Diamond Head, Waikiki, and Ala Moana-area beaches.

Both Rainbow's and Bob's BBQ give off a flavor and over-all atmosphere much more old-school than newer plate lunch havens like L&L and Locomoco, which tend to be cleaner and sport a more modern touch and feel. If you haven't done so, make sure you try both styles, just for a balanced approach.

So anyways, I do hope you enjoyed this short peek into the world of inexpensive local grinds. You can find a wide variety of other types of local food items as well as many more plate lunch houses in the local grindz section of the main pages. Visitors to the islands, especially, may find this section informative. Aku would like nothing better than for those not familiar with island grinds to discover the best spots to adequately represent us!

Have a wonderful day and hope all is well with everyone!

Take care and aloha till next time!

Aku

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