Eat the Street - March 2012

This Month's Theme: Japan

This is my second Eat The Street

Got to see some old friends and made

some new ones too

BTW, the food was pretty good too...

Monthly Event

in Honolulu

This month, forty food trucks and food booths set up

in a Kakaako parking lot

for some good grinds.


See What Jay Eats...

Cooking up some empanadas

Shiitake Mushroom Empanadas

from Camile's on Wheels

"Special for the Event"

Furikake Rice Crispy Treat

from the Fairy Cake Truck

Special Bento Box

Dessert Sampler

"Special for the Event"

I LOVED the Lemon Squares!

MOMO Burger Truck

MOMO-Chi Burger

"Special for this Event"

mochi frico, nametake mushrooms, negi aioli,

and heri nori.

Nice crunch with the mochi frico

It's starting to get crowded

At the Sweet Revenge Truck

Pies, Pies, Pies...

Chicken Pot Pie

Nice buttery crust and big chunks of chicken

Ume Plum Pie

"Special for the Event"

Had to checkout the line at the KOI truck

Furikake Salmon Katsu

"Special for the Event"

Kabocha Crunch

with cream cheese frosting

"Special for the Event"

Red Velvet Cheesecake Malasadas

from Local Stop

OnoPops

azuki red bean swirl with green tea and honey sorbet

"Special for the Event"

What's an event without sliders?

Even the Leonard's truck was here...

Got my malasada fix!

Life is good...

If you're in Honolulu on the

Last Friday of the month,

checkout "Eat The Street"

StreetGrindz

Read my friend Mari's article

on Nonstop Honolulu

She's a real writer, not like me...

Eat The Street!

Photos by Jay Terauchi

©Jay Terauchi
Jay Eats

Honolulu Restaurant: Sushi Izakaya Gaku

Not your typical Japanese restaurant...

Only Better!

Met up with an old friend @onokinegrindz and new friend @konish for a different Japanese experience. I've had Japanese food all over the place, even Japan, and Sushi Izakaya Gaku doesn't have the typical Japanese menu. Since it's an Izakaya, the menu is more Japanese tapas or small plates and great for sharing.

See What Jay Eats...

What kind of beer do you order when you're

at a Japanese restaurant in Hawaii?

A Kona Longboard

I can get Sapparo, Asahi, and Kirin at any sushi place...

Hamachi Tartare

Served with a quail egg, masago, and green onions.

Very nice flavor

Tamago

Sweet Japanese omelet

I usually don't order this, since most chefs today

don't know how to make it.

This was one of the best I've had outside of Japan.

Stingray

It was dried and toasted,

nice seasoning.

Great smoky flavor

Beef Tataki

Besides the nice presentation,

it tasted as good as it looks...

Served with a special sweet soy sauce

Rock Cod

Steamed in a very flavorful broth.

Saba Nigiri

with shiso and konbu

This is a skill test for a sushi chef.

A lot of times the saba is too salty or too much vinegar.

Some chefs marinate it too long and it is 'cooked'

by the acid.

This one had a very clean taste,

so I know the chef was skilled...

Aji Salad

Spanish Mackerel salad with

shiso leaves, ginger, and onions.

One of my favorites of the evening:

Although it needed ponzu with it,

it was a very good salad.

Asari Clams

Clams cooked in sake

Very tasty broth...

Chef hanging the fish bones to dry.

The bones are fried and you can

enjoy the entire thing.

It goes well with sake...

Coffee Jelly

A nice way to end a fantastic dinner!

As you've probably noticed, we didn't have much sushi.

I was more interested in the other menu items and

what I instructed my friend to order.

For me, that's what new food experiences

are all about...

Sushi Izakaya Gaku

1329 South King Street

Honolulu, HI 96814

(808) 589-1329

Reservations Highly Recommended!

Thank you @onokinegrindz and @konish!

Photos by Jay Terauchi

©Jay Terauchi
Jay Eats

Ramen Monday - March 5

Gyoza Ramen

March is National Noodle Month!

Today is Ramen Monday and I'm in a Hurry! So, I'm having my gyoza in the soup. I don't have time to wait for my order to be served in two parts.

The thing I don't get is why Japanese open ramen restaurants in the U.S.? In Japan, they have ramen shops where you'd sit at the counter and service is fast. When ramen shops open here, they slow down the process and takes 15-20 minutes to serve ramen? It should take no more than 5 minutes to serve ramen, the noodles take 3-4 minutes to cook. If you've had Vietnamese pho, you know what I mean...

I don't know, maybe I'm asking too much... What do you think?

Just a Noodle Rant...

Happy National Noodle Month!

Photo by Jay Terauchi

©Jay Terauchi
Jay Eats