Disappointing Dishes

[Lei K]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

They went to a "local" diner for breakfast, and the obviously all-white establishment wouldn't serve them. They knew why. These folks thought they were Mexican (they're Filipino, Hawaiian & Russian mix). One of the staff eventually said something to them in Espanol, to which they stood up and walked out.

This happens to my mom and dad constantly (still) and would happen to us as a family all the time when we first moved up here.

That's okay though, I just got back from going out to dinner. The waitress at the place I went to thought I was an "Eskimo." Go figure.

[Lei K]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

(they're Filipino, Hawaiian & Russian mix)

I forgot to ask, is this your gf's mix? If so she's just like Nicole Scherzinger (of Pussycat Dolls fame).

[Lei K]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

Beggars no can be choosy. Lau laus not easy to get in the Bay Area South Bay.

Absolutely the reason why we end up at L&L or one of the many wannabe L&L places. It's our only option around these parts if we want local kine food that we don't have to make ourself. I'm not in the Bay Area though, I'm in the So Cal desert area which sucks even more, at least the Bay Area is pretty.

[Beau]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

well, howdy, neighbor! i soon will be moving out of makiki. however, we'll still patronize bac nam above any other vietnamese food place. dew drop inn is also a favorite, as is taishoken and a number of korean places in the neighborhood.

which reminds me--we went to the saimin place on the corner of pensacola and king...can't remember what it was called. compared to taishoken and kyoto ramen, that place was an utter disappointment, too. *sigh*

I forgot the name too, but like you I was utterly disappointed. If you like ramen, you and eric should try Goma Ichi on Ke'eaumoku. Their Tan Tan Ramen is absolutely onolicious! It's a somewhat spicy broth made with freshly grounded toasted sesame seeds. This restaurant is the one that is featured in the Sun Noodles commercial. I'm not exaggerating when I say that their Tan Tan Ramen is positively addicting!

Absolutely the reason why we end up at L&L or one of the many wannabe L&L places. It's our only option around these parts if we want local kine food that we don't have to make ourself. I'm not in the Bay Area though, I'm in the So Cal desert area which sucks even more, at least the Bay Area is pretty.Today 08:15 PM

Like Nikki, I can't stand L & L. The thought of eating their food literally upsets my stomach.

[woodman]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

to suffer sam choy's cooking and swear off hawaiian regional by others like alan wong and roy's is rather like suffering a poorly executed poke and then swearing off all poke, sushi and sashimi (even the heavenly blue fin tuna) tho you'd never actually tried other poke, sushi and sashimi.

While that is an interesting opinion, at $40+ per meal you may certainly keep "trying" dishes out the "food-nouveau" genre (if you can afford it), but I happen to be pretty sure that at those prices there are plenty of people don't want to risk being served with a hit-&-miss dish designed to appease a pop-culture trend.

A more accurate analogy might be to suffer eating a soy burger, then swear off all soy-food substitutes.

There are some people who love soy-burgers, and that is fine; but for me, the food-nouveau fad is to cuisine what a soy-burger is to an all-beef, fire grilled hamburger. No matter how much "pretty" you put on it, it ain't NEVER gonna be the same!

[nikki]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

sam choy is nowhere near the same echelon as roy or alan.

Sam Choy serves a lot, that's about it. You're right about the comparison to L&L.

I've not been lucky enough to eat at Alan's yet, but my favorite restaurant is Roy's. Everything I've tried there is special.

[cynsaligia]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

There are some people who love soy-burgers, and that is fine; but for me, the food-nouveau fad is to cuisine what a soy-burger is to an all-beef, fire grilled hamburger. No matter how much "pretty" you put on it, it ain't NEVER gonna be the same!

it's not supposed to be the same.

[woodman]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

it's not supposed to be the same.

Ummm, yes, I think that's quite clear;
... however I'm not the one who named it "soy-BURGER".

If it was up to me, I would call a hamburger a "hamburger" (WOW, imagine that!), and soy-burger would be re-named, "cardboard patty", and the trendy experimental dishes that are being passed off as "fusion cuisine," I simply choose to call what it really is, "food-nouveau".

[cynsaligia]

Re: Disappointing Dishes

if you think the blending of food styles/cultures is a completely new thing, then you're ignoring that pasta in italy would not have been created if not for italians having travelled to china and taking noodles back home. similarly, the dutch would not have had chocolate to dutch if not for seafaring explorers who brought back xocolatl. coffee, too. and foods which are considered traditional now are actually not. "traditional" filipino food is a melange of southeast asian, spanish, and chinese cooking. that hamburger you keep mentioning, whilch is recognized the world over as distinctly american? everyone knows it was created in germany. but how many know the original german beef patty recipe didn't include special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but coffee and brown sugar and no condiments on brotchen, not a sesame seed bun? i'm not sure the original hamburger makers in hamburg would recognize the modern mcdonald's version as progeny but it moundeniably is. clearly, there is no way that food has ever been, or ever will be, a static thing.

you're welcome to eat what's "just" a hamburger or "just" spaghetti or "just" nishime. just cause it's "just" doesn't mean it's good and that it's a "new creation" or "blended cuisine" means it's bad. it's the cook's skill set makes all the difference in whether a dish is good or not. i've seen sam choy burn chicken katsu on his cooking show, and if he can't even get that right, what makes him think he can pull off a clam ice cream, which he attempted and failed miserably at as a competitor on iron chef? roy, on the other hand, who was an actual iron chef, has got his basics down. it's what allows him to be able to make the most divine of rustic pies as well as the most decadent of cakes, with equal panache and skill, which many of us would be willing to pay buckaroos for.

back on topic, another disappointing meal i had some years ago was at ohana cafe in portland, oregon. i was in the middle of spending three cold, grey weeks in the dead of winter and while i was happy to devour every bit of food my mom cooked for me, a high school friend of mine who flew in from denver to join me was jonesing for teri chicken. so off we went. but i found ohana cafe's food to be pricey (you get only one scoop rice and one scoop mac with your entree and it costs six dollas!) and not that great. my girlfriend, however, polished off her plate. i guess i'm spoiled, living here and being able to enjoy a $6.00 fully loaded plate lunch that is ono at any time. and really, i shouldn't knock a family business trying to bring a little of local style to the mainland. pickins are slim over there!