Pita fixation

Late-night shopping led to a fixation with pita breads.

Why? First, I like the texture and flavor. Second, the low levels of sugar -- sometimes no sugar -- in certain brands is very appealing, especially when regular bread has up to 6 grams of sugar in a little slice.

So I've been indulging in pita sandwiches the past week. Whole wheat mostly. Taste good! It's worked well with my exercising. I've dropped 6.5 pounds in the past 10 days. No suffering. Just a lot of smart, tasty eating.

The three 'loaves' of pita bread I've bought so far are all Toufayan brand, available at Don Quixote.

Bangkok Chef: Chicken Larb

Yeah, what's a larb?

My quest to eat every item on the menu at Bangkok Chef is in full swing, sorta. No longer content to munch on my BC favorites -- chicken curry and chicken cashew nut -- I stepped out of the comfort zone for a second time this week.

Never heard of chicken larb before. Had no idea what it would taste like. I dug in anyway after covering the Punahou-HBA volleyball match on Thursday.



Looks so ordinary and bland, even. So not true, though. I can always eat the jasmine brown rice. So ono, nice texture. But the larb was so surprising. First, there's the scent of fish sauce -- and I'm not familiar with hum ha (or any of its Asian relatives) at all. Then there's the vinegary taste. Neither is overpowering in itself.



With the basil and chili peppers, all the flavors complement each other. Yes, they are potent separately or combined, which is why that wedge of cabbage was so perfect. I mean, before I dug in, I kinda thought it was pretty goofy to have that cabbage there. Yet, I knew there had to be some kind of genius behind the visual madness. A mouthful of larb and rice, then a bite of crisp, neutral cabbage to cleanse the palate a bit.




There was so much! I couldn't finish this plate in one sitting, so better yet. It made for a great late-night snack a couple nights later.

The more I try new stuff at Bangkok Chef, the more I'm blown away.

Some people should open a bakery

One of them is BJ Hokoana, who makes a spectacular red velvet cupcake from scratch.



Can you believe it? These red velvet cupcakes are homemade.



The best cupcakes I've ever had. The frosting was so good. The red velvet ... from scratch!



Yes, it's even better than it looks.



Portuguese bean soup. Definitely one of the best I've had. Should've stopped halfway through, but it was impossible.




I almost finished the whole container. A moment of weakness. I'm still on track with the selective eating choices (most of the time) and exercise.

Thank you, BJ!

Kenny's Restaurant

Tried something new at Kenny's recently.



Absolutely decadent. I didn't touch this. I'll have my share after I lose 20 more pounds.



This is the Wilted Spinach Salad, which is one of the funnier names for a dish I've heard. It was ono!



Never knew that French Onion Soup has so much cheese in it. Cheese. This was not my soup, but it looked pretty nice.

Hawaii Catering, aka Yoshi's truck

I was driving back from Maryknoll's grand opening ceremony for the new gym today when I passed the truck. It's located on Monsarrat Ave., a block from UH, on Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This is a classic example of a mobile eatery that serves up restaurant-quality offerings. Friday is Hawaiian plate day at Yoshi's truck, and those of you who cringe when Hawaiian food is offered without poi -- this is the place for you.

Not only is there enough food just with the poi, poke, lomi salmon, onion and kalua pig -- there's also a huge load of beef stew with two scoops of rice. I ate everything but the beef stew. Saving that for later. I'm stuffed.

So much for my "strict" diet. I work out enough these days that I can afford to binge a little with some of my favorite foods. This was unexpected, unplanned and unregrettable.

Thank you, Yoshi!

Bangkok Chef: Pad Ki Mao

Normally, I have the chicken cashew nut plate (a stir fry) from Bangkok Chef. This time, I dabbled into new territory.

I was in the Nuuanu area after work last night, so naturally, I stopped in at the Bangkok Chef there.



You won't see it easily, but there are a lot of chili peppers in this meal. I like the chicken and veggies. The noodles are nice, but with me trying to lose weight, I prefer brown rice as an option. For you skinny people, this dish is divine.



I might go right through the menu at Bangkok Chef. This was item No. 20, I think. There are 31 items, not including the dessert items.

See much more at Bangkok Chef's site.

Diego's Taco Shop: $5 burrito

After being closed for renovation a few weeks, Diego's Taco Shop on South King Street reopened last month. The $5 burrito is back!



Weighs a good amount. It's loaded with good stuff. Promise.



The idea is to hold the burrito vertically and peel foil off as you munch away, but I had to get a shot of the insides.



Carnitas (pork) works for me. Chicken is OK, but pork rules when it comes to Mexican food. This one is also loaded with refried beans, cheese and rice. Salsa on the side.



Still awesome. Thank you, Diego's!

Tacos and More

Finally, I'm in Waianae, I've got some time, and Tacos and More is open!

The restaurant is kitty corner from Waianae Post Office. I've missed out on this place since reading about it months ago. A few weeks back, I was in Waianae, but Tacos and More was closed on that day -- a Sunday. Then I was assigned to cover a game at Waianae, but had too many tasks to do that Friday afternoon. No time.

But this past Friday, everything worked out and I enjoyed some great tacos.

I didn't order the tacos at first. I went with the special, as Javier recommended. Turns out the sauce is fine -- chorizo based -- but it was basically pasta. Not so Mexican, and though this was pretty good, it wasn't incredibly memorable. I pondered what to do next; my football game at Waianae (vs. Kapolei) was still an hour away.

That's when I decided to go back in (I'd eaten the pasta in my car) and get the most basic and maybe the truest test of any Mexican eatery: tacos. That was the best decision I made that late afternoon.

Below, photos of the restaurant and it's cozy rooms, the bar (which is actually much dimmer than my pics show) and owners Laura and Javier. I will definitely be back for more. Until then, to all the folks who claimed that Tacos and More is the best Mexican restaurant on Oahu: I can't argue against that claim, at least when it comes to tacos. I'm a believer!



























These are the best tacos I've ever had. Surprised? A little. But I'd heard about this place before. These three tacos are pork, chicken and beef. $8.95 for the trio and worth every cent.



That's right. They're so good, they deserve two photos.



These two sauces were so different, yet so compatible. The red, of course, is chili pepper sauce. Fiery and just a tad sweet. The green was tart, almost sour, but follows through nicely, not bitterly. Both went so well with the tacos. I alternated between each.



One of the keys to this taco's greatness is the shell -- nothing I've ever had before in my extremely limited experience with Mexican food. I love texture in my food, and this was texture and crunchiness and flavor beyond my normal comprehension.

Well Bento: Tempeh plate

Works out well when my oil-change place is right next to Well Bento.

I've only had one item there before: the Tempeh (Tamari style) plate. So that's what I got yesterday. It's not cheap -- $10 -- but the food is tasty and was made pretty quickly considering the big orders the two workers had to make.

If their plates were in the $6-$7 range, I'd go more often. These days, it's not a question of whether healthy food can taste awesome. It's just a matter of cost.

$1 steak plates at L&L help prep sports

L&L Keeamoku's wild and crazy $1 sirloin steak plate promotion is a benefit for high school athletics. The first 1,000 customers starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday will get quite a deal.

Kahuku Superette

Another pit stop on the football photo tour: ahi poke at Kahuku Superette.

One of the few places that will serve you rice with your poke upon request. It's pre-frozen, which keeps the price down, but I still like it a lot.

Mabuhay Cafe: A foodie's delight

My first time there -- an institution for all lovers of Filipino food -- at a surprising time of day. Who knew there was such good food at 8:30 p.m. on notorious River Street?



My exposure to Filipino food has been limited, unfortunately. That's what happens when you don't grow up in Kalihi or Waipahu, where most of the best f ood from the P.I. is. But I love it for its similarities (see the vinegar-based veggies at top right) and differences (Spanish influence?).



There are no two shrimp sari sari that are alike. This one is addictive. Savory, but not overwhelming. The shrimp were succulent, but the soup was a perfect medium between rich and light. No root/starch type vegetables here; when I first tried this dish at Tante's (then in Kona), it was stocked with tasty, heavy veggies and something that was a super-dense potato-ish root. This one is lighter and just as delectable.



The pork adobo at Mabuhay Cafe is pure ecstasy. Tender and moist, sweet and just a tiny bit spicy. Adobo is to the Philipppines what kal bi is to Korea. When it's done right, it's heavenly. And addictive.



Fried chicken? What's so Filipino about that? I dunno. I just know it was good. Don't you know Filipinos love their chickens?



Best pork lumpia I have ever tasted. These women at Mabuhay Cafe know how to cook. Everything they touch is golden. I left that restaurant with old buds Donald and Mark in total awe. As Donald said, this is Filipino soul food.



I must add this: the white rice was perfect. Not too fluffy, not too densely moist. Perfect. That was especially impressive because they were about an hour away from closing, and a lot of places have nothing but crunchy, stale rice by then. I love Mabuhay Cafe, their great service, comfortable chairs and tables. It felt almost like eating at somebody's house, and their mom and grandma were cooking up their favorites for you.

Of course, I went right to the gym two hours later and rode that bike for eternity. Break the law, pay the price. It was worth every mouthful for sari sari, adobo and chicken (and lumpia)!

Mahalo to Donald for the great photos.

Black coffee? Works, but ...

My quest for the ultimate energy boost (before those midnight rides on the bike) led me to cold coffee drinks from Nijiya Market.

My first test: Roots Aroma Black Hot Blend coffee. (Hot Blend? It's a cold drink.) At 9.7 ounces in a squat little plastic bottle, all I knew is that it is black coffee with no sugar. Mr. Hornet, my longtime friend, would be proud being the no-cream, no-sugar coffee addict that he is.

The first taste was sorta awful. I'm no coffee drinker (though I have a love for coffee ice cream, particularly Baskin Robbins' Jamoca Almond Fudge). But I did it in the name of research. I gulped down all 9.7 ounces, bitter as it was. Not the worst taste in the world, and I don't mind, really. After all, I (can) eat parsley and basil now -- things I hated as a kid.

Did the Roots black coffee help? Well, I had huge energy for my 40-minute (stationary) bike ride, yet only burned 342 calories, well off my recent new record of 377. What happened? I was whizzing on that bike at a great rate two-thirds of the way through. Maybe I got too distracted with the TV show (TNT, forget the show's title) in front of me. Maybe the caffeine kick wore out.

I'm not ruling out black coffee as a spark for future workouts. But it won't be at the top of my list, partly because it had my plumbing in a state of percolation. Nothing horrible, but uncomfortable enough to make me wince once or twice during the ride. Then, while I played basketball, it kept feeling like I had to pee. Coffee is a diuretic, I know real well now.

There are several more coffee drinks in my fridge. A little suffering in the name of research will be worthwhile.

Check out the Roots site here.

Always reliable: Waianae Store ahi poke

They always have fresh poke with fresh ingredients for your custom-made, tasty treat.

I've never grown tired of Waianae Store and their fresh ahi poke. Limu. Inamona. Chili peppers. Onion. Sesame oil. Shoyu. They don't mess around. They will make your poke right there on the spot. Next time, I'll try to get a photo or two of the actual mixing by those talented hands.

For now, I can tell you that this poke tastes as good as it looks. As always!

Tasty Freeze/Waianae Drive-In has Faith

Faith's Place serves up the same burgers, hand-cut fries and that onolicious mustard-mayo sauce.

Faith is not the name of a new owner. It's the name picked by a pastor (the lady behind the window said), and a church (I'm guessing) now owns one of Waianae's oldest eateries.

Unlike before, they now serve plate lunches. Today's choices were roast pork (which was out by 3 p.m., shortly after I got there) and pork adobo. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

How was the food? Good as before, though it's not as cheap. Still reasonable: hamburger special (burger, fries, medium drink) is just $5.15. It's an extra $.50 for sauce on the burger or fries. The strawberry-orange (combo) soda I ordered was flat, so the lady was nice enough to get me another one. Still flat, unless she forgot and got me a fruit punch.

Note: If the customer ahead of you orders 12 burgers and fries, expect to wait about 15 minutes. It's worth the wait.