Hawaiian Island Grill

On Sunday night, my boyfriend Read was working late in midtown east so I decided to pop down and surprise him with some take out.  I did a quick search of restaurants in the area when I ran across Hawaiian Island Grill- a new Hawaiian style take-out place on 53rd and 2nd.  For most mainlanders, Hawaiian style food is a very misunderstood concept.  It's not the pineapple spiked poultry and thick syrupy sauces we have been lead to believe.  In Hawaii, locals eats something called 'plate lunch' almost every day, which usually consists of a protein, two scoops of white rice, and a side of cold macaroni salad.  This carb-loaded meal was originally designed to satisfy Hawaii's day laborers, who migrated from all over the world to work on the railroads and the sugarcane fields.  Consequently, plate lunches are a a fusion of many cultures--teriyaki from Japan, bbq short ribs from Korea, shoyu chicken from China, and curries from India.  

(Picture courtesy of l'acquagassata)

Hawaiian Island Grill is a small shop located below the street level, but a big sign will guide your way.  The cashier took my order for hamburger steak (a seasoned ground beef patty, grilled and smouthered with brown gravy and grilled onions) white rice and macaroni salad. I know this combination sounds strange, but it's a Hawaiian local staple and a must-try.  In fact, as soon as I placed my order, the owner came out from the back and said "Nice order, you must be from Hawaii."  Why yes I am.  As we chatted and exchanged neighborhoods and stories, Jason, the owner and quite possibly the nicest man in the world, piled me high with my hamburger steak, fish tacos, and a free order of kalbe (a korean beef rib marinated in soy, sugar, sesame oil, and green onion, cut thin and grilled), his special for the next day. 

My boyfriend told me he'd never seen me eat so fast. The kalbe was incredibly succulent and flavorful, the sesame oil being absorbed into the fluffy mounds of white rice.  The fish tacos were unlike any I've had before.  Instead of being battered and fried, two large chunks of white fish were cooked in citrus sauce with bell peppers and onions, all wrapped in a secure bundle of tin foil and served with warmed flour tortillas.  Lastly, the hamburger steak was so ono (hawaii for scrumptious) and so familiar and comforting to me.  The macaroni salad, dusted with paprika, was a critical side dish.  

Simple, flavorful, and satisfying food is what Hawaiian plate lunch is all about.  Dinner from Hawaiian Island Grill runs about $10-$15 a plate, but come during lunch and they're serving up the same portions for almost half the price.  There's buzz all over the internet for this place as a great priced midtown lunch.  In addition to plate lunch, they also make ceviche (better known as poke in Hawaii), sushi and a wide array of appetizers.  This is one of the few, if not only plate lunch places in Manhattan, so give it a try. Let's keep this place alive!

Interested in cooking Hawaiian style at home? Almost every Hawaiian I know (including my mother) owns this book: Hawaii's Best Local Dishes.  It contains almost every local dish you'll ever want to know!