Posts Tagged ‘Cheap Eats’

Beneath the mighty shadow of the under construction Trump International Hotel & Tower is Henry’s Place, an honest, humble hole in the wall fruit & veggies & snacks stand that locals have come to cherish. A survivor from an increasingly bygone era, a truly independent store amidst the gaggle of alphabet chain stores & eateries crowding Waikiki, Henry the owner, has been in business for twenty-seven years, his original stand on the very spot where one of the Trump tower now stands, when that property was bulldozed nearly a year ago Henry moved down the block to one of the few remaining low rise buildings on the Ewa end of Waikiki. Locals & tourists alike breathed a collective sigh of relief when Henry continued his tradition of providing a place serving up bowls of fresh fruit for a modest price.

Henry’s Place lacks any frills. It is tiny, the interior scarcely bigger than an elevator in a resort hotel. Open to the elements, Henry provides six comfortable plastic chairs where one can sit a spell while grinding (local speak for eating). However most of Henry’s customers mostly come & go, taking a break from work at the many hotels & eateries & shops surrounding Henry’s Place, along with visitors who have heard they can find fresh fruit and other delectable delights for a fair price. $4.00 is the price for a variety of fruit bowls, a variety of fruits peeled & cubed by hand (the old fashion way). One of the most popular is the # 6, here is a testimonial courtesy of Walt M of Colorado via Yelp-dot-com “I have the “#6″ for breakfast every morning when I am in town. The “6″ is for the six different kinds of fresh fruit — all cut up into bite size pieces and ready to eat. Definitely worth a visit for a healthy snack or treat any time of day!”

Henry’s Place has a variety of sandwiches ranging from $2.50 to $4.00. Generous portions of meat on wheat bread. The usual suspects; Egg Salad, Pastrami, Ham, Turkey, Chicken, others, made fresh daily. Henry’s serves up a tasty bowl of Saimin for $4. A quartet of coolers are stocked with soda & juices & teas & coffee in cans & bottles and by Waikiki standards they are moderately prices ranging from $1.00 to $2.50, on average. One can find any number of delicious snacks, fresh veggies, muffins, hard boiled eggs, chips.

Henry has earned a loyal following for his homemade ice cream & sorbet. Served in a Styrofoam cup, well worth the $4.00, a variety of delicious flavors; coconut, green tea, vanilla, mocha, coffee, mango, strawberry-guava, others though one other flavor demands attention a truly creamy confection, apple-banana ice cream; Yumm! Henry’s has that other local treat, Shaved Iced for about a dollar to two dollars less than any other place in Waikiki ($3.50).

Henry’s Place is a welcome break from what has become the norm, a true family business that has an honored place amidst the fast paced whirl of Waikiki. Henry’s Place is open seven days a week from around 7AM to 10 PM or so, so check ‘em out.

PS: No reservations required!

photo courtesy homeaway dot come

Some of the simpler pleasures are the best.One of the most humble, unpretentious eateries serving delicious food for a modest price is Harbor Drive Inn at the entrance to Harbor Center in Aiea on the shores of historic Pearl Harbor (98-0025 Hekaha St #14, next door to Pearlridge Printers).

Harbor Drive Inn has the sort of plate lunches locals like, food that is consistently good & filling, and fuel for a hectic work day. Opening at 8 AM Monday through Sunday, they serve breakfast to 10:30 AM. Two large eggs with your choice of ham, or bacon, spam, link sausages or Portuguese (sausage), and your choice of rice, hash browns, or toast is a mere $4.25 — the same price as their ham, spam, or Portuguese omelets. The delicious shrimp omelet for $6.25 is delectable, as well as the variety of sandwiches ranging from grilled cheese for a $1.85 to $2.75 for variations of egg. There is also French Toast for $2.95 and several sides that ought to get your day off to a good start.

Lunch/Dinner items are available from 10:30 AM to 7 PM Monday to Saturday, but closes at 3 PM on Sundays. Over time the menu has expanded, offering an assortment of beef, chicken, pork, or seafood plates with mini plates in the $4.75 to $5.25 range, and regular plates ranging from $6.75 to $8.25.

Harbor Drive Inn has earned the loyalty of many stomachs with fare such as Mochiko Chicken, Garlic Chicken (my favorite), breaded Pork Chop (s), Fried Scallops, and Bar-B-Que Short Ribs and much more. The variety of combos provides a wonderful mixture on one plate.  The pile of garlic shrimp is guaranteed to keep vampires at a safe distance. Burgers and hot dogs are available for those on a budget, or merely in need of a modest repast. Side orders include chili fries, and naturally saimin — both plain and fancy.  The Teriyaki Steak Saimin is a favorite of many, as is their B-B-Q Chicken Saimin.

What the working class clearly enjoys in addition to the consistently good food is the daily special. Nearly everyone is able to scramble up a five spot and fifty cents, thus the daily special is a terrific deal. Monday is BBQ Chicken, Tuesday Teri Steak, Chicken Katsu on Wednesday, Hamburger Steak on Thursday, Friday it is Fried Shrimp, on Saturday a Chili Dog Plate, and on Sunday Lemon Chicken.

If you are planning an office party or a luau, then Harbor Drive Inn has a wide assortment of Party Platters ranging from $19.99 to $71.00, which include such favorites as Chicken Katsu, Garlic Chicken, Fried Mahi Mahi, and much more. They also offer Picnic and Family Packs as well as an uncooked Tailgate Pack for those eager to fire up their own grill.

So when you are in Aiea check out Harbor Drive Inn, or call them at #808-485-1940.

Downtown Honolulu has its share of unique eateries, but few offer gourmet cuisine for the price & pace of a fast food franchise.  3 Star Gourmet II, a hop skip away from the downtown Honolulu post office, has a menu chock full of goodies, though most every time I have dropped in the daily special snagged my attention.  Fortunately, I have heard testimonials from many downtown office workers of the wide variety of dishes available and their consistently good quality.

Open from 6:30 AM to 7 PM Monday thru Friday and 7 AM to 3 PM on weekends, 3 Star Gourmet II has mouth watering omelettes that cost a mere $5.75 or $6.25.  Many of my friends rave about the Seafood Omelette as well as the Daily Special.  All Omelletes are served with a choice of rice or hash browns or toast, and for an extra 50 cents one can add cheese or a vegetable.

Yummy MacNut Pancakes are a great way to start off the day, or one can choose Banana or Blueberry, for only $5.25.  A stack of buttermilk pancakes are only $4.25, or for $6.25 you can order 3-Star Pancakes with your choice of meat & eggs.  Children’s pancakes with meat & eggs are a terrific deal for $4.25.

There are a variety of meat & eggs combos for $5.75 to $6.25 for Grilled Mahi & Eggs (an island favorite) to $7.25 for Steak & Eggs, and once again there is a choice of rice or hash browns or toast.  Rounding out the breakfast menu are a variety of side orders, as well as juice and naturally coffee.

One thing that sets 3 Star Gourmet II ahead of the crowd is that they offer a choice of white or brown rice and, for me, their brown rice is wonderful — a nice slightly nutty taste and perfect compliment for every meal.

The lunch menu is extensive & inexpensive, beginning with an assortment of mixed green salads priced from $3.75 to $6.50 and including such treats as a Blackened Ahi Salad, an Oriental Salad w/ Chicken Breast Katsu, a Zesty Crab Cake Salad, and many others.  There are thirteen sandwiches on the menu ($3.75 to $6.50) including my personal favorite, Hot Pastrami on French bread.

There are fourteen items on their Main Entreé list, ten Pasta items, plus thirteen local plate items.  As if that is not enough to choose from, there are daily specials as well as the fresh fish of the day!  All are priced from $5.25 to $8.50, with only a few exceptions.  On my most recent visit I chose the slow cooked prime rib of beef for $10.25, and it was as good as if not better than the $20 0r $30 option at many dinner restaurants.  A thick though tender slab, a steak knife was not needed.  It was full of flavor and a very satisfying meal.

For those who worry about how their food is prepared, 3 Star Gourmet II has an open kitchen.  The cooks in their crisp, white shirts & aprons bustle around a spotlessly clean kitchen in full view when you are ordering at the counter.  There is no table to table service, though on a slow afternoon the ever-friendly staff is likely to deliver your plate to your table. Otherwise, be prepared to bus your own table.

3 Star Gourmet II opened in July 2009 at 810 Richard Street, the original 3 Star Gourmet is located at 1111 Bishop Street.  I have not eaten at the original, though I am certain it is equally wonderful, as it is owned by the same terrific trio, chefs & caterers.  You can contact Robert via 808-375-1629, Art via 808-216-3535, or Virgil via 808-277-6335 for more information.