Hog Island BBQ in Kaimuki

Hog Island BBQ
Continuing with my recent Southern fascination, I went to Hog Island BBQ in Kaimuki (and I wonder why I keep gaining weight this year...must stop eating so much.) I am always amazed when I read Kathy’s blog because she consumes seemingly endless quantities of amazing food, yet remains stick thin. I also appreciate Padma Lakshmi’s interviews that she gives, where she tells viewers that she gains 10-15 pounds during a season of filming her show, and is just careful about what she eats after the season to get back down to her regular weight.

Anyhoo, after my recent obsession with Southern cuisine, I had to try Hog Island BBQ. It's a cute little place in Kaimuki, in the same tiny building as Himalayan Kitchen. There's a big 'ol smoker in the tiny little ordering area, which seemed super authentic. There's no seating inside, but there are tables & chairs available upstairs on the roof if it's not too hot.


I ordered the brisket plate (I love me some brisket). You choose your meat (small / med / large), and 2 sides. Meats include beef brisket, pulled pork, chicken breast or baby back ribs. Sides were tough to pick: mac & cheese, cranberry slaw, baked beans, dirty rice, scalloped potatoes or jasmine rice.


Here's my brisket plate. I liked that the meat was so nice and dry, but it was lacking in a smoky enough flavor.

3 stars at Yelp

1137 11th Ave
Ste 102
Honolulu, HI 96816

(808) 734-1333

www.hogislandbbq.com/Home.html

Soul food

I cannot get enough of Sean Priester's cooking. It's like crack for me. And I know that there isn't really much good for me in it (hello, it's southern cooking at it's best) but that doesn't keep me away.

BBQ sandwich

 Fried chicken plate...love the cornbread, veggie chili and collard greens

 Pecan pie with whipped cream

Every month when I end up at Eat the Street (love to support them, plus it's right by my office in Kaka'ako) I get drawn magnetically to the Soul truck. Even when I want to try all the awesome new trucks.

I've been an original customer at Soul, ever since the Groupon debut, and I became complete obsessed with the cornbread. 

Today I found some competition for Soul...another stick to your ribs, clog your arteries, want to take a kanak attack kind of meal that is so good even though you know all that about it, you can't stop eating good soul food.

Kiss My Grits is a tiny little hole in the wall at Puck's Alley (University Ave) that just opened this fall. They specialize in bbq - North Caroline Style or Southern (Georgia?) style, and also have fried chicken, catfish, shrimp & grits, and more.

Owner Kirstin Jackson moved to Hawaii 17 years ago and was initially working as a very successful publicist but finally gave up her steady job to follow her dream of opening a southern restaurant a few months ago. You can tell that she's thought about all of the small details that go into running a restaurant while she's been hatching her dream, as evidenced by the cute table setting below.

We started with the fried green tomatoes, a recommendation from a friend who was dining there.

Then moved onto our mains: the Dixie Chicken sandwich (which I read about on Yelp and had to try) and the BBQ plate with North Carolina sauce. (vs. a sweeter southern BBQ sauce). The Dixie Chicken is a must-try: a homemade freshly baked biscuit, ham, fried chicken, egg and pimento sauce. To die for.

Then the bbq beef plate: complete with cole slaw, a deviled egg and hush puppies (friend cornmeal dough), served with honey butter! The hush puppy was my highlight.

To end, we had to get the bread pudding, which truly was the best (and most sinful) bread pudding I've ever had. Read this review at Yelp which convinced me. Next time I'm gonna try the banana pudding though, another southern favorite of mine.

Now I'm going to go take a nap...

Kiss My Grits

1035 University Ave

Honolulu, HI 96826

348-0626

Yelp   

New finds in town

Hi everyone! Since I've been home, I've been trying to visit some places
that are newly opened (ok, I've been living away from the island for over two years, so my definition of "new" is not necessarily that new).

I've been reading the following in order to get ideas that go on my "list of restaurants to try"

- Yelp Honolulu- Nonstop Honolulu
- Chowhound
- And of course all the great Hawaii food blogs

#1) Cafe Kaila

When I was growing up, my parents had this old school waffle maker that made the flattest, crispiest waffles ever. I couldn't stand them. That experience made me avoid waffles for most of the rest of my 31 years.

The old waffle iron:


Until I discovered soft, fluffy Belgian waffles, like this:


Yum.

So when I read on yelp about the best breakfasts in town, I had to try Cafe Kaila.

We got there around 1030 or 11 am on a Sunday and faced this line:


Yikes. We thought we could go browse at Fujioka's wine at market city, but they weren't even open yet! So we stood in line (the staff kept everyone in line happy with free waffle samples).

Once we were finally seated, we were starving and ordered what felt like half of the menu:

- a waffle (of course!)
- pancakes
- the breakfast quesadilla
- the fritatta

The waffle unfortunately did not live up to my soft fluffy expectations, but everyone else at the table loved it. Everything else was fantastic though - the pancakes were soft and fluffy and slightly spiced, the breakfast quesadilla was stuffed with bacon and incredibly addicting, and the fritatta was very satisfying.


The frittata




Breakfast quesadilla


The belgian waffle


#2) Soul
Pulled pork sandwiches.

Shrimp n grits

Mac n cheese

Cornbread with honey butter

Hush puppies

I spent a summer living in Atlanta once, and while the city itself never grew on me, I fell in love with southern cooking. I would drive all over town searching out new soul food or bbq joints to try out.



I'd been missing my southern bbq or "meat + 3" (a heart attack on a plate) but luckily Soul on Waialae solves that problem.




I ordered the vegetarian sampler: veggie chili, collard greens, buttermilk coleslaw and cornbread. Each was better than the previous. Can't wait to go back and try some other things on the menu. My only gripe is that they are quite expensive - I went at lunch, no lunch specials or mini plates available. I think they could attract a larger lunch crowd if they offered "minis" of the specials (which range up to $18 I think, but don't remember exactly).





Kaila Cafe
2919 Kapiolani Blvd (Market city)
732-3330 (not that they take reservations)
Yelp



Soul Cafe
3040 Waialae Ave (by city mill and the fat greek)
735-7685
Yelp