'Ono Grinds at Matiki Island BBQ

Matiki Island BBQ

1015 North Harbor Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92832

Sharp-eyed readers of this restaurant blog probably can infer that if I'm writing about a North OC spot for lunch, it means I'm either meeting my parents for a midday meal, or I had just gone to the dentist. On this occasion, the latter is true. I don't go to the doctor all too regularly, but I do go to the dentist every six months like clockwork, and since I'm rarely up this way in the afternoon, I usually combo my trip with a restaurant I haven't tried yet. This time it was Matiki Island BBQ's turn to dirty up my just cleaned pearly whites. 

Matiki Island was founded by Melvin and Ricki Liufau, known more commonly as Uncle Mel and Aunty Ricki. Uncle Mel was a fire dancer and Ricki was a hula dancer when they opened a dance studio together in Anaheim. When the spot was available next door to the studio in 1996, Uncle Mel decided to open up a restaurant. Since those early days they now have three other Southern California locations, and recently opened one just off the strip in Las Vegas. 

Operating five restaurants is pretty impressive in itself, but each restaurant has a 4 and a half star rating on Yelp with a lot of reviews. This, and my love of Hawaiian barbecue is what drew me here, and it was only a few miles away from my dentist. As soon as I got out of another stellar dental exam and cleaning, I called to place my order at Matiki. I was quoted just the amount of time it would take me to drive over and pick it up and be on my way. 

For a point of reference, this Fullerton location is in the Hillcrest Park Shopping Center, which is situated alongside busy Harbor Boulevard and also includes a Black Bear Diner, Wingstop, and a Ralph's. There were no hassles with getting my food, as I was off within a couple of minutes after paying for it. The only problem I could envision was the thirty-minute drive back to Mission Veijo with the smell of barbecued meats wafting through the car causing my stomach to do summersaults. Let's check out the food. 

As is the case whenever I eat at a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant, I gravitate towards combo meals, and at Matiki BBQ that meant I was going to have the #6 Chicken and Kalbi Plate ($12.75). I like getting to try as much as I can on one plate. The kalbi or short rib here was some of the best I've had at a takeout Hawaiian restaurant. Yes, they were a little fatty in parts, but these were some of the meatiest short ribs I've ever had. Usually, they are tiny, with just a little bit of meat, and not really worth the trouble. These had a good marinade on them that was sweet but did not overpower the beef. The chicken was a little hit and miss. Some pieces were delicious and tender, but other bigger pieces were on the dry side. Combo plates at Matiki come with two scoops of rice and a scoop of mac salad, but they were really good about substituting two scoops of mac salad in exchange for no rice at no additional charge. The mac salad here was on point with texture but was a little on the boring side. Still, it was better than white rice and definitely worth trying. 

From what I've seen online, this #1 Beef Rib Plate ($12.25), which is also known as Sam's Plate is the most popular thing on the menu at Matiki BBQ, and for good reason. This was really excellent. Reminiscent of the big ribs you'd see flip over Fred Flintstone's car in the closing credits of the famous cartoon, this was one very heavy to-go container. The way they were placed into the container I thought they were going to be all bone, but there was plenty of meat on these. The meat was tender and kissed with a tinge of sweetness. I did not really have to use the provided sauce on these. There was one bone that had way more fat than meat, but this plate is one of the big reasons I'll be returning to Matiki BBQ in the future. 

As far as fast-casual Hawaiian BBQ restaurants go, Matiki Island BBQ is right up there with my other favorite, Da Hawaiian Kitchen in Huntington Beach. The proteins here were pretty much all excellent, with the exception of a few pieces of chicken that were a tad dry. The beef ribs alone are worth the visit. Portions were huge, as I had plenty of leftovers for dinner the next day. Prices were more than fair when you consider the amount of food that I received. It will be hard to bypass Matiki Island BBQ when I'm up here again in six months for my next dental appointment. 

Out of five hamsters, (because I recently found out that it is illegal to own a hamster in Hawaii), five being best to zero being worst, Matiki Island BBQ gets 3.5 hamsters. 

For more information about Matiki BBQ, head to their website here: https://www.matikisbbq.com/ 

Can't Fly to Hawaii? Head to Da Hawaiian Kitchen Instead

Da Hawaiian Kitchen

9842 Adams Ave. 

Huntington Beach, CA 92646

You can only be cooped up for so long before you need to break out to spread your wings a bit. That was the feeling both Katie and I had last weekend. We would be dropping off a gift to Katie's brother and our future sister-in-law on the day they were to be married. But, of course, their special day has been postponed due to the Corona Virus. So after that brief stop, we walked in nearby Fairhaven Park, a great spot to get some much-needed vitamin D and try to get our muscles moving.

After our three-mile walk around the nearly deserted park, we were ready to pick up some food and get home to prepare for the work week ahead. As Katie rehydrated, I went to Yelp to find a spot that both of us would enjoy. One of the first spots I discovered was Da Hawaiian Kitchen, which just happened to be about 6 minutes away. So we quickly called to order and have the food ready for us when we arrived. They told us it would be prepared in twenty minutes, so we took time getting over there.

Da Hawaiian Kitchen is near Target on the corner of Brookhurst and Adams in Huntington Beach. It's hidden between a dental office and Great Clips. In the eight years they have been open for business, they have an impressive four-and-a-half star rating on Yelp, with over 800 reviews registered. They recently had another location near the Newport Beach Pier, which was shuttered during these trying times.

This is a small storefront with maybe three four-person tables during non-Corona Virus time. The menu is pretty ambitious for what I imagine is a small kitchen behind the register. They offer seven Hawaiian breakfast staples all day long and plenty in the way of the plate lunches you'd expect to see at a Hawaiian restaurant. Most prices hover right around the $12 mark, with only the Local Boy Loco Moco going for $18, but that big meal includes three beef patties, three eggs, two scoops of mac salad, and three rice. That was a bit much for me this afternoon, but I'd love to tackle it next time. For now, I grabbed our bag, and we returned home rather quickly. Let's see if the food will sweep us away to an island paradise, at least in our minds.

When you are paying at the register at Da Hawaiian Kitchen, there's a small refrigerated section on your left with some side selections sold by the pound. If the picture above does not push you to order it, I'd definitely suggest getting some Spicy Garlic Poke ($17.99 a pound) to start your meal off with. We only got a half-pound and should have gotten more. The cubed pieces were some of the freshest we have had, and the spicy garlic flavor popped. This poke was mainly for Katie, but I should have gotten my own. Don't sleep on this poke.

Since Katie did not share nearly enough poke with me, I dove into my Combo Plate ($14 with a $1 upcharge for the beef). With this plate, you get to pick two kinds of meat, two scoops of rice, and one mac salad. I went with the Teriyaki Beef and the Chili Peppa Chicken. The beef was a little on the fatty side, which some might find not to their liking, but I didn't really mind as the meat had an excellent sweet flavor and was more tender than I was expecting. The star of the plate was the chicken thigh. This was a bigger thigh than expected, and the meat underneath the breading was moist and juicy. The best part was the breading, which had a nice spice, giving way to the garlic in bursts. It's easy to see why they get so much love for their chicken. It's really excellent. The rice was okay, but their potato mac salad was another favorite. A delicious hybrid of macaroni and potato salad that I should have gotten more of, and I will next time by substituting one of the scoops of rice for it at an additional charge. A move that is totally worth it. 

Katie was feeling the Combo Plate ($13) vibe this afternoon. She had the teriyaki chicken and the Kahlua pork. She was impressed with both but loved the shredded pork better. It had a real depth of flavor that was highlighted by an undertone of sweetness overlayed with a kiss of Kahlua. I will be honest; I snuck a few pieces of this while she was not looking. The chicken was boneless and had skinless thighs that might have been pressed together to form one large piece of chicken. The chicken had the same ginger teriyaki sauce used on my beef, and the result was still excellent, although some extra teriyaki would have been appreciated. Maybe next time.

There definitely will be the next time. In the last week, Katie has mentioned our lunch from Da Hawaiian Kitchen numerous times, which indicates to me how much she really enjoyed this meal and wants to come back sooner rather than later. I concur with that. I've thought about it quite a lot and am coming up with reasons that we could be close enough to the restaurant to swing by and grab more of their poke, chili Peppa chicken, Kahlua pork, and mac potato salad. So, where does Da Hawaiian Kitchen rate among the Hawaiian restaurants we've eaten at so far? I'd describe them as a higher quality L and L Barbecue, but with smaller portions. Not as high-brow as the excellent food from the kitchen at Ai Pono in Costa Mesa. Right on par with my experiences at Hapa J's in San Clemente, but at a much more reasonable price point. I guess I'm trying to say that the food here really capped off a good day. Just what we needed in these trying times. 

Out of five billboards (because when you visit the Aloha State, you will not find any billboards lining any highways or anywhere else in Hawaii), five being best to zero being worst, Da Hawaiian Kitchen gets 3.5 billboards.

For more information about Da Hawaiian Kitchen, head to their website here: https://dahawaiiankitchen.com/

Ono Grinds at AI Pono Cafe in Costa Mesa

Ai Pono Cafe

283 East 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

If I could pick one food trend that I hope would hit it big this decade, it would be plant-based proteins. Okay, I wanted to ensure you were actually reading this instead of just checking out the pictures. It would definitely be Hawaiian food. I've been to several Hawaiian restaurants, and even the worst (King's Hawaiian) had some redeeming value.

There are a few reasons I'm all in regarding food from our 50th state. First, I love all Hawaiian meats. Second, they also improved on bland potato and macaroni salad by combining the two. Third, even though the mai tai was invented in Oakland, the Hawaiians improved it to make it their own. It's impossible to go to the islands and not partake in one or a bunch of them.

I get a little pumped when I hear about a new Hawaiian restaurant opening in OC. I got even more excited after reading numerous reviews about its greatness. Full disclosure: I had Ai Pono Cafe's food once before when they rented space at The Hood Kitchen in an industrial park near John Wayne Airport. I loved what I had that initial visit, but the hours and days they were operating were too limited, so I decided to wait until they had their own spot and were open more hours.

I had no doubt that this would happen for Ai Pono Cafe, and nearly three months ago, it did. They now have a stand-alone restaurant on the restaurant-rich 17th Street in Costa Mesa. They are across the street from Sidecar Doughnuts and Mi Casa and in the same shopping plaza as Burger Lounge and Ross Dress For Less. They replace the now-departed Aloha Poke Company. In addition, their hours have greatly improved, as they are now open for lunch from 11 to 3, then open again for dinner service from 5 to 9 every day except for Sunday.

Starting as a meal prep spot, the owners of Ai Pono and Hawaiian natives Gene and Dana feel that Hawaiian food has become a bit muddled. So, they want to share what authentic Hawaiian street food entails. Dana is in charge of the front-of-the-house operations, while Gene, who previously worked as Executive Chef and Partner at Roy's, manages the kitchen. He's created a menu with plenty of bowls, salads, plates, and chicken dishes.

Unlike their space by the airport, this spot is much roomier and features plenty of artwork along the walls, showcasing their passion for their home state. Ordering is done at the register; you grab a seat at one of their picnic tables, and they bring the food to you. I had no doubt that the food would be just as good as what I had at their other place, and I was pretty excited to share it with Katie, her brother, and his fiancee. So, let's dig into their real Hawaiian street food.

Starting things off will be beautiful. Rachel's selection for this evening is the Hawaii Famous Fried Chicken ($13.80). Before my trip here, I did not know that Hawaii was famous for fried chicken, but apparently, they are. These two big chicken thighs are dipped in their guava chili pepper sauce. Rachel is not overly talkative when it comes to gushing about food, but she really seemed to enjoy this. The chicken looked good from across the table, and I will probably get this the next time I visit. This was served with a scoop of mac salad, hapa rice, and a little green salad with a vinaigrette.

Ai Pono has combo meals, which they call Utu Bang Bang ($16). I don't know what that translates to, but this option allows the indecisive like Katie to create their perfect meal. Katie went with the Shoyu Poke and Kawai As Why Chicken Katsu as her picks. She was delighted with her meal. The chicken katsu was lightly breaded and tender, perfectly balanced with a bit of drizzle of a sweet soy reduction over the top. The poke was some of the freshest she had and not overdressed like you get at all those assembly-line poke spots that have invaded almost every shopping center in OC. The plate was rounded with fried noodles, mac salad, and a scoop of hapa rice. Even though she enjoyed this meal, she may try one of the seven other options next time. 

I approached my visit to Ai Pono Cafe as I do almost any restaurant: pick the item that allows you to try the most things on one plate. At Ai Pono, I got the Mento Bento ($18.50). These are the greatest hits from their kitchen. You get a taste of their Portuguese sausage, ahi katsu, Spam, muy Thai shrimp, and teriyaki chicken. My favorite was the sausage, which had a crispy casing and an excellent flavor. The chicken teriyaki was also superb and way more elevated than you could ever get at Flame Broiler or your favorite bowl restaurant. I was a little surprised by the ahi katsu, which came with a pleasing tinge of hot mustard that I was not expecting but still enjoyed. The shrimp was also great, but beware that they leave the shell on, so take it off before eating. This comes with rice, which was okay but was overshadowed by the fried noodles and the mac salad, one of the best I have had. This is the way to go if you are still deciding what to have on your initial visit to Ai Pono Cafe. 

I added a Spam Musubi ($3) to my meal. I must confess that this was my first time having one. I know I'm late to the party as usual. I thought it was okay. Unfortunately, the rice overwhelmed me here, and I ended up just taking some of the rice out, which was a lot more enjoyable. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Spam, and I suggest that if you're like me, don't turn your nose up to it like I did for all these years. It's not so bad.

At Ai Pono Cafe, you can taste and feel the authenticity of their food. It's not gimmicky, just good, honest Hawaiian cuisine that I could see being served anywhere in the Aloha State. During our visit, I observed many people I assumed to be Hawaiian enjoying their meals and thanking Chef Gene for a bit of a taste of their home nearly 2,500 miles away. Be alert for some specials they occasionally run, featured on their Instagram page. They have had a fusion taco and a burrito offered, both of which looked awesome. Service on this evening was low-key, but still a warm and inviting atmosphere. Definitely, the aloha spirit is alive and well here in Costa Mesa.

Out of five Humuhumu-Nukunuku-A-Pua'a's (which just happens to be Hawaii's state fish), five being best to zero being worst, Ai Pono Cafe gets 3.5  Humuhumu-Nukunuku-A-Pua'a's. 

Ai Pono Cafe does not have a restaurant website, but you can find info about them here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ai-pono-cafe-costa-mesa

Vacation Time in Torrance?

King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant

2808 Sepulveda Blvd. 

Torrance, CA 90505

Summertime is for vacations. It seems like almost everyone that I know has gotten out of town at some point during this summer. I've seen my friend's Facebook posts about their summer trips to Italy, Colombia, Vegas, Japan, Miami, Alaska, and more. Even my friend Carol, who I was dining with on this particular afternoon is headed to Chicago at the end of this month, and she never goes anywhere. I have extreme travel envy at this point. I was hoping that a birthday lunch for Carol at King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant in Torrance would transport me to the South Pacific, at least for an hour or two.

The King's Hawaiian story begins in 1950 in Hilo, Hawaii. This is where founder Robert Taira opened his first bakery, before moving his family business to the more metropolis Honolulu. His bakery restaurant became pretty well known for their Portuguese sweet bread, which would eventually become known as King's Hawaiian Bread. The mainland was introduced to this famous bread in 1977 when they opened their first factory in Torrance. This restaurant and bakery followed in 1988. In 2001 they opened The Local Place, which is a fast-casual version of their original restaurant and bakery.

Now that you are all caught up on their history, let's get back to our visit. As I mentioned earlier, it was my good friend Carol's birthday, and since she now resides in Torrance, it has given us a chance to visit some restaurants up this way. Besides Gen BBQ, King's Hawaiian is the most reviewed restaurant on Yelp in this South Bay city. Close to 3,000 reviews and a mighty impressive four-star rating.

The outside of the restaurant, which sits alongside busy Sepulveda Boulevard kind of reminded me of the house on Fantasy Island, for the few of you that remember that 70's and 80's TV show. Once inside I was a little taken aback by the very large bakery case. This could be one of the largest bakery cases I have ever seen. They had plenty of cakes, pies, cookies, donuts, muffins, pastries, large displays of their Hawaiian Bread, and other assorted desserts. I did not know this before coming here, but they also do quite a large amount of wedding cakes as well. Very impressive, but we were here for some more substantial food after my long drive.

Breakfast is served every day before 2pm, but some items are available all day long. Lunch begins at 11, and they have plenty in the way of choices; appetizer, Hawaiian bowls, Hawaiian local favorites, combination plates, burgers, sandwiches, noodles, and fried rice dishes. Prices hover right around the $12 mark for breakfast and lunch and dinner options will set you back on average $14. Let's see if my trip up the 405 Freeway to King's Hawaiian could help ease the vacation envy I have of all of my friend's vacation plans. 

Probably not shocking to anyone, but once you are seated you are brought out a six-pack of Hawaiian Rolls to start things off with. These came out warm, but with only two pads of butter, I had one and we packaged up the rest so Carol could take them home to her sister.

While looking at the menu, Carol had made mention of the Macadamia Nut Onion Rings ($11.25) and since it was her birthday, we needed to give them a try. This plate of rings could have easily served four. These were a very solid onion ring. The breading did not pull away from the thick onion underneath, which is my biggest pet peeve with onion rings. The panko and macadamia nut breading was very sturdy, but maybe due to the deep-frying, the macadamia nuts did not really come through flavor-wise for me. The ranch dressing and barbecue sauce were fine, but I was maybe hoping they would have gotten a little more creative with their sauces and done a sweet and spicy pineapple dip or something else. Still, if you are a fan of the onion rings, these are a must-order for you.

Carol very rarely goes out to eat for breakfast, so when we try new places, she likes to give breakfast a try. At King's Hawaiian, she tried what I assume is one of their most popular breakfast plates, the Big Island Breakfast ($11.75). This breakfast combination plate comes with two eggs, three strips of bacon, and their famous King's Hawaiian French Toast. The eggs were cooked to her desired wishes and the bacon was nice and crisp. I tried a bite of her french toast and thought it was fine, but it did not blow me away. Decent, but nothing that really made me think I needed to have more than one bite, which is a good thing since Carol ate all of this rather quickly. Man, that 73-year-old woman can eat.

When people talk about breakfast dishes from Hawaii, Loco Moco ($11.75) is definitely what I think of. This was a pretty traditional version, which starts with white rice as its base and is then topped with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and two over-easy eggs. A few of my bites of this were good, but this needed more gravy to bring it all together. The hamburger patty also needed to be seasoned a bit more to make it pop. The best part of this dish was the scoop of potato macaroni salad that came with this. It's the perfect mash-up for people who are fans of both macaroni and potato salad.

I was a bit disappointed with my visit to King's Hawaiian. I think I expected a bit more than just an average coffee shop. Nothing was totally awful, but nothing was really so great that it would make me want to drive up here again from OC. I can see why people like this place though. It does kind of put you in a vacation mood by helping you recall a long-ago vacation that you might have had in the South Pacific. There's definitely more traditional and better Hawaiian restaurants out there to eat at. King's, based on what we had on this visit, appears to me to be Hawaiian food for the masses, which probably is the key to their popularity.

Out of five cups of coffee, (because the state of Hawaii is the only US State which grows everyone's favorite morning pick me up), five being best to zero being worst, King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant gets 2.5 cups of coffee.

For more information about King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant, head to their website here: https://www.khbakery.com/

Fins Splashes Down in South OC - CLOSED

Fins Poke Fusion

28251 Marguerite Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

If there's any food that has broken out more than poke in the second decade of this new century, I'm not sure what it could be. Yes, kale and quinoa have had their time in the spotlight, but let's be honest, these foods are awful. At least cubed pieces of seafood are something that almost all of us can agree is better than kale or quinoa.

You can also judge the popularity of poke by the amount of it that has become available all of a sudden. A simple Yelp search turns up 17 restaurants that serve poke, or have poke in their name. For the most part, all of these restaurants are in the northern part of OC. You can now add another poke option for people south of Irvine, with the opening of Fins Poke Fusion.

Fins is located in the old Sushi Zone spot and are run by the same owners. Sushi Zone was an all you can eat sushi place, which saw its profits dry up after fish prices went through the roof. Not wanting to sacrifice the high quality of fish they used, Co-Owners Peter Cho and Moby Duncan had to make a decision about what to do with their restaurant. They made the wise decision to ditch the AYCE option and create a build your own poke bowl place.

Fins switched to this new format in March and are having their grand opening this month. I heard about this place by reading Edwin's review in the OC Weekly. You can see his review here. I've now been here two times, and the first time was after the switch over to poke, but before they had remodeled the inside. The ordering process was more choppy then, with an ordering process that could best be described as awkward. It used to be that you ordered at the register and went to your table and waited for your poke to be brought out. This resulted in a few of the orders coming out wrong.

Now the process is more like a Chipotle, you walk along with the person making your masterpiece, and can have them add and customize your poke just the way you like it. A much better way to order this. Also, the first time we were here they gave you a separate bowl for the poke, and you had to mix it with your base yourself. Now they serve everything in the same bowl, which made the second trip way more enjoyable for me. Here are a few shots of the food during our first visit.

Even though it was awkward eating the poke this way, it was still very fresh, and everything tasted great. We loved all the options, and the serving size was more than generous at Fins. Let's see how our second, more successful trip to Fins was.

The new improved ordering process at Fins was much easier to follow. There are signs at each station letting you know what options are available, and the people behind the counter were also on hand to answer all of your questions as well. You start with what size of poke bowl you want, small, medium, or large. Then you choose what kind of base you are in the mood for, mixed greens or white or brown rice. At Fins you have the option of tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, shrimp, albacore, or they may have a special selection from time to time. There are also three sauces to choose from, a spicy mayo sauce, a house-made ponzu sauce, or a more traditional poke sauce, sesame shoyu. The last step is to complete your perfect poke bowl with any extra toppings at an additional charge. These include avocado, crab meat, scallops, jalapenos, and more. These range in price from 50 cents to a dollar per item.

Here's a look at our finished poke bowls. I went with the Big Kahuna (large $10.95) sized bowl which came with 7 ounces of cubed tuna, with a base of brown rice. I also added garlic chips, jalapenos, avocado, and spicy mayo and ponzu sauce. Again the fish was fresh and delicious, the garlic chips were stronger than I imagined they would be and added a new element to my poke creation. They were a little light on the sauce, so I had my great friend Daniele go up and get some more for me. She did so begrudgingly, but I convinced her it would be in her best interest to complete this task for me. The spicy mayo sauce, which they call Kilauea is not really spicy, but more of a thousand island type sauce, without the pickles. The jalapenos picked up the slack for the non-spiciness of the sauce, as these little guys really packed a punch. A very filling dinner which left me full, but not lethargic.

We are so happy that we went to Fins a second time. Glad to see all the kinks have been ironed out with the ordering process and the way the food is served. They are also working on updating the dining area, which is nearing the process of being finished. At this build your own meal kind of places is always a challenge finding your perfect combination of items, but so far the journey at Fins has been pretty good. We look forward to going back again soon and perfecting our ultimate poke bowl. Glad to see that South OC has another option for poke, and we heard whispers that there might be a new Fins location opening soon. We'll keep you posted.

Out of five orca whales, (because the mascot for the Vancouver Canucks is an orca whale named Fin), five being best to zero being worst, Fins Poke Fusion gets 3 orca whales.

Fins Poke Fusion has a very limited website, but there are links to their social media outlets by clicking here: http://www.finspokefusion.com/

Flavors of Aloha Cookbook Release Party at Tommy Bahama

Tommy Bahama Island Grille 

854 Avocado 

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Now that we have settled back into our normal routine after all the wedding shenanigans that we had to endure the last year, we both made a vow to eat at home more often. Just this week we ate at home two times, which almost doubles the amount of home-cooked meals that we have made since we moved in together a year and a half ago. Yes, we eat out a lot.

It makes sense that we would want to cook more at home now though. Thanks to family and friends, we have all new cooking utensils, a new set of fantastic pots and pans, new dishes, silverware, and new appliances to use. The only thing we were missing was a really great cookbook. Now thanks to the great folks at Tommy Bahama, and world-renowned, cookbook author, Rick Rodgers, we are now in possession of a great cookbook, "Flavors of Aloha". If you love the food at Tommy Bahama Island Grille or the food of Hawaii, then this book is a must for you.

We were recently treated to a few of the 100 recipes that are included in this first in a series of Cooking with Tommy Bahama cookbooks. Many of these recipes are served at one of the thirteen Tommy Bahama restaurants located throughout the country, so you can make some of your restaurant favorites right in your home. Cookbook author, Rick Rodgers uses clear and concise step-by-step directions that will have novice cooks like myself, basking in the glow of friends and family. The cookbook is also photographed beautifully and transports you across the Pacific for the short time that you are preparing your meal. Let's take a look at what Tommy Bahama had in store for us this evening.

As we were ushered to the back patio of the restaurant for cocktails, we were lei'd with beautiful flowers around our neck, and presented with arguably the most iconic cocktail from Hawaii, the Mai Tai. Now with the help of Flavors of Aloha, you can entertain at home with this classic beverage, which can be found on page 167. A little rum, along with other potent potables, and you will be whisked away to that tropical beach of your dreams as you sip this cocktail. Very relaxing.

Probably the first recipe I'm going to tackle out of this cookbook will be this one, the Sweet Maui Onion, and Bacon Dip. Way better than those dry packets you get at the supermarket, this dip had a great depth of flavor, which was rounded out by bacon, and that can never be wrong, right? This dip was served with root chips, which were good, but I'm going to go old school and use good old Ruffles potato chips when I make this. I already can't wait to attempt this one.

If you've been to Tommy Bahama Island Grille, and not had their World Famous Coconut Shrimp, you have truly missed out on one of the best items on the menu. A lighter-than-usual breaded shrimp is served with a sweet papaya-mango chutney, which goes great with the brininess of the shrimp. Great crunch to this one, and then the sweetness of the chutney hits you. This might be the first thing we make using the new deep fryer that we received for our wedding.

Please excuse my poor hand modeling in these shots, but don't let that distract you from this wonderful Ahi Tuna Poke. Poke has definitely become way more mainstream within the last few years, and this was a very good version. There was just enough going on here, so it did not distract from the natural flavor of the ahi. This very fresh cubed tuna was made even more special with the addition of an excellent avocado wasabi cream, which added a nice dynamic to this unique presentation, which was served in a sesame cone.

Here's a different take on your standard wings. These Roasted Korean Chicken Wings don't look like anything you can get at Hooters, and they tasted way better as well. What these wings lacked in spiciness, they made up for in flavor. A nice mix of ginger, garlic, and honey washed over each bite in waves. Very nicely done.

And the hits just kept on coming. This Coconut and Curry Marinated Pork Satay was absolutely delicious, and hard to resist since I knew we had a full-on meal coming our way. Char-grilled and then finished with a very well-made peanut sauce. I limited myself to only three of these but could have made an entire meal of them.

There was a chef demo going on near the back of the patio, which I missed, due to me talking way too much to my food friends. I was lucky enough to get a quick shot of the end result of the demo item, Spam Musubi. A factoid I learned while reading the Flavors of Aloha cookbook is that Hawaiians eat 5 and a half cans of Spam a year on average, many of which are used this way. I'm not much of a Spam lover, but eating it this way was not too bad.

After what seemed like an endless assortment of appetizers, we were ushered into the restaurant for dinner. Here we started with a Green Papaya and Chilled Shrimp Salad. Julienned veggies were tossed with cilantro, peanuts, and fresh lime. After all of those appetizers, I really appreciated the lightness of this salad.

The main course was up next, and much to my delight, it was both fish and red meat, which I always feel is like hitting the lotto. The better of the two on this night was the Kona Coffee Crusted Skirt Steak. Big-time flavors on this one. You could actually taste a hint of coffee in this well-made rub, and the steak was cooked to a wonderful medium rare. Then the generous serving of steak was topped with heirloom tomato relish, for a great finish. Very tasty. The Ginger Glazed Wild King Salmon was also good but was a little overshadowed by the steak for me. This salmon also had a lot of things working here, a hoisin sauce, fresh ginger, and sesame seeds. The seafood lovers around us were pretty content with this presentation.

Side items in the Flavors of Aloha cookbook definitely starred in their own right. We had four of them on this night. The one that was the most buzzed about was the Wasabi and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. These had that special wasabi flavor, but without that burn hole in your stomach heat, you would expect from wasabi. I'm always partial to mushrooms, and these Drunken Mushrooms were on point. Made drunken by the addition of sake, I counted at least three different kinds of mushrooms here, but there could have been more. The Chili and Lemon Broccolini added a big pop of green to our plates, as well as a boost of citrus. I'm no fan of kimchi, so I was a little hesitant to put too much of the Cabbage and Daikon Kimchi on my plate, but from what I had, it was pretty good, but I'm still not a kimchi guy.

Dessert is always special at Tommy Bahama, and one of the main reasons for this is because of their famous Pina Colada Cake. The lightness of this cake and the excellent island flavors are a great finish to any meal, and now that the recipe is included in the Flavors of Aloha Cookbook, you can enjoy this cake at home whenever you want. Which may get me in some trouble. Vanilla cake, with dark rum, diced pineapple, white chocolate mousse, and toasted coconut will even have coconut haters liking this cake. A wonderful end to our evening at Tommy Bahama.

When we left Tommy Bahama we were presented with the Flavors of Aloha Cookbook, and I have to say that I am pretty impressed, and more importantly, inspired to use this cookbook. It is written very well, not only with the directions, but with little tidbits about Hawaii, and the food from there. No, we will not stop going out to restaurants, like Tommy Bahama Island Grille, but since we have an all-new kitchen, we will definitely make use of this cookbook with all of these great recipes.

We would like to thank everyone that made this night possible for us. First, we would like to thank everyone at Tommy Bahama for hosting such a great event. It was a pleasure meeting Rob Goldberg, Executive Vice President of Tommy Bahama, and getting a chance to learn the process of how the cookbook came about, and talk little sports with him as well. We also would like to thank the Director of Culinary Operations at Tommy Bahama, Don Donley, and his team in the kitchen, who brought all of these wonderful recipes to life on our plates. Great work guys. Lastly, we definitely have to thank the author of Flavors of Aloha, the wonderful Rick Rodgers, who without him, we would not all be here on this night. He's worked on and authored way too many cookbooks to mention here, he's a much-in-demand teacher of cooking classes, has been featured on many TV shows, and was such a great guy, that he didn't mind answering annoying questions from a restaurant blogger from Orange County. Thanks for everything Rick.

If you would like to get your hands on the Flavors of Aloha cookbook, you can buy it by following this link, http://www.tommybahama.com/TBG/Home/PRD_TH33001/Flavors+of+Aloha+Cookbook.jsp

Also, do not forget to think about heading to Tommy Bahama Island Grille for some great food. More information can be found here: http://www.tommybahama.com/TBG/Stores_Restaurants/Newport_Beach.jsp