Big Island Grinds

So what are your thoughts on the new Loco Moco Scale? I’m still debating whether or not I’ve weighted the items in the loco moco fairly.

Here’s the current breakdown (UPDATED!):

• Burger: 30% (instead of 35%)
• Gravy: 30% (instead of 35%)
• Egg: 20% (instead of 15%)
• Rice: 20% (instead of 15%)

Adding up to a maximum:

100%

I’ve had one say that the egg should have heavier weight, which sounds fair, but I’m curious of what you all think. Please let me know your thoughts!

After having a great steak plate from Mister D’s lunch-wagon, I had to come back to try their loco moco, so I went out today to go back. It broke my heart to see that there was another lunch-wagon in its place (MJ’s lunch wagon). I knew Mister D’s was out there, somewhere.

I drove around aimlessly around Hilo, trying to find Mister D, until I turned a corner and saw the sign “Lunch? Steak Plates $6.50″!

I was overjoyed. The lunch wagons must have some kind of rotating schedule, so if you can’t find Mister D’s near Blane’s industrial, make sure to check on the intersection of Kilauea Ave & Puinako St, across from KTA in the lot of the Kai Store.

In the same corner lot, I usually see a Poke Wagon called “Poke To Your Taste” and a stand that sells wonderful fresh sweet corn.

I have yet to try the poke here, but the corn is very delicious!

Here’s the front of Mister D’s Lunch Wagon again.

I ordered a double loco moco ($5.50) and a steak plate ($6.50) for a co-worker. He started frying my sunny side-up eggs.

Here is the double loco moco:

I’ll use my loco moco rating system again, testing out a new points based system. Maximum points add up to 100, and the burger and gravy have higher weight than the eggs and rice, since I think those are the two most equally important items in a loco moco.

Burger: Pre-made, mushy texture, bland tasting mystery meat which hardly tasted like hamburger (9 out of 35pts)
Gravy: Average tasting regular brown gravy, but a little saltier than normal. There wasn’t enough flavor to balance out the saltiness, though. (20 out of 35pts)
Egg: Good buttery tasting egg, cooked well, but maybe a little too fast. (13 out of 15pts)
Rice: Good rice, cooked just right. (14 out of 15pts)

56%

Sad to say, the burger really brought this one down. I believe that the burger was the same one I had in the loco moco at the County Fair.

Stick with the steak plates here!

I usually see a lunch wagon parked on the side of the highway in the Hilo industrial area during lunch on workdays, and I always tell myself to try one of them one day, but I always put it off.

Today there was Mister D’s Ono Steaks. I think I’ve seen some other kinds of lunch wagons here before, too. The two words “Ono Steaks” made my tummy rumble. That was it! I drove off the highway and parked next to the wagon.

A few other people were there, ordering both the regular steak plates and teriyaki steak plates. A girl in front of me ordered a bunch of regular steak plates and a loco moco. He started to fry the egg in a small pan (glad they have a grill this time!), and fry the patty on a flat grill. Now I was torn: loco moco or steak plate? It looked like it was turning into a decent loco moco, too.

Well, I’m glad that their menu was simple.

I stuck to the plan and ordered a regular steak plate ($6.50, no tax). Along with the steak plates and loco mocos, they also had “pork tonino”, which I don’t think I’ve ever had. A co-worker tells me that its basically pork bbq with a vinegary-onion sauce. It sounded good.

Soon after ordering I heard a loud searing noise. ~4 minutes later, my plate was ready. That was fast. On the side they have a bunch of condiments and salad dressings for the salad included with the steak.

A very generous serving of medium-rare steak already cut up, tossed green salad, and two scoops of rice. I wasn’t asked how I wanted the steak cooked, so if you want it cooked differently, make sure to let Mister D know.

The steak was nicely seared, mostly tender & juicy, and seasoned well with a lot of pepper, giving it a nice spicy kick. I’m not sure what kind of cut it was (chuck maybe?), but some parts were a little chewy. Still, for $6.50, this was not a bad deal.

I think I might come back if I have the cravings for a freshly cooked steak again, and next time I’ll be sure to investigate their loco moco!