Big Island Grinds

At a recent retirement party for a wonderfully sweet lady with an appetite for great food, her co-workers went out all over Hilo to get her favorite foods. It was all so ono, I had to learn where everything was from!

This kind of information is invaluable…

Hilo Lunch Shop: Veggie Tempura, Sweet Potato Tempura, Fishcake

Sputniks: Potato Salad, Teri Beef, Korean Chicken

Kalbi Express: Mundoo

Ryans: Maki Sushi

So, where are your favorite places for dis kind food?

Two fresh and crispy yummy samosas with garbanzo bean curry and a refreshing salad ($6.25). Search this site for an earlier review of Akmal’s.

The Kilauea Loco here is da grindz! It uses chili instead of the usual gravy and burger. Only 4.75.

It wasn’t sleepy Hilo Town this past Saturday.

The rain was on schedule…

John Cruz…

Donna’s Smokin BBQ Shack…

Baby Back Ribs, 5-Meat Chili, Mac Salad, Rice ($10)

Juicy juicy, tasty and slightly tangy. Great ribs! Chili was really good too — very thick and hearty with a slight kick. I need to check Donna’s Smokin BBQ Shack later. It is located in the Keaau Village Market.

Ever since the 55th Annual County Fair, it’s been my civic duty to review the loco moco at the local county fair. I call it quality control. The loco moco at the 55th was one of the worst loco mocos ever. Impressively, they did a decent job on the 56th (last year).

Again this year, the Keaukaha Warriors were responsible for the loco mocos.

This was the double fried rice loco ($8). It looked almost exactly like last years, but once I started grinding ‘um, jus wasn’t the same.

Fried rice was undercooked — still slightly hard in the middle of the rice and mushy on the outside. Also, either the gravy or the fried rice was too salty. The patty was the same old premade frozen patty, but at least they kept it juicy. The eggs were nice and yolky.

The breakdown?

63%

• Burger: 18/30pts
• Gravy: 15/30pts
• Egg: 20/20pts
• Rice: 10/20pts

A nice individual brought in lunch for our office today from some tortilla factory in Shipman Business Park (industrial area between Hilo and Keaau).

What’s the name of this place?? I’ve heard great things about here but all they said was a “Mexican place” or “tortilla factory”. Hopefully some of you guys can help me out.

UPDATE: This place is called “Emma’s”. Thanks guys.

Here is a pork quesadilla with beans, rice, guacamole, and salsa (hidden underneath). The tortilla is what seriously shined. It was the freshest I’ve ever had — very moist, super soft, and so delicious! The pork was tender and perfectly seasoned. Lots of gooey cheese smothered with some thinly sliced onions and peppers. The sides tasted really fresh too. Very satisfying.

These guys/gals (whoever they are) really know what they are doing. I hear you can also buy very cheap and good fresh tortillas here. So what’s the name of this place?

P.S. Thanks for lunch! It was great.