New gourmet burger joint in the Parker Ranch Center food court.

“Hawaii Rancher” and “Hawaiian Red Veal” with fries.

“Hawaii Rancher” burger ($7.50) with local cuts of chuck and brisket. Excellent! The beef almost melts in your mouth… so tender and juicy. We saw them form our patties on the spot and they grind their own meat fresh. That extra effort really shows. I preferred this one over the veal (probably since it was more fatty!). The bun was soft and sweet… and veggies were fresh… tomatoes ripe and red.

These fries were yummy. Crisp, light and potatoes had a nice sweetness. ($3.50)

Close-up

Great place if you are looking for a mean local beef burger and don’t mind spending a little more.

Village Burger, Waimea
67-1185 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743-7304
(808) 885-7319‎

Fresh ahi poke, smoke pork w/guava jelly, Big Island beef burger, and $5 huge mugs of beer (happy hour). Meeeaan brah!

Hawaiian style Ahi poke ($9.95), more than half pound. Might be my favorite poke on the island! Perfectly seasoned and always fresh here.

Smoked pork w/guava jelly. Very addicting combination. Only $4.00 (half-off) during happy hour!

Big island beef burger on sweet bread roll. Good!

Service here is really friendly and family style. Definitely one of my fav places on the Big Island!

Pakini Grill
65-1144 Mamalahoa Hwy
Kamuela, HI 96743
(808) 885-3333
http://pakinigrill.com/

Wor Won Ton Mein ($7.95)

Nuff said!

Happy Valley Seafood Restaurant (at Hilo Shopping Center)
1263 Kilauea Ave Ste 320
Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 933-1083

Kim’s, I <3 you!

Readers have been telling me that Maona has some mean grinds. Finally made it here! A little 2-man operated lunch counter right next to the Farmer’s Market.

Their menu is simple but looks so good! Unfortunately, they were already out of rice. They are known to have some good plate lunches so we were bummed.

We just went for some sandwiches. Blackjack burger ($6.50).

Mahi burger ($6.50).

The covers on these plates could barely stay closed. Huge burgers and huge amount of crispy homemade fries. My burger was thick and juicy with a nice spice rub. Nice grill marks. Best $6.50 I’ve spent on a burger! Bev’s mahi was super fresh and perfectly seasoned. Only thing is that it could’ve used a little more mahi.

Definitely will be back for their plate lunches!

Love Island Natural’s ahi bento and poke! These guys make eating healthy taste good. Lightly breaded tender pieces of ahi over brown rice with a tasty teri sauce. The beauty is all of the little sides… juicy shitake mushroom, curry tofu salad, and even little pretty edible flowers!

The poke is from their amazing salad bar, which definitely requires a post on its own. Their produce section is also fantastic. We come here at least twice a week for lunch and their produce.

Island Naturals Hilo Market & Deli
http://www.islandnaturals.com
1221 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 935-5533

This is one of my favs: small saimin and burger combo. Nori’s burgers are always awesome… freshly made thick juicy patties. Once in awhile the saimin broth is just right and drinkable, but lately, like on this visit, it was so salty I could only eat the noodles.

Nori’s please taste your broth before sending it out. I love everything else about you!

Such a nice place! Feels like I’m in Paris and I’ve never even been there before.

La Provencal crepe ($10). Chicken breast, spinach, mushrooms, mozzarella, mustard.

Alaska crepe (half size) with side salad ($10). Red salmon, spinach, artichoke, mozzarella, olives.

Both crepes were delicious! Crepe was so light, thin and moist and fillings were very flavorful and fresh. They use a special “magic” sauce which is super ono too.

Also offered here are desert crepes and other French inspired dinner items.

Le Magic Pan
64 Keawe St., Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 935-7777

Last time I’ve been to the Kaikodo building was about 5 years ago when Restaurant Kaikodo was still open. The food was great and the ambiance super nice. Sadly, they ended up closing and it’s been empty for awhile, until Uncle Don’s Ohana Grill opened up just a few months ago.

Don’s Ohana Grill is taking a different approach: local, casual, affordable. So the important part… How’s the food?

First up we were given some fresh baked bread with lilikoi butter. It was dense, with an almost biscuit-like flavor… not yeasty but more like a soda bread. Not a big fan of the bread and the lilikoi butter didn’t really help either.

Humongous portion of deep fried butterfish with a sweet miso sauce (~$16). The fish itself didn’t have much flavor and the sauce was not anything special. Rice was overcooked. Veggies were cooked well, though.

This was their special: 8oz rib eye with shrimp tempura (~$24). Figured how can you mess up a ribeye steak? Easy! Serve it lukewarm, thin, and with an overly sweet bbq sauce over it. Shrimp tempura was very doughy and oily.

I was really trying to like this place since it caters more for the locals with reasonable prices but they really need to step up the quality of their food. To be fair, I’ve heard good things about this place from others, so maybe we went on a bad day. They also serve breakfast and lunch.

Would love to hear any other reviews of this new place. I wish them the best!

Uncle Don’s Ohana Grill
60 Keawe St., Hilo HI
(808) 961-5551