O'ahu: Good Eats

We ate well in O'ahu. Here we are slurping down some pineapple smoothies, vesseled in a whole pineapple. This treat is quite common on the island. In fact, at Diamond Head they had at least three industrial shelving units filled with whole pineapples, just waiting to be smoothied. See picture below if you don't believe me.

The State of Hawaii also has a fondness for Spam. Patrick, our short bus driver, and his wife of 35 years, like Spam. It's even served at McDonald's and available at 7-11. But we decided to pass on this canned meat.

We did not however pass on the Loco Moco at Heavenly, a funky cool eatery across from Ross Dress for Less and near Hyatt Centric in Waikiki that Patrick recommended to his passengers. (Patrick probably knows about it because he dined there while his wife was shopping at Ross. See previous post.) Loco Moco is a beef patty served on rice, with an egg on top, and beans and veggie on the side. Delish. Goes well with local beer too. We went to Heavenly twice, we liked it so much. Or, as Patrick would say, "it was that good."

Next on the list are Malasadas. Malasadas what? Think deep fried buns without a hole in the middle, sometimes stuffed with custard. The most famous and popular source for these donuts is Leonard's. We went to their main outlet in Honolulu, but the line was outrageous. Instead we went around the corner to Konos and picked up a delish breakfast burrito. A resident picking up his coffee and breakfast there told us Leonard's is always that busy and to find some of those treats elsewhere. So we did. We picked up a passionfruit malasada and cocounut malasada at Liliha Bakery in the International Market Place. They were pretty good, but not the best. Luckily, we found a Leonard's food truck on the way to a Foodland store. There are four such trucks on O'ahu, and ours had NO LINE. We got a half dozen, and they were piping hot and amazing.

Another bakery to write home about is Ted's Bakery on North Shore. It's pretty dumpy from the outside, but don't let that bother you. Come in and have some pie, and take home some pastries while you are at it. I suggest the "donut holes" (four to a bag). You have never tasted anything so good.

And last, but not least, is Rainbow Drive-In. The rumor is Barack Obama ate and hung out here as a youth. Rainbow serves "plate lunches." That is Hawaiian shorthand for two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and some kind of protein. We selected BBQ beef for our protein. Quite good, and reasonably priced. Rainbow is a come as you are place. No shirt and no shoes? Doesn't matter. Drive in and enjoy.