Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 9, 1 September 2010 — ʻOno burgers ooze goodness at Da Hui's Kitchen [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻOno burgers ooze goodness at Da Hui's Kitchen

By John Matsuzaki KaWai Ola Tucked away on the makai entrance of Ala Moana Center's Makai Marketplace food court across from the Curry House is a nondescript little eatery called Da Hui's Kitchen Loeal Kine Grindz. It's no coincidence that the name of this 3-month-old loeal take-out plaee comes from the North Shore surf club, Da Hui o He'e Nalu. On the wall of the eatery hangs a large photo of the original club members. David Stant, owner and operator, is an original member of Da Hui. Inspiration for the name of the eatery eame to him one night as he was thinking about his father Kawika, who had passed away months before. "My father eame to me in a dream and told me to use Da Hui," David Stant says. "Our logo and name is known all over the world. We are a loeal group trying to give back to the oeean, land

and kids for the future." Mueh like Da Hui, OHA's Mālama Loan program believes that by empowering Hawaiians, Hawai'i as a whole will be strengthened. As an OHA Mālama Loan recipient, Stant has been able to use the loan to improve his business. "It has helped me renovate the store, make signs and catch up with the rent," he says. But what does Da Hui know about good loeal food? To be honest, I didn't really expect mueh. Being located at the mall, I thought that the food would be overpriced and average tasting. However, I was pleasantly wrong. Not only was the food fresh and 'ono looking, but it is locally sourced as well. At the center of the whole operation is Da Hui burgers made with Kulana Foods beef from the Big Island. Stant believes that supporting loeal business

will make the food /<?<?/ more 'ono. "Grown loeal, by locals, for locals type of feeling," he says of the ingredients. Of course, the real test was to taste the food itself. Along with a eouple of friends, we decided to share a few of the dishes. I gotta say, it was a ehallenge to decide on any one thing, because the entire menu looked amazing. However, with the help of Anuenue, our wonderfully pleasant and patient hostess, we narrowed it down to the three most popular lunches: the teri steak, moehiko ehieken and hamburger steak; and the two most requested stuffed burgers: the poeho and bacon. First of all, many restaurants serve teri beef, but Da Hui's Kitchen's teri steak was over the top. Lean, smoky and flavorful, it reminded me of when I was a keiki, backyard Hawaiian style barbecues - not the southern kind - grilling meats with my 'ohana at Nānākuli Ranch. Eaeh pieee of beef was marinated well and grilled to perfection. First-timers Grace and Bert of O'ahu had to try it for themselves, after seeing Da Hui's Kitchen's feature on Cheap Eats on Hawai'i News Now in

July. They chose the moehiko ehieken plate, as did my friends and I. It was equally generous and delicious as the teri steak. Eaeh lightly rice-floured pieee of poultry featured a niee combination of sweet and savory flavor. "Moist to the middle" is all I ean say about this delectable SEE DA HUI'S ON PAGE 31

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Da Hui's Kitchen Loeal Kine Grindz > Ala Moana Center, Makai Marketplace food court, makai entrance > Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Phone: 955-3020 > 0VERVIEW: Loeal, handmade soul food. No pre-made orfrozen food. > PRICES: Breakfast items start at $3.85; Da Hui Burgers begin at $6.48; Da Hui plates start at $6.85 > RECOMMENDATIONS: Da Hui poeho burger, teri steak plate

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Continued from page 9 dish. It was hard not to gobble down all of this dish. Last but not least were the burgers. Many restaurants serve burgers, but none of them do it Da Hui style. These Kulana beef burgers stuffed with cheese and sauteed onions just ooze flavor in all its greasy goodness. Its mere appearance is enough to tempt the staunchest vegetarian. Eaeh patty is handmade, stuffed with a variety of juicy fillings of your ehoiee: bacon, teri beef, Portuguese sausage, ehili, mushrooms and pineapple, called the "Hawaiian." The poeho burger was so moist and flavorful, boasting garlic, paprika and pepper spices that makes Portuguese sausage so yuimny. This was my personal fave. And, who ean eomplain about bacon burger? That burger was stuffed with all the salty and savory goodness only found in that cured other white meat. When asked what Da Hui's Kitchen would serve to a high school football team preparing for the championship game, Stant, who is the head football eoaeh of defending champs Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama, replied: "Three days before the game - Hawaiian steak with green salad, rice and bread. Two days before the game - mixed hamburger steak, pasta with gravy or tomato sauce toppings. Game day -pork chops with potatoes, green salad, rice and fruits. Hope this won't kill the boys." ■

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