CHEF SAMBRANO: PLATE LUNCH SERIES FALL 2013 #17 BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII

COUSINS SEAFOOD & BENTO
1-808-969-9900
Corner of Kalauea & Lanikaula St. Big Island of Hawaii, in Hilo Town.

I love the internet, I can find lots of information on plate lunches. I asked around here on Maui, and I asked friends "Where can I get some good grinez on the Big Isalnd?" And the name Cousins Seafood & Bento came up. No I've never went there, but I'm giving you the heads up if you do visit the Big Island. We all need to stuff our faces man, we all need to eat, even if we need to lose weight, even if our doctors said "Don't eat that good food." Oh yeah, screw that doctor he's probably a quack anyhow.

Cousins looks great on the net, I mean just the way the food shines you know? Let's take a look at the menu shall we? Okay sorry, that may sound sick, I meant Cousins Seafood and Bento, not your cousins, I'm not into incest shit ok?

BENTOS

Boxed Lunches to most local's definition.

Now get this, on the menu it states, bentos are made between 630am until it is sold out, wow! that's a true local dig man, sold out? Shit, if you have a business and you sell out your food, you're doing good! No excellent!

Large Bento- includes musubi*, maki sushi*, cone sushi*, pressed sushi*, garlic chicken, shrimp, Spam, potato hash, hot dog and sweet egg. $7.50

Small Bento- includes musubi*, maki sushi*, pressed sushi*, garlic chicken, potato hash, hot dog, Spam and sweet egg. $6.00

Now if you haven't noticed the freaking small bento is big enough man! Now this is real local kine grinez.

LUNCH & DINNER 10AM -730PM

Pan Seared Ahi Steaks

Pan Seared Ahi Belly

Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon

and more….

OLD FASHIONED SOUP Includes scoop of rice white or brown

Spare Ribs Mustard Cabbage soup (Mondays only)

Okinawan Soup (Wednesdays only)

Oxtail Soup (Fridays only)

SIDE ORDERS

Beef Stew Bowl (26 oz) $4.95 "Are you kidding me? that's a great deal guys!!!!

Chili Bowl (26 oz) $3,95

French Fries

Fish Taco

and more….

BREAKFAST 630-930 am

Includes 2 scoops of white or brown rice and a slice of papaya

2 eggs, choice of Portuguese sausage, spam, pork sausage or smoked pork $4.50

2 egg OMELETTE, includes onions, mushrooms, cheese and a choice of ham, portuguese sausage, smoked pork, spinach or kale. $5.75

French Toast, made with Sweet Bread and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. $2.95

LOCAL FAVORITES

Spaghetti

Beef Stew

Garlic Chicken

Roast Beef

Chili Plate

Fried Chicken

SANDWICHES

Pan Seared Ahi Sandwich

Pan Seared Mahi Sandwich

Fish Taco Plate

Fish Burrito

Now for those of you unfamiliar with local food, it's simple but done good and comforting. And according to my contacts, Cousins is an alright dig to dig into.

IMAGES FROM GOOGLE IMAGES AND NOT MEANT FOR ME TO MAKE ANY PROFITS FROM IT.

OK guys, now you kinda know what we eat here in Hawaii, it's really a melting pot of ethnic styles that were brought over from the plantation days, those days when immigrants came from Japan, China, the Philippines, Portugal, Korea, the Pacific Islands, and elsewhere. We do it umami style. Our ingredients are simple, give us soy sauce and sugar, maybe some garlic and ginger, salt, pepper, we are good to go. Until the next post, keep your shit together!

Do you need some learnin? Here's some stuff you need to know.

Musubi- pronounced moo- soo-bee, it is rice shaped in rectangular usually, sometimes in a triangle, and sometimes there is a salty plum called an ume, pronounced oo-may, in the center with a nori wrap, pronounced no-ree, a seaweed wrap that goes around the rice, like sushi, and sometimes there's a protein on top of it, like Spam, or fired chicken, or a piece of fish.

Maki Sushi- pronounced mah-kee, it is a log rolled sushi with simple seasoned rice, and generally a tuna center, with bonito shavings, or tuna shavings that's colored red or green for presentation, and maybe shredded vinegar seasoned carrots, wrapped in nori.

Ono- pronounced oh no, meaning delicious. Example: "That bento from Cousins was ono!"

FACTS- The Big Island of Hawaii where Cousins is located is situated on the largest island in the Hawaiian island chain, it is the youngest of all islands with a live volcano in Kilauea (Kee low as in now, way ah). Hilo town where Cousins is located is on the east side of the island where it rains quite often.

It is 4,028 square miles large with a populate of about 190,000, give or take.

Geography Location: 19 degrees 34'N 155 degrees 30'W