MOMMA'S MUSTARD, PICKLES & BBQ

In this blog post I went out the other day here on Maui, and talked to some of our visitors to the island. I met a couple that was cruising town. I asked them where they were from and they were from Louisville, Kentucky. And food is always a good subject, so I briefly asked them if I went to Louisville, where should I go? And their answer was to visit a place called MOMMA'S MUSTARD, PICKLES, & BBQ 

So the tell me, "Ron you gotta have the chicken wings and the beef ribs. They are rated 1&2 as the best." OK, so I had to do my investigation. We are like 5 hours difference from Kentucky, I called this place up. A friendly employee answered the phone. And he confirmed, I should order their wings and beef ribs. He also told me the sides were inexpensive and very good.

I looked at their website and it really looks good. So if I'm ever in Louisville, I'll go and visit the baseball bat shop, and get some wings and ribs at Momma's.

Photos below are from online sources, and this blogger does not own them, and not making a profit from the post.

Love the logo, it's a brand!

The wings looks great! I want a platter right now!

It's smoked $11.50 for 10

The ribs looks really good, I'll take that too!

Rated 2nd Best by the book The Top 100 BBQ Restaurants

in America! Whole $32 Half $16

All I can say is this, Momma's comes to play. It seems like they don't fool around. They make things happen! Seriously. When somebody from 4,306 miles away (Google Maps), tells me to go to their hometown and eat at a place, and I call up this said place, and the employee tells me the same, baby that's word of mouth, the best advertising any business can get! I'm purchasing me a plane ticket soon. Momma's here I come on an empty stomach!

© 2018

VEGAN IDEA - Baked Veggies

Here is my simple vegan type of veggie bake. So easy anyone can do it. The only tools and equipment you will need is this.
1 foil pan 12x12 inch or so. A little oil to grease the bottom. A sharp kitchen knife. A bowl for mixing. And a stove. And I forgot wash your hands real well.

INGREDIENTS (Purchase all natural or organic)

1 oz. whole white mushrooms

1 large zucchini cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 large yam peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

12 oz cherry tomatoes

1 large sweet round onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch cuts

1 lb. of broccoli tops

1/2 lb. of cauliflower tops

Salt and white pepper (to your taste)

1 cup of nutritional yeast

1 1/2 cup of olive oil (no need extra virgin)

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of tamari soy gluten free

1/2 cup of sherry wine

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 deg. F

In a large mixing bowl, add in all of the vegetables.

Sprinkle salt and white pepper to your liking over all the vegetables. Then add in the nutritional yeast. Drizzle the olive oil generously, if you need more, don't hesitate, olive oil is good for you. Then drizzle apple cider vinegar, tamari soy, and the wine. Using clean hands or use culinary gloves, toss gently all of the vegetables. 

Place in the baking dish, and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let rest. And eat.

© 2018

SLOW COOKED PORK SHOULDER

With the slow cooker such as the Crock Pot, you can slow cook inexpensive cuts of beef or pork. Here's an idea that you can use for pork shoulder, a.k.a. Boston Butt. This cut of meat is perfect for slow cooking. 



INGREDIENTS

(Depending on how many you will feed) Let's just do 4 servings.

1- 3-4 lb. cut of pork shoulder, without bone

Salt and white pepper to taste

6 cloves of crushed garlic

1/2 cup of low sodium chicken or beef broth

1/2 cup of cooking sherry

1 sprig of rosemary

1 sprig of thyme

4 large sage leaves

2 tbsp chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

Bring pork shoulder to room temperature, and season with salt and pepper generously.

Place pork shoulder into slow cooker. Add in the rest of the ingredients.

Set timer, and temperature. (See your owner's manual)
* Slow cooker models vary, ideally you want to slow cook it on low for a few hours. You can set your cooker right before you go to work, and come back to a hot meal. Or set it the night before so it shuts off a couple of hours before you wake up. Cool it off, refrigerate it. And when you are ready to eat. You can set the slow cooker to a higher temperature for a short time to heat up. Or simply use your stove top and another pot.

Serve with steamed brown rice, or steamed yams, or all grain bread. Always have some greens with your meals, keep it well balanced. Fibers is important in your diet. If you don't have time to chop a salad, more than likely your supermarket has ready made greens and other vegetables already chopped and ready for you.

© 2018

MIXED SAKE DRINK Kyoto Sour

NOTE: This recipe for Kyoto Sour is from FOOD AND WINE

The world of sake is an interesting one. Go to a fine sushi or Japanese steak house, where prime ahi and Wagyu beef is sold, there no doubt will be fine sake available. 

As the foodie crowd grows in size, and with the age group wide like the Grand Canyon, I thought it is time to get up to date and interesting info on what's happening in food and drink. And what website/magazine better to give us that than Food and Wine.

This is the Kyoto Sour

Ingredients

2 slices of Grapefruit

2 dashes of Green Tabasco Sauce

3 oz. Gekkeikan Haiku Sake

1/2 oz. Lemon Juice

3/4 oz. Agave nectar

Garnish: 1 Grapefruit slice and fresh mint sprig.

GEKKEIKAN SAKE

If you've never had sake before, you will find it alien at first. Some brands are smooth, some have a bite to it that will make your face deformed. Some are served chill, others are warmed a little bit. Sake comes from polished rice, and what's left of the rice is fermented in low tempertures. This sake is crisp and refreshing.

Click on the link and get more info on Gekkeikan Sake.

MATANG- Candied Sweet Potato

Matang is a Korean candied sweet potato. Not really a healthy treat for diabetics, however if you just eat a small piece for satisfaction, you might be safe. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR OR DIETITIAN. According to online sources, Korean candied sweet potato is a common street food. And street foods sell, out in the open, you get to see the cook or chef do his or her thing live in person. You get to smell the delicous aroma filling the air. I'll take that. Street food, yeah-I can dig that any day.

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

1 lb. of sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into triangles 2 inches wide.

In a deep pan or wok, add in approximately 4-5 cups of cooking oil, heat it up until bubbles are present, careful not to overheat that the oil begins to smoke. Carefully fry each piece until golden brown. It will take about 7 minutes per batch. Do not overcrowd the pan with slices of sweet potato.

Place all fried pieces of sweet potato on to paper towels to drain the oil. Once drained set it aside.

Make the syrup. In a large pan with a thick bottom, add in 1-1 1/2 tbsp. of vegetable oil. Heat up over medium heat. Swirl oil so that it covers the bottom of the pan. (Use a nonstick if possible). Then add in 1/4 cup of white sugar. Cook and let the oil blend into the sugar and it will turn golden brown, careful not to burn it. Once you've created a syrup. Off the heat. Place the pieces of sweet potato into a stainless steel bowl, and pour the syrup over the slices. Tosss to coat. And serving it warm is the best.

© 2018

THE HEALTHY GREEN BEANS

The green bean. I love it, raw right off of the vine. Or cut up in some hamburger stew. It's a healthy vegetable, a great source for fiber, potassium, and folate, and excellent source of protein, iron, and zinc. It contains a lot of antioxidants. Good for diabetics, and hypertension sufferers. Eating it raw will give you its fullest nutritional value. Or poach it quickly to preserve all of the good stuff you need. It's also a source of protein. If you want to go meatless, eating beans is another alternative and much cleaner.

To eat healthy, eat the green beans raw. If you are cooking meats and want this inside. Let's say you are making a beef stew. Once your stew is ready, trim some green beans, cut them up, and toss them into the pot. It will not over cook but it will soften a little and retain more of the nutrients as opposed to cooking it for long periods of time.

Tofu with a little soy sauce and a little garlic, ginger, and a tad of brown sugar is delicous, and adding in raw green beans makes it totally heatlhy, get some fiber and protein from both foods. You'll drop your weight, blood pressure and lower you blood sugar quickly. Just don't drink a soda afterwards. 

Green beans growing on the plant

Harvested green beans

Cut and trimmed green beans cooked

Pickeled green beans

Canned green beans

Let's all cook and eat healthier, and green beans is good for you. Shop for fresh and organic if you can, it may be a little more out of your wallet. If you can't get organic, try and get some that are grown locally, from someone you know that doesn't use dangerous pesticides.

© 2018

BAKED SHOYU CHICKEN LIGHT

On this blog post, I'll have a recipe for one of Hawaii's favorite entree, baked shoyu (soy sauce) chicken. However, I'll do it (light), for those who need to eat a little better, cutting back on sugar and sodium. This is really easy to make. This was a favorite of mine when I was attending grammar school. We'd have a plate of one huge thigh with skin. A scoop of rice, some sliced fruit, veggies, maybe a sweet treat like a peanut butter cookie. And a small carton of milk. We'd be at morning recess in the playground and could smell that chicken baking. Some kids who had an extra quarter would purchase a double lunch. But I was smart, I'd watch the prissy girls that ate like mice, and all they ate was the cookie and drank their milk. I'd raid their chicken haha!

Ingredients (Serves 6, 3, or 2)

6 chicken thighs, skin removed.

6 cloves of garlic smashed

1 inch ginger smashed

1/2 cup of minced green onion

2 cups of filtered water

2 1/2 cups of light soy sauce ( I like Aloha brand)

1/2 cup of brown raw sugar

Directions

In a mixing bowl, add in the garlic, ginger, green onion, water, and soy sauce with brown sugar. Mix it well, making sure that the sugar is totally dissolved. 

Place the skinned thighs into the mixture, and make sure that the liquid covers all of the thighs. Cover with lid of plastic wrap, and let marinade for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

When ready to bake, remove from fridge, and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.

Place a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil, then put the chicken thighs inside of pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown, check thighs with an instant read thermometer, making sure that the temperature is at least 160 deg. F. Remove and let sit as the temperature will rise as it rests. 

* When serving, prepare lots of greens like lettuce, cabbage, zucchini, green beans. Along with peppers, tomatoes, squash if available. Use a light vinaigrette as a dressing. Use a nice brown rice for your starch, or quinoa. Stay away from processed white rice and breads. If you are a diabetic, please check with your doctor before eating anything that you get from this post. Likewise those with any other diseases, or ailments.

© 2018

MEXICAN CORNBREAD

Thinking Mexican? I am. Something like a dessert. A cookie perhaps? Nah. Pie? Nope. How about cornbread? Yeah, cornbread it is.

So I went online, c'mon even top chefs do this shit! So I went on my MacBook Air, and found a recipe I tweaked for Mexican Cornbread. Ready? OK first of all, I got the recipe. And I forgot to take a picture of my finished product. It came out pretty good. So if you don't know what cornbread looks like. You're in trouble. I suggest you Google it. 

Here we go foodies!

Ingredients

1 c. yellow cornmeal

1/2 c. flour

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. half and half

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/3 vegetable oil

1 small sweet onnion finely chopped

1 can of creamed corn

1 c. of frozen corn thawed

1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

1 large jalapeno pepper seeded and minced, or two small ones


Directions

Turn oven on and preheat to 350 deg. F

Grease a 9x9 inch pan

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, half and half, eggs, salt, and vegetable oil, mix until it is blended.

2. Add in the onion and creamed corn, then the thawed frozen corn, mix well.

3. Pour half of the batter into baking pan.

4. Sprinkle the layer with grated cheese, and minced jalapeno peppers.

5. Pour the rest of the batter on to of the cheese and jalapeno peppers.

*** Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until you notice that the top is golden.  Or stick a toothpick into the center and if it is clean when you pull it out it is done.

Let cornbread rest a few minutes to cool. Cut into squares and enjoy with your favorite coffee, chocolate, or any drink you desire.

© 2018

THANKSGIVING DAY 11/22/2018 MAUI

Thanksgivning Day 2018 on Maui. It was a day of relaxing and watching 3 NFL games. Started the morning with a cup of black coffee, no sweeteners. Got to see the doctor because she's concerned about my sugar level, it comes with age I guess. Got me some eggs, and a couple of sausage. OK, not the healthiest with the sausage but hey what you want me to do? I also got the morning paper, read the sports page first. Gonzaga beat Duke in basketball for the championship of the Maui Jim Maui Classic, that is played like a few blocks from the house. 

So as I sat watching the games, I also started to think. About life in general. So this post will be good for reposting any day of the year not just during the holidays. The last few months have been disastrous for many people. There are fires, hurricanes, other man made drama that left people without. On Maui we had our share of drama, hurricanes and fires. Displaced people without homes. You know I could be that, I mean without. But totally blessed I am, I really should be thinking like the rest of these people that are brave, and stand out alone to make a difference in life. You know, the father and husband who not only works his ass off and takes care of his family, but goes out and volunteers his talents to help others in need. Maybe we should all be like that. Even when there's no disasters, to be that one that says, "Hey-when the sky starts tumbling down, stand by me." Like that song from 1961. Great songs from the past. Lyrics that were more human related. 

Thanksgiving should be an everday thing, to be thankful for what we do have, not complain about what we don't have, or because certain things did not pan out for us. Just press on. Yeah- press on. 

Yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner was one to remember. Went to a brother's house. And his kids cooked. Well one in particular, my niece did all of it. From roasting a prime rib, and turkey. To some other items that was just gourmet (ish). There weren't many there, for some relatives went on holiday trips overseas, some decided to stay home and not do the drive. But it was nice. Enjoyable. Lots of love. Lots of food. Got to see some new aditions to the family, a few more babies that was nice. If mother Peggy was alive, she would be smothering those babies with lots of love. I get a little depressed during the holidays. You know, mom's not here, dad's not here, my brother Harold too. All gone from this earth. But I try to be in the moment, and enjoy who is here. We all should. Although the holidays, it's hard sometimes. Maybe if I think about it too much.

I hope that in the future, we all will be thankful for what we have. Be good to each other, and assist when we can when other's need us. And not beat ourselves up because we did not pull through, we are only human, and we aren't perfect. We can only try our best. So with that, I'll be posting more food stuff soon, recipes, interesting stories. My goal is to reach 1 million page views by the end of 2019! So take care people, my fellow foodies. Cook good food, share it with someone. And God Bless you all. And if you don't believe in God, I meant only good. So have a good one if you don't believe in God. Just enjoy each other, be with love and not hate, how's that then? OK- go on with life.

© 2018

A THANKSGIVING TO REALLY REMEMBER

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a time to be thankful. However, there was this Thanksgiving a few years ago that was totally special. I was humbled. You see, I really never had it tough. I never starved. Was never homeless. I always had, if you know what I mean. Holidays were always filled with family and friends, and lots of food. Somehow, someway, we always had an abundance of food. Even after my parents died, and my brother Harold who was the real chef. Holidays continued with lots of love and food.

Several years ago, a buddy of mine Brian invited me to have a Thankgiving afternoon meal. Not really a dinner, but a meal. He understood that later that evening I was going to go to my brother's place for dinner. Brian wasn't wealthy, he was an everyday guy, good hearted, loved sports. He was a true all natural foodie. As much as he could he was into being vegetarian and vegan. If that makes any sense. So at his studio apartment, it was him, myself and a buddy of his. There was an NBA game on, but we watched it on his old laptop. He didn't have much of a kitchen, he had a stove, and a sink. But what he fed us, was what he had. What he could only afford. We ate some baked beans, and other vegetables from cans. To me that day, was truly special. Brian didn't have a large income. But his heart was large. He even told me that it wasn't much. But I repeated myself several times, that it was plenty. His offering was huge. That day, I saw what a true person is. A man, offering what he has. By accepting his invitation, as a friend, and brother. I made his Thanksgiving special as well. Imagine if I didn't show up, and his buddy didn't show up. He'd be by himself. 

What I'm getting at is, in this world we live in. We judge people. I know I do, it's some stupid human thing I guess. But, man.. Brian fed us with what he could afford, and guess what? It was good man! Great! I got full, I didn't leave his apartment still hungry. I was full. And the food was healthier than what I usually eat.

So my friends, on this Thanksgiving, be thankful. If you are invited to a dinner, be thankful. If it's roasted turkey, prime rib, raw fish, and lots of spirits. Or a meal, that someone could only afford small items. Be thankful. Be humbled. Because I'll always remember that day at Brian's. It was simple. Low cost. But it was the best Thanksgiving I had in a long time. 

© 2018

LACK OF GOOD DINERS IN WEST MAUI

Here is another rant on why we don't have good diners in West Maui. For one, leases are stupid high! And f... landlords are pure evil bastards! Let's just say a diner makes a gazzillion every month. Then the landlord will want another 20-30% on top of that. Or something like that. I mean, they are just f... sharks! So if anyone comes to Maui and wonders why we don't have really good family oriented diners, that's one main reason. In the old days, most mom and pop diners were owned and operated by family, and the family owned the land and buildings they were in. Not now! Far from it. Everyone tells me, "Ron open your own diner brah you can cook." Well me and everyone else is good, we are a dime a dozen you know? But where the f... are we gonna set up shop? Where? How many plates of food do we need to sell? Are we going to have ample parking? Will I need to hire more people? Fire people? Re-locate in a few years because the asshole landlord sold the property? All these factors come into play on Maui. It's for the rich period! It's the facts. Plain and simple. So I ain't gonna open a diner even if you held a Glock 9mm to my head. I'd tell ya to do me a favor and pull the trigger! Seriously. It's totally insane. Now, if I had a good financial backer, that may be a different story. But at my age, I don't want to deal with that shit. I wanna be free man! Not chained to some f... debt. And hard labor. By the way, kitchen work is hard stuff folks.

© 2018

COST OF FOOD & LIVING IS RIDICULOUS

In this blog post, I'm just offering a commentary on food prices, and the cost of living. It is becoming totally insane. There are hard working families out there that after high rents, and other bills cannot afford to buy a decent sack of groceries.

Sure one may say, "Well, you should have learned a valuable skill so that you could make more money." True that. Very true indeed. Well to some extent. As I grow older, yeah dudes I'm f....ing getting up there at 54 years old. I ain't no young fella no more. But I know of lots of families here on Maui island that are struggling to buy food. I know of one family where the guy makes close to six figures a year, and his wife does well. They got three kids in high school and grade school. Because of work and school, they got car payments, gas and insurance too. Mortagage, home insurance, health care. So-they are barely making it. Sure, OK... I get it... maybe they should have planned better. That's not the point. The point is, reality is, prices are going to rise for everything. Especially here on Maui island where our foods are shipped via barge, and then trucked to market. Cost goes up.

Did you know a lot of working families do frequent food banks? Times have always been rough and tough for families since the beginning of time. Especially families that don't have passivie incomes. OK again, this isn't a blog on "Hey make smarter money." It's just the reality of high cost of foods. Good healthy foods.

Still to this day, families are feeding kids that $1.50 menu from Micky D's. Up .50 cents from 10 years ago! Can't blame them. Or buying a case of Vienna sausage to last a month. Life isn't easy for the less than middle class, whatever that means! So I'm not blaming the rich and wealthy for this, or the powers that be. I'm just trying to touch on the human side of it all. Compassion for those in need, that are actually working and putting in their time. I'm not giving one cent to low lifes that are homeless, and all they want to do is ask for handouts when they can work. That's a low life man. If some person can walk for miles, and ask for handouts at every stripmall parking lot, sorry. Go to work. I'm not giving you a cent. Unless someone is really trying. Maybe struggling because of an illness. OK I got a buck for ya. But man, having compassion for those who are really trying. You know?

I've blogged similar posts on this expensive food subject before, but with the holidays in full swing for 2018- I had to again. If you can help someone that is trying to get better, and needs a sack of food for a day, or just a steak to share with his family. Man that would be a total blessing. So with that said. We all know that it is expensive at the supermarkets. We do have deals yes we do. But overall, the goods, the primo goods are out of reach for most people. OK maybe everyone should go to Robert Kiosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad seminar, of course. But food is expensive, so have compassion. Or not. It's up to you.

© 2018

CANNED TUNA ANYONE?

In this post I'll go over the everso popular canned tuna. We all buy it, at the supermarket, or in big cans at Costco or some other food purveyor. Whoever loves tuna sandwiches will no doubt have a few cans in their cupboard with a large jar of delicious creamy mayonnaise in the fridge. So what kind of fish is stuck into these cans? It is the albacore tuna. The meat is pinkish or red when raw. The meat is somewhat rich. 

And fishing for tuna is big business, boats are out in the deep ocean with longlines hooking tuna in a mass produced operation. Tons of albacore is caught annually. 

Packers will cut the fish, and using technologically advanced canning methods, canned chunks or light into cans with water or oil.

Why is it packed in water? Water packed is preferable because it has fewer calories. Also it retains more of the omega-3s. 

Why is it packed in oil? It is another choice offered to consumers. The oil is usually a soybean oil, it is unsaturated and generally good for the heart. Either water or oil packed is good. 

Is mercury present? Most albacore has some amount of mercury. Though canners are under strict guidlines to pack safe fish. Put it this way guys. There is no gaurantees in life. But I haven't got poisoned by eating canned tuna yet. So the odds I think are very slim that you'll get sick. Do not quote me on that. I reserve the right to be free of any law suit man! Eat it at your own risk.

Going to Costco? Pick up some canned albacore tuna.

Tuna Salad (Sandwich) Recipe

1- 7 oz. can of canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained well.

2 - tbsp. of minced sweet round onion

Salt and white pepper to taste

4-5 tbsp. or more of real mayonnaise

(Relish) optional. 

In a mixing bowl add in all of the ingredients. Mix it up. Add more salt or pepper if needed. 

* Place it in between any style of bread you like. Try making these as appetizers on soda crackers, it's pretty good.

Watch this video.

© 2018

FLAKY SHRIMP TEMPURA BATTER

In my quest to create some delicious, championship shrimp tempura, there is but one word that comes to mind. Failed! Yes my friends, I tried everything. Watched Youtube, watched people make it. But for some God only knows reason. I just can't seem to make it right. You know, like Shaq tossing bricks at the free-throw line. Or Charles Barkley trying to play golf. Ugly bro, outright horrendous!

Until I tried again. Sorry lost the pics. But I tried messing with this recipe and it came out alright. Now some people told me, "Ron just use panko flakes." Wrong! I ain't making panko shrimp, there is a difference dudes! It's all about the batter. Well it's part of it. The batter has to be just right, sometimes I make it, it's more like cake shrimp. Which is OK, everything or almost everything I cook, friends eat it. But I am looking for tempura excellence. 

OK, so the oil needs to be bloody hot! Get yourself a deep frying thermometer, and make sure the oil gets up to 375 deg. F. That's right buddies.

So here's the recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 c. rice wine

Dash of salt or two

1/2 pound of shrimp cleaned

6-8 cups of oil for frying, vegetable oil will do

1/4 c. of all-purpose flour

1/2 c. or so of very cold ice water

1/4 cup of cornstarch

1 large egg yolk

dash of salt or two

1/4 tsp. of sugar

1 tsp. cold butter softened

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Directions

In a mixing bowl, add in the rice wine, salt. Toss in the shrimp, and cover it. Let it marinate for about 30-45 minutes.

In a large pan with fairly deep sides, add in the oil, over high heat. Bring temperature up to 375 deg. F., set burner so the oil stays at that number. Careful when deep frying. KEEP YOUR HANDS COVERED WITH A HEAT PREVENTIVE GLOVE IF POSSIBLE. KEEP WATER FAR FROM HOT OIL. KEEP CHILDREN FAR FROM THE STOVE. DO NOT WEAR LOOSE CLOTHING OR JEWELRY THAT CAN CAUSE YOU TO HOOK THE PAN AND IT WILL FALL. KEEP A KITCHEN GRADE FIRE EXTINGUISHER NEARBY. NEVER LEAVE HOT OIL UNATTENDED.

In another bowl, mix the flour, ice water, cornstarch, large egg yolk, salt, butter, and the baking powder together.

Take the shrimp out of the marinade. Using a dry towel, pat it dry.

Carefully dip the shrimp one at a time into the batter, carefully set shrimp into hot oil. Deep fry until shrimp is golden brown. It should not take more that 2 minutes each. Do not crowd the hot oil with shrimp, this will make the tempurature of the oil lower than what you need. You want that oil hot hot. If it cools because of over crowding, the batter will be soggy.

Remove cooked shrimp with a slotted spoon on to a cookie rack to drain excess oil.

Sorry I somehow deleted the photo of my tempuras. But you get the idea.

© 2018

TOKYO TEI Japanese Simplicity

The old saying goes, "Nothing stays the same." So true. And on Sunday evening November 11, 2018 it was an evening that was meant to be. Me and my buddy Pete from Oahu was just winding down on the MAUI SUNDAY MARKET event in the old Kahului Shopping Center. When all of a sudden Pete says, "Hey Ron is 
Tokyo Tei open tonight?" Since it was a Sunday befor Veteran's day I figured I'd call. And sure enough they were open, and I requested a table for 2 and that we'd be there shortly. The drive only took us less than 5 minutes.

Once there, we were instructed to get to our table in the corner, and once there our water glasses were ready with our salted cabbage. Wow we were styling. The place was busy with lots of family taking out their kids, and grand parents. It was nice to see that. Pete already knew what he was going to order. Teri pork and shrimp tempura. Cool. I figured what the hell I'd order the same thing. I love their tempuras, it's something I can't make to save my life. The batter is always too much like a cake batter, or too thin. Oh well... 

When the food got to our table it was perfect, the pork looked like it was cooked correctly, it had this nice steam coming off of it, plus that nice glossy sheen you know? And the tea was hot and good. The rice perfect, not too soft or too hard like pellets. But the tempura was perfect as always. Crispy light but with some body to it. Not too greasy. Just perfect is all I can say. The tempura dipping sauce was nice and sweet. Just excellent. I ate 2 shrimp and was full. It's huge!

But what got us was when our waitress told us that we were possibly eating our last meal there,f as Tokyo Tei was going to be under new ownership in a month. According to her it was going to be Bernard from Bernard's Bentos and Banquets. OK that's good. But Bernard better not mess it up like changing it all around because that tempura is killer. If he does change it up, like most egotistical chefs do, we did eat our last meal as it was that night. I hope he keeps those recipes. If not, life goes on.

Pete Pao pours the tea at this point not knowing that the restaurant has been sold.

Pete with the rice offerings, shit look how huge that tempura is!

Our waitress letting us know the news, good or bad that the place has been sold!

A work of art, shrimp tempura with a few veggies, what a delightful dish, and it is less than 16.00

So-in the event chef Bernard changes it all around once he takes control, we did sample our last meal at Tokyo Tei. This restaurant has been a Maui staple for decades. My first time here was when my sister Ess took me with her first husband. My friends all good things must come to an end, that's just the facts of life. But enjoy what you have when you have it, because one day it will be gone forever.

If you need any blogging services, call me Ron Sambrano 808-385-7667