Category: Food

Hawaiian “Cuisine” Explained!

Barack Obama likes the Hawaiian plate lunch….according to this article in yesterday’s NYTimes. That means he must also like cold, canned meats, eating off styrofoam, and a “plate” of fried mahi-mahi and fried chicken and teriyaki beef, all smothered in brown gravy….yummmm.

Oh yeah…and don’t forget the two scoops of white rice and a heaping side of heavy-on-the-mayonnaise macaroni salad. One Hawaiian quoted in the article thinks “…it’s really funny he still eats plate lunch. Because he’s so healthy.”

The history of these carbo-loaded lunches begins with the pan-Asian diets of Hawaii’s plantation workers in the 1880’s — and probably made a lot of sense if you were working in a field all day, or running for President. If you’re not doing either, you’ll probably end up looking like ELV’s staff.*

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* And yes, he does have his own zip code, and his nickname is “Tiny Bubbles.”

Ackee & Salt Fish, Curried Goat, And A Pain Au Chocolat

If you’ve ever had a hankerin’ for some curried goat, ackee & salt fish, and a perfect pain au chocolat — and let’s face it who hasn’t? — then we suggest a quick trip to the strangest gourmet corner in town. Because right on the northeast quadrant of Rainbow and Flamingo is a discount food store (Sunflower), a Jamaican restaurant (Tasty Island), and a bakery (Bonjour Euro Bakers) that push a lot of the right buttons on any gourmand’s palate profile….especially those on a budget.

All three have been open for a few years now, and ELV is frankly a little embarassed to admit that he’s just now getting to them — especially since Hugh Alexander Curtas (D.O.B. 10-15-84, The Official Number Two Son of ELV), told us many moons ago how good the pastries were at Bonjour.

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SETTEBELLO Opens In New Location – The Food World Rejoices

It was only closed for a little more than a week, but by the time Halloween rolled around ELV had a serious jones for the best pizza in town. The new digs are more restaurant-like, a little bigger, but just as cozy and welcoming as the old. The pizza oven is the same one owner Brad Otton had shipped from Naples over two years ago, and the pizzaiolos still turned out thin-crusted, smoky-charred beauties that have been known to bring tears to ELV’s eyes.

Just as satisfying (and more than a little surprising) was discovering seven artisanal, unique beers and ales on the menu. We say surprising because Otton, for all his good sense and good taste, doesn’t partake of alcoholic beverages (even chestnut-flavored, coriander-spiced, or triple-fermented sour ales….pity). But for the time being, he’s offering some of the most interesting suds of Italy. They’re not cheap — some run $35/750 ml bottle, but are a must-try if you’re a connoiseur of such things.

Here are some excerpts from the Vera Pizza Napoletana Charter (to show you how seriously the Italians take this stuff), and here are some tasty snaps.

SETTEBELLO’s New Digs:

140 S. Green Valley Pkwy.

Henderson, NV 89012

702.222.3556

www.settebello.net