Inevitably, comparisons will be made, and while I was waiting to order, a tourist asked the countergirl, "How does your shave ice compare to the North Shore's?"
The girl's reply: "I don't know, I never went there."
Which brings me to a weird little quirk about life in Hawaii. That is, people who live on the Leeward side of the island rarely cross the tunnels to the Windward side and vice versa. "The other side" might as well be the end of the earth.
If you do decide to take a weekend drive out to Waimanalo, you may be served by Keneke himself, who was merely a toddler when his dad Keith Ward took over ownership of the drive-in after the great New Year's Eve Flood of '87, with the best of intentions. Said Ward, "I thought if I couldn't afford to send him to college at least he can work for a living."
Keneke's has a lot to offer the rest of us, too.
To say the portions are generous is an understatement. The mixed plate ($5.50) is massive, allowing the hungry three selections from a long roster of local favorites. Those with lighter appetites should definitely consider the regular plate lunch ($4.50) with one choice of meat or seafood, or a $3.50 mini plate.
There is a lot of pork on the menu - from kalua pig that seems freshly shredded to adobo to traditional laulau with an even blend of pork and luau.
AFTER sampling nine of these options, from BBQ Chicken to Teri Beef, I was beginning to think Keneke's could do no wrong. Then I ordered a Hamburger Deluxe.
Well, what do you expect for $1.50? The hamburger looked more like rawhide, and was treated as such by the family dog, who proceeded to chew, chew, chew, chew and chew before getting a quarter-size bite out of it. Finally, she decided to skip the workout and swallowed the patty whole.
As for the shave ice, snootier types might call Keneke's $2 version a "mainland kine" sno-cone. It's icy and grittier than the fine, smooth fluffy version served by Matsumoto's in Haleiwa.
At Keneke's, they pack the ice tight though, so you're getting plenty in your choice of non-leak cup or the standard paper cone.
Picking flavors is always hard. Do I get the mango, lime, banana, lilikoi or bubblegum?
Where others offer plain vanilla ice cream (add 50 cents) with shave ice, here you get to choose from Chocolate Mac Nut, Kona Coffee, and other flavors.
Just when you think you can't decide, you start to hear guiding voices. In my case, it was the voice of a boy in back of the line who looked about 8 years old, and who probably felt he had been in line about that long, who blurted, "You gotta try the coconut."
Where: 41-855 Kalanianaole Highway
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (or closing later, mood dependent)
Prices: Less than $6 per person
Call: 259-8700 (24-hour fax)
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com- excellent;