Nadine Kam, whose restaurant reviews run Thursdays
in the Do It! section, was too busy bingeing on junk food
to eat a regular meal. Her column will return next week.
This is a November column that never made it online.
IF it was tough to lure a potential dining companion out on a rainy day before, it just got more difficult after my last review. Save this experience
for a rainy day"Hey, wanna eat?" I'd ask most cheerily, amid a backdrop of tumultuous gray clouds and pelting rain.
"Oh no, no way!" would come the reply. Said one, "Not after last week's column. Ohhh yeah. I read that and I'm not going to appear at the back door of some restaurant that's closed and force some poor chef to cook dinner!"
Actually, that was kind of fun.
So what's a person to do when it rains? For most, it's no fun to wade around in search of food until your feet are pale and wrinkly and your T-shirt stretches to your knees.
Well, first you let your fingers do the walkin', then get your nearest pizza palace (except Boston's 'cause people go to them) to do the sloshin'.
So we reached out and touched Simone's Pizzeria. Simone's is on Kapahulu Avenue and offers free delivery within the area bordered by Ward Avenue and Kalani High. Beyond that, you'll pay a delivery charge. At the news building, we paid $3.
NOW, I'd eaten at Simone's before, and wasn't all that impressed by the food or the surroundings. Being a pickup/delivery sort of place, they have only a few tables in a rather industrial setting. The small quarters allow you to hear everything going on in the kitchen. The yelling, the dissing, the confusion ... why, it's as stressful as being at work. Who needs that?The rain changes everything. What was merely OK before was suddenly sensational.
In an informal poll of Star-Bulletin eaters, we deemed as best the Charbroiled Baby Back Ribs ($9.95 half rack/$16.95 large), and the Famous Original Italian Sub ($4.50), a generously constructed sandwich of salami, mortadella (we know it as bologna), provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and a mild vinaigrette dressing. The resulting sandwich was so thick, its wrapper was secured with masking tape.
I will vouch for the Philly Cheese Steak Sub ($5.95), similarly well endowed with a peppery mix of steak, mushrooms, green peppers and onion.
Simone's also serves pastas, hot wings and greens in addition to the ribs and subs.
The pastas are weak, as in Baked Lasagna ($6.95) immersed in red sauce, as if this were compensation for the flavorless pasta "cake." Hell, they try to give the spaghetti away. It comes with the ribs. A la carte, it's $4.95.
Simone's is best known for its hand-tossed pizza crusts, painted with a buttery, garlicky vivid yellow liquid. It's the same sauce that tops their Garlic Bread Rolls.
As for pizza toppings, there's everything from pepperoni to jalapenos for creating your perfect pie. Twelve-inch to 28-inch models run $8.95 to $28.95.
Simone's combinations range from Pizza Bianca ($12.95 to $38.95) with a pool of mozzarella and ricotta, to BBQ Chicken Pizza ($13.95 to $38.95) with a good barbecue flavor, and chicken that seemed to have melted into the cheese. The chicken barely registered texture-wise.
And what's a rainy day party without dessert? Tiramisu ($4.95) came in 4-ounce frozen cups. The icicles gave the impression of ice cream, but the espresso flavor was all there, a delicious finale to an impromptu celebration that didn't get rained out.
Simone’s Pizzeria
Where: 870 Kapahulu
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Prices: About $15 to $20 for two; $12 minimum delivery order
Call: 739-1928
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com- excellent;