THE way we eat is the way we are. Here is a look at the year in restaurants to tell us how we ate circa 1996, should your children's children's children ever wonder: We chomped on cigars
and good grinds in ’96
While the issue of smoking in restaurants came under fire once again, men and women were lighting up in droves ... and I don't mean cigarettes. In 1996, cigars were the thing, with restaurants as diverse as Beau Soleil, Roy's and Gordon Biersch serving up cigar dinners. Up in smoke
But for most of us, one puff was all we needed to reaffirm our commitment to a nonsmoking lifestyle. Sure, people talked about cigars as being sweet or mellow, but the bottom line was the image cigars evoke and, for once, image wasn't enough.
The buzz dissipated in a puff of smoky haze, no doubt helped along by new signs that kept popping up around town, reading, "No cigars allowed."
It's a fast and ambidextrous world we live in. Why, if you can't drive and eat and talk on your cel phone and apply eyeliner at the same time, there must be something wrong with you. Fast-food purveyors introduced finger foods to go years ago, but on a grander scale the Big Burrito gave us our rice, vegetables and and entree, rolled up into one handheld meal. And the size of it? They weren't lying when they put "big" in the name. Food in the hand
Similarly, the Texas Rock 'N Roll Sushi Bar showed us that Tex-Mex and sushi go hand in hand. Some menu examples are a Temaki-Style Saddle Sore Beef Fajita Roll with rice, mesquite-smoked beef, onions and peppers; and a Free-Range Chicken Fajita Roll with guava wood-smoked chicken breast.
Not everyone got the message. At Bob Barr's Smokin' Bob's Barr-B-Q in Kaneohe, a fellow happened to order one of the newfangled, fully loaded burritos, and complained that he didn't get any rice, beans or salsa.
"It's inside the burrito," a staffer quietly told him. Too late. Everyone in line was already smirking.
Even the most ardent meat eaters aren't immune to health talk. But rather give up cold turkey on carnivorous pursuits, they explored their options. The other red meats
Long praised as a less fatty alternative to beef, buffalo made it onto the menu at Marina Grill.
Not long afterward, Buffalo Bud's opened at Aloha Tower Marketplace, boasting of buffalo burgers and steaks.
At Alan Wong's, the curious dined on ostrich meat.
Sam Choy said, "Never trust a skinny chef." You thought he was talking about food and chowing down? Supper stars
Wrong. Beware the man in the white hat and apron because he's plotting to take over the world.
Few suspected the chefs they have grown to love over the years, but look at the record: A Pacific Cafe's Jean-Marie Josselin started with little Kauai, conquered Maui, then Oahu; Roy Yamaguchi invaded the islands, then moved on to Guam, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines; Sam Choy, here today, tomorrow Las Vegas. So many examples, so few column inches.
These days, you've got to be a super chef to find financing or you've got to do your own financing. The result: Fewer, but better upscale restaurants or extremely small restaurants run by people who really care about food.
In a time of economic chaos and impermanence, it's rare to find a restaurant that can hold its own for 10 years, much less 50. Milestone
Helena's Hawaiian Kitchen made it to its golden anniversary this year, still helmed by energetic Helen Chock, who opened the restaurant at her mother's suggestion, even though, she said, "I didn't know much about cooking."
Well, in 50 years, one can learn a lot. Add this knack for turning out pipikaula and laulau to Chock's welcoming nature, and you've got hospitality people can't get enough of.
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