THE menu's brief at the plainly named Louisiana Ribs in the Kemoo Farms complex, but give owner Darryl Young some time. His intention is to bring a bit of the Heartland to Hawaii. Come on by Kemoo
Farms and go CajunYoung grew up in Chicago, where his family runs a string of barbecue restaurants. He came to Hawaii in 1983 with the Marine Corps, but a winter vacation back home convinced him to stay in Hawaii for good.
But there was one thing missing from the Hawaii experience. "I ended up seeing barbecue signs and they would be for Korean barbecue. I never got what I was looking for and finally said, 'Look, there isn't gonna be it,' so I decided to make it."
> The resulting vinegary and peppery Cajun-style ribs, inspired by his Louisiana-raised mother, made him a hit at parties. Pretty soon he got the notion of giving the family business a try here. "I thought this could jump off, and it has. It's taken time but it's jumped off."
In the four or five months that Louisiana Ribs has been open, Young has catered to Schofield personnel, area residents and surfers and tourists en route to the North Shore. The restaurant's small space is not all that conducive to sitting and eating because of the traffic that comes tearing around the corner. Most opt to take the ribs home.
Rib plates here put more emphasis on meat than macaroni salad or rice (one scoop each). The rib and chicken combo is popular, pressure-cooked until tender in the same spicy sauce.
The pairing of spaghetti and deep-fried catfish may be odd by local standards, but Young says, "For anybody who's grown up near Mississippi, that is the combination."
Also on the menu are bratwurst, Polish and Italian sausages and gyros, the Greek sandwich of roasted lamb, vegetables and cucumber-yogurt sauce. Young plans to introduce breaded pork tenderloins soon, as well as some Southern-style desserts.
Until that happens, those with a sweet tooth can stroll over to Kemoo Farms Cafe for homemade ice creams with flavors that range from caramel-walnut-vanilla to Kahlua.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Prices: Less than $10 per person
Call: 621-2807
How could I talk about Darryl Young without mentioning his cousin Rene'e Bayette? She has a biz of her own, selling Nut'n But Shrimp in a concession inside Hide-A-Way Bar & Grill, at 1913 Dudoit Lane in Waikiki. Cheap eats!
She said it's a coincidence that the two cousins ended up in Hawaii in the food business. "I was here for five years before I even knew he was on the island. A relative that was visiting me asked, 'Did you know your cousin is here?' "
Bayette's culinary inspiration came from weekend road trips to Punaluu. She enjoyed stopping at the Giovanni shrimp truck and suggested to friends that it would be nice to have a shrimp specialist in Honolulu.
Armed with a secret marinade, she now she gets nut'n but rave reviews for her $10 plates featuring 10 pieces of shrimp, french fries and cole slaw. Her hours are 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesdays through Saturdays. Fridays are special because she serves, whaddya know, the magic combination -- catfish, spaghetti and cole slaw. Call 949-9885.
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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
-- excellent;
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