CAREFUL, your kamaaina quotient may be showing just by the way you answer one simple question: How do you pronounce Kimo Z? Mixed-plate spirit
lives at Kimo ZOver at Kimo Z Family Restaurant in Waimanalo, staffers find that tourists break the name down to its two components, as in Kimo "Zee." Locals read it as a possessive, as in "Kimo's."
There is a Kimo, but at 16 months, he'll have to wait to call the restaurant his own. For now, his mom, Gina Chung, is in charge.
Chung, originally from Korea, put together a vast local-style menu by driving around the island eating and learning just how things are done here. Kimo Z fits well into the community, diverse enough to welcome busloads of Japanese tourists by day and neighborhood families by night, with room for a few individuals who enjoy puffing on a cigar or singing a little karaoke.
Kimo Z embodies mixed-plate spirit. Our spread started with Japanese namasu and Korean kim chee. To that, we added an order of marlin poke, which seemed to be a pound of fish, generously cut in 2-inch blocks, for $4.95. It was pretty awesome, done up Korean style with a light touch of sesame oil and white and green onions.
You can't go wrong with a burger ($3.95-$6.95) either, which by the end of the day picks up an extra layer of flavor off the grill, from burgers and steaks that have come before. LUNCH and dinner here costs the same, and you can get away cheap or splurge. Cheap is good. The top price is $15.95 for a black angus steak cooked on the grill, but this was done up the old-school way, kind of koge, charred on the outside with not a trace of red within, even when medium rare is the request.
Fresh opakapaka (market) fares better, whether it's grilled or dusted with a light coat of flour, salt and pepper and quickly deep fried.
More standard entrees include BBQ chicken ($5.25), chicken katsu ($5.95), beef stew ($5.75), kalbi ($6.95) and much more. Some of the entrees, like the mild, tender pork adobo ($5.95), are available in mini portions for a buck less.
A Hawaiian plate ($8.50) has a small-ish pork-only laulau, with kalua pig, poke, lomilomi salmon and fresh, grainy poi.
Oxtail soup meat wasn't fall-off-the-bone tender, eliminating Kimo Z from any "best of" competitions. The lightly salted broth was full of won bok and green onions, but left out peanuts.
Those who regard breakfast as their favorite meal of the day will be glad to know it's available at all hours Kimo Z is open. Omelettes range from the $7.25 veggie combination to the Kimo Z teri beef and kim chee version priced at $8.95.
You can get eggs and a choice of bacon, ham, Spam and link or Portuguese sausages on a plate, or sandwiched ($5.55) between two buttermilk pancakes.
For Kailua residents, breakfast or lunch in the country could be a welcome alternative to the usual weekend mornings at Brent's or Cinnamon's.
Kimo Z: 41-1537 Kalanianaole Highway, Suite 8
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 7:30 a.m. to midnight Fridays; 8:30 a.m. to midnight Saturdays; and 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays
Prices: About $7 per person for lunch; $7 to $16 per person for dinner
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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;
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com
