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The Weekly Eater
NEVER underestimate the power of laziness. The pervasiveness of burger meals at drive-throughs may suggest that people are more willing to walk 50 yards for a Teri Beef Plate than for a burger, but Richie's in Kalihi has been proving for 10 years that if you build a drive-through window for plate lunches, they will come. Richie’s serves
drive-through
plate lunchAnd let's face it, most drive-throughs look remarkably the same with their menus of big drinks, big burgers, big fries.
Richie's drive inn
Food
Atmosphere
Service
Value
Address: 1178 N. King St.
Oh, there are variations, but for the most part, food served via drive-through windows possess a universal roteness, ensuring that each burger within a chain is made just about the same way each time to fit weight, size, packaging and time requirements.
And you, dear customer, must do your part. This means stating your desire as clearly and succinctly as possible, without fumbling for your wallet when your cash should already be in hand (that's what red lights are for) and without trying to sub one kids' meal toy for another (grow up already!).
Such a formula promotes efficiency, the reason for the drive-through window's existence. I worried, upon pulling up at Richie's the first time, that I would turn out to be one of those people who take too long to read the menu and compound the problem with an inability to make a decision.
Nonsense. First, there was a person in front of me who seemed to have turned off his engine so I had some time to choose from a full menu that includes Chili Plate ($2.40), Hamburger Steak ($3.85), Beef Curry (Mondays only, $3.85), all the favorites, served in about seven minutes.
Second, people pretty much gravitate to the same things all the time. There's a tendency to be a Teri Beef Guy or a BBQ Chicken Gal no matter where you go. I happened to spy the Boneless Chicken ($3.85) and didn't need to study much further.
I imagined this chicken would be diced into bite-sized pieces and sauteed. I guess I should have asked because it turned out to be several large slabs of chicken, flattened, breaded, deep-fried and smothered in brown gravy.
A BBQ Pork Plate ($4.09) was a disappointment, drenched in teriyaki sauce so one couldn't be sure whether this was pork or beef. A Chili Dog Plate ($2.40) looked normal, with its combination of ground beef and kidney beans, but was saturated with salt. A Mahi Burger ($1.44) was decent, though heavy on the tartar sauce.
Perhaps your best bet is to go with Korean specialties such as Kalbi ($5.53) and a side order of Mundoo, 10 pieces at $2.64. These were fresh made -- not the frozen stuff -- juicy and ono, filled with cabbage and pork. The accompanying sauce was a bit heavy on the shoyu, but nicely accented with chile peppers, sesame oil and green onions.
It's all pretty standard. But that's the point. Local character doesn't have to be sacrificed for convenience. Today, Beef Stew. Tomorrow, Macadamia Crusted Opah. Whatever drives you. If you feel a need to get out of your car, you can do that too. Lots of people at Richie's eat in.
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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
