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The Weekly Eater
So much for auditioning for the next round of "Survivor." The series that ended last night, over 39 days required participants to eat butok, or live beetle larvae (described by one contestant as having the consistency of "a giant booger"), rats and dog food, and I don't think many people could handle that, even for a million dollars. Yao’s scores
points for effortFew people are willing to step outside of their culinary comfort zones. One friend is so finicky, she'll only eat "American" food like steaks, burgers, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. Trying to find a restaurant for her is tough, because anything ethnic is too exotic.
Yao's
Food1/2
Atmosphere
Service
ValueAddress: 2671 S. King St. (limited parking behind the restaurant; just past Kokua Market if eastbound)
I excuse her only because she grew up on the mainland. I can't explain another friend who grew up here, yet never tried oxtails. So when I saw it on the menu at Yao's, I tried to order it for her. She was terrified so I had to eat it."Next time," she said. Right.
Just when I begin to think that I have the oddest friends in the world, I look around and start to wonder if I'm the weirdo. I'm the one who goes to restaurants to seek the odd appetizers, the new ingredients, the challenging combinations.
Looking at the what others have ordered at Yao's, a restaurant trying to build a reputation on "Japanese Pacific Rim Cuisine," I only see "Hawaii Local," that is, Fried Shrimp, Pork Cutlets, Hamburger Steak and Shioyaki Salmon.
Maybe years of dining have taught them that nobody gets into trouble by playing it safe. Exploration, on the other hand, can bring reward or disappointment. Here, I believe, one would do better to play it safe.
THE safest would be either of two Early Bird Specials served between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Both are $10.50. No. 1 includes King Crab California Roll; a thick, palm-sized Hamburger Steak; and a choice of two of the following: Deep Fried Shrimp, Pork Cutlet or Deep-Fried Fish of the Day. The No. 2 special includes Ahi Sushi, Tekka Maki, and Sashimi.
Also popular are combination dinners that start at $12.50 for two choices from a six-item list of Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, Pork Cutlet, Shioyaki Salmon, Deep-Fried Fish or Deep-Fried Shrimp, and top out at $18.50 for sashimi with your two choices.
I was more eager to try the Dynamite Special ($5.50) appetizer, spicy tuna layered with avocado slices and baked with a coating of miso aioli. This proved salty, but addictive.
Sushi and sashimi are also available here, with hamachi sushi priced at $5, and lobster sashimi running $16.95. The former was sublime, the latter was not as sweet as I have enjoyed elsewhere, and was accompanied by a dreadful, overpowering black sauce.
As for other entrees, the Chef's Favorite Oxtails ($10.50) were simmered in a red wine sauce and hint of anise. Plain, but certainly a comfort food. A Trio of Lamb Chops ($12) had three sauces: one of chiles, one of herbs and garlic and one of miso. None were distinctive.
So, there was no big payday, but Yao's deserves immunity for a couple of bland lamb chops because the people who work here seem to be trying so hard to please.
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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 nkam@starbulletin.com
