Around this time last month, I was walking across a stage to a platform in the middle my school’s event center to receive my Master’s hood. A few days later, I was on a plane with my in-laws en route to Maui. Since we returned from Hawaii three weeks ago, I’ve done nothing but veg. Eating, playing video games, watching TV. My husband kept getting after me to write this blog post, but I just didn’t feel motivated enough to do it. Not that I really do now – How long does it take to get over graduate school stress and jet lag? – but I figure it’s one step toward getting back into my normal routine. So here’s my Missouri Foodie Goes Hawaii post. 🙂
The thing I was the most excited about doing while we were in Hawaii was eating. Fresh fruit, fresh seafood, local coffee. Oh, and don’t forget the food at the luau! It was all good, but it wasn’t mind-blowing, which is kind of what I was expecting. Yes, the mango was better than I can get here, and it was interesting trying papaya, passion fruit, and lychee for the first time. My mahi-mahi was good, but I don’t think I would have liked it without the tartar sauce (it had lots of dill and was very yummy). I did not get to try Kona coffee, which could have been my mistake, but I did have coffee that was grown in Lahaina, close to where we were staying. It was also good, but the coffee that I had at LAX was better. And my favorite thing at the luau was the coconut pudding. Oh, and the purple sweet potatoes.
Wow, that sounds like kind of a downer. The food was good, it really was. I think I just had higher expectations, you know? I mean, it’s Hawaii.
Not including the luau, we ate out three times: when we arrived, after we got back from our day trip Oahu, and on our free day. Two of those meals were at the same restaurant: Ruby’s Diner.
We had not planned on going to Ruby’s the first time. While we were at Walmart picking up some clothing for my sister-in-law and her husband (their luggage had been sent to Las Vegas) and breakfast for the next day, I asked the fitting room attendant for restaurant recommendations (we were all pretty hungry, as we hadn’t eaten a whole lot that day). He suggested Koho’s, which was in a mall, a couple of doors down from Ruby’s. We got to Koho’s to find that they had a 30-45 minute wait (Did I say we were hungry?). Seeing Ruby’s on the way in, we decided to go there instead. And I think we’re all (except my father-in-law – he didn’t eat with us either time) pretty glad we did. We got seated immediately and had excellent service for it being our server’s first night on the job. Four of the six of us ordered the Luau Sliders, and they were absolutely delicious!
The sliders are served on a King Hawaiian roll with cheese, bacon, an onion ring, and what Ruby’s calls plum sauce (it tasted more like BBQ sauce to us). Even though they’re a little greasy, they’re near perfection, and probably the best burger I’ve ever eaten (they even reheat pretty well!).
I mentioned that we had great service, which carried over to our next visit. The manager remembered us, remembered where we were from, and even sat us at the same table (we had a different server, but she was good too!). I’ve never been a “regular” anywhere, but I began to feel like I was one at Ruby’s.
In doing some research, I discovered that Ruby’s is a chain that is in Hawaii and California. So if you can’t make it to Hawaii right now, visit one of their California locations. I don’t know if they’ll have the Luau Sliders on the menu, but if not, see if they can still make them for you!
Diary of a Missouri Foodie 