Big Ka Hoo Na Hawaiian BBQ

I mentioned Big Kahoona to Sharon and a few others at the Giro...

Ok, this isn't going to be the most unbiased review, because this is the ultimate comfort food for me and I'm just really happy a place like this is walking distance from my office. Longanisa sausage, rice, and fried egg would be my choice for my last meal on earth.

I got Chicago Magazine's "Dish" e-mail on Thursday night, which had a short interview with the owner, John Cancel. So I had to go there for lunch on Friday. Of course I did!

If you're familiar with Aloha Eats (formerly Aloha Grill) on Clark, it's a similar spamtastic concept with the addition of filipino snacks like the aforementioned longanisa, tocino, lumpia shanghai, and bbq pork. Bbq pork to a native filipino usually means marinated pork, grilled on bamboo skewers.

I had the lumpia ($5.50/6) and chicken katsu/bbq beef combo ($7.50). They use thigh meat for the chicken katsu. Yay. Nicely fried chicken and the beef (think bulgogi) was tender. John added a "Hawaiian Slider" to my lunch, because there just wasn't enough food there. It's a hand-formed fat juicy little beef patty on Hawaiian bread, with kewpie mayonnaise and filipino banana ketchup. I'm going to start making these at home now. I really enjoyed my lunch and chatting with the owner.

If anything, the flavors are skewed towards sweet/savory. The macaroni salad that comes with the combo needed a shot of hot sauce. Eat-in orders are still served in styrofoam take-out containers, but that was fine since I barely made a dent in my combo and took most of it home. I'm going to eat my way through the whole menu... except for the tofu dishes.

Big Ka Hoo Na Hawaiian BBQ
822 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60201
847 475-1234

grace

Your description of Big Ka Hoo Na Hawaiian BBQ sounds intriguing. The only local Hawaiian food, other than some lame luau type poi, that i can remember eating during my several trips to the islands was a noodle soup dish called Saimin which was served with Spam and was quite tasty. Is the food at BKHN BBQ authentic Hawaiian or just a play on what Hawaiian BBQ might be? I look forward to trying this one.

They do have saimin on the menu, which you can have plain or with beef, chicken or Spam.

I can't vouch for the authenticity, but the Dish article says Cancel cooked with Hawaiians and Samoans while living in LA.

http://www.chicagomag.com/Radar/Dish/Ma ... t-Avenues/

iblock9 wrote:Your description of Big Ka Hoo Na Hawaiian BBQ sounds intriguing. The only local Hawaiian food, other than some lame luau type poi, that i can remember eating during my several trips to the islands was a noodle soup dish called Saimin which was served with Spam and was quite tasty. Is the food at BKHN BBQ authentic Hawaiian or just a play on what Hawaiian BBQ might be? I look forward to trying this one.

I usually judge Hawaiian places based on their mac salad. Aloha Eats does a good job of it - the previous incarnation of Tiki Terrace did not. Can't wait to try BKHN's version!

Fujisan wrote:I usually judge Hawaiian places based on their mac salad. Aloha Eats does a good job of it - the previous incarnation of Tiki Terrace did not. Can't wait to try BKHN's version!

I think mac salad (short of a real plate lunch) is a good barometer. I'm sure some things won't be readily available here (no opihi, anyway, and no fresh poi) but there's so much potential I'm really looking forward to checking this place out. As noted elsewhere, I would hope for a respectable version of kalua pork, chicken long rice, even manapua or malasadas. Here's hoping!

I had passed by the other night, thought I needed to come back, and saw the thread. Seemed like a good time for lunch - so off I went.

When I walked in I asked what the fellow recommended - can't remember his name, the owner's friend. He steered me to the Big Ka hoo na Combo - BBQ chicken, beef and short ribs. I declined, stating I couldn't take a nap after lunch and it looked heavier than I what I wanted. He then suggested the Hawaiian Sliders and that's what I got.



They were tasty with a sweet-ish, meatloaf consistency. The kewpie mayo helped, though I don't really know what "kewpie mayo" is. The macaroni salad very mild, not much different than buttered noodles. The fries were much better than they looked. I was expecting them to be soggy, a la bad hot dog stand. But instead they were crispy and pretty well-seasoned. I didn't ask too many questions - my head was buried in some reading.

I'll certainly be back - it's only two blocks from the office. I'm looking forward to trying different things - more fish and spam-centric items. I was told the lomi-lomi (ceviche) will be in this weekend as they are starting to get salmon from a supplier. A friendly place with a healthy dose of Abba tunes.

- Mike

ChgoMike wrote:A friendly place with a healthy dose of Abba tunes.

WHAT??? No Don Ho?!?!?

ChgoMike wrote:I had passed by the other night, thought I needed to come back, and saw the thread. Seemed like a good time for lunch - so off I went.

When I walked in I asked what the fellow recommended - can't remember his name, the owner's friend. He steered me to the Big Ka hoo na Combo - BBQ chicken, beef and short ribs. I declined, stating I couldn't take a nap after lunch and it looked heavier than I what I wanted. He then suggested the Hawaiian Sliders and that's what I got.



They were tasty with a sweet-ish, meatloaf consistency. The kewpie mayo helped, though I don't really know what "kewpie mayo" is. The macaroni salad very mild, not much different than buttered noodles. The fries were much better than they looked. I was expecting them to be soggy, a la bad hot dog stand. But instead they were crispy and pretty well-seasoned. I didn't ask too many questions - my head was buried in some reading.

I'll certainly be back - it's only two blocks from the office. I'm looking forward to trying different things - more fish and spam-centric items. I was told the lomi-lomi (ceviche) will be in this weekend as they are starting to get salmon from a supplier. A friendly place with a healthy dose of Abba tunes.

- Mike

kewpie mayo

http://www.kewpie.co.jp/english/mayonnaise.html

ChgoMike wrote:I was told the lomi-lomi (ceviche) will be in this weekend as they are starting to get salmon from a supplier.

Lomi salmon gets its more common name, lomi-lomi salmon, from the Hawaiian word, lomi-lomi, which means "to massage"--because that's how the dish is essentially prepared. Tomatoes, raw salmon (diced and salted), Maui onions (or scallions), crushed ice, and sometimes a little hot chili flakes. That's it. Very popular, and a staple of most luaus.

I'll be having the lomi lomi for dinner Saturday, it's one of my favorite hot weather dishes.

Ho brah, THAT what they passin off as mac-salad?







See the recurring theme?

Yeah, the mac salad was pretty insipid. The chicken katsu wasn't bad -- a bit dry, though. Overall, I'd give this place a B-. It's certainly not as good as Aloha Grill, but I'll be back to try the other offerings.

Jay K wrote:
See the recurring theme?

I was going to say! How can you call it a plate lunch unless the container is busting open due to the sheer volume of food inside?

Auwe! We were so excited when we found it another Hawaiian food place was coming to Chicago. I hate to say it, but like the other reviews say - Aloha Grill got 'em beat. The food is tasty and close to the real thing at Big Ka Hoo Na's but the portions are too small. The mac salad is closer to something you find in Japan rather than Hawaii. The food is good, but you leave hungry. C'mon L&L's come to Chicago.