Big Ka Hoo Na Hawaiian BBQ Dinner, Weds, 6/11 @ 6:30

I hope this isn't BBQ overkill with the Sun Wah baby pig roast later this month, but I'm eager to try the recently opened Big Ka Hoo Na Hawaiian BBQ in Evanston based on swine dining's report. Since BBQ for lunch makes me too sleepy to work in the afternoon, I'd like to give Big Ka Hoo Na a try for dinner. Anyone care to join me and CCCB next Wednesday? We need more ordering power.

Wednesday, June 11th @ 6:30pm

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

Make that ordering power +1.

I've been wanting to try this place too. I spent 2 years of my misspent youth in Hawaii, and limited funds meant that saimin was often on the menu. Other fond food memories include real shave ice on Oahu's North Shore and our local joint's teriyaki steak sandwiches and kimchi burgers.... I know Big Ka Hoo Na most likely doesn't have these, but I'm eager to see what other memories come back....

I've been anxious to try it, too, especially after hearing Swinedining wax poetically about it. See you there!

Ooooooh. Don't think I can make this dinner

But oh, the memories it conjures! Plate lunch! Saimin, kalua pork, two scoops rice, haupia, chicken long rice, manapua, malasadas, macaroni salad, crack seed.... (Spam musubi not so much) Oh, da kine!!

I'd love a full report--especially if there's much in the way of "Hawaiian" food there. Thanks!

Gypsy Boy wrote:Ooooooh. Don't think I can make this dinner

But oh, the memories it conjures! Plate lunch! Saimin, kalua pork, two scoops rice, haupia, chicken long rice, manapua, malasadas, macaroni salad, crack seed.... (Spam musubi not so much) Oh, da kine!!

I'd love a full report--especially if there's much in the way of "Hawaiian" food there. Thanks!

Malasadas - so ono!

Gotta see if Mrs and baby (well toddler) Fujisan want to come to this.

will try

Just a gentle bump for this dinner... There's still plenty of room if anybody else wants to join us. It should be a nice spread of comfort food.

People so far:
happy_stomach
CCCB
nr706
tarte tatin
Fujisan + 1.5?
SGFoxe?

I got the menu by fax, but the appetizer section didn't print entirely legibly. Below is a transcription of the entrees. I know appetizers include: Wonton "Nachos," grilled Spam wrapped in nori, chicken wings, Lumpia Shanghai, BBQ on a stick, potstickers, Lomi-Lomi, Saimin soup, macaroni salad, chicken salad and cucumber salad. All of the appetizers are under $7, with most items around $3.50.

HAWAIIAN BREAKFAST
Served all day!
Served with macaroni salad, two scoops of rice, and two eggs (over easy)

Loco Moco (2)…$7.00
Homemade beef patties dressed with gravy
Spam Loco Moco (3)…$5.50
Grilled spam with gravy
Spam (3)…$5.00
Hawaiian favorite! Grilled spam slices
Tocino…$6.50
Marinated in a sweet bbq sauce and grilled great with eggs!
A Filipino favorite
Longanisa (3)…$6.50
Three sweet and savory sausage links

SANDWICHES
Served with fries, and macaroni salad

Hawaiian Sliders (2)…$6.50
If Hawaiians ate burgers this would be the one
Homemade patties, sweet Hawaiian bread, kewpie mayonnaise and banana ketchup
Hula pulled pork sandwich…$5.50
Served with island bbq sauce and a thin pineapple slice
Big John’s SLT…$5.00
Span, lettuce, tomato slice with kewpie mayo add over-easy egg (additional .75)

RICE PLATE
Served with macaroni salad, and two scoops of steamed rice

Katsu
Panko Crusted and fried to golden brown
Chicken or Pork…$7.50
Tofu (vegetarian)…$6.00
Teriyaki…$7.50
Glazed with homemade teriyaki sauce
Curry
Beef, Chicken…$8.50
Tofu (Vegetarian)…$7.00
Korean Short Ribs…$8.50
Beef Marinated with a sweet and spicy sauce
Kalua Pork…$7.50
Smoked Hawaiian Pork served with steamed Cabbage

COMBO PLATTERS
Served with macaroni salad, and two scoops of steamed rice

Big Ka hoo na Combo…$8.50
BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef and BBQ Short Ribs
Hula Combo…$7.50
BBQ Beef and Chicken Katsu
Island Combo…$8.50
Coconut Shrimp and Fried Mahi Mahi
Wildcat Special…$7.50
BBQ Beef and BBQ Chicken

SEAFOOD
Served with macaroni salad, and two scoops of steamed rice

Mahi-mahi Katsu…$8.50
Panko coated and fried to golden perfection
Coconut Shrimp…$8.50
Panko coated and coconut crusted and fried to golden perfection
Miso grilled Tilapia…$7.50
Miso marinated and grilled

I ate dinner there Fri night and was underwhlemed. The service was practically non existent. For example, there was no plasticware till after the food came out and I had to specifically ask for it. I had to ask for water and I got a 6oz cup fill to the brim with ice and maybe an oz of liquid water in it. The bill was $14 and change and the server gave me a $5 bill, No way I'm tipping $5 on that!

As for the food, I was disappointed. The lomi lomi salad was (10) 1/2" chunks of salmon and pretty much flavorless. The pickled onions were the highlight of the dish. No tomoatoes, a couple tiny shreds of cilantro and a big handful of chips.

The mac salad was spaghetti, not elbow macaroni. The server said this was more of a West Coast style rather than Hawaiian.

Short ribs were pretty tough, that was my mistake in ordering. The rice was two tiny scoops. For this price point the quantities were jsut not enough.

I'll give them another try in a couple months, till then it's Aloha Grill for me.

Sharon-

Despite some lukewarm reviews here, I would love to attend this dinner and give this place a try as I have no experience with Hawaiian food whatsoever (and strangely, no real immediate desire to go to Hawaii). However, I'll be out of town that day. I look forward to the reports. I'm sure you will have fun!

aschie30 wrote:Sharon-

Despite some lukewarm reviews here, I would love to attend this dinner and give this place a try as I have no experience with Hawaiian food whatsoever (and strangely, no real immediate desire to go to Hawaii). However, I'll be out of town that day. I look forward to the reports. I'm sure you will have fun!

Unfortunately, I can't make it on Wednesday. However, would be open to going another night.

Jyoti

happy_stomach wrote:Wednesday, June 11th @ 6:30pm

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

Are we still on for this evening?

tarte tatin wrote:Are we still on for this evening?

Yup! Looking forward to it.

Thanks to Sharon for organizing this dinner. I thought Big Ka Hoo Na was interesting, and a good addition to the diverse Evanston dining scene.

Overall, the food did remind me of many little snack shops I visited when I was in Honolulu and environs. Everything served in Styrofoam, and tons of rice and other starches along with a bit of meat. Not a lot of green veggies.

My camera batteries died after only two photos (when Sharon took over the photo duties), but we started with a good Spam Musubi, which arrived wrapped in plastic as well as being in a Styrofoam clamshell. The rice, which wasn't vinegared as you'd get with sushi, fell apart a little bit, but the nori added a nice counterpoint to the bland rice and salty Spam.


We then had the Lomi-lomi - sort of a salmon ceviche with crisp wontons. I think I would have preferred a fish-to-chips ratio that was higher on the fish, but what was there was good.


Among other entrees, I liked the longanisa sausage, which some said may have been a bit undercooked, but I thought that made it nicely juicy. The Hawaiian Sliders (mini-burgers) were fun, but probably better suited as a repast after a long night of adult beverages. And, as noted previously, the macaroni salad was a bit bland, and made with spaghetti, not true macaroni.

I'll let others comment on the remainder of the many dishes we sampled (all on parts of Styrofoam clamshells), but I can say it was a lot of food at very reasonable prices.

If anyone is looking for an interesting, very casual option pre- or post- a movie at the Evanston theaters, Big Ka Hoo Na should be a serious consideration. Especially if have a craving for white rice.

Thanks to everyone, including toddler Fujisan, for coming out last night. The size of the group was such that we were able to make a decent dent in the menu. Also, as (I think) the only person at the table who's not been to Hawaii, I enjoyed hearing everyone recount their experiences on the islands.

I basically share Tom's sentiments. I think Big Ka Hoo Na is a good addition to the Evanston dining scene foremost for the diversity it adds. Like swine dining, I'm glad to have the option of Big Ka Hoo Na close to work. The food is OK, and the prices are reasonable.

There was more styrofoam at last night's dinner than at any other LTH event I've attended. I think I'll have significantly greater esteem for the restaurant once they find a styrofoam alternative.

The group:


Raquel & Rod:


I've never been a big fan of Spam, but among my favorites last night were the Spam musubi and the loco moco. It was with the Spam dishes only that I thought the meat to rice ratio was fine. Having grown up in a rice-with-every-meal household, I agree with Tom about the meat to rice ratio of the other dishes--not enough meat. Also, I thought the rice overall, maybe except for the musubi, was mushy, perhaps too long in the rice cooker.

I also really enjoyed the lomi-lomi, which tasted very fresh, and the Big Ka Hoo Na Combo, particularly the short rib. I would order both of those items again. The pork katsu had potential, but it was breaded too heavily for my liking. The taste of the longanisa was just as I remember from childhood, but I was uncomfortable with how rare it was.

Spam loco moco:


Sliders:


Big Ka Hoo Na Combo:


Longanisa:


Pork katsu:


Pulled pork:


Seafood combo:


About half of the group adjourned to Prairie Moon after dinner. With the bar to ourselves, it was a very nice way to wind down the day. BTW, thanks, Tom, for pointing out the Allagash White, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Happy Stomach, you need to get yourself to Hawaii quick and try some real plate lunches; Those pics make me weep.

Google images - plate lunch

They need to either man-up those portions or go with smaller containers... it just don't look right...

I just want to add that the coconut shrimp were very good although again I think there were only three of them in the seafood combo, so I'm not sure how many others got a taste. I liked all the dishes with Spam and believe that I need to find a way to work more Spam into my diet generally.

Thanks again to Sharon for organizing this. Emiko had a fun time, even though it was past her bedtime!

I thought the flavors of some of the dishes were good. The spam loco moco brok'da mout (Hawaiian pigeon for 'was delicious'), as was the spam musubi. However, the mac salad was strange with spaghetti noodles instead of macaroni, and it was pretty flavorless. The kalua pork was also oversalted. Plate lunches also usually contain shredded cabbage underneath the protein.

Also, as Jay K pointed out above, the portions were on the smallish side. Here is the Big Ka Hoo Na platter:


And here is the same combo type from L&L Hawaiian BBQ:


Here is a mini plate combo which only has 1 scoop of rice and a smaller main entree portion:


While it was nice to get back up to Evanston, Aloha Eats will remain our go-to place for Hawaiian food in Chicago.