Dining Scene
Boomerangs' ribs are worth coming back for
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
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| Boomerangs, which recently opened on Restaurant Row, has real boomerangs embedded in the floor. It's fine for a casual lunch and specializes in affordable and tasty BBQ ribs.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Boomerangs Restaurant Row 500 Ala Moana Blvd. 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily 537-5525
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OK, well, more on that in another hundred years. Did you know that a new restaurant (on Restaurant Row) is called Boomerangs? It's a cute little place owned by Tim Dare that makes some quite good baby back ribs ($7.75 for about four large ribs) that are fat and tender, the kind many people seem to drool over. They're braised long and slowly, a winning rib-cooking technique.
The first time I visited Boomerangs, I thought they were either closed or darn close to it. The actual reason, as I was told by one of their staffers, is that "nighttimes are dead here." It's a bit strange to see an empty place, but don't despair, it's more about the business climate, or perhaps, the continuing decline of Restaurant Row. Lunch is a brisk business, though, if you can get over there.
Still in the growing stage of its existence, it awaits a rotisserie that will enable it to serve what the menu promises as a quarter-pound or half-pound BBQ chicken ($5.95 and $9.95). Chicken cooked that way always seems to be a big seller. Another sign of the restaurant's infancy is that the Italian part of their menu has been nixed, in part because of the opening of an Italian restaurant a few steps away.
Much is made of the crab cakes here ($8.95 for the sandwich, $9.95 for the entree), but I wasn't impressed. I even spent three extra dollars (a whopping $12.95 for one crab cake) for the "all lump" cake version from Maryland blue crab, but felt that it was too moist (too much mayo or cream?) and not crabby enough ... and too expensive for a place like this.
By the way, all entrees include white rice, finely shredded coleslaw and a side order of your choice (soft, bland macaroni and cheese, OK baked beans, potato salad or french fries). The best side order on the menu, corn, isn't offered as an entree side, curiously, even though its price ($1.50) is smack-dab in the middle of the other sides mentioned above.
I was trying to find some items they made on the premises. The ham, pork and teri beef all are brought in. The meatballs are fashioned on the premises, but ground and spiced somewhere else.
When I saw kielbasa (half for $4.95, whole for $5.95) I asked if it was homemade. "No, it's from Sam's Club," was the refreshingly honest response.
The catfish is farm-raised, though, and it is breaded and fried for a sandwich (one fillet, $6.50), or the two-fillet southern-style entree plate for $7.50.
I had a very good Maryland vegetable-crab soup ($3.99), this one in a tomato base. There's also a cream of crab soup ($3.99) that looked good, but I didn't get to try. Items such as chili ($3.99), blackened 'ahi salad ($7.95), an out-of-place goat cheese salad ($5.95) and omelets ($5.95 for either ham or chili filling) round out the menu.
Desserts include a dense and luscious New York-style cheesecake, chocolate cream pie, ice cream sundae or root beer float (each $2.50). The homemade lemonade ($1.25, $1.50) and the IBC-brand root beer ($1.50) are good beverage choices for this food.
Boomerangs is finding its way. The staffers are all super friendly; Michael Greene, the manager, is helpful and knowledgeable. It's not a place I can suggest for dinner, but it's a decent choice for a casual lunch, especially for affordable and tasty BBQ ribs. And after the rotisserie gets going, there will be more solid items to offer.
Reach Matthew Gray at ChefMatthew@LoveLife.com.
Correction: Boomerangs charges $5.95 and $9.95, respectively, for quarter-pound and half-pound barbecued chicken. Incorrect amounts were reported in a previous version of this story.
