Dining Scene
Taking an expert approach to deep-dish pizza

By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic

Carlos Vazquez, foreground, and Kawika Cahill add toppings to pizzas at Big Kahuna's. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser Big Kahuna's 833 Pu'uloa Road Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday: noon-7 p.m. 833-5588

In Hawaiian, kahuna means shaman in its most formal usage. Nowadays, though, kahuna often signifies a level of expertise associated with that of a wizard, guru or, in this case, an expert or master (of pizza, that is). And experts they are.

Rudy Malnati is the man who is often given credit for creating the deep-dish pizza in 1943 Chicago. True Chicagoans rave about two things: the Cubs, and, to a lesser extent, the Malnati family's pizzeria. The good news is that you can get a version of this luscious fried-crust favorite here, with local flair, flavorings and liberal doses of aloha.

Before you get started, get an order of the garlic cheese balls ($2.85), a dozen piping hot garlic bread rounds, baked in butter and topped with five cheeses.æGo for the gooey, my friend, as these treats are addictive.

The most popular pizza here is "da Big Kahuna's sumo special" ($5.45 for personal size; $16.95 for the large) that combines toppings such as pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, kalua pork, Portuguese sausage, bacon, onions, mushrooms, chopped tomato and black olives.æA very welcomed sensory overload may dominate you momentarily, what with all these ingredients vying for attention in your mouth, but you can handle it.

The scampi delite ($5.45, $15.95) is an unusual choice, topped with cheese, shrimp bathed in garlic and lemon-butter, chopped tomato and black olives. The white pizza ($4.95, $14.95) is a cheese lover's paradise — ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey jack, cheddar, Romano and Parmesan, touched with basil, oregano, garlic, parsley and chopped tomato. Oh, yeah, this is drizzled with garlic butter before it's popped into the oven. Give me strength ...

I was licking my chops while diving headlong into the kanaka pizza ($4.45, $13.95), a fabulous construction of their own shredded, oven-roasted kalua pork, combined with a slightly sweet barbeque sauce and bits of green onion. The Texan pizza ($4.45, $13.95) does the same thing, using beef brisket instead.

It's amusing that Suchotzki is a vegetarian, considering how well she treats her meats. The kalua pork and the beef brisket are done on the premises using "the exact same preparation."æIt's tender and smoky, and if you ask nice, she'll even give you her recipe.

The "stuffs" part of the menu refers to the sandwiches ($5.95) that you definitely should try.æKeep in mind that the bread is homemade and that the owner is a self-proclaimed bread lover. The large, fresh rolls really make a difference. One choice comes stuffed with corned beef, roast beef or turkey, with cheddar and jack cheese, shredded cabbage, tomato and onion, sprinkled with olive oil and vinegar. The surfer sub/grinder gives you the choice between ham and pastrami done in much the same fashion. But best of all, in my opinion, are the kalua pork and brisket sandwiches.

Glen Kanahele is the manager here. He's been with Big Kahuna's from almost the beginning, eight years ago. He'll take care of you and answer your questions, and he can make a killer vegetarian pizza ($4.95, $14.95) using the freshest tomatoes, onions, green pepper and mushrooms. Finished with black olives and "bombarded" with extra cheese, this one is a bit less of a guilty pleasure, given its vegetarian moniker.

They do a couple desserts ($3.50 each) worth mentioning. The tropical fruit tart is vanilla custard on a shortbread crust, topped with fresh banana, pineapple and coconut, with whipped cream completing the picture. The chocoholic version of this dessert puts creamy chocolate pudding on shortbread crust, with coconut, chopped macadamia nuts, and more of that whipped cream.

No need to get dressed for Big Kahuna's.æThis is shorts-and-slippahs territory, basically two trailers joined as one, with surfer knick-knacks and only a few tables. They do lots of takeout. It's simple fare that's simply delicious.

Reach Matthew Gray at ChefMatthew@LoveLife.com.