CUISINE ON A SHOESTRING
3 spots prove good food need not be expensive

By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic

Patron Mike Kanada samples the lunch buffet at Phillip Paolo's in Restaurant Row. The restaurant's specialty is Italian food at reasonable prices. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The burgers here (and great fries, $1.05 and $1.50) taste so good, but I don't know why. It's impossible to tell from the outside which places have that certain knack, but this one certainly does.

The double BBQ cheeseburger ($2.10) is juicy and flavorful, with lettuce and tomato, on a fresh bun. It's something I'll return for.

So is the $4.99 New York steak, an 8-ounce cut that hits the spot when you're in the mood for steak, but don't want to pay dinner-house prices. It was served with rice and macaroni salad, like everything else here. Other menu items include stir-fry dishes, plate lunches of all types, noodles, bentos, sandwiches and side orders.

Phillip Paolo is a familiar name to many for Italian food; the kind many of us grew up eating. When I moved to Hawai'i 10 years ago, I frequented his place on Beretania Street. I was sad to see it go, but it's back now at Restaurant Row, offering a buffet lunch for $8.95.

The room is attractive and comfortable. Seating is offered inside or on the patio; either is sufficiently close to the food.

The day I visited, there was mixed green salad with two dressings to choose from; creamy ranch and balsamic vinaigrette. Big hunks of fresh, chewy bread were next to iced knobs of butter.

The hot dishes included fettuccine in garlic oil, mahi-mahi braised in mango salsa, mussels in a tomato marinara, a chicken and broccoli dish in a demi-glace, big round cheese raviolis with olives, and a very good eggplant parmigiana. Friendly staffers tend to the buffet constantly, and the food is ever changing.

This Mapunapuna family-style restaurant is easy to love. It has inexpensive, delicious food in a comfy room with a friendly staff. The menu has something for everyone, which is quite a treat.

Open at 6 a.m. for breakfast, they can take care of you early birds whether you are jonesing for pancakes ($3.75), omelets ($4.95), loco moco ($5.25) or anything else.

Nick Patchrapong and his delightful wife, Nina, have been running the place for almost two years. Nick, a Thai gentleman, does the cooking in the back. Nina, who is Chinese, smiles, schmoozes and runs the show.

A deliciously messy Reuben sandwich — $6.25, combining tender corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing, grilled to perfection on rye bread — awaits you, as do several other very good sandwiches like the Philly cheese steak ($6.75) and the French dip ($6.25).

Baked French onion soup ($3.50) is a steal. It's piping hot in a crock with a thick blanket of browned gooey mozzarella on top. Served with two slices of garlic bread, it could be a meal on its own.

I had to try Nick's special Thai red chicken curry ($7.95), served with veggies of the day and rice. This creamy curry was loaded with chicken, mushrooms, zucchini, bamboo shoots and fresh basil.

The menu offers so much variety. There's a salmon steak encrusted with black sesame seeds ($9.25) in a creamy wasabi sauce.

Mahi-mahi ($7.70) comes grilled or sauteed; beef stew ($7.10) with potatoes, carrots, peas and celery was rich and comforting; and there's grilled pork chops ($8.50), along with daily specials.

There should be more places like Nick's Cafe.

Reach Matthew Gray at mgray@honoluluadvertiser.com.