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Boots n Kimos, a closer look
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Other thoughts and opinions on Boots & Kimo's in Kailua:
 See lots of other reviewers at Trip Advisor!
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 Star Bulletin checks out Boots & Kimo's! |
 Nina Wu blogs on Boots & Kimo's! |
 Nanigurl on Banana Macadamia nut pancakes! |
 Get the Yelper's take! |
Kate thinks she's got the recipe for banana macadamia nut pancakes down!
Iz 'att so? |
4/10/10 - Last I checked regarding Boots & Kimo's in Kailua, there were 81 separate reviews on TripAdvisor and almost 400 on Yelp! Few other restaurants on the island have been able to generate that kind of internet buzz. What began as a hole-in-the-wall local haunt more than 15 years ago has grown to become one of the most, if not the most, frequented breakfast/lunch operation on the island. As far as pure numbers go, I think only one other spot can compete - Eggs 'n Things in Waikiki. When talking restaurants of any kind, however, you also gotta think Cheesecake Factory at the Outrigger Waikiki (4/12 up-date - come to think of it, Yard House is up there, too!). These three spots (four?) are synonymous with long lines stretching out doors and around corners, with wait's of up to an hour or more, and should never be tackled without proper planning - meaning, go early, preferably on a weekday, or suffer the consequences!!!
Many still remember the old days, with a restaurant less than half its current size, when the furnishings were a bit old and run-down, but still, with that whimsical, quirky, yet somehow oh, so cool Boots & Kimo's touch, a touch that sets it apart from any other restaurant around. In fact, with so much ado surrounding their trademark banana macadamia nut pancakes and pulehu steak plates, I believe it's their furnishings that also play a huuuge role in creating the ambience and sheer magic of this place. It's just so different, is all!
At the former spot just down the road, it kinda looked a sports fanatics' home bedroom, coming very quaint, personable, and low-key. Autographed helmets, jerseys, and other such sports paraphernalia are and were indeed expensive, but still, the decor was pretty much how a rabid sports fan'd spice-up his own bachelor pad. Their new location, however, carries a much more modern, Disney-esque, even commercialized look:
Not that I'm complaining. I absolutely love the new look and feel, even more so than the original! It's fun and light-hearted, yet masculine and bold at the same time. As you've probably already noticed, the two brothers that own this joint are extreme Denver Broncos fans, the entire restaurant color-coordinated to match the teams' orange and dark-blue, while John Elway comes enshrined in immortality. There's also tons of other, more secondary sports favorites, such as local pop-warner football team pics, an ode or two to baseball, and, of course, the many Wheaties boxes that featured more prominently in the old store, mostly because, well, it was just so much smaller, they stood out that much more.
Besides sports, the only other major theme here is (what else?) Hawaii, of course, as this place has been extremely popular not only to locals, but to visitors, who have found their way out to Kailua in droves, not by virtue of a powerful marketing campaign, but by the tons and tons of brochures, guides, and other media outlets out there, all acting independently of the restaurant. Kumi and I have friends all the way from Japan, having never set foot on the island yet, who are begging to come to Boots & Kimo's! Though Kailua is a good 40 minutes away from Waikiki, tour companies bring small bus-loads of Japanese visitors throughout the day, virtually all of them coming for a cutesy-cool atmosphere and the best banana macadamia nut pancakes on the planet!
Our own latest visit here was delayed a day because we failed to follow our own advice by showing-up early, and were consequently greeted by a crowd of at least 50 people waiting outside! At their weekday opening time of 7am the next day, however, tables were surprisingly in good supply. There's also rumour of a pending dinner menu, but as of today, they are still open 7am-2pm weekdays and 6:30am-2:30pm weekends.
Oops - forgot to throw-in a map! It's pretty easy to find, but you still have to be looking if you're not from the area. As of 4/7/10, Google Maps still directs you to the old Boots & Kimo's location on 119 Hekili St., so if the reverse teardrop directs you anywhere other than the inside corner of Hahani and Hekili St.'s, where the newer store is found, simply disregard:
Most will drop-in from Pali Highway, which becomes Kailua Rd. From there, take a right immediately after the canal, turn left on Hahani St., and you'll see them on your left, right across from the large Don Quijote parking lot.
Google Maps also has an interactive street view that was taken before the new restaurant opened, so I'm gonna disregard it and just give you a straight shot of the entrance from my Canon:
Besides long waits, there is that one other possible problem here, so before we get into the great food, we'll address customer service a wee bit. First of all, crowded restaurants are naturally more challenging as far as good service goes, but even besides that, you won't always find the friendliest of waitstaff here. It's more of a "I'm here to take your order, bring your food and drink, and bill you," that's about it. Nothing particularly rude or blatant or anything, but just not your prototypical coffee with a smile type of folk some may want to see first thing in the morning. But no worries, ey? It's not like you have to buddy-up with the waitstaff anyway, right?
As far as the grinds here, we'll begin with the big co-star, a pulehu rib steak:
This is the second-most popular dish here, a rustic, rough-chopped, bone-in short rib steak, seasoned simply with Hawaiian salt and pepper and mixed with grilled mushrooms and onions. Most of us here in the islands are accustomed to seeing a Korean or local-style teriyaki bbq marinade for this particular cut, but the owners here have taken advantage of this extremely tasty section without any shoyu or sugar at all, just the great taste of beef steak. If you find super-sweet macadamia nut pancake syrup a bit too sweet or foo-foo, steak and eggs are a great option. Of couse, you can also get it with rice and macaroni potato salad instead of hash browns and eggs, for a plate lunch-style meal.
And speaking of plate lunch, there's other local-style grinds found as well, such as chicken katsu, garlic chicken, pork chops, teriyaki beef, and hamburger steak, roast turkey, or roast pork with gravy. Other items Boots & kimo's is not particularly known for, but can be found in good number, are an assortment of sandwiches, burgers, saimin, and chili bowls.
Almost an entire page of their menu is dedicated to giant 3 1/2 egg omelets, all with names like Pakalolo (marijuana) Onolicious, Huelo Paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy), and Maui Wowie. They say all omelets are done Maui home-style, whatever that means. To me, the style of cooking here seems like outer-island-style, with huge portions, lots of flavor, and no care at all towards health or sophistication - it's all about some serious, belly-filling chow! Except for not having real smoked meats, the place kinda reminds me of Hawaiian-Style Cafe over-in Waimea, on the Big Island. Check out the menu yourself:
Choices, choices! Thinking omelets, one of our friends chose a Seafood Special omelet with hash browns:
Wow. And no, I'm not talking about the size of this giant yellow log sitting on our table. Having had a couple of omelet choices before, I was never really impressed with them outside of sheer poundage and girth, but this one was surprisingly good! With lots of real crab, onions, and mushrooms sauteed in garlic butter, then covered with Haleakala Swiss cheese and wrapped in tons of egg, I don't even wanna know how many calories are in this buggah! I mean, with lots of gooey-rich cheese, butter, and real crab, it can't be very innocent, lemme tell ya! I'd definitely order this on my own, but a half-order'd be more than sufficient, along with a single macadamia nut pancake!
I haven't heard anyone mentioning this, but to me, the recipe for Boots & Kimo's world-famous pancakes have changed since the old days. Not the sauce, only the pancakes. Once upon a time, I used to tell everyone that the cakes themselves were lacking in quality, and it's the macadamia nut sauce alone that made them so special. Upon our most recent visit, however, and our first at the new shop, things seem to have changed. Here's the thing - 'know how old-fashioned pancakes are often doughy, starchy, and dry inside, while newer-style pancakes are spongy, moist, and a bit firmer? Well, these days, Boots & Kimo's seems to have gone the way of the latter, which, I believe, is a good thing. At home, I'd make my pancake batter watery and runny, which would make them thin enough to prevent the dry doughiness inside that turns to mush under any kind of syrup. New-style pancakes, however, don't get mushy, no matter how thick. I don't know what they do, but even with thick cakes, the texture inside is able to handle syrups without degrading too much. Now, I love their signature dish even more!
But yes, it's no small secret that it's the macadamia nut sauce that still makes them so special. Many have guessed it was simply melted macadamia nut ice cream, but I'm not of that opinion. There's too many other flavors involved, like strong hints of fresh vanilla and butter, with almost a slight hint of butterscotch or spice, even. I'm sure it's the most guarded secret on the Windward side, so don't even think the owners would ever let it get out! There are a few copy-catters on the internet, though, all claiming to have replicated it, including Kate, whose site and recipe link I've included at the top of the page.
But without further ado, here it is, the world-famous Boots & Kimo's banana macadamia nut pancakes:
Keep in mind that this is not a full-sized stack of three cakes, but a short stack of two cakes, for $5.99. As you can see, the syrup, which you can also order on the side, is probably unlike any other pancake syrup you've ever seen anywhere, coming thick, frothy, and most of all, deliciously sweet! Despite some naysayers out on Yelp and other consumer review sites complaining that Boots & Kimo's is over-rated and nothing special, most of their gripes concern service and dishes other than the above dish. Almost across the board, any negatives are followed by a single positive - "blah, blah, blah, but... the banana macadamia nut pancakes were very good..."
But having established that it's the sauce that makes the dish so special, it makes sense that other offerings, such as crepes, waffles, or French toast, are also delicious topped with the very same thing:
These thick slices of French toast came with a nice, eggy, crispy coating I loved, but I also would've loved a moister inside. Maybe I'm used to French toast from regular white bread, like the ones my mom made, which were so thin the batter would soften the entire thing, insides and all. Outside of the coating, the core of our Boots & Kimo's version seemed like a slightly dryer sweet bread eaten straight from its plastic wrap. But then again, with all that lovely macadamia nut sauce, even an average French toast can be super-charged into a delicious dish!
If you haven't tried this Kailua icon yet, please do yourself a favor. Boots & Kimo's is highly original and full of local-boy character in both their dishes and atmosphere, which makes everything that much more unique and enjoyable. Despite all the extreme ravings, however, some of which can often incite emotional, fawning responses like a flock of teenager's after a John Bon Jovi concert (I've seen 'em before, believe me!), please, don't go getting overly hyped-up over everthing, and think you'll automatically have the most magical breakfast on the planet, as some seem to believe. It's a great breakfast/lunch spot, for sure, but you'll be better-off with a little more perspective before entering for the very first time, instead of expecting a fairy-tale land of flying ponies, glowing butterflies, and white unicorns over chocolate and strawberry cream streams.
The big question I have regarding Boots & Kimo's is... what's next? Without a doubt, sky's the limit for the proud owners here. Can you imagine how packed a similar store in the heart of Waikiki would be, with its hordes of hungry visitors, especially Japanese women? Be crazy, I tell you! I know one thing's for sure - they've gone from provincial hole-in-the-wall to modern big-time, with their single store carrying all the flash and pizzaz of any major American chain restaurant. I'm sure they know that anytime they want, they could expand and grow successfully, even overseas. We'll see what happens in the future, though. Good job out-there in Kailua, and good luck Boots & Kimo's, for whatever comes tomorrow!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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