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Brents, a closer look
12/09 Up-Date: Brent's Deli has now closed! Whaaaa! I dunno how, and I dunno why, but all I can say is - Bummer's, brah!!!
Aloha!
5/29/09 - It's no small secret that Kailua has some of the best breakfast houses on the island, coming with three spots in particular that are, in themselves, enough to solidify the area's reputation as top dog in the morning-meal department. None of them are your typical large-chain, generic, or coffee-house-type joints, each separating themselves from the rest of the pack by a certain set of unique dishes or aspects - Boots and Kimo's has a one-of-a-kind, local-bruddah atmosphere, a very popular pulehu steak plate, and a banana macadamia nut pancake very much un-like any stack you've ever seen or tasted before, trust me; Cinnamon's also has a quaint, very attractive atmosphere, some of the most friendly service anywhere, and great dishes like a set of different benedict's, guava chiffon pancakes, a killer Hawaiian omelet filled with all your favorite luau ingredients (it works, fo' real!), home-made cinnamon rolls, and much more. And the last leg of the triangle? Well...
Located in the vast maze of inter-connected stores, restaurants, and parking lots between Hekili St. and Kailua Rd., it's not readily visible, even from the parking lot. You'll have to find First Hawaiian Bank, then 'round the left corner of the building, where Brent's is recessed-in a just a tad, with a tough angle-shot-view towards the lot. There are a few tables scattered outside, but most of the eating happens inside, from 7am to 2pm only (3pm on weekends). On a quite morning, it's tough to beat the great outdoors, with the birds chirping, a hot coffee, perhaps a newspaper, and the crisp, cool Kailua air, but it was nearly mid-day for us, so we chose the comforts of A/C, along with an atmosphere that's not especially fancy nor very fashionable, but rather, pleasantly comfortable and homey.
There's a whole slew of fabulous breakfast and lunch dishes, but two particular types of items dominate the menu, and that's omelets and sandwiches. The New York-style deli counter, which sits inside and directly across from the dining area, is loaded with house-made brisket, pastrami, salami, corned beef, turkey, lox, cheeses of all types, sausages, and salads - basically, just about anything you'll likely find in a real Mainland deli! With these ingredients and more, more than 50 different sandwiches and burgers are created, with interesting names like the banker (triple-decker pastrami, turkey, Swiss cheese, tomato, and Russian dressing), Sarah's Special (Italian salami, ham, provolone cheese, tomato, onion, and Italian dressing), Derek's Slammer (grilled chicken apple sausage, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on French roll, and how about a Joanne Love's it (grilled eggplant, spinach, feta cheese, roasted New York red pepper, cilantro, cucumber, tomato, and basil mayo on toasted sour dough)?
And right here's where it all begins:
A simple-looking set-up, it is, with perhaps not the polished, modern look of a ritzy Safeway Deli, but it definitely works faithfully and reliably, in an old-school, family-run sort-of-way. In keeping with the theme, they even have dill pickles spread-out on every table!
Along with these sweet-sour cucumbers, one of the many great sandwiches to try here is the Jack's Pleasure, which comes with an obviously house-made brisket, its tender layers of beef piled high and with little else but small portions of ortega chili, grilled onion, Jack cheese, and grilled sourdough.
Actually, I'm not exactly one that even cares for so much meat between my bread! I mean, they make for quite the pleasant visual as well as being a flat-out bargain, with enough meat to create two or three different sandwiches, but to me, outside of being a nostalgic treat, I actually like the taste of a little less meat. Yeah, kinda sounds absurd, and when it comes right down to it, I'd want it no other way, don't get me wrong, as I always take it as a warm and generous sign from the owners that they're not skimping or cutting corner's. But perhaps even more so, I think it's probably more a matter of staying true to the mile-high mounds found in all the original Mainland-style deli's, lest they risk losing their sense of authenticity and old-school genuineness. Un-like computers, rocket ships, and flat-screen television's, some things just don't need to change with the times.
Yeah, may not be nearly as much as the now-closed Taste of New York in Kaimuki, but it's still more than ample, nonetheless.
Anyhow, the pic above is from a previous visit, while on this particularly fabulous day, wifey ordered a simple pastrami on rye. Simply delicious, that is. On the side was a great potato salad, while the sandwich itself was full of slaw and all the pepper-spiked, smoky taste and pull-apart tenderness a good pastrami should have, kinda like a cross between a roast beef and a sweet pork sausage. Wifey only finished half of the plate, even with me taking a couple of healthy bites! Can't go wrong with this classic dish, for sure.
Before leaving the wonderful world of lunch, and working backwards to breakfast, allow me just another brief moment in time to mention a few other items that may spark some interest, such as grilled ahi or salmon sandwiches, blue cheese burgers, a tortilla wrap, soups, and several large salads like the Greek, cobb, tuna, and deli-shred salad, not to mention house-made desserts like cheesecakes, chocolate mousse, and rice pudding.
It's always a difficult choice choosing between breakfast and lunch, both sides of the menu coming with just about the same large number of unique and colorful dishes. The morning brings such unusual (in Hawaii!) Jewish treats as latkes (potato pancakes) with sour cream/apple sauce and blintzes (similiar to a crepe) filled with sour cream/fruit preserves, as well as more familiar favorites such as French toast, waffles, pancakes, lox 'n bagels, several types of benedict's, and various meat and egg plates, some of which come directly from the sandwich deli counter. But above all, make sure to try one of their delicious omelets!
There are well over 30 different varieties, from Mexican-themed offerings, brushcetta, and frittata's to the use of meat loaf, real crab, Kalamata olives, and Portuguese sausage. An impressive spread, really!
It was on another outing that we had a fabulous Gabrielle's country omelet, which came loaded with three eggs, ham, bacon, green pepper, mushrooms, spinach and a luscious covering of hollandaise sauce. Un-real!!! You already know that this one turned out very, very well, indeed...
These guys sure know a thing or two about sandwiches and omelets, lemme tell ya! One look at the menu, which specifies exactly what basic elements go into each and every dish, and you'll already know the sophistication of this operation. And when the meals do arrive, they always come with the perfect blend of creative ingredients, whether it be from simple classics like bacon, cheddar, and mushroom to more exotic combinations like the Tyler's Special, coming with bacon, green chile, spinach, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomato, spices, cilantro, and Jack cheese, or the interesting omelet concoction of shrimp, green onion, cream cheese, capers, and shrimp sauce! Wow!
Looking for something along these lines, meaning, interesting, I went this this lovely dish:
I never order hash browns if I know they come in those frozen blocks that you can just as well place in the toaster, but I already know that Brent's can be trusted for freshly-shredded, freshly-griddled potatoes, so no worries at all! But the main item on this-number 6 of the breakfast menu, called bruschetta poached eggs, is worth an even closer look:
These perfectly-poached and very beautiful eggs are supported by a single slice of firm, grilled sourdough toast, a pesto tomato bruschetta, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. They didn't mention it on the menu, but that pesto tomato mix was redolent with fresh garlic and herbs, making it quite the refreshing and very stylishly-minded meal. It's ok... this belt-stretching, rubber-slipper-wearing local bruddah comes with a fashionable and petite wifey, so it's ok for me to order like so, just to see what it looks like on the other side.
Does seem a little high-minded, doesn't it? I mean, no meats, nothing pan or deep-fried, lots of herbs and vegetables, and... poached eggs? Sounds a little, I dunno... Brittish? Whatever the case, poached eggs do have their benefits, the super-soft, super-delicate white's slipping down the tongue even quicker than a sashimi-grade ahi poke from Ono's Seafood or Ruger Market, and oooh, the orgasmic beauty of those bright-yellow yolks that end-up running all over the plate?
Too much for me to bear, it is!
The breakfast triad out in Kailua, that's all you gotta know. Each one special, each one great. You can't consider yourself an expert on the matter unless you're well-acquainted with each one of these spots.
And with that - I'm out.
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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