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Diamond Head Market and Grill, a closer look
Aloha!
7/12/09 - Like our last Closer Look at Kakaako Kitchen, Diamond Head Market and Grill is definitely in that category of dining called Kicked-Up Plate Lunch, and of the several spots listed there, I'd say these two are ahead of the pack. For variety, for quality, for price, and for lots of healthy options, they just can't be denied. But there's one attribute where noone else can touch Diamond Head Market/Grill, and that is - variety. Chef/Owner Kevin Ro builds a mean plate lunch, with familiar's like char siu pork, teriyaki chicken, and hamburger steak, but also kicked-up plates, like grilled salmon with miso/ginger sauce, Portobello mushroom with balsamic marinade, prime rib, and garlic-marinated shrimp scampi, all at prices mostly $10 or under, save for a few orders like the prime rib and giant surf and turf plate (which you'll see today), both of which top-out the list at $15 and $15.25, respectively. Most meats or vegetables featured in any of these plates can also be served in a sandwich, instead, where choices like Portobello mushroom and teri-burgers are natural choices.
But besides all that, there's a mini-market, where a number of salads, desserts, snacks, drinks, and all kinds of other food items reside. There's even breakfast, served daily from 7am-10:30am, where you'll find delicious pancakes, French toast, omelets, kim chee fried rice, locomoco, and breakfast plates of eggs and rice with your choice of fish, steak, roast pork hash, and various breakfast meats.
Check out this refrigerated case, stocked with everything from pumpkin squares, red velvet cake, and Okinawan sweet potato pie to lasagna, quiche, seared ahi, and turkey sandwiches with house-made chutney!
Desserts are a big part of the operation here at DH Market and Grill, from small bags of cookies, bars, and knick-knack's to goumet pies and cakes:
I mean, I hate to bore you with so many names of so many different things, but hey, this place is just so loaded, I can't help it! There's the popular blueberry cream cheese scones, chocolate chip macaroons, chocolate ganache, lemon crunch, carrot cake, and sooo much more. Wifey and I had to pick-up a couple of them, both individual-serving containers, the first a Diamond Head Market torte, consisting of various layers of chocolate crust, bananas, peanut butter cream cheese cake, and a huge topping of house-made cream. If you're a peanut butter lover, this'll be your dream; if not - stay away!
And then there's the blueberry cream cheese square, lookin' lovely and voluptuous with its snow-white, lightened cream cheese and the exotic dark-purple's of the sweet blueberry sauce.
When planning for Diamond Head Market and Grill, make sure you know about the facilities, most notably for the fact that there's not much at all when it comes to eating-in. I guess this is where the plate lunch-side really comes out strong, as it's about as laid-back and unkempt as any Rainbow's, Bob's BBQ, HK's, or Pee Wee Drive-Inn. There are a few tables out-front, single file along the wall, but that's about it, and when the morning sun is out, there's little protection available, believe me. Better to take-out.
And take-out we did, as wifey and I hauled everything back home to enjoy a veritable feast! Starting off nice and easy-like, wifey's almost always in the mood for grazing, so here we have a simple romaine lettuce salad that came with my plate instead of macaroni salad - no croutons, no julienned carrots, no sunflower seeds or bacon crumbles - just plain ol' lettuce, with a tasty/tangy dressing of creamy miso/citrus.
Which was good enough to get warmed-up for one of her favorite sandwiches of all time - a Portobello mushroom! Well-done and classy, it was, although as far as Portobello sand's and different ingredients go, it's a relatively simple mix, except for the Chef's Special balsamic marinade, which looks and tastes like it comes from a Chef, not a cook! The onions were perfectly-cooked, tasting very much sweet and crunchy, while the mushroom itself was grilled to a succulent tenderness, its gills soaking in all that delicious sauce. No mayo, no sprouts, no other clutter. Perfect for wifey and perfect for healthy, modern, light lunches, but to tell you the truth, I'd rather have some mayo and a touch of sprouts or thin-shredded lettuce!
We had several sandwich orders this day, the next one coming as a simple teri burger, this time coming with familiar fillings like lettuce, tomato, onions (sauteed), and mayo - gotta have the mayo! The meat was cooked well, just a wee bit pink, as it should be - woulda been even closer to medium had we eaten it right there at the store. The teriyaki taste, though, was a bit on the light side, and I would have preferred a bit stronger representation from the sauce.
Our final sandwich was a sliced-meat teriyaki burger, filled with the same teriyaki meat that goes into their plates. Tender and easily torn, with a char-grilled teri taste, I preferred this one over their teri burger (hamburger patties). Once upon a time they used to carry a tenderloin sandwich which was really great, but apparantly, no longer - bummers!
Cutting all the sandwiches in sections and splitting them between wifey, mom, and I, there was plenty to go around, and lots of leftover's!
I dunno what got into wifey, but she was like a kid in a candy store on this particularly fine late-morning, and couldn't stop grabbing things off the shelves! As if three sandwiches, fries, two large desserts, and one gigantic plate that could have easily fed two (you'll see) wasn't enough for the three of us, she was also ono for a container of shrimp cocktail! Ok, honey...
And finally, one more order to bust the belt - one last hurrah and the most expensive plate on the menu by a quarter - the massive surf and turf! With so many different items on one Styrofoam plate, I honestly had to ask the cashier at the counter if I wasn't somehow reading the menu wrong! I mean, talk about Kanak Attack - this here row of fine meats coming up is only half of the entire whole. There's a delicious boneless bbq chicken, a great char siu pork, and same the tender pieces of teri beef seen earlier.
Along with a healthy order of rice and the veggie salad seen earlier, it'd be enough to put any normal man to sleep, but then, we've only just begun. The opposite, surf-side of the plate came with a light, delicate piece of grilled opakapaka and a few pieces of garlic-marinated shrimp, both very delicious, thank you. I do wish they'd have a plate featuring just these two seafood items, but I guess then, costs would be more prohibitive. Although, hey, I'd be willing to shell-out $20 or so if they did offer one!
Diamond Head Market and Grill definitely carries some ono grindz, and is a good bet if you're looking for something casual and relatively inexpensive, with a better degree of quality than normal plate lunch. Located right outside Waikiki, it's a favorite stop for beach-goer's and a healthier option than ever-popular Rainbow's Drive-Inn when the pants and hair are still soggy and wet, the boards still latched-on to your car roof. Even eat there to continue to drying-off and catching a tan, why not?
In parting, I'll leave you with one final shot, one more tasty look at the plate above, in all its glory:
May your world of eats be over-flowing with new and adventerous experiences, and may today be always better than yesterday!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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