Aku Eats Oahu : a closer look : El Mariachi, a closer look

El Mariachi, a closer look

Aloha!

8/17/08 - I'm thinking y'all must be a bit local'd-out by now? Having been on the subject for the last four pages, we'll instead look into previously uncharted territories and set a new course of adventure. Don't want to keep the okole parked in one place too long. It's just that I prefer to keep moving in order to keep the mind fresh, honest, and on its toes, is all. Otherwise, strange things start to happen even outside of a dulling mind - the dust builds, the joints start creaking, and worst of all, heaven forbid, we may even start acting our age! Have you ever noticed how often we wander into that void of momentary incognizance, myself included, the eyes fixating on a point that somehow doesn't register or compute at all with the brain, if even for a moment? Some call it "zoning out." Or is it becoming a zombie? Space Cadet?

Aaah, no worries. We gotta chill out once in a while, right? I guess just as long as the zoning doesn't occupy too much of our day, or start infringing more and more upon our precious time, and as long as a spell doesn't hit us while doing 70 on the H-3 or operating a heavy crane 35 floors up. That's when we gotta draw the line and get all pumped up! That is, it's all about blasting the mind with some intense right brain/left brain exercises and downing all the ginko, ginseng, and gotu kola we can find in Downtown Chinatown. "Fai dalla one leaf! Buy tree I give you ten dalla!"

You know, it's evening right now and Chinatown is closed, so I better start thinking about heading down to the nearest GNC instead, because my brain is wandering, not into an open-mouthed stare, but into so many other trains of thought that I may quickly lose you. Follow along at your own risk. I have no idea where I'll end up.

Anyway, I know we were in Kaneohe for a reason. It'll come back to me soon. Aaah, yes, there it is. It was my brother who has a friend that recently recommended a Mexican restaurant out on the Windward side. I never completely discount a lead, as even God Himself chose to speak through the mouth of a donkey at least once, but I paid even more attention to this particular tip because the person also spoke well of La Bamba on Kapahulu avenue - that told me he must know what he's talking about, as La Bamba is excellent and has some of the most authentic dishes on the island. Having never heard of El Mariachi before, wifey and I decided to give it a shot. It also gave us an excuse to stop by the Kaneohe 24 Hour Fitness for a change of pace, as we mostly hit the Hawaii Kai or Kapiolani branches for a more conveniently located workout.

The place is located makai (ocean-side) of busy Kamehameha Hwy, right before the Windward Mall if you're coming from Kailua. At the intersection where two gas stations sit kiddy-corner from eachother, drive into the station on the makai side, and a tiny strip mall set slightly behind it is where you'll find the restaurant.

Humble little place, it is. The inside is also very low-key and casual, without pretention or frills, the only difference being you know you're in Mexico now. And the smells coming from the kitchen a few steps away, boy, I'm telling you... There are also standard tones everywhere that gravitate toward the warmer ranges of the color spectrum; Mexican hats, instruments, and other such telling statements hanging on walls; music I can only define as Mexican because, for the life of me, I couldn't tell you the difference between a mambo, rumba, or cha-cha - although I do own several Luis Miguel CD's that I really love, and would very much like getting more into Latin music, which I find pure, up-lifting, and very passionate. Somehow, American music these days is so commercialized, so not-from-the-heart, so blaaah... I don't even listen to radio music anymore.

When visiting a new Mexican spot for the first time, just about anyone with an appreciation of food waits intently for the complementary snack of chips and salsa to arrive. It sometimes hits the table even before the menu does, and comes as a sign, a harbinger, an omen, even, of things to come. Myself, I'm not quite so critical about it, just because I hate to be a stuffy complainer all the time, but I gotta admit, the chips and salsa do have a way of heightening or lowering expectations. Who would have thought these two "free" items would become such revered diviners of the future?

It turned out that the chips were fine, but I can't say I wasn't hoping for a salsa without any "bottled" or "jar'd" influence at all, if you know what I mean. No worries, though - you can't always expect that, at least not on the island. It was still good enough to keep me happy and on an even keel. What did our pair of prescient magic mirrors say, then? Well, what I saw was, "Don't lose hope, don't worry, don't judge so quickly..." I just left the matter open for further inspection, is all, and assumed it could go either way....

It seemed of all the items here, the tipster my brother spoke of was highest on ceviche. The fish on that particular day was ono, freshly-caught from local waters. The tangy taste of lime dominated this dish, which suited wifey just fine, as she loves a lip-puckering tartness in just about anything. I half-expected it to come in a martini glass, as they often do, but this one came loaded on two large, round tortilla chips.

Not having the same affinity for tangy as wifey does, I found it a bit strong on the citrus, but hey, this ain't poke! Like a good poke, however, the fish was fresh and came in very generous portions. Add to that the combination of other ingredients and it still made a refreshing, well-put-together dish.

Wifey had one of the many combinations available, the first one being a simple beef taco. Along with the other main dish, the large plate also came with sides of Spanish rice, beans, a small salad, and sour cream.

As you can see from the following pic, the meat came in large, seasoned, tasty strips and made up the bulk of the contents, just the way it should be. The remaining onion, tomatoes, and fresh cilantro played their limited but not over-stated roles while the lettuce was strictly relegated to the salad, thank God. I can see myself coming back and downing four or five of these things one night, along with a few cold Corona's w/lime. In other words, thumb's up on this baby!

The flip-side of wifey's plate came with an egg-batter-covered chile relleno. Some favor thinner batters and some, thick. Here, at El Mariachi, it comes as puffy, substantial, and airy as can possibly be. It's apparent that they use the ol' whip-the-white's trick - that is, beating just the egg whites until they turn into a dense cloud, then folding in the yolks, along with some flour, to complete the batter. Anytime a kitchen takes this kind of time and energy, they deserve some credit, as not every relleno can be so lucky. The end result is a cushy, light shell that soaks in the delicious red sauce, as well as the chile juices themselves. A very classic and delicious dish, indeed.

However, the highlight of the afternoon, at least in my eyes, was the steak plate. The highly-flavored, juicy cut was quite simply - un-ree-al!!! Not sure what they used, but there was a healthy dose of salt along with a combination of different seasonings that permeated every square pixel of space captured on my 12-million-pixel camera.

Though the menu doesn't say it, they did use a Spencer cut, the same portion used for prime rib, and is my personal favorite part of the cow because of the high degree of marbling. Just for all you real men out there, I thought I'd cut you a good look from the smaller, front portion of the steak, where sits a thick blob of fat. Unfortunately, that being said, I guess I'll thus have to condemn myself to mouse-status, as I couldn't stomach it all. I think I only managed to conquer about a quarter of it. For all you fellow mice out there, the fatty area only looks enormous because it sits in the foreground of the picture - it actually wasn't so big at all compared to the rest of the steak.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the shrimp, which was also delicious. It seemed to be cooked in the same juices of the steak in a home-style trick that finer restaurants would never dare try without a thorough straining and re-straining. Who cares, though - this is a real, authentic, home-style meal with lots of love and a gather-the-family-type taste! Tough to beat, it is.

All in all, I was really impressed with this place. I'm sure to visit again and try the home-made sopes and tamales, the chile verde and rojo, and the grilled fish and other seafoods. Whatever entrees I do get next time, I'll make it my mission to leave some space for at least one of two desserts that I never got to appreciate this time - the fried ice cream, with a crispy cinnamon coating and toppings of chocolate, whipped cream, and cherry, and the la banana de goyo, a banana with cream cheese, strawberry jam, and caramel that is wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep-fried, then covered with the same toppings as the fried ice cream. Doesn't that sound unbelievable?

Whoever it is out there that tipped off my brother, please let me know who you are, because you must have other good leads, as well! No, I just wanted to thank you personally, and it's always an endless pit of satisfaction to talk about good eats, anyway.

So anywayz, mucho gracious for visiting, and hope you're having a wonderful weekend! All is well in Aku-land after meals like this, that's for sure!

Take care till next time.

Aloha!

Aku

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