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Henry Louis Ribs, a closer look
Aloha!
1/20/09 - From the industrial town of Mapunapuna, in a big ol' converted warehouse, lies Henry Loui's ribs, home of the best suckin' ribs in town! Or at least that's what's written on the menu, that is. The place is on Paa St., the same road as Bob's Big Boy and Ben Franklin craft store, but you'll see only a sign when driving through, as it actually sits behind a single row of buildings fronting the road and is accessed by a few different driveways you won't miss, so long as you're looking.
The crowd is about as local as it gets here, with nary a tourist in sight. In fact, it's so local you don't even see white locals here! That's pretty darn local, if you ask me. Minus its people, however, the dining room furnishings are a bit more of a casual take on an older American steakhouse, such as a Sizzler, Chuck's, or Buzz's:
The bar side, on the other hand, which is roughly about as large as the dining room, gets more in touch with its local side, with lauhala mat boards, personal greeting cards posted, and local-flavored pictures hanging on walls. In-between the two sides sits a cool surfboard bench I wouldn't mind having in my own living room:
Waitresses and servers are about as laid-back and friendly as it gets, providing prompt and helpful service without being stuffy. The large amount of obvious regulars, especially on the bar side, produces an interesting interaction between provider and providee, giving the whole place a type of vibe much akin to a weekend get-together in a friends' home garage. The fact that they open till 2am every night also adds to the festive atmosphere, and by 9pm or 10pm or so, the dining room is just about empty, while the other half bares the brunt of customer traffic, which can sometimes get pretty darn heavy. The crowd is decidedly on the older side, but age doesn't stop anyone from having a good time and crooning on the karaoke machine, available for a dollar per song. Flat-screen television's are also on-hand, drawing big games as well as certain pay-per-view events.
Though ribs are the dish of choice here, with about 180 lbs-worth being consumed every week, there are plenty of other options available. The menu is a kind of mish-mash cross of American and local, with island favorites such as poke, sashimi, spring rolls, saimin, pulehu steak, and even vienna sausage (yikes!) mixing seamlessly with cobb salads, nachos, jumbo cocktail shrimp, potato skins, burgers, buffalo wings, and straight steaks and seafoods of various types. But wait - that's not all folks! Other seemingly out-of-place items can be found, as well, such as clam linguine, calamari steak dore, chicken piccata, a seafood-filled tutu di mare, and even escargot! Nope, not for me! After a couple of different attempts, I realize that I just don't care for the creepy black blobs, is all! Of course, Doug B. wrote on the Sabrina's Italian restaurant page, saying the escargot at Chai's is killer! When we return to Chai's, however, I don't think you'll keep me away from the kataifi/mac nut-crusted jumbo prawns, grilled Mongolian lamb chops, or steamed moi, Chinese-style. But that's just me. Maybe if we visit with a big-enough crowd, someone will take a chance on it!
With such a wide variety of drink-friendly foods, Henry Loui's is also a good bet for take-out at your next get-together. At $16.95 to $27.95, large party platters are available, but on our particular take-out visit, we opted for a series of individual pupu orders instead. Our good friends live only five minutes away, so it's always convenient when I don't have time to marinate meats or prepare something else to bring over on that side of the island.
Here's a couple of different sides, a healthy order of edamame ($5.75) and small container of mac salad. Sorry, forgot to catch a price on the last, but it couldn't have been more than a couple of bucks!
Edamame is also available in butter and garlic for a dollar more, but for take-out? Pass. Who knows for sure, but it sounds like it'd get a little too soggy and messy after sitting a while. The mac salad was pretty much standard fare, and very much like a mac presented in any plate lunch meal.
And speaking of sitting for too long... Though our friends' house is only five minutes away, our hot order of onion rings sat for at least an hour before we finally opened the styrofoam tray! By then, heat had transformed itself into moisture, and you know what that does to fried items!
But you know what? Though some sogginess had, quite naturally, crept into the rings by then, the batter still held pretty darn admirably. There was substance and a nice salty/sweet taste, as in a good beer batter, and I instantly imagined how good they must've been fresh from the fryer!
That hunch was further solidified when Kumi and I returned a short time later, and an order of fries, which came with our meal, was presented before us. They were thick-cut, generously portioned, and really, really... Good!!! To tell you the truth, I normally don't care for thick-cut fries, but these came with batter-like outsides that were crunchy-firm and crispy as it gets - perfectly done and well-suited to complement the piping-hot, soft insides. If their rings are anywhere near the ballpark of their fries, I'm in all the way!
Same thing goes for their spicy chicken wings, which, despite also being locked-up in Styrofoam for a good hour, were still delicious, even at room temperature. At $8.50, and with half the plate filled with fries, they weren't quite the bargain as our previous items, but we were still happy. These guys definitely seem to have taken the art of frying to levels surpassing most other similiarly-styled and priced eateries, I can say that much!
Their pulehu rib-eye is no doubt much better at the restaurant, as these cuts were cooked to beyond well-done by the time we had at them. Still, the flavor of charcoal grilling was infused nicely, and a layer of onions and mushrooms were placed all over. Like just about every other restaurant that cooks steak, I think they could be salted a whole lot more. Big Al informs me that some high-end steakhouses don't use salt at all, as salt has a tendency to dry-out the meat! However, so long as you give me a fair shake with a USDA Prime ribeye, with or without dry-aging, I'll put my steak up against Ruth's Chris, Morton's, or Wolfgang's any day of the week, my confidence stemming from one reason, and one reason only - a thorough seasoning with crushed natural salt and fresh-cracked pepper. Makes all the difference in the world!
As for the best suckin' ribs in town - are they? Hmmm...
They don't look so shabby, minus a bit of over-synging on the end-piece there. But green onion garnish? What's that all about? Well, before you go comparing Henry Loui's ribs to a typical Mainland style of tomato-based red sauce, mustard, and/or dry-rub, just know that those are not particularly the flavors Mr. Loui is going for, really. There's an extra element that makes the ribs here in Mapunapuna a bit different. Being Hawaii, of course, you gotta have some kind of Oriental aspect involved, yes? Besides shoyu, mum's the word regarding his special sauce, a kind of cross between teriyaki and American red bbq sauce.
A risky and bold move, for sure, but fortunately, the strategy works! It does straddle the line perfectly, not quite one and not quite the other, a puzzling but delicious mix with a touch of sweetness, but not overly done.
Having been here several times, I've seen some inconsistencies in texture, with the meat sometimes falling off the bone and at other times being more on the firm side. However, they've always been juicy and flavorful, with large sections of meat that definitely make them worth your while. Not so sure they're the the best suckin' ribs in town, but yeah, they are pretty darn good.
Switching back to our in-house visit recently, we arrived at just after 9:30pm on a weeknight, when the action was centered around a spirited bunch of karaoke fans and afficionado's crowding the bar side of the restaurant. Can't say any of 'em will get a shot at the next American Idol, but Kumi and I still enjoyed the live entertainment, though from clear across the room, safely in exclusion on the dining room side.
All main entrees and combo meals come with soup or tossed green salad, steamed veggies, and your choice of rice, mashed potatoes, fries, red boiled potatoes, or pasta. Baked potatoes are $1.50 more. A hot bowl of soup on a cold Hawaiian winter night sounding good, we were presented with a bowl of corn chowder to begin our meal. Don't you just love the typical, local-style soup and Diamond Head Crackers? A sight to warm the heart, it always is, and right out of a scene from Likelike Drive-Inn, Kenny's, or Flamingo's! However, upon closer inspection - see how lumpy-thick the soup was?
Taste-wise, it was not bad at all, but it was just way too thick for both of us, who didn't bother opening those crackers at all, which woulda made it even thicker!
As for our next order, or more like Kumi's order, it came with a presentation I never would have expected from a true local hang-out like this. I mean, you maaay find something like this in some secluded shack in Waikiki or perhaps in a Hawaiian-style hole-in-the-wall in far-off Boston or Minnesota, but here, at local ground-zero?
Doesn't get any more tacky than these particular oyster shooter's! All's you need is a plastic dancing hula girl!
But no worries, as things got better in a hurry. Check out this thing of beauty:
That-there's $15.75's worth of prime rib pupu platter, in all its glory! The thick slice was cooked to a perfect medium, then further sliced into bite-sized pieces, all dunked and saturated in that delicious jus. Horseradish was not presented automatically, but upon request, our kind waitress was happy to not only present us with a small bowl of horseradish, but also a creamy horseradish sauce, as well. Imagine a bunch of hungry guys, a cold beer or two already down the hatch, and this plate above arriving at the table? No mo' chance, brah!
There are a bunch of combo plates available, each with two choices of various entrees such as NY steak (no ribeye combo's!), ribs, prime rib, scampi, scallops, and mahi. Combo plates run from $20.95-$25.95, except for the one item I left-out, lobster, which is listed at market price. Tonight, my rib and lobster plate came-in at $34.
Before choosing pasta over rice, mash, baked potatoes, or red potatoes, I asked if the pasta was a creamy alfredo or some other heavy type. Our kind waitress replied by saying it was a very light, oil-based pasta, which was exactly what I wanted to hear - I didn't want some heavy cream or tomato sauce crowding the taste of lobster, which we'll now ruminate a bit on, seeing as how I've already voiced-out on their famous ribs. Like steak, there are sooo many ways to screw this dish up, and restaurants often do, even the best ones. I didn't know what to expect from the lobster here at Henry Loui's, as there was no weight amount given and most restaurants will over or under-cook them anyway. In fact, I wasn't even hungry for lobster at all, seldom ordering it for myself. It's just that Kumi always loves the stuff, and I'm sure you all would love to see how lobster is done here as well, yes?
I was glad they used a spiny lobster tail here (much sweeter than Maine!), and that it was very impressive both in size and presentation. Unfortunately, however, and like most places, it was well over-cooked, having produced a dry, tough meat. Not inedible, mind you, just firmer and not quite as moist as it shoulda been.
Henry Louis for ribs, pupu-style arrangements, and a kick-back, casual, local-style evening? You bet. In a flash. Some things worked well, some extremely well, and a few, well, maybe. Over-all, however, there's some really tasty grindz here. The late-night hours are also very convenient, and forget about shaving or dressing-up - it's aaalll good just as you are!!!
Here's one last shot before parting, a trio of bold, in-your-face plates:
See ya next time at Big Wave Shrimp and Seafood Co.!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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