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Mac 24-7, a closer look
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Don't just take my word for it! See these other excellent views on Mac 24-7 Waikiki!
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See the official site of Mac 24-7! |
 Check out Kat's view on Mac 24-7 at A Passion for Food! |
 See a video preview from Pomai at Tasty Island! |
 For the Yelper's view on Mac 24-7 in Waikiki! |
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Aloha!
3/25/10 - No, he wouldn't hold a candle to Takeru Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut, nor even the Black Widow, Sonya Thomas, but you gotta admit - this boy can put away a respectable amount of chow. I'm sure you are all aware of the Travel Channel's show Man Vs. Food, with celebrity gorger Adam Richman, and the fact that one of his latest episodes was shot right here in our own backyard, at the Waikiki Hilton Prince Kuhio's star restaurant, Mac 24-7. Their famous pancakes are as large as manhole covers, and only a few folks on the island have been able to conquer a standard stack of three cakes, plus toppings (see Mac 24-7 official site link above to see who they are).
Go ahead and check out the teaser above, but my personal take on Mac 24-7's monster saucers are gonna have to wait a skosh bit. First - how do we get there? Unfortunately, the Waikiki Hilton Prince Kuhio offers only valet parking for a $3 charge, not including tip, so parking on the street may be a necessary evil if you don't feel like handing five bucks over to your chipper valet host, and that's only if you're lucky enough to find a spot somewhere! The hotels' car access is from Kuhio Ave., just before the corner of Kuhio and Liliuokalani Ave., where you'll ascend up a small ramp into the valet area.
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After handing your car off to a complete stranger (don't forget to bring all your valuables!), usually a college-age, local surfer dude, you'll be confronted by a very spacious, surprisingly gorgeous lobby, recently renovated and acquired by the Hilton:
Now, that's a pretty cool bar to be hangin' at. But you know what? Mac 24-7's bar is pretty cool, too! To get there, just continue past this beautiful lobby, and on the Kuhio Ave. (right) side corner, you'll see the restaurants' entrance:
We were met with two extremely unenthusiastic hostesses on our two last visits here and also a good wait without anyone at the bar beckoning for help or addressing us at all, so we were glad that the waiter on our last visit turned-out helpful and friendly. Just took away the unpleasant taste in the end, was all.
In order to access the restaurant itself, you'll be led through that cool bar area behind the entrance, which consists of a super-long counter on one side and a row of spacious booths on the other. Multiple flat-screens adorn the walls, conveniently spaced-apart for easy viewing access from any seat in the bar, while bright, vivid, bold colors and fresh, Jamba Juice-like furnishings keep everything fun, fresh, and lively:
Waaay cool, I must say. If you're like us, you'll stay-put right here in this area, but if not, you'll be led to one of several large dining room sections. One of those sections opens-up to a pretty garden and courtyard, where we enjoyed a good meal a couple of years ago, while this section was apparently an unused over-flow at this particular time. The decor of both areas are similiar, though, with that retro-modern look and appeal.
On the menu, I found it interesting that their lobster pot pie is no longer offered, as I thought it was one of their specialties. I think I know why, though. It was actually not bad at all, with large chunks of fresh lobster, but I can tell you this right now - anyone offering pot pie, of any kind, that's presented simply as a stewed mix in a bowl topped with a single, separately-baked croissant, no matter how over-sized it was, is surely destined for failure! You can't short-change us-kids. We grew-up on Swansons chicken and turkey pot pies! We'd zealously watch them in the oven as they baked, its puff-pastry top rising, browning, and completely concealing the luscious, creamy-hot, flavor-filled mix stuffed inside! One pop of that crust, and poof! The pocket of steam vented its pent-up aroma's as we excitedly and incrementally mixed a bit of crispy crust with a bit of stew, again and again, little by little, until... "mommy, mommy, one more please!!!"
I can only imagine waiters and waitresses getting barraged by diners who once waited for a real, oven-baked pot pie, but instead receiving stew and a croissant! The nerve!
But that's all in the past now, thank goodness. You can check the entire menu on their site for current dishes and prices, but it's mostly a list of good-ol', down-home American eats, done with a modern flair, along with a smattering of improvised local offerings like seared ahi, Chinese chicken salad, adobo chicken thighs, and even char siu saimin!
For starters, Kumi opened with a vine-ripened tomato soup ($7). A bit on the creamy side as well as a bit on the starchy side, but aaaah, the flavor was ok:
There are a total of seven appetizer choices, including the soup above, a baked potato soup, grilled cheese, crispy rock shrimp and calamari, crab cakes, seared ahi, and these wings here:
Sweet and sticky chile wings w/ranch dressing, to be precise ($10). I'm glad it wasn't the straight Mae Ploy you see everywhere, but a mix of Mae Ploy and something else, probably a kind of red American bbq, tomato sauce, or even ketchup or guava. It was also very sticky, as billed, and you know that sticky means lots of sweet sugar, too, as also billed. Over-all, though, the wings were of a decent size, were cooked well, and make a great pupu if you don't mind the sweetness.
As for drinks with your pupus, there's a few specialties prominently displayed on the front page of your dinner menu:
Kolohe Fizz
$7.50 - New age on the rocks with a hint of fresh lime
Maka Koa Mojito
$9.50 - A mixure of rums, fresh tropical fruit, and fresh mint
Maka le'a
$9.50 - Tropical flavored rums blended with mango, guava, and pineapple
Kona Colada
$8.50 - Rum, coffee liqeur, and fresh fruits
Ikaika Punch
$9.50 - A blend of three rums and fresh fruits
Like pancakes, their drinks are also impressively sized, although not nearly as spectacularly. Prices may seem a bit on the steep side, but considering our Maka Koa Mojito was served in the same type of glass as my draft beer, providing just as much volume, I'd say they're actually quite a bargain! Taste-wise, if you like mint you'll love it, as this thing was loaded with the refreshing herb:
One of the more interesting arrangements here at Mac 24-7 Waikiki is a spicy tuna poke, served inside of a pita. First I've seen of such a creation, so I had to try it!
Coming over a bed of fancy greens and a pile of onion rings I wouldn't mind ordering as a side itself, I'm not quite sure I'm flowing with this particular dish. Outside of appearances, the pita itself was really boring, presented cold and with a dry, doughy texture. Would it be the ahi inside providing redemption instead? Well... not really. The fish was fresh, but that dill cucumber/lemon aioli was a kind of Mainland take on an island specialty, and one not very much in tune with this local boy.
It looked like a spicy ahi, only without spice. Actually, all's you need for a killer spicy ahi is a simple tossing in mayo and Sriracha (and masago or tobiko if taken a step further!). Served just like that or over a bed of sushi rice or even plain rice, that's the variety of poke I can get into. This combination of bland pita with flavor-challenged poke, on the other hand, is not in your best interests, believe me. And for $16? I don't think so.
I can tell you something that did work, though. And worked spectacularly, in fact, even though it was such a simple and familiar dish that you'd never think it could ever be so satisfying! I mean, I make a killer spaghetti at home, but that's cheating a bit, with the use of ground pork, shrimp, imitation crab, insane amounts of garlic, and so on, but Mac 24-7's version ($15) came with straight-forward ground hamburger and tomato sauce. Ok, the fine shavings of cheese, sprinkling of chopped parsley, and giant flying-saucer plate offered glimpses of modernity, but the spaghetti itself came straight out of grandma's cookbook! Some things, you just don't tamper with. Just a tiny tad on the sweet side, this is one of those burgers 'n fries kinda deals, where you could eat it every day and it just never gets old.
It's the kind of meals we expect when coming to a restaurant featuring good ol' American dining, right alongside root beer floats, loaded potatoes, meatloaf (which I hear is pretty darn good), lasagna, pork chops, chicken fried steak, and... did someone say chicken fried steak ($18)???
What about chicken w/dumplings?! My question the first time hearing of the dish was, is it chicken, or is it steak? One bite, however, and you'll know that it couldn't be chicken. There's a reason why you find chicken katsu everywhere here in the islands and beef katsu just about nowhere, with a smattering of Japanese restaurants using a ground beef, or hamburger, katsu. The smooth, palatable-for-everyone taste of chicken is much safer, while beef carries a much stronger taste and texture that may not be for everyone. With chicken fried steak, however, there are a few twists they use to make the patty taste more like, well... like chicken!
Traditionally reserved for tougher, lesser-quality beef cuts, most often round, the meat is either pounded or sent through a butcher's cuber (tenderizer), then covered with all manner of coatings - flour, eggs, bread crumbs, batters, and usually double or triple-coated, too. It's then further enhanced by a smothering of whitish country gravy, courtesy of lots and lots of cream or milk. Here's a couple shots of the entire dish covered, then sliced so you can see the beef inside:
Nope, it don't taste like chicken. And I'd say this patty is not only double or triple-coated, but perhaps quadruple-coated! It's one of those meals that tastes great upon first bite, but eat too much, and you'll pay the price. I mean, even when fresh and still hot on the plate, you could tell they went extra-heavy here, the outer shell as decadently crispy, thick, and loaded as could be! Try taking left-over's home for lunch the next day, however, and that's when you'll see just how thick this crust really is. After being refrigerated and left to sit for a day, it has a way of forming into an even thicker covering of starch and oil, showing the true nature of the ingredients involved. I don't recommend doing it, actually. Instead, eat it right there, and you won't ever know the extent of the damage!
Up in the right corner plate sits a square bowl of another great American dish, mac 'n cheese:
Mixed with a creamy white cheddar and topped with bread crumbs and other garnish, this was about as good a mac 'n cheddar as I've tasted here in the islands. It was a great balance of rich, sharp cheese and smooth cream to temper the zing, and once again, a great home-made taste that took you back to the days of simplicity and goodness. I loved it.
But finally, with all the hubbub over those monster pancakes, you know we couldn't deny trying them! Not only are there breakfast choices served 24 hours a day, such as four-egg omelets, smoked salmon benedicts, waffles, eggs w/steak or breakfast meats, and house-made baked items like cinnamon rolls, muffins, and croissants, but five different types of mac daddy pancakes, each for $15. There were flavors of:
1) Hot and wild blueberry
2) Banana, walnut, and chocolate chunk
3) Pineapple, coconut, and macadamia nut
4) Cinnamon struesel w/vanilla glaze
5) The Elvis, with bacon, banana, and peanut butter drizzle
On this particularly lovely day in Paradise, we chose number 2. Did it live up to the hype?
Oh, yes, and then some! We couldn't believe the size of these things! Each of the three cakes are as wide as a frisbee, but it's the thickness of each cake that really suprised me - I couldn't even finish one of them! After all, we're talking four pounds of man-meal, including an impressive amount of toppings. Not your typical breakfast and not something you'd order for any reason other than curiosity, or for the challenge, perhaps. I mean, check this out:
It's insane, I tell you!!! Imagine how much syrup you'd also need!
Unfortunately, and I know you wanna know - this is probably the worst-tasting pancake I have ever had. And I do mean that quite seriously. Kumi and I struggled through a couple of bites each, but we basically left the entire monstrosity on the table, giving our kind waiter the excuse that we weren't going home right away, so we couldn't take any left-over's! The truth, by the way (our chicken fried steak was taken home on a previous visit).
You can already tell from the pic these cakes were dry and super-doughy, and taste-wise, they had nothing to offer. Not even a load of maple syrup could help this cause. Hey, if you've got a large group of people, and wanna order a fun conversation piece just for the heck of it, go right ahead. You'll all get a kick out of it! But for a good pancake you'll actually eat, don't bother. Sorry for the melodrama, but I gotta call it like I see it!
To close-out the evening, it was one of those rare moments where Kumi and I decided upon a dessert. There were some interesting ones, like a peach berry cobbler, devil's food peanut butter cup, and warm chocolate lava, but we stuck with a double-scoop waffle sundae ($7), with vanilla and strawberry ice cream:
Nope, we didn't finish this one, either, not by a long shot! It usually comes with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but our kind waiter suggested strawberry, reasoning that you already had chocolate syrup, so why bother? In actuality, I think I'd have preferred chocolate on chocolate! But no gripes here - ice cream, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, hot fudge, and a waffle to boot? We were aaalll good!!!
In the end, their pancakes proved a highly amusing, though greatly disappointing spectacle, as did the ahi pita. Yet, let me just say... I still love coming to Mac 24-7! The atmosphere is a huge draw in itself, and there are yet some decent to great dishes, mostly all done with lots of flair and sometimes in larger-than-life portions. The place has a kind of moxy all its own, and there's a sense of excitement and intrigue anticipating each new dish. You just never know what you'll be presented with and how each dish is played-out.
Hey, hope you're all having a great week! I'm looking forward to great things in the future!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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