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Marys Mediterranean Kitchen, a closer look
 Mary's Mediterranean Official Page! |
 Mary's Mediterranean Ktichen on FB! |
 Mary's Mediterranean Kitchen on Yelp! |
Aloha!
9/8/11 - Does anyone else out there miss 99 Ranch Market in Mapunapuna? There are many things I can't get enough of, and one of those things happens to be a good fishmarket. 99 Ranch was no Chinatown, but they did carry lots of good stuff. Not only was there the clean, homogenized steaks of swordfish, mahimahi, and ahi, but whole local reef fish of every color under the Hawaiian sun, some the size of your hand, such as manini, kole, aweoweo, and weke. A typical day saw all kinds of action - hulking Maine lobster or dungeness crabs thrown in giant pots of saltwater and presented piping-hot; fresh tilapia deep-fried whole and still sizzling; snapping blue crabs, customer-selected with long tongs; prawns plucked splashing in nets, tails kicking; whole fish scaled, gutted, and wrapped to go in pink butcher paper. And with so many other exotic Asian goodies like turtle, frog legs, quail eggs, and sea snails all at your behest, it carried all the smells, colors, and quirky hallmarks of a real ethnic market, only in a slightly more upscale, slightly more gentrified surrounding.
Now, however, 99 Ranch Supermarket has been gutted in place of a giant food court and now joins the other section of the massive warehouse, which was already a food court from the very beginning. This newest section is a bit thin with vendors and crowds right now, but is slowly growing, with its own mini-version of a produce market and even a mini-fish market. Here it is:
On the other, original side, there's a lot more activity - Imari Bento, Mini-Garden Express Chinese, Lita's Filipino, 99 Hawaiian Plate Lunch, Sumo Ramen and Curry, dessert and bubble drink stands, and more. These vendors must have taken a giant hit when the supermarket closed, but I'm glad to see the place still relatively busy with people:
The real subject of today's closer look, Mary's Mediterranean Kitchen, is located all the way back, in the far left-hand corner of the newer section:
Don't let the Take's sign in the foreground fool you. Take-san is the next-door neighbor and well-known Hawaii fishmonger who has been supplying fish to markets and restaurants all over the island for many, many years. He's famous for his selection of deep-red ahi, which takes an expert eye and lots of experience down at the docks, where buyers jostle for the best stuff. You may know Take-san from his former retail outlet across from Stadium Park and Kozo Sushi. Check out a few of his personally selected cuts at one of our past hibachi's:
When I first found out about Mary's Mediterranean Kitchen on Yelp, the very positive reviews gave me a quick rush of excitement and hope. After all the great shawarma's and gyro's we had in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, I've long been waiting for a good, authentic meat tower or two right here in Hawaii. Remember that Mediterranean cuisine is not a single entity, as the Mediterranean Sea borders three separate continents and all manner of individual homelands, such as the African countries of Morocco and Tunisia to Asian (Middle Eastern) countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt, all the way to European countries like Greece, Portugal, and Spain. Mary's Kitchen features owners and chefs from Armenia, which doesn't actually share a border with the Mediterranean, but is just inland, on the Eastern side of Turkey. Close enough.
Their brochure and website got me even more excited:
See the meat tower? Unfortunately, it was all about cut and paste - there is no meat tower! A bit misleading, it is, but I'm not gonna go harping on a small company trying to survive out there. It's tough enough as it is.
It's not the biggest menu around town, but then again, it never is at these kinds of establishments. Basically, it's grilled meats and/or vegetables, either over rice or, more popularly, wrapped inside flatbreads. Sides offer a little more variety, mostly in the form of classic Middle Eastern dishes like hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, and stuffed grape leaves. And for the exotic-averse, fries are also available, coming thick-cut and laced with garlic.
Beginning with a few of these sides, check out this generous portion of baba ganoush, here spelled baba gannouj ($5):
Made mostly of eggplant, which is grilled to induce a smoky flavor then chopped/mashed to a paste, it is then mixed with tahini (sesame paste), garlic, lemon, olive oil, and set of spices and herbs. To me, this dip, usually eaten with flatbreads, was very hummus-like in taste except for a sharper acidity and tanginess. It differed from hummus mostly through its silkier, smoother texture. Not too shabby, but I kinda wished there were smaller portions priced accordingly - definitely too much as a side for a single meal unless shared by a group.
You'll see a shot of hummus later since it comes automatically as a side dish on full plates, so we'll instead inspect an order of tabbouleh ($5):
I can't imagine going more healthy than a parsley salad! Added to this super-chlorophyll are tomatoes, onion, mint oil, lemon juice, and white specks of what I thought was crumbled cheese, but was actually cracked wheat. I found it a little heavy on oil and a bit tart, but they did manage to mask a good deal of parsley bitterness, so long as you didn't eat too much at one time! Stuff like this, you gotta play tricks with your mind - realize and understand the health benefits, and it gets better and better on your palate! I mean, if parsley were as bad for you as candy, do you think anyone would touch it? I sure wouldn't!
Our entire tray on this particular visit consisted of the two sides already shown, two pouches of flatbread, a loaded pita, and a plate. And what of the two Coke's, each loaded with 40 packages of sugar? Busted! Much too normal a situation for me, sad to say, but it's only a once-in-a-while thing for Kumi:
Here's wifey's order, a beef pita ($6.25):
Grilled beef and onion sat on a bed of tomatoes, romaine, and tahini, all the while covered in a yogurt-based tzatziki (no, that's not ranch!). Can't say we were very excited about the dish - the meat was really tough and, to us, not very high on the spices and seasonings that typify this style of cuisine.
Over on my side, I went with a 2-combination plate ($8.25):
First-off, in the foreground sits a side of hummus. This mash of chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, was mellow and creamy-yogurty, with a degree of grit in texture. The two kebabs come from a grilled lamb, which was slightly on the gamey side, and a chicken, which was tasty enough, but a bit dry. The main starch was very interesting - it's the first time I've seen rice mixed with strands of thin noodles, some of which you can see on the vertical shot above. Not sure if it was a mistake or planned, though!
I was banking on another visit to sample their lula kebabs, lula being a ground meat like hamburger, only spiced and flavored differently. In the end, however, I kinda lost my excitement for Mediterranean (at least here!) and upon returning, opted for Mini-Garden Chinese, instead. Unfortunately, that trip was a bit of a disappointment as well, although it was probably just a bad menu choice, as I do love Mini Garden's main restaurant on S. Beretania St. I'll do a Closer Look on them soon enough!
But on a better note, how'zit for this gorgeous weather we've been having? Just another typical late-summer string of days in Hawaii, absolutely, but still! Wish we had the kids the other day, as there's a nice beach on the East side with a decently-sized, sandy tidepool, formed by a natural breakwater wall. I'll pass along a few shots of the area, since this Closer Look was such a quick one:
And I know I've told you more than once, but I'll tell you again - for a limited time, $1 Budweiser draft and $4 Budweiser pitchers at Shirokiya's Yatai Garden, along with a rotating schedule of genuine, popular ramen houses from Japan hosting booths! We've been going so often, you just may see us there!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
Mary's Mediterranean Kitchen
839-7777
1151 Mapunapuna St. at the 99 Ranch Warehouse in Mapunapuna
Mon-Friday 10am-7pm; Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm-5pm
Parking at 99 Ranch lot
