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Ryan's, a closer look
Aloha!
3/7/09 - And then there was one..... Ryan's Bar & Grill in Kakaako is the only one left standing amongst the big four restaurant/grills once lined up one next to another, all of which contributed to making the top floor of the Ward Center one of the most happening night-spots on the island. It was pretty sad, really, walking past E&O Trading company, with the former owners hastily removing chairs, tables, and other items from the spacious, half-gutted facility. A few feet away, right after E&O and before Ryan's, was the long-empty, vacated shell of the former Compadre's, while just beyond Ryan's lay the shuttered doors of Brew Moon.
I was heartened to find out, however, that Ryan's just signed another 5-year lease with the shopping center, so they must be doing ok. Our kind waiter says that since foot traffic is much lower due to the other closing's, business seems to have slowed just a wee bit, but nothing really serious. It sure looked ok today. Hopefully, another slew of happening places'll open up real soon, and those same employees'll all get hired back and make an even better paycheck than before!
Here's a shot of the dining room-side of Ryan's Bar & Grill, right at 11am when the doors flew open.
Though I've probably been here 40 or 50 times (no joke!) throughout the years, this is only the second or third time I've been on the dining room-side. That's because we usually come for drinks and pupu's on the bar-side, as Ryan's is one of the best places anywhere for finding a fun, cool, island-style atmosphere perfect for spirited conversation. With good crowds filling the entire area and drinks flowing strong and steady, there just always seems to be an up-beat, positive vibe that makes it that much easier to let loose and have a great time - and not the kind where idiot guys are picking fights and acting tough, or bimbo ladies are half-naked and dancing on the tables! No, no - just a lot of people minding their own little parties, enjoying good conversation, and sharing a lot of laughs, is all.
When wifey and I first started hangin' out, I'd bring her here two, three, sometimes even four times per week! Our first couple of years or so were blissful ones, indeed, as I couldn't work much at all because my dad needed medical attention several times per day and hospital visits several times per week, so all wifey and I did was tend to dad, surf, tend to dad, surf, tend to dad; then catch a movie, get some drinks at places like Ryan's, and check on dad again before bed. Then do it all over again the next day! I guess when you're in love you don't worry that your bank account keeps dropping - I always told her I couldn't stay out of work forever!
I'd say about five nights per week, we'd be hanging out at Kincaid's, Gordon Biersch, Brew Moon, or sushi/izakaya spots like Kai, Imanas tei, Izakaya Nonbei, or Tokkuri tei, and three nights out of five, we'd somehow end up at Ryan's, sitting right here on the bar-side of the restaurant:
Waay cool of a place to hang out, for sure! Here's a closer shot of the well-stocked bar:
This particularly fine day saw mom and I sitting down for an early lunch. I figured a relaxing little excursion was in order, since my sister's family have been with us for the last several weeks, which means mom can't help but take care of their baby-girl all day long. She's nothing but super-happy when that little hapa-haole bundle of joy is around, but it does get a bit tiring in a labour-of-love kind of way.
As we sat overlooking beautiful Ala Moana Beach Park in the comfort of air-conditioning, shutting out the sight of several homeless people while concentrating on the large, beautiful trees, green grass, and gorgeous, wide-open expanse of the park itself, it was easy winding down for a relaxed, leisurely meal. Our kind waiter took our orders while presenting a basket of focaccia bread, which was baked in a mix of garlic, herbs, and either olive oil or butter, or perhaps both? Whatever it was, it was pretty darn good, coming fluffy-soft inside, very warm, and very fragrant.
Despite having a number of great entree meals, such as a a spicy Thai chicken sandwich, fresh fish tacos, hoisin-glazed pork chops, Kobe hamburger steaks, several great pizza choices, large salads, and more, we actually only ordered one item from the entree menu. Mom's togarashi-seared ahi sandwich came on the same, warm focaccia bread, along with tartar sauce, grilled Maui onions, and a side of fries.
The reason for only one entree is that we'd end up ordering three appetizers, instead. And no, our choices weren't the proven winner's wifey and I'd always get here, such as a fresh order of poke, Jamaican jerk fries, soy-ginger edamame, or perhaps the most popular of all - hot King crab/artichoke dip with focaccia bread. Today, mom was hungry for a couple of other seafood items in particular, so I rounded out our choices with an order of guava-glazed ribs, which you'll see in just a bit.
Mom's first pupu choice was a calamari, coming dusted in rice flour, deep-fried, and served with also-fried red onions, green onions, a side of sliced, vinegared cucumbers, and a dip of black bean aioli. The calamari was done tasty and well, but I was kinda curious about the sliced cucumbers, which included many long strips of skin, and not just as a tiny slither of green on the one end of a mostly-white inner portion, but as the entire strip! It was all skin! I guess it's healthier, but they sure don't taste good!
Mom was also hungry for a good, old-fashioned, simple shrimp cocktail. This one came very generous and not quite so simple as she expected, with six large pieces divided into three different presentations. Of course, each piece was cooked the same way, either steamed or simmered, with the only difference lying in the sauces. Two of the first shrimps were propped up against eachother in a fireworks cocktail sauce, the term fireworks coming from an extra zing of horseradish.
Yet two other shrimps came in a colorful ceviche salsa that was waay heavy on the salty side. The final two sitting in the background were actually my favorite set, as I found the sweet/sour kung pao sauce a perfect match with these jumbo shrimps. I can't say I'd normally order them over a good tried-and-true cocktail sauce, but it was so hard not to notice them as the bolder, sharper taste of the kung pao easily overshadowed the milder cocktail sauce. Eaten together, the kung pao tasted better; but if I had one choice alone, I'd probably stick with cocktail sauce - am I making any sense at all?
Our last order of the day came in the form of a meaty rack of guava bbq ribs. With myself having to polish off half of mom's sandwich and the more generous side of everything else, I knew we'd be taking something home, and yes, today it was the ribs. Not that I haven't had good ribs here before, because I surely have, but this one was, well, not quite the same. In fact, the kind manager even asked about it as all but a few pieces were left sitting on the table to box-up.
"Oh, uhh, yeah, it was, uh, fine..."
I wasn't anticipating being put on the spot at that point of time, so I was kind-of at a loss for words, not really wanting to hurt anyone's feeling's and all. I couldn't help but thinking that since the restaurant was just opening for the day, these ribs must have come from the day before, the dry, overly-singed cuts making some pieces pretty, uh... bad. No worries, I thought, as I'd just take 'em home, de-bone 'em, chop 'em all up, pan-heat 'em in olive oil to soften, and make pork with onions, or maybe fried rice or fried noodles!
Poor guy, he saw right through my less-than-enthusiastic response, and actually took it off the tab! I know how some of you think, though - "I'm paying money for something, so it better be good! I have every right to send something back!"
Yeah, yeah, I know, and you're probably right, too! I have sent things back on occasion, but thing's need to be ridiculously bad for me to do so, and it usually comes on a more expensive excursion. Nevertheless, I do have a kind of responsibility to you all, and therefore I have told you in no uncertain terms that this was a bad dish, at least for today, right?
That sweet guava/tamarind bbq sauce was really good, however, as I used it as a dip for both the excellent, thickly-cut, house-made potato chips and the fries sitting on mom's plate!
I gotta admit, it wasn't one of my more memorable occasions at Ryan's, but I've had too many ono dishes here to dull my enthusiasm for this place. I dunno, it's probably a little harder for me to remain objective about the food, itself, as the combination of great atmosphere, blissfull memories and great times with wifey and friends, and a whole lotta drinks makes it easier for me to enjoy whatever's set before me, I guess... Besides, the multiple awards Ryan's has gotten over the years, from Hale Aina and Ilima to Gourmet Magazine, have mostly derived from their drink and pupu menu, anyway! Not that it's a bad place for a regular lunch or dinner meal, but for drinks, pupu's, and just an over-all great place to hang-out, they're tough to beat, for sure!
As the last one standing, we wanna make sure this perennial island-favorite never shuts down, so do go ahead and pay them a visit sometime soon! I'm sure you'll have a great time!
Have a wonderful weekend, despite all the rain!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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