Zippys, a closer look

Aloha!

5/19/08. Wifey and I took mom out to one of her favorite breakfast stops, Zippy's in Hawaii Kai. There are so many reasons Zippy's has outposts in nearly every neighborhood on the island, but we love Hawaii Kai, at least on the restaurant side, because there is a killer view, the waitresses all know her by name, and it is only a five minute drive away from the house. It's just one of those "comfortable" places that mom always enjoys so much. Even Bill Clinton dined here when he was the Prez! Yes, he was in with Hillary, Chelsea, and an entourage of black suits after boogie-boarding at Bellows! You can read the whole story from a framed newspaper clipping hanging on the wall, although I know some of you would, uh... Rather not!

Lucky we live Hawaii!

 

Actually, this pic is from another day because there was so much vog out today. Wasn't it crazy?! The entrance shot next, however, is from today. You can kinda tell there's a bunch of vog from the background.

 

Could be worse - you could be living in Kona or Hilo!

 
As usual, we walked in to a warm welcome, and I beat the waitresses to the stack of menus near the entrance. They then led us to the main section of the dining room, where we picked a booth with the best access to the waterfront view. At this time in the morning (usually before 7am), there's not much of a crowd so we always get good seats.

The waitresses already know that mom will get either a pancake sandwich or a ham/mushroom omelet, which was what she chose today. May not look like much, but this is a pretty darn good omelet! The fresh mushrooms are sauteed in butter and garlic, then laid in a steaming heap inside of the folded, cooked egg, which is prepared with diced ham incorporated in it.

 

Inside of this package is a load of fresh mushrooms sauteed in a delicious garlic/butter sauce.

Unlike mom, who is always so predictable when choosing a dish, I, on the other hand, always get scary looks from our favorite waitress as she gingerly awaits my decision. I am one of those guys who drives like Speed Racer all over the menu! So many choices, so little time - I gotta get around!

As always, after I order, our favorite waitress gives me the floating eyes and tilted-back head, then ambles away with a single eyebrow tilted up like the Rock and a sarcastic "ooo-kay..."

Hey, what's wrong with a chili/frank with cheese and onions in the morning?!!! (with tabasco sauce,too. Lots of tobasco sauce.) I don't know what her problem is.

 

Breakfast anyone?

 

Wifey wasn't so hungry today, so she ordered a single banana pancake. Despite the boring looks of this pancake, it was... Uh... Ok, it was boring, after all! I got nothing much much to say about this bad boy. Not to mention that wifey ate it just like that, whereas if this thing was sitting in front of me, I'd have fixed it up with an extra load of butter and half the bottle of maple syrup. Cream and table sugar,even - I don't know! Or how 'bout walking down to Foodland for some Grand Marnier to flambe the whole thing up?!

 

No comment.

Breakfast is not the only thing Zippy's has. In fact, they are even more popular for lunch and dinner than morning meals. Some of the most popular items here, and one's that we locals have all grown up with, are the zip pacs, regular fried chicken thighs, macaroni salad, and, of course, the grandaddy of them all - Zippy's chili! Saimin is also popular here for some reason - I have no idea why. You'll see what I mean when you venture into the saimin section of this site.

 

Even though mac salad is a side dish, it really does deserve a lot of attention, and the Zippy's version is the best around. In my humble opinion, it reigns with a slight edge over the more mellow, much simpler Rainbow's and Meg's Drive Inn mac salads. And when eaten with the chili and rice? It's all over...

 

King of Mac!

 

This shot, along with the following pics and entrance shot earlier, was taken at lunchtime on a separate day, when mom and I actually saw a good friend that we met from several tours taken to Japan together. Even though we invited him to join us, he ended up beating us to the bill, even over the extreme protests from mom. I was fine with it, though. Just kidding!!! Thanks ----! Catch ya' next time! I would say his name, but he's the shy internet type.

 

That day I had a hamburger steak plate, along with a side of mac, of course! You could get mac instead of the standard veggies, but you know, mom says I can't skip the veggies. This dish is surprisingly good here, coming with a distinct char-broiled taste and a blanket of luscious, flavorful brown gravy. Mom also had brown gravy dish, but on a hot turkey sandwich, instead. I guess her memories from the diners of old are still cherished in her mind, as this humble dish was all the rage back then, served right alongside the saimin and hamburgers found in the most popular restaurants of her day.

 

 

 

 In parting, I'll leave you all with an inside shot. You can't really tell from here, but this particular dining room has a nautical theme to it, based on its location right on the marina.

 

Casual hangout.

 
Most Zippy's locations, like Hawaii Kai, are local-style and comfortable, but not too casual where you'll see the vinyl booths tearing or a carpet that hasn't been vacuumed in weeks. Some of the newer ones are actually really nice and modern, like the Kahala and Pearl City locations (the only two Zippy's restaurants that have full blown sushi bars).

As a casual diner, Zippy's is definitely worthwhile. Nothing extra-fancy - just an all-around good place to get some grub, with a consistency that makes it reliable and an atmosphere, price range, and menu diversity that keeps it a step above others in its class.

Thanks for stopping by!

Aku

 

P.S - Update - 9/10/08 - It's amazing how much difference a few months worth of practice and a new camera makes! Just a few more pics from two killer dishes found at Zippy's - the first is a teri-NY steak, and the second a Chinese-style steamed opakapaka - Yummm's!!!

 

 

 

 

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