ALOHA! Triple D in Hawaii!

After a quick overnight stop ion Denver it was on to Honolulu.  I was lucky enough to get a seat in Business First on the United flight, which was actually operated by Continental.  It was nice to sit upfront as the flight time was scheduled at about 7 hours.  The route took us out of Denver almost due west and about 2 and half hours later we finally got over the Pacific abeam San Jose, California.  Upon arrival, I headed to my overnight hotel just outside the Honolulu Airport and looked out of my window and saw the first of many rainbows I would see during my 5 day visit.

My first view of Hawaii from my hotel room

Poke Stop in Mililani Town

Lunch - Lome Lome Salmon, Crab Cake and Brown Rice

After a night's sleep I got my car and headed to my first DDD stop.  I headed up into the center of Oahu and stopped in Mililani Town at a place called "The Poke Stop" in a small strip mall.  The place as I entered was a bit head spinning.  They make alot of fresh seafood mixes and with some help from the staff (and a bit of memory from the episode that featured the Poke Stop - Triple D Goes Hawaiian) I chose to try their signature Lome Lome Salmon along with a Crab cake and brown rice.  The cake was pretty good and the rice was just the right side, but the Lome Lome Salmon was awesome!  Huge chunks of fresh salmon in a say based sauce with tomatoes and some other veggies.  I had the staff sign my book and they stuck a pin on their map of visitors and there weren't too many on the map for the DC area.  I then headed off and while programming my GPS I saw that I was pretty close to the Dole Pineapple Plantation, so I decided to go check out Dole.  It is a very touristy place and I took the Pineapple Express Train through the pineapple fields and also had to try the very tasty Dole Whip Ice Cream, which is a a pineapple sherbet-ice cream dessert, very tasty.

From Dole I headed to my next DDD location , which was sort of on the way to my hotel in Waikiki.  I headed into Waipahu, the "Highway Inn" is in a small market place and was alot like the Poke Stop.  The restaurant has a seating area and a fish market side to the place.  I got the Combo Plate and it included shredded Kahlua Pork, beef chunks, white rice, Lome Lome salmon, and coconut jello.  The pork was tasty, the salmon was not as good as at the poke stop, it was more like a salsa, but the beef was great, very tender and tasty! 

My meal at the Highway Inn

I then went to my hotel in Waikiki and let me tell you, driving in Honolulu and Waikiki is not fun, bumper to bumper just about anytime after 2pm and so many one way streets that you have to drive 2 miles to get across the street.  You see so many different nationalities in Hawaii, especially Japanese.  One reason that there were alot of visitors was probably due to the Honolulu Marathon, which was run during my stay and had 21,000 participants.  I stayed at a boutique hotel called the Hotel Equus on Ala Moana Blvd., just down the street from Ala Moana Mall.  It was a pretty nice place and I would recommend it, although the parking there is very limited and it is not near the public beach but the staff there is great and the accommodations are comfortable. 

Hank's Haute Dogs in Honolulu

My Hank's Lobster Dog Lunch

Hank and me

The next day, Friday, I headed off to a few more DDD places and meet a friend for lunch.  After a quick stop a the Hawaiian Imperial Palace and the King Kahmeamea Statue I met with my friend, Karin, at "Hank's Haute Dogs".  Hank's is a true hot dog joint.  The owner is a Hawaiian, who grew up in Chicago, so he has flown in from Chicago, hot dogs, rolls and fixings so the local Hawaiians can get a taste of a true Chicago dog!  Fridays are Lobster Dog day at Hank's, a special do that Hank makes right on the premises.  I had to pass up the Chicago Dog for the Lobster Dog and it was really good, and it came with fries a drink and a choice of sauce, I chose the Curry Ketchup, which had a real spice bit to it.  Hank came out and signed my book and we got to talk a bit, he comes to the DC area each year for a benefit and he says that amongst all the fancy celebrity chefs, there he is featuring hot dogs and I bet the patrons love his dogs over all the other fancy stuff that is offered!

After a few hours of turning around the Honolulu area I headed to the Port of Honolulu and a really good place called "Nico's Pier 38".  Nico, the owner, changes most of his menu each day as he goes over the commercial fish market just a few steps from his restaurant and picks out his fish for the day, that means you get the real fresh fish each day at Nico's.  The seating is on an outside patio and features a small Hawaiian band entertaining the diners.  I chose the Mahi fresh catch of the day and included rice and macaroni salad and all of it was delicious.  I was lucky enough to met Nico and have him sign my book.  Later that night one of the buildings next to Nico's had a fire and some of Nico's was damaged, but I am not sure if they closed for any length of time, I am just glad that I got to have a great meal there.

Nico's Pier 38

My Nico's Meal

Saturday came and I had pretty much an open day, I would try one place and then go and pick up my friends, Leslie and Pam as they would be flying in from LA.  My first stop was at a statue in Waikiki dedicated to the "King of Modern Surfing", Duke something or other, but the coolest thing there (and it is not publicized) is there is a web cam (my sister Sue told me about it) so from there I called my dad and my friend Colleen and waved to them as they viewed me online.  Very Cool!

The Statue in Waikiki to the "King of Modern Surfing" that has a Web Cam

From there it was onto the "Rainbow Drive-In".  This small places was packed and it took me two laps around the place to finally find a place to park and then a fairly long wait in line and I ordered the Breaded Beef Plate.  All meals here are presented in a white box, I almost thought I would get a undershirt vs. getting a meal!  The meal was presented with what seemed like a Hawaiian staple, rice and macaroni salad.  I found a seat and really enjoyed the meal.  As I was getting ready to leave a man approached me and asked if I was part of a sports group that was in town, I guess because of the shirt I was wearing, I told him I was not but then asked if he was part of the place and he told me he was the owner, so I told him why I was there and that the Rainbow Drive-In was was my 212the DDD visit.  He was amazed and gladly signed my book.  We got to talking and I learned that he, Jim, was not only the owner but had retired from United Airlines as a Customer Service agent and he called his niece, Catherine, over and she took some photos of us and asked me about my travels.  Later that day my picture was featured on the Rainbow Drive-In facebook page!  Jim also gave me one of the newly made Rainbow Drive-In t-shirts, that he said described me well, it says, "Gravy All Over".  I am so happy that I got to try this place it is a favorite of all of my DDD travels, thank you so much Jim and Catherine!

Rainbow Drive-In Breaded Beef Plate

Rainbow Drive-In owner Jim and me

I  picked up Leslie and Pam and brought them to their hotel and the next morning, Pam and I were planing to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial.  My hotel was very close to the start of the Honolulu Marathon and the start time I thought would be about 7am, but it was actually 5am!  I set my alarm fr 530a so I could leave the hotel at 6am pick up Pam and then get over to Pearl before the places opened at 7am.  If you go to Pearl, you need to get there as son as they open so you can get your tickets to the memorial, which are free but as soon as they are distributed for the day then that's it, no more and no exceptions!  I wouldn't need the 530a alarm as as soon as the Marathon started they was a huge fireworks display, so I went to to door and watched a very cool, early morning fireworks show.  The our of Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial and the submarine USS Bowfin were awesome (think I could write a blog just on that place!).  I think I can honestly say that if you go to Hawaii and don't visit Pearl, you haven't been to Hawaii!

Sunday night was planned to be my final DDD place in Hawaii and I had originally planned for it to be my 200th visit, but the road called my name and it became number 213. My friends Karin, Leslie, and Pam joined me at "Murphy's Pub" in downtown Honolulu.  Murphy's is in a historic building and is over 200 years old.  That building is the place that got the very first liquor license in the Territory of Hawaii.  We got a small table in the restaurant and just had a great time.  Mr. Murphy, the owner came out and we had a very nice visit, he signed my book and looked at all of my DDD books and travel log, what a great guy.  They are know for having a very Irish menu.  Our table got to try the Shepards Pie and Irish Steak and I got the Lamb Burger, we also tried a pint of Guinness, I'm not much of a drinker but it was pretty tasty.  On top of the great food, a very exciting football game between the Giants and Cowboys was being broadcast and amongst us Cowboy haters and the Cowboy fans it made for a fun time and a great Giants win!

Leslie and Pam

Karin and me

A Perfect Pour of Guinness

Mr. Murphy and me

Murphy's Pub in Honolulu

Now that my Triple D visits were done there was just one more place that I had to go to.  Back before there was a Food Network, PBS made some really great documentaries, especially those by filmmaker Rick Sebak.  He made a few food shows, one of which was called "An Ice Cream Show".  On that show he featured a place on Oahu's North Shore called Matsumoto Grocery.  This place features Hawaiian Shave Ice.  Leslie, Pam and I headed up to the North Shore to drive around the island and see the other side of Oahu.  We stopped at Matumoto and I got the "full on" Ice which included 3 flavors with beans and ice cream added and it was messy and delicious!

My Matsumoto Hawaiian Shave Ice with Beans and Ice Cream

From Matusmotos we headed to the Waimea Falls State park.  It was a beautiful 3/4 mile walk from the park's entrance to the base of the falls.  it wasn't the largest falls but was very lush and pretty. 

Leslie and me at the Waimea Falls

From the falls we drove the rest of the way around the island and back to Honolulu.  I had a flight to catch back to Denver and then on to Dulles.  I was lucky again on the long overnight flight from Honolulu to Denver and got to sit in Business First.  A real was seated a few seats away was a man named Don Stratton, I had seen Mr. Stratton on many of the documentaries on cable TV about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  You see Mr. Stratton was aboard the USS Arizona on that fateful day and was one of very few to survive the attack.  he was returning home from the Memorial SAervices held to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the attack.  My DDD count is now at 213 and there are more to come!

A few quick DDD stops in Tampa and Denver

I had a couple of weeks of vacation scheduled for the beginning of December and I knew that part of it would be in Hawaii to check out all of the island DDD locations but that was for the second week, now what to do before?  I had alot of ideas going through my head.  Up until a week before I had no definite plans, then Royal Caribbean put up for sale a cruise out of Tampa that I had been looking at for a few months and was too expensive for me.  The sale made this cruise very affordable and I booked it.  I called my friend, Damariz, in Tampa and the day before the cruise we decided to try a couple of DDD places in the Tampa area.  I had visited all but one of the are places, but one of the places I had tried, I really wanted to go to again so we had a few places to try.  Along with her son we went to our first place "Denny's All-American Diner and Dairy Bar" which is in an out of the way area of Tamp on Falkenburg Road (or better yet, it seemed out of the way to me).  This small carry-out is a great place.  The owner loves baseball so all of the burgers are named for famous baseball players.  I got the Roberto Clemente, a Cuban sandwich style burger along with fries and a canned soda.  Damariz got the Babe Ruth and her son got the Nolan Ryan.

My meal at Denny's, the Roberto Clemente!

For dinner we headed to a place I had been to a few months back, "The Tampa Bay Brewing Company".  We met my high school friend, John there along with his girl friend at the restaurant.  The place is in the historic Ybor City area of Tampa, where back in the day the cities Cigar making industry lived, now it is a revitalized are of shops and restaurants.  The great thing about the restaurant is that even though it is a brew pub, the chef uses all of the different brews that are made in-house in the foods and sauces in the recipes.  Our small group of decided that this would be a family style meal and each got different items so we could all try different things.  Damariz and I each got different style of wings, which were good, but a bit spicy for my taste (I am not a spicy eater).  John  got the awesome meatloaf plate that included mashed potatoes, this is the best item on the menu in my opinion!  The Beer brats were also ordered and they were also very good.  We tried a few of the brews and all were very good.  I can highly recommend the Tampa Bay Brewing Company whenever you are in the Tampa area.  I got to meet the chef and he signed my book (a new copy of the book as the other ones were full).  From there it was off to 4 days on the Jewel of the Seas and 4 days of doing absolutely nothing and enjoying every minute of it!

The Tampa Bay Brewing Company Chef and me

 After a quick stop at home to do the wash and do some other stuff I was off to Hawaii and try to DDD locations there.  As I fly standby and getting to Hawaii is very tough due to high loads I had to search around to find the best route to take.  As it turned out Denver would be the best way to go and Guy has been doing a few Denver area restaurants on the show so I decided to do an overnight stop there and try 2 or 3 places along the way.  After arriving and settling into the hotel near Denver International Airport I headed into the city to try some places.  I must say here that Denver i s a interesting place.  From the airport the city looks like a village underneath a Christmas Tree with the mountains towering overhead, but as you get closer, Denver is a big city!  My first stop was a small deli-diner called "The Bagel Diner".  This is a true Jewish-style diner.  I got the aptly named Triple D sampler. It included a Meat Knish, Matzoh Ball soup and a soup that had a matzoh like ball that tasted like turkey stuffing.  All of is was really good and I got to meet the owners who were great and really excited that I visited.  They signed my book and I then added a pin onto there map.  They sent me on the road with a homemade brownie that I packed for the long flight from Denver to Honolulu.  For dinner I headed into the city and went to a very cool place called "Steuben's".  This restaurant was built in an old garage and the garage doors are still there but the feel in the joint is something like the movie "Good Night and Good Luck" or the TV show "Mad Men".  It has a 1960's feel to it, minus the cigarette smoke.  The water is brought out to the tables in whiskey bottles.  I got to talk to the manager and she told me that the owner;s parents ran a place in the 50's and 60's in Boston also called Steuben's and this is an homage to them and the time.  I ordered the Lobster Roll and Fries and it was really good, a bit pricey, but good none the less. 



The Cool Steuben's Water service

Steuben's Lobster Roll

From Steuben's I headed to a place that on DDD they featured the restaurants desert, so I thought that would be a good way to end my Denver DDD visit.  I headed to an artsy type of place called "bang!". 

I ordered the Gingerbread Cake dessert and it was excellent, very tasty.  The restaurant is sort of weird, the kitchen is on the street front and you have to walk down an alley way to get to the entrance, a first for me.

My Gingerbread dessert

Well it was on to the hotel and after a night at the Marriott it was off to the airport for the 7 hour flight to Honolulu and the DDD places there.  See ya to the cold in Denver and Aloha to warmth, rain and rainbows of Oahu, but that's another blog!

Kansas and Missouri - Reaching the Double Century Club!

I know that some of you are thinking, why is he blogging now?  Isn't he going to get to his 200th in December in Hawaii.  Well, that was the plan after my adventures in the San Francisco area in September.  I am still planning to make a DDD trip to Honolulu in December and my friend Karin is hosting a party for me on December 11th at Murphy's Pub to celebrate my DDD accomplishments, but my wanderlust got the best of me and as September moved into October I wanted to get back on the DDD hunt, so I thought after seeing a rerun of the DDD episode "The KC Barbecue Tour" that maybe a quick trip out there might just be the thing!

RJ's in Mission, Kansas

Denver Cut Ribs (Lamb Ribs)

One of my best friend's, Barry, is from Kansas and as I was calling him to get some area info, I decided to see if he was interested in coming with me on my passes and he agreed.  We left on a Sunday morning and planned a 2 night trip and planing to get to 8 places and also visit with his family that live in bot the Kansas City and Topeka, KS areas.  After a 2 hour flight delay we arrived around noon on a Sunday and headed out to our first stop.  "RJ's Bob-be-cue Shack" in Mission, Kansas.  This place is pretty nice, the classic type of building that you might see as a Barbecue joint.  As we arrived the TVs in side were blasting the Kansas City Chiefs game as they were getting whipped by Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.  I knew what I wanted well before arriving, one of RJ's specials is called Denver cut ribs, which are actually a rack of Lamb Ribs.  Barry decided upon the Burnt Ends platter.  I have had a bad time with Burnt Ends in my DDD travels and RJ's changed my mind on themas the Burnt Ends were great, no sauce (you sauce them yourself) and very tasty.  The Lamb Ribs were great, meaty and very tasty.  I got a side of a corn based concoction that would best be described as Mac and Cheese with corn instead of mac.  I really enjoyed it and as it turns out, this was our favorite place of all the places we visited, so much for saving the best for last!

Bobo's in Topeka

We headed off about an hour west to the Capital of Kansas, Topeka.  The rest of our day was spent visiting with Barry's cousin.  On Monday it was off to more DDD locations.  Our first stop was a classic drive-in called "Bobo's Drive-in".  This 50 year old joint was featured in the second season and has a small inside seating area and a large drive in area with car hop service.  We got a small table and tried the daily special, the Double Cheeseburger Combo.  It was not fancy in the least just good and tasty, what a drive-in should be.  From there it was back to the Kansas City area with some stops along the way.  First we stopped at Washburn University (home of the Fightin' Ichibods) and check out their bookstore and Barry had me try a chocolate treat that isn't readily available on the east coast, Cherry Smash.  This chocolate and cherry candy is very rich and tasty.  From Washburn it was into Lawrence and the University of Kansas.  we stopped at their sports shop which is in the Allen Fieldhouse (also known as "The Phog", named for Phog Allen, where the KU fans say "Caution All who Enter - Beware of the Phog!" 

YJ's Snack Bar

We arrived in Kansas City and headed to the next place, a small artsy and eclectic placed called "YJ's Snack Bar".  It really was more of a coffee shop and we both tried the Egg Salad Sandwich, it was ok but nothing that I would go out of my way for in the future.

Just outside YJ's I saw this red and white rocket on the top of a nearby building and it looked so familiar.  It was the rocket from Disneyland's original Tomorrowland attraction called "Rocket ship to the Moon".  The ride has long been gone from Disneyland and I am thinking that since it was sponsored by TWA and Kansas City was a huge TWA city, that's why it's there, a very cool aside from our culinary travels.

Kansas City's cool nite spot!

Country Fried Steak Special at The Brick

The next stop was to one of the coolest places that I have been to on my DDD travels, "The Brick".  This place is a Bar, restaurant and Nightclub all in one.  Along with the Monday Night Special , "Country Fried Steak and all the sides came a great open mike music show.  One of the musicians, old timer with a huge gray beard and overalls sang and played from home made instruments made from pots, pans and tennis rackets!  This is a very cool place and very much worth a visit.

Grinders - My 200th DDD visit

From there it was a short walk to what would be my 200th DDD location visit, a place that is very special to Guy and one I was really looking forward to, "Grinder's".  We met with Barry's cousin, Fred and his partner and had a nice time.  Monday night at Grinders is called "Hungarian Night with George".  George is a retired restaurateur that every Monday goes to Grinders to cook Hungarian meals and I was hoping to get some, but they had run out about 45 minutes before we arrived.  I got the Calzone and it was very good, but it seemed so quiet inside compared to the Brick that this was a bit of a let down.  I had my 200 but I had a few more stops before heading home.

39th Street Mama's in Kansas City

Half of the Huge Sweet Roll

Half Portion of Biscuits and Gravy (with one egg???!)

Tuesday morning came and we had a couple more places to try before going back to the airport and heading back to DC.  We had breakfast at "39th Street Mama's".  This restaurant was fantastic, small portions here are huge everywhere else!  The prices are low, too!  Barry and I shared a huge Sweet Roll and then I got a "Half Portion" of Biscuit and Gravy, this portion filled the large plate that it was served on and included one egg (must have been from a very big chicken!) and hash browns.  Needless to say this meal was really filling!

After driving around the KC area and visiting the Truman Sports Complex, home to Royals and Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium, home to the Chiefs we headed to our last stop, "Smokin' Guns Barbecue".  This place is in an industrial park and has some of the best barbecue that there is.  The owners have won hundreds of awards in barbecue competitions and their ribbons are displayed through this small restaurant.  Their awards include the 1999 Grand Champions award at the Jack Daniels competition!  I got the smoked turkey sandwich and it was great very tasty, I can see why they wind so much!

It was back to the airport and a flight home after a fun few days in the middle of the country.  Hawaii is next (and all the DDD stops along the way).   My count is 203 and by the time I get to Hawaii, I hope it will be 225!

Day Two in San Francisco (East Bay and San Jose)

My second and final day in the Bay Area began fairly early as I headed form my hotel near San Francisco International Airport to the East Bay area that includes Emeryville, Oakland and Berkley (home to the University of California).  The drive was interesting and even though I went during the rush hour, traffic was surprisingly not to bad!  I had to cross San Francisco Bay via the Bay Bridge, which if you have not driven on it, is very interesting.  It is a two level bridge with the east bound lanes on the lower level.  As I was driving over it, I kept thinking, "Please no earthquakes!" as this is the bridge that the upper deck collapsed on the lower level during the 1989 Earthquake.  That it is called a bridge is really a misnomer as it really should be called "bridges" because it passes through Treasure Island midway across the bay or better yet tunnels through the island.  Interesting side note, Treasure Island was the terminus of the famous Pan Am Flying Boats to Hawaii and Asia in the pre-World War 2 era.


Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe



 "My Own Private Eyedaho" Breakfast

My first stop was in the town of Emeryville, which is at the eastern base of the Bay Bridge.  This town has a special place in my heart as it is also the western terminus of the Amtrak transcontinental railroad train called the "California Zephyr".  In 1998 I took this train from Emeryville to Chicago and then onto Culpeper, VA and it was an awesome trip!  If you ever get the opportunity to travel across the country on a train, do it!  The USA really spreads out right in front of your eyes, but beware, Amtrak long distance trains and on-time are not usually compatible.  My first stop was at a small but really cool cafe called "Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe".  It was pretty busy for a Tuesday morning and I took a seat at the counter.  I decided to try a breakfast called "My Own Private Eyedaho".  This dish is a portion of real hash brown potatoes covered with Cheddar Cheese and topped with an egg.  I am not a real fan of eggs, but this dish was very tasty. 

From Rudy's it was onto Berkley and "Rick and Ann's Restaurant".  This small cafe is set in a small neighborhood strip mall and is very popular.  I tried an Espresso Milk Shake, a creamy Frappachino drink and a Chocolate Chip and Raisin Scone.  I met the owner Ann and we talked about about the filming and my travels.  I think that this was one of the friendliest places that I been to on my travels, everyone was so nice there.  From there it was on to one of the more unique places that I have visited, "Bette's Oceanview Diner".  This place is also in Berkley and is in a very busy downtown walking strip mall area.  It really is just a store front place, but as soon as you walk in, you feel that you have just walked into a New Jersey Diner, lots of stainless steel, whit and black tile floor and at the counter, small Juke Box machines that actually work! Ten cents for a song and 4 songs for a quarter!  I was amazed just watching the cooks and chefs do their work.  I got a Grilled Cheese sandwich, which was very good.  From Bette's it was back to the hotel and a break before I headed to my 2 last places.





Small Falafel Sandwich and Stuffed Grape Leaves




I headed south to the San Jose area, which is also known as the Silicon Valley.  My first stop was probably one of the USA's more unique Drive-Ins.  The place is called "Falafel's Drive In".  It is over 40 years old and started by a Persian family as a regular burger drive in, but as they got a steady following they introduced Falafel sandwiches to the menu, from their heritage.  Falafel's are crushed and fried Chick Pea balls and it is now their best selling item.  I tried a small Falafel Sandwich and got a side of Stuffed Grape Leaves.  Both were delicious, I wasn't sure if I'd like either and really liked both!  My final stop was at an old Garage turned carry out called "Naglee Park Garage".  In the Naglee area of San Jose, this place is in a beautiful building and I tried the Tri-Tip Beef Sandwich.  The Tri-Tip" beef cut is popular on the West Coast and to me seemed like Brisket.  Very tasty!

That ended my visit to the Bay area and my DDD count now stands at 195.  I will take a short break so I can go out to Hawaii in early December to visit 5 places and bring my count to 200.  My 200th will be on December 11 at Murphy's Pub in Honolulu!  So Hawaii, here I come!






Naglee Park Garage Restaurant