BBARAR BBULLETINULLETIN This is a reprint from the King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin November 2019 Escape from Reality: Hawaiian Vacation, The Sequel

We would order both again. Two Scoops of Rice t is time again to escape from reality There are many more we in- Many have been to the Seattle loca- and go back on vacation to , tend to try; after all, Hula Hula offers tion of Kona for a plate , Ior at least back to a few Hawaiian- one of our favorites — a lava flow (a a piece of guava cake or to sing karaoke. themed establishments. There con- mix of berry daiquiri and piña colada). But Kona Kitchen has brought its plate tinue to be many to patronize, from tiki And, if that is not enough, there is ka- and Hawaiian food farther north bars to plate lunches. raoke every night starting at 9 p.m. We to its Lynnwood location (3805 196th St. understand it gets crowded for karaoke, SW, Lynnwood; 425-578-KONA (5662); Tiki Tiki Tiki so get there early. https://konakitchen.com). Did you know there are three tiki Those familiar with either Kona bars within walking distance of down- Please Kitchen location probably know that town? We took advantage of our second Nothing truly says Hawaii like fresh its owner, Yuji Okumoto, played the an- Hawaiian-themed issue to check out the fish. For truly authentic Hawaiian poke, tagonist against Ralph Macchio in “The at one of them, Hula Hula you need to check out Ono Poke in Karate Kid, Part II,” and the décor in the (1501 E. Olive Way; 206-284-5003; https:// Edmonds (10016 Edmonds Way, Suite mixes Okumoto’s Hollywood www.hulahula.org/), an establishment E; https://eatonopoke.com). Ono Poke is background with a local flair. that a number of us often drive right by run by Steven Ono, who was born and The food lives up to its billing as on the way home. raised in Kahaluu, Oahu. Kona Kitchen offers Hawaiian plate lunch Hula Hula is a tiki bar that relocated Ono serves ahi tuna from Hawaii, standards of kalua pig, mochiko chicken, from Queen Anne to Capitol Hill about salmon from British Columbia, and hama- Korean chicken and beef stew to name a two years ago. The décor is, of , chi (yellowtail) and tako (octopus) from few. If you are looking for an extremely campy Hawaiian with multiple screens Japan — all “Premium Sushi Grade 1,” hearty , be sure to “build your own showing vintage surfer movies. Happy which means his poke is of the highest ” where you can choose your hour is from 4 to 6 p.m., seven days a quality. own rice (we recommend fried rice) and week, with $5 off all tiki drinks (almost During our last visit to Ono Poke, meat, topped off with a fried egg and every on the ), plus some se- we tried the traditional ahi, spicy ahi brown gravy. On our last trip, our loco lected food specials. There is quite a se- and shoyu onion tako poke. The flavor moco included fried rice, corned beef lection of tiki drinks, starting with three and freshness of each poke brought us hash, two over-easy eggs, and brown different mai tais, and a large assortment straight to the poke counters you may gravy. Let’s just say that it was quite dif- of other drinks that come with orchids find throughout Hawaii. Our personal ficult to stay awake to get back into our and a miniature-umbrella . favorite was the traditional ahi and the car after that meal. For drinks we had to have a classic shoyu onion. Don’t forget to pick up some For those looking for a less sleep- mai tai, which could safely be said to be sides as well such as the cucumber kim- inducing meal, we would recommend rum forward with fruit juices, and a “Pas- chi, edamame, or seaweed . Paired the mochiko chicken, Korean chicken, sion Princess,” another fruity rum drink with some fresh rice and nori (seaweed), kalua pig or Hawaiian french . The (it is a tiki bar after all) that came in an you have the makings of a perfect . chicken was moist and flavorful, the appropriately risqué glass. Ono’s desire to provide the highest kalua pig was the right amount of salty For food we ordered the “Potstickers quality ingredients means that the prices and smoky, and the french toast was in paradise” — chicken potstickers made aren’t the least expensive of poke options decadent as it was made with Hawaiian in-house, with a teriyaki dipping sauce you may find in Seattle, but you simply sweet bread. Kona Kitchen also carries — and the hula burger, a Painted Hills can’t beat the quality. Every time we pass a variety of confections from Cakes of beef and pineapple cheeseburger that by Edmonds we make sure to make a Paradise, including guava, haupia and comes with seasoned “forbidden fries.” poke stop at Ono Poke. rainbow cakes. Plate Lunches in Kent per and there was no smokiness to the you just need your fill of Hawaiian.  A meeting in Kent provided us the pork at all (possibly a relief to many who chance to check out Says (6621 have tried various authentic pork dishes Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a S. 211 St., #104, Kent; https://saiminsays. in Hawaii). And, at least for this order, it multiservice, Northwest regional law com/). This location is a fairly small was not a full plate lunch as it only came firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, storefront in a strip-mall type setting. with one scoop of rice and a scoop of Portland and Bend. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to bustling inside with limited seating and . Hawaiian plate lunches eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson usually have two scoops of rice, and a a constant long line of patrons (many & Wyatt attorneys, contact Kainui Smith, getting lunch to go). scoop of macaroni salad in addition to a member of Schwabe’s Real Estate We were tempted by many of the the . But the smaller sides Industry Group with a construction menu items, including a large selection did allow for a workday lunch without practice (and admitted in Hawaii as well of Hawaiian-style combining falling asleep from too many carbs. as Washington), at 206-407-1567 or at eggs, rice and gravy, but we settled on The flavor was good and there are [email protected]. the Kalua pork plate lunch for our first many more options to try, so a return try. The pork and cabbage were flavor- visit is in order. Saimin Says has opened ful, but unlike such a in Hawaii, it a new location at 269 SW 41st St. in was heavily seasoned with black pep- Renton, giving you another option when

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