Maui Hawaiian BBQ

April 2009

Lake Elsinore, CA – Looking for a change of pace from the very good burger joint I had been frequenting in this area, I decided to try something different. I had seen this place off I-15 and last month made up my mind to try it next time I stop in the city.

Maui Hawaiian BBQ is in the middle of the Lake Elsinore Market Place. To me it is kind of hard to access. You either have to go all the way up to Dexter and come halfway back down through the mall, or make a U-turn at Dexter and drive halfway back down Central then turn into the mall, or drive up there between the Arco station and Lowes. But the promise of some ono Hawaiian food made the extra effort seem worthwhile.

Walking in you will see an undulating counter and wall, which evoke a wave motif. An open dining area somewhat mitigates the fact that there are a few too many tables for the space available. Tiki masks adorn one wall, along with 50’s-style drawings of smiling wahines. And by the far wall are two video games. The part I loved most was the trays; they are shaped like miniature surfboards(!). I have never seen that before. Combined with the Hawaiian songs and ukulele music piped into the restaurant, I was starting to feel pretty amped, almost taking a mental trip back to Maui. Well, the map of Maui on the wall helped.

For some reason Loco Moco had been on my mind ever since last month. I overlooked it on the menu the first time I read through it but saw it on the second pass. I decided to order the Loco Moco to eat here and the Hawaiian BBQ Mix to go. And to satisfy a taste I hadn’t experienced in almost 5 years, I ordered Portuguese Sausage.

About five minutes later my order was ready. It looked like the regular plate lunch with the rice and macaroni on the side. (That should have been my first clue of what was to come.) Not enough moco on the eggs. I started to cut off a piece with the chopsticks (yes, this can be done with chopsticks) but before I could even take a bite, the patties revealed themselves as the preformed, frozen kind, not hand-made. When I did take a bite, I found the patties to be flat, kind of dry, and tasting like mass-produced hamburger. These patties are better suited for the Cub Scout cookout, not a Hawaiian drive in. It could have used some pepper and onions. I tried to help it out with the salt and pepper packets available in the condiments area but nothin’ doin’; it couldn’t be saved. The moco could have been thicker. Just when I thought the meal had gone downhill enough already, I realized it was served on top of the cabbage(!). What?! Loco Moco is supposed to be served over rice, not cabbage. Cabbage belongs in the other plate lunches, not in (or under, or on) Loco Moco. I was very disappointed. By the time I reached the second patty, it became a chore instead of a pleasure to finish. My expectations were riding high after seeing the surfboard trays but this meal set me up for an acid drop.

Hoping the Portuguese Sausage would be a change for the better, I reached for it. I was expecting just a side of sausage but it came musubi style. Which would have been ok but they put teriyaki sauce (I think that’s what it was) on the rice. In my opinion, that kind of messed it up. The best part was the Asian chili sauce. But that was from the condiment counter, not in the musubi. Man, was that sauce hot! I’m used to slathering that type of sauce on my food but this one was really hot! The taste of the teriyaki didn’t complement the sausage very well. The two flavors didn’t really clash but it’s not a combination I would try again in the future. Unfortunate because it has been a long time since I’d had Portuguese sausage and I was really looking forward to it this evening.

Did the Hawaiian BBQ mix fare better? Most Hawaiian restaurants have this combo – chicken, barbeque beef and kalbi beef (short ribs). The kalbi beef was just ok. Very thin and a bit dry but the taste barely passed the test. The barbeque beef tasted like beef jerky and kind of on the peppery side at that. It may have been sitting around in the fridge for a while before it got to my plate because it wasn’t very juicy. The chicken was also just ok. It wasn’t very juicy, either. So, no, the BBQ mix didn’t fare much better.

This feels like a low-budget attempt at Hawaiian fast food. If you’ve never had Hawaiian food before, you may find this place acceptable. Compared to other Hawaiian drive ins such as Q & Q or L & L, this one is lacking. It feels almost as if the fare was prepared by someone going by a recipe given verbally, not by someone who had actually been exposed to Hawaiian grinds. Add to that the slightly elevated price for what you get and the result is a wipeout. Even though the service was good, I won’t be dining here again, especially when there are so many other, better places to get ono Hawaiian grindz.

Maui Hawaiian BBQ – 2.5 forks. You’re on your own here. I can’t endorse or advise against Maui Hawaiian BBQ.