Eats - Hawaiian

A Touch of Aloha (may have CLOSED according to a visitor)
148 N. Milpitas Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
408/946-9260
Rating: **
I'm an amateur when it comes to "Hawaiian" food, an all-American melange of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Philipino, Portuguese, and Spam. I love the quirky mix of foods you get with a plate lunch. A Touch of Aloha has the usual suspects—kalua pig, chicken teriyaki, chicken long rice—plus a counter full of desserts and salads. The entire experience has the feeling of a buffet dinner at a family get together: not fancy, but satisfying. The decor is like any diner, although they do have a fascinating mix of stuff up on the walls. 01/02

Hukilau
230 Jackson Street (between 5th and 6th Streets in Japantown)
San Jose, CA 95112
408/279-4888
Rating: **
The second outpost of Hukilau, the other being in San Francisco on Masonic. We chanced on this place because—in a throwback to the 50s—there are two tiki torches burning out front. The Spam musubi were great and cheap ($2) and my entree (around $9), three huge teriyaki spareribs, were nicely cooked although a bit bland. My friend's broiled mahi mahi was okay. Sides were two scoops of short-grained rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and a thin layer of sesame-oil flavored noodles. The wooden serving plates are a weird touch. Service is good, although they insist on all yelling "Aloha" whenever someone walks in. The layout up front is maybe 8-9 tables, casual, with really bad lighting; it looks like they haven't had time to remodel from the previous occupant, but it looks like there's a larger, nicer room in the back. 04/03

L&L Hawaiian Barbeque
San Jose Market Center
579 Coleman Ave., #D (to the left of PetSmart)
San Jose, CA 95110
408/920-7772
Rating: **
As with most Hawaiian restaurants, this fast food import from Hawaii serves enormous (and I mean enormous) portions. We easily made three meals out of one $8 combo dinner (lau lau and kalua pig). The lau lau were quite salty, which is okay given that you eat it with the taro wrapper and rice. The kalua pig was a bit dry. But then, what do you want from a fast food joint? We'll probably be back soon since this place is about 1/8 of a mile from my favorite gay bar, Renegades. 10/01/2006

You may also be interested in visiting Andoh in Sunnyvale, which serves Hawaiian-influenced Japanese food.