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Kudos to Kenny’s

Columns Veg'n Out

May 19, 2013

Story By: Terri Hefner | Photos by: Nathalie Walker

When it comes to watching what we eat, most of us need all the help we can get. It’s not easy to forgo your all-time favorites and switch to a diet with less fat, salt and all those other things that may make the food taste great, but consuming too much of them just isn’t that good for you.

Kudos to Kenny’s Restaurant for helping us out.

“We’re trying to push healthier alternatives,” says John Fujieki, owner of the longtime Kalihi family restaurant to which local folks have been flocking for decades.

So, with thanks to John and his daughter Courtney, who’s also quite knowledgeable about the eatery’s offerings, here are a few of Kenny’s “healthier alternatives,” which are marked on the menu with a heart-shaped logo for your convenience.

Sandwiches are favorite lunchtime fare, but this is one you’ll want to order up any time of day. Kenny’s offers a grilled Vegetable Panini ($14.69) that’s packed with tomatoes, onions, grilled eggplant and peppers, sauteed spinach and Swiss cheese, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette, then pressed so all those savory ingredients meld into a medley of flavors and textures.

Burger fans can get their fix with the Boca Burger “Original Vegan Veggie Burger” ($9.25), a grilled Boca brand patty with the usual burger fixings and served with your choice of fries, salad or soup of the day.

Vegetarians can rejoice over Kenny’s new version of its uber popular Chinese Chicken Salad (for which, by the way, you can order its sesame seed dressing sugar-free): Chinese Oriental Salad ($11.45).

“It’s very similar to our Chinese Chicken Salad, but no meat,” explains Fujieki. “Our Chinese Chicken Salad is our No. 1 seller, and we want to make this one No. 2.”

Kenny’s Restaurant

Kamehmeha Shopping Center
1620 N. School St.
841-0931
Open 6 a.m.-10 pm. Sunday-Thursday, 6 am.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Honolulu, HI 96817

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