Rise and Shine Cafe

Digest Step Up to the Plate

October 20, 2013

Story By: Dining Out Team | Photos by: Leah Friel

Facebook

Twitter

By Serena Valdez

A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK’S HOUSE SPECIAL: CHICKEN GOUDA ($11.95)

If your taste buds yearn for a homestyle meal, head to Mililani’s Rise and Shine Cafe. The family-run restaurant is the place to go for a cozy, delicious experience. “We wanted to make a family-friendly place for people to go for breakfast and lunch,” owner Lauren Pfeiffer said of the restaurant, which she opened with husband, Scott. “We fill a niche for people here.”

But that’s not all they fill. This week’s special fills empty stomachs with the Chicken Gouda sandwich. The dish is a hearty piece of grilled chicken topped with bacon, a heap of melted Gouda cheese, sauteed onions, lettuce and tomato on a toasted sesame seed bun.

Every sandwich is served with a side of kettle chips, but customers can substitute with a salad or fries. “We want to give people options of healthier and not-so-healthy items with the menu,” Pfeiffer said.

The bacon, chosen as a complement to the Gouda, gives a subtle crunch to the melt-in-your-mouth sandwich.

Served on the side is garlic aioli, an in-house invention blending mayonnaise, roasted garlic, parsley and lemon. The Pfeiffers wanted something to serve with each sandwich that was different from plain mayonnaise or tarter sauce. Cue the aioli.

“We were at home one day and (Scott) kinda just put it together and it was really good so we put it on the menu,” Pfeiffer said of the dish. “The menu is created around what we like to eat.”

Gouda cheese, named after the city of Goudain the Netherlands, adds a smooth, creamy texture to the sandwich and complements the grilled chicken and bacon.