ANNE LEE with Island Sausage chef/owner TERRANCE ENOMOTO
Celebrating its first year in business, Island Sausage, located at Waterfront Plaza (previously known as Restaurant Row), is providing unique and delicious options to satisfy local palates.
Chorizo Sausage ($14)
A graduate of Kapolei High School and Leeward Community College’s culinary program, chef/ owner Terrance Enomoto knows what it takes to create mouthwatering entrées.
Just in time for Pigs in a Blanket Day (April 24), Island Sausage is creating a special: Handcrafted Kielbasa Sausage ($14), which is baked in housemade bread and comes with a side of fries.
Ginger Miso Sausage ($14)
AL: You have worked with many chefs over the years. Who are your mentors?
TE: I’ve worked under numerous talented chefs over the years — chefs Goran Streng, RoyYamaguchi and Chris Garnier, to name a few. Before opening Island Sausage, I was working at MW Restaurant as a sous chef, and chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka really had a tremendous impact on me by taking me under their wing and helped me grow from a pantry cook to eventually their sous chef.
Spicy Korean Sausage ($14)
AL: I believe you are the first restaurant in Hawaii that has sausage as the main course. Tell me how this came about.
TE: Making sausage is a dying art form among many experienced chefs. Perfecting this skill was important for me because I wanted to perfect something that would set me apart from other chefs that have much more experience. Over the years working at restaurants, these chefs had a specific unique skill that they were known for, and I wanted sausage/salami making to be mine.
Korean Fried Chicken Wings ($13)
AL: Despite the restaurant’s name, you offer more than sausage. What are some of those items?
TE: Although sausages are our bread and butter, we also serve burgers, sandwiches, fried chicken wings and fries reasonably priced between $14 and $19. Everything comes with fries and is made inhouse including the bread. It’s a great value for the quality of ingredients that we provide.
BBQ Burger ($18)
AL: What items did you prepare for me to try today?
TE: I have made three of our most popular items. The first is the Ginger Miso Sausage ($14) — its sauteed cabbage, okonomiyaki sauce, kewpie, bonito flakes and pink ginger. The second is the Chorizo Sausage ($14) featuring corn elote salsa, cotija cheese, Hot Cheetos dust, pickled onion and cilantro. Finally, the Spicy Korean Sausage ($14) includes pickled daikon, house kimchee, garlic soy sauce, gochujang sauce, sesame seeds and green onions. They all come in a housemade bun and include a side of fries.
Finocchiona Salami ($10)
Our bestselling BBQ Burger ($18) comprises local grass-fed beef patty, bacon jam, barbecue sauce, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, fried onion rings, cheese in a housemade bun. It comes with barbecue fries.
Our chicken wings, meanwhile, are not your average size. The Korean Fried ChickenWings ($16) include garlic soy sauce, gochujang sauce, sesame seeds, green onions and a side salad.
Assorted Cookies ($2 each)
The Finocchiona Salami ($10) is handcrafted salami (fennel seeds, garlic and black pepper), and many people like to eat this like beef jerky.
For your sweet tooth, we have assorted homemade cookies ($2 each). Flavors include lemon crinkle, ube crinkle, white chocolate macadamia nut and chocolate chip.
AL: Tell me about the handcrafted sausages available for purchase. TE: We sell our most popular flavors, and also more traditional flavors like Italian, breakfast, portuguese and kielbasa. All of these are available frozen and packaged for people to take home ($12 for a pack of two sausages).
AL: Tell me about your catering and private room.
TE: During my time at MW Restaurant, I took on a lot of the catering responsibilities, such as private dinners, weddings and special events. It was an experience I took with me because I do a lot of off-site events for my business today.
We have a catering menu available online where you can order half pans or full pans. Some items available are pupu-style sausages, Korean fried chicken wings, teriyaki beef and fried noodles. We also have a private room available to rent for business meetings, parties and gatherings.
AL: Anything else you want to share?
TE: My wife, Kayla Enomoto, is our resident baker. She makes all our buns for the sausages, burgers and sandwiches. She also makes all of our baked goods as well. She finds inspiration from anything she’s craving or sees on social media that makes her hungry.
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