Page 3 - Dining Out - July 31, 2022

Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee
234
St. Louis Drive In
3145 Waialae Ave., Honolulu 808-734-3673 Instagram: @st.louisdrivein_hawaii
5 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays
1. Roast Pork Plate ($8.95)
2. Seafood Bento ($10.30)
3. Student Special No. 1, shown with
a medium Green River ($8.05)
4. Mushroom Chicken Plate ($8.50)
5. Super Japanese Plate Deluxe ($11.50)
Wednesdays. We are working on building a website and trying to open up our dining room. We are looking for someone to join our team. Once we get some more bodies, we can get that open for dine in!
ing University of Hawaii, so I got a r job at Pagoda. The bar manager at the Sheraton came in one night and asked me to work for him. I worked there for 10 years bartend- ing. An opportunity came to open up a drive in and I took that chance and left the Sheraton. How I got St. Louis Drive In was that Mr. Nakata, the previous owner, and I were op- erating Big T Drive In in Aina Haina at the time 40 years ago, and he told
me to take it over.
AL: What specials do you have during the week?
WA: On Tuesdays, we have our fresh corned beef and cabbage plate, served with rice and mac salad. Every day we offer four or five specials. On Sundays, we have short ribs ($10.40) and beef stew ($8.95); Mondays, we have shoyu chicken ($8.95) and curry stew ($8.95); Wednesdays, we have tripe stew ($9.20) and meatloaf ($8.50); Thursdays, we have mush- room chicken ($8.50), roast beef ($8.65); Fridays, we have Hawai-
ian plate ($9.50) or Hawaiian plate deluxe ($10.35); and Saturdays, we offer a fried rice with pork teriyaki sparerib plate with one egg ($8.40).
AL: What did you prepare for us to try?
WA: Today is Thursday, so we made the mushroom chicken plate for you to try. This recipe is actually from my Aina Haina drive in. There’s also the seafood bento special ($10.30), which comes with salmon, two pieces of shrimp tem- pura, teri ahi and scallops, served with rice furikake, ume and an egg roll. We have the super Japanese plate deluxe ($11.50) with fresh ahi sashimi, teri beef, mochiko chick- en, scallops and shrimp tempura, served with rice and tossed salad, and a roast pork plate that comes with two scoops of rice and choice of mac or tossed salad. And we have the Green River drink ($2.30 small, $2.40 medium and $2.75 large) — older folks know it as that, younger generation calls it lemon lime.
AL: The restaurant was named af- ter Saint Louis School, which is right across the street. What’s the most popular dish ordered by the students?
WA: They are hungry boys, so they order everything off the menu. Breakfast is popular and we have student specials like two BBQ burg- ers, french fries and medium drink for $8.05; a tuna tomato sandwich, french fries and medium drink for $6.80; and the autumn/winter/ spring/summer special ($6.90), which includes a BBQ cheeseburg- er deluxe, french fries and large drink. Before the pandemic, the students would line up for breakfast and, back in the day, lunch time is the busiest so, if you can, call us to order ahead.
AL: I hear there is an honor coin system in place. Tell me how that started.
WA: This actually was started by the students at Saint Louis 50-plus years ago. They would leave their spare change on the top of the win-
dow ledge. If they needed some change it was there and if they received change from their food purchase they would leave it. It is still honored today by customers and students.
AL: What is the secret to your success?
WA: My team — without a good team you cannot operate a busi- ness. They work hard and are loyal. We couldn’t do this without them. We have been fortunate to have well-known people that come here to support us, such as famous Saint Louis alumni and political fig- ures. We appreciate everyone’s support.
AL: Anything else you
want to share?
WA: If you are wanting
to taste some of our
items from Big T’s, we
have a few specials that
we feature weekly, such as
the mushroom chicken plate
on Thursdays and pork tofu on
5
The Perfect Afternoon at The Kahala
Enjoy a delightful teatime at The Veranda with exclusive handcrafted fine teas and indulge in sweet and savory bites on our oceanfront lanai. Perfect for every occasion, Afternoon Tea at The Veranda
is the best way to experience a blissful afternoon.
AFTERNOON TEA
2-3:30 p.m., every Friday and Saturday $65 per person plus tax & gratuity
EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY
AT THE KAHALA
RESERVATIONS
OpenTable 808.739.8811 KahalaResort.com
Dining Out
/ July 31- Aug. 6, 2022
/ 3
e