Page 3 - Dining Out - April 16, 2023

Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee
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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 Ueo- ka 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.
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 im- portant 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.
AL: Despite the restaurant’s name, you offer more than sausage. What are some of those items?
TE: Although sausages are our
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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 in- house including the bread. It’s a great value for the quality of ingre- dients that we provide.
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, kew- pie, 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) in- cludes pickled daikon, house kim- chee, garlic soy sauce, gochujang sauce, sesame seeds and green on- ions. They all come in a housemade bun and include a side of fries.
Our bestselling BBQ Burger ($18) comprises local grass-fed beef pat- ty, bacon jam, barbecue sauce, gar- lic 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 Ko- rean Fried Chicken Wings ($16) in- clude garlic soy sauce, gochujang sauce, sesame seeds, green onions and a side salad.
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 crin- kle, 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, por- tuguese 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 Restau- rant, I took on a lot of the catering responsibilities, such as private din- ners, 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 avail- able online where you can order half pans or full pans. Some items
4. Korean Fried Chicken Wings ($13) 5. BBQ Burger ($18)
6. Finocchiona Salami ($10)
7. Assorted Cookies ($2 each)
available are pupu-style sausages, Korean fried chicken wings, teriya- ki 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.
Island Sausage
500 Ala Moana Blvd.
Ste. 6F, Honolulu 808-888-0509 islandsausage.com
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; closed weekends
1. Chorizo Sausage ($14)
2. Ginger Miso Sausage ($14) 3. Spicy Korean Sausage ($14)
AT THE KAHALA
RESERVATIONS
OpenTable 808.739.8760 KahalaResort.com
THINK AHEAD FOR A PERFECT MOTHER’S DAY
Time is running out to book a very special Mother’s Day brunch or dinner at The Kahala’s Plumeria Beach House. On Sunday May 14th, treat mom to the popular, ultimate all-you-can-enjoy meal of fresh and delicious Kahala favorites by the ocean.
MOTHER’S DAY BUFFETS
Sunday, May 14 $115* Adult, $49* Child (6-12)
RESERVE NOW ON OPENTABLE
LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE
Brunch 10 am–2 pm
Dinner 2 pm–8 pm charge will be added to parties of 6 or more.
*Does not include tax or gratuity. A 19% service
Dining Out / April 16 22 2023 / 3