Hawaiian BBQ on the Ave: Perfect Post-Dive Eating
What: Kalua pig with cabbage and the potsticker combo with teriyaki chicken.
Where: Hawaii BBQ Restaurant, 5016 University Way N.E., 522-7740, UNIVERSITY DISTRICT.
When: Monday evening.
My friend Nathan and I had just finished playing pool at the Eastlake Zoo when he asked if I wanted to go get Hawaiian barbecue. "Uh, sure," I said, not having any idea where he intended to take me. We were nowhere near south Seattle, where I imagine most Hawaiian barbecue joints are. Oh, by the way, I am not the girl who knows where the greasy spoons are in our fine city. Nope. I like my snacks with a good glass of wine and preferably a view of the city. During happy hour. With a bartender who already has my drink waiting for me.
Nathan told me about this hole-in-the-wall on the Ave that was supposed to have stellar cheap barbecue. When we walked in, we were greeted by dozens of entree photos on the wall that looked like they were taken in the '60s. I went with the photo that actually resembled its namesake — potsticker combo with teriyaki chicken ($5.50). I don't know what the potstickers were stuffed with, but my friend and I think it was some type of pork product. Whatever. It was fantastic:
He had the Kalua pig cabbage ($7.19) that came with a side of the whitest macaroni salad you've ever seen. After one bite, neither of us ate anymore. But the pig was to die for:
Hawaii BBQ is the type of place where "to go" orders are preferable. There is absolutely no atmosphere and the fluorescent lights don't make anyone who's spent the last several hours playing pool and drinking beer at a dive bar look good. But I would definitely eat the food again.
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