You Gotta Eat: Aloha Kitchen

Treasure island: Aloha Kitchen offers the finest in Hawaiian comfort food

By Brock Radke

As the Hawaiian population in Las Vegas steadily grows, so does the number of Aloha Kitchens, a favorite spot for islanders new and old to the valley. Besides the spacious restaurant on Decatur and Sahara and the smaller site near UNLV, a new spot on Charleston and Lamb is set to open in March; the Kitchen also will be in Summerlin in December. You know the place has a serious following if it's moving into high-rent Boca Park.

There a several signs that tell you the joint is real Hawaiian home cooking--the local Asian publications scattered about the entry, the fact that Spam is a frequently used ingredient, and the spot on the menu that apologizes for not having Hawaiian Sun Juice. The hospitality might remind you of a vacation, too, since the service is always quick and polite; once you select from the lengthy menu, just take a number and take a seat and they'll bring you your food soon. The Decatur location even has a karaoke lounge, which sounds like a bad idea until you've been subjected to the island version of "Always and Forever" playing a little too loud over the stereo.

But this is a laidback place and you came for the cuisine, comfort food at its tastiest. There are so many simple yet awesome combo plates and tried-and-true favorites that appetizers are almost unnecessary, but the lumpia, ($2.25) mini-eggrolls stuffed with pork and veggies, are addictive.

Hawaiians and other islanders are often stereotyped as big people, and here's why: heaping plates of carbs. The two main side dishes at the Kitchen are white rice and macaroni salad, Atkins be damned. Best to sub one for mixed vegetables or kimchee (if you like that stinky stuff) when ordering the Mix Plate ($6.99), a combo of teriyaki chicken and beef and delicately grilled mahi mahi, or the more exotic Bento Box ($6.99) which offers the teriyaki with Spam and a topping of pickled plum and fish flakes. Don't let the presence of the canned mystery meat throw you off; no one wants a Spamwich, but the stuff ain't bad blended with other flavors.

The real special of the house has got to be the kalua pig, tender shredded pork available in a variety of combo plate forms. Of course, the real way to cook this pig is to dig a ditch on the beach, fill the hog with hot rocks and bury it for a few days. I'm pretty sure there's no beach ditch out back, but the Kitchen's pig is still delicious and best ordered in the Hawaiian Plate ($7.99) along with some lau lau, pork and fish steamed together in tea leaves.

The Decatur site also offers breakfast, and the clear morning choice is Loco Moco ($4.99), a hamburger patty over rice topped with eggs and gravy.

Las Vegas is full of fancy fusion eateries offering Hawaiian-influenced cuisine, but the Aloha Kitchen is the real deal. A meal here may not conjure images of tropical bliss, but you'll definitely be ready for a nap in the sunshine, beach or no beach.