No, this column isn’t about trekking deep into the
rainforest to pick those succulent fiddlehead fern shoots or pohole. Nor does it involve hiking the
Jackass Ginger trail in Nuuanu for fresh pepeau
(wood ear mushrooms) and takenoko (bamboo)
shoots. It does involve that strenuous drive over the Koolaus from K-Town all
the way into that concrete jungle also known as Honolulu to procure proteins,
produce and liquids not found in my neighborhood Foodland, Safeway or Times
Supermarkets. And like the other casualties of time, I’m turning into my
parents. Some 50 years ago, Mom and Dad Tatsumoto made the monthly or sometimes
even weekly trek from Kaneohe all the way into town treating it as if the
family was about to visit one of the neighbor islands. Back in the day when
Longs Drugstore, Gem and Times Supermarket weren’t found east of the Koolaus.
And now, I too treat that westward drive like a big Broadway production trying
to minimize those “downtown” excursions as much as possible though in my
defense, I do make that 54 mile round trip to work five days a week so I try to
limit my weekly food foraging to 5 minute excursions if possible.
Kokua Market
But on this Saturday, a visit to Kokua Market was a
necessity as I heard that Chef Bob McGee was selling his Pono Pork products at
retail through the Kokua Market co-operative. I also knew that Kokua Market
also carried locally raised beef in their freezer section and it didn’t hurt
that a lot of their produce was also locally grown.
What is Kokua Market you ask? It’s a natural food
co-operative market where patrons are allowed the option to purchase a share in
the market ($160 one-time fee) to become part owners which allows them discount
pricing and voting rights to have their say in how Kokua Market is operated. Of
course, you can also shop there regardless if you’re a partial owner or not.
The market itself is little more than a hole-in-the-wall just past the 5 way
intersection at University Avenue and King Street. Their parking is located right
at the next streetlight and though it’s a two way street it basically only fits
1 & ½ vehicles so if there’s a car waiting at the light, you have to find
street parking like I did.
But when I finally made my way into Kokua Market… Auwe!
No Pono Pork to be found anywhere! Though I did purchase a nice slab of Kunoa
Cattle Company flank steak that shredded nicely after an hour in the pressure
cooker for a delicious ropa vieja (Cuban
shredded beef dish) along with lean, grass fed Kulana ground beef crumbled nicely
for a Moroccan inspired Bolognese sauce. And I did find yellow and watermelon
beets that were perfect for a goat cheese crostata.
Fujioka’s Wine
Times
Starting originally as just a corner in the Fuijoka Super
Market in Haleiwa, Lyle Fujioka simply found space in the family supermarket
before branching off as Fujioka’s Wine Merchant first in the basement below the
old Beau Soleil restaurant midway up Waialae Avenue then eventually in its
current location at the Market City Shopping Center. Back in the day, Lyle was
“The Man” in the 50th’s wine world. Though Chuck Furuya was already
Hawaii’s first Master Sommelier, because Lyle was a wine retailer, the wine
distributors tended to listen to Lyle since he personally could increase their
wine sales. It’s one thing for Chuck to educate the distributors that a certain
wine was an excellent wine with a great price point but they only stock a
certain wine if it sells, which Lyle could do. He single handedly changed the
wines Hawaii drank through Fujioka’s Wine Merchant and by also organizing the
annual wine tasting fund raisers for the Lupus Foundation of Hawaii, the Hawaii
branch of the American Diabetes Association and The Rehabilitation Hospital of
the Pacific. But ever since Lyle stepped away from the wine business in 2009,
we rarely make the trek all the way to Market City. But since it’s only a long
stone’s throw from Kokua Market, it’s stop number two.
And while my wine storage unit is bursting at the seams,
I’m here to peruse the liqueurs and aperitif selections and restocked my Cocchi
Vermouth di Torino, Campari, Nocino (walnut liqueur) and low and behold, a new
gin. After the clerk played a video of the Empress 1908 gin which is a
brilliant cobalt blue while on ice but immediately turns to lavender as tonic
water is poured into the glass. So I just “had’ to also purchase a bottle of
the Empress 1908 gin.
Breadshop
Located just past the mauka
corner of Waialae and 8th Avenues, bread maker extraordinaire Chris
Sy creates several different loaves daily from Wednesday through Sunday with
both the country and city loaves available upon opening at 10:00am with
focaccia and ciabatta loaves available after another hour or two and the
buttery brioche from 1:00pm onward. He does offer annual bread “subscriptions”
which allows you to pick-up a weekly loaf for 50 weeks. The only caveat is the
day of the week you select to pick-up your weekly loaf cannot be changed over
the next year. I initially purchased the subscription when it was first offered
but because I also maintain a sourdough starter culture that needs to be
refreshed every 2 to 3 weeks, often found myself with more bread than I could
consume and ended up gifting my weekly loaf to friends who worked right up the
street from Breadshop (you can gift your weekly subscription loaf to anyone).
But since Breadshop is just another mile or so up the street from Market City,
it’s stop number three for the best ciabatta on the island.
J-Shop
I used to make regular trips to J-Shop located behind One
Kalakaua Senior Living on Young Street after purchasing sake at The Sake Shop
on King Street. After all, what pairs nicely with sake? Japanese cuisine! After
all, a trip to J-Shop from The Sake Shop was simply crossing over all 5 lanes
of King Street and turning left on Kaheka Street then a right on Young Street
and voila, J-Shop. But then The Sake Shop lost its lease and vacated their
original site (they are reopening in Kakaako sometime this summer) so we
stopped visiting J-Shop.
But since I’m already in town, it’s time to procure items
shipped directly from the motherland at stop number four. And though most of
the Japanese items I purchase come from Marukai, only J-Shop offers Miyazaki
grade A5 wagyu beef in virtually any cut you would want from ribeye to loin to
sirloin to tenderloin. And because the wagyu is in whole slabs, the staff is
willing to cut just as much or as little as you want. Sometimes I purchase
steaks, often I purchase the pre-sliced sukiyaki style trays and consume then
as is. Well, not raw straight from the Styrofoam tray but simply layered on
steaming hot rice which melts the rich, marbled fat and I adorn it with just a
sprinkle of truffle salt.
Marukai
And though my special weekend foraging just includes shops
that I hardly patronize, a stop at Marukai is a usual occurrence often every
other week on the way home from work. For reduced price bento, my weekly
lunchtime apples, sake (especially while The Sake Shop waits for their final
liquor license approval) along with fresh shiso
leaves, myoga and fresh wasabi for sashimi I may have purchased at J-Shop. And Marukai is the only
market that regularly sells fresh ogo
for ho’io salad and miso tako
poke. Plus it never hurts to have a
spare bag of those fried green peas and horse beans on hand.
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