If you're from Hawaii, you're probably missing "plate lunch" -- that large, comforting, starch-and-protein combo that gets a person through the afternoon in paradise. This Aloha State staple is the focus of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, an island-vibe chain restaurant that's just steps away from the skating rink at Dimond Center.
The company started with a single Honolulu drive-in back in 1976. Now it has locations in 11 states and American Samoa, New Zealand and Japan. According to the website, the goal is to provide "the Aloha spirit" for customers. Your receipt says, "Mahalo & Aloha!" Why, thank you.
The Anchorage location, in the mall's food court, is counter service only. Your food is served in foam clamshells on a tray. If the mall is really busy you may wind up sharing a table, or waiting for one.
It's amusing to eat fried mahi mahi so close to the sound of blades carving up ice. But amusement isn't the reason to eat at L&L. Value is. The protein portions are decently sized, the meat tender, the rice just sticky enough, and they use panko on the fried stuff. Bliss!
"Barbecue" in this case doesn't refer to a sweet red or spicy vinegar sauce, but rather a mild teriyaki marinade that leans more to the soy side than the sweet one. As a result, the proteins actually taste like meat, chicken and fish rather than candy.
For $12.95, the barbecue mixed plate delivers teriyaki beef, chicken and a cross-section of short ribs plus two big scoops of rice and another scoop of macaroni salad. All were perfectly cooked, but the thin-sliced beef was especially good. Given the price of red meat, one expects that a reasonably priced meal will mean a cheap cut of beef. But this teriyaki steak was as tender as orchid petals, and paired beautifully with bites of sticky rice.
The seafood combo ($12.95) has the same starches plus fried mahi mahi and shrimp and a choice of teriyaki steak, chicken or short ribs. The panko coating on the fish and shrimp was ultra-crunchy. If you don't want to eat Sriracha or ketchup on your seafood, ask for a cup of tangy-sweet katsu sauce.
The garlic shrimp ($11.75) plate was seven crustaceans dipped in a very light batter -- more of a shrug than a coat -- that nonetheless kept the seafood juicy during the deep-fry process. They, too, were improved by a quick dunk in katsu; the sauce's slight sweetness amplifies rather than masks the garlic.
Note: While delicious, this dish is not for the faint of heart. They're called garlic shrimp for a reason, and that reason will follow you for the rest of the day. Vampires, however, will not.
The only misstep in these meals was the macaroni salad, which was gummy and gloppy. Maybe that's the way they serve it in Honolulu, but the only discernible flavor was starch-enriched mayonnaise.
Plate lunches are also available in "mini" portions -- one rice, one macaroni and a smaller hot entrée -- for a couple of dollars less.
The same barbecue proteins -- plus Spam and pulled pork -- are available in sandwich form and in rice and noodle bowls. Other menu items include loco moco (hamburger patties, eggs, rice and gravy), shrimp curry, chicken katsu (sliced, breaded and fried), kalua pork (salted and roasted), shrimp stir-fry, musubi (rice and either Spam or chicken, wrapped in seaweed) and, if you must, hamburgers and cheeseburgers.
Sometimes you just want some sticky rice and teriyaki or a portion of Spam, rice and seaweed, with a side of mahalo and aloha. If you can't get this at home, head for Dimond Center. But bring a jacket; it can get chilly that close to the ice rink.
Former Anchorage Daily News reporter and reviewer Donna Freedman writes for a number of online personal finance sites and blogs at DonnaFreedman.com.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday; holiday hours may vary
Location: Dimond Center, 800 E. Dimond Blvd.
Phone: 907-375-9988
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