My Dinner with Mr. Sulu

I was teaching a two day class in Everett Washington earlier this week. The first night we had a wonderful dinner at Ivar's Restaurant in Mulkiteo. A couple of bottles of Chateau St. Michelle Eroica Riesling on the 50% off All Washington wines on Monday Night Special to wash down an appetizer of red curry mussels and an entrée of Alaskan Razor Clams. Good food, new and old friends and conversation.

Tuesday night we went out to dinner at Bobby's Hawaiian Style Restaurant (It was featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives) . I was seated next to one of the guys in the class and I kept thinking this guy's voice sounds so familiar. Kevin is a Japanese American and he grew up in Hawaii. He was explaining all the dishes to us before we ordered. I've never been to Hawaii, but I've found some types of Hawaiian cooking to be appealing; who doesn't like pit cooked pig (kalua pork) or raw ahi tuna marinated in soy sauce and other flavorful things (poke)?

Anyway, it dawned on me....this guy sounds just like Mr. Sulu. Okay, so I didn't really have dinner with Mr. Sulu. I just had dinner with a guy that sounded just like Mr. Sulu. Still, it was fun eating a table full of food with narration by Mr. Sulu.

Most of the folks were ordering beer, but since the restaurant was full of faux palm trees and other Pacific Island type decor I thought it might be possible to get an authentic Tiki Drink. I wandered over to the bar and asked the woman tending bar if she made Mai Tai's from a mix or from scratch. She assured me that she made them from scratch and with a very authentic recipe. I ordered one. Alright, I should have asked what was in the "Authentic Recipe". The drink was most notable for it's plentiful rum, so it wasn't all bad. It also included passion fruit nectar and grenadine and while it wasn't a Mai Tai, it was drinkable and after all when you're eating dinner with Mr. Sulu, life is pretty good.

Here's a recipe for an "Authentic Mai Tai" and an appetizer to serve it with at your next Luau

Beach Bum Berry's $100 Mai Tai

1 oz of Saint James 15-year Hors D'Age Rum
1 oz of Appleton Estate Extra rum
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz of Curacao
1/4 oz orgeat
1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup

To make one $100 Mai Tai, crush enough ice to fill a double old-fashioned glass, and put the crushed ice in your cocktail shaker. Next, pour in one ounce of Saint james, one ounce of Appleton, 1/2 ounce of Curacao, and one-fourth of an ounce each of orgeat and rock candy syrup. Then, pour in one ounce of fresh-squeezed lime juice. Shake it up an serve in a hollowed out pineapple, your favorite Tiki Mug or a highball glass.

Lomi Lomi Salmon

Recipe courtesy Bobby Nakihei at Bobby's Hawaiian Style Restaurant, Everett WA from Diners, Drive-In's and Dives on the Food Network

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time:12 hr 0 min

Cook Time:0 min

Level:Easy

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced salted salmon
• 5 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium round onion, diced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• Sea salt
• 1 cup crushed ice

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the salted salmon with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse the salmon.

In a large bowl add the diced salmon, tomatoes, onion, and green onion, and mix well. Add sea salt, to taste. Chill and just before serving add the crushed ice.

Chef's Note: if unsalted salmon is used, rub the salmon with sea salt or rock salt and let stand overnight, then use in the recipe.