A big West Coast food trend is about to hit Lexington. Here’s where to catch the wave
Growing up on the West Coast, Harry Ginsberg was no stranger to a particular type of cuisine that just doesn’t seem to be available around Central Kentucky: Hawaiian barbecue.
So he’s launching his own restaurant to serve it, albeit a slightly toned down version, at least at first.
“Hawaiian barbecue restaurants are all over the place out there ... and since I’ve lived here I’ve yet to find one,” Ginsberg said. “So I decided to bring it here.”
He plans to open Big Kahuna Hawaiian BBQ at 904 Liberty Rd., just off Winchester Road, on May 1.
What makes Hawaiian barbecue unique?
It’s a little sweeter, with some Asian influences and some spicy heat, and served traditionally as what is called a “plate lunch,” with two scoops of sticky rice and a scoop of macaroni salad with the grilled meat entree such as kalua pulled pork, or even Spam, he said.
It’s sort of the Hawaiian equivalent to the meat-and-three, with extra carbs.
Fish and shrimp, either in panko or grilled, also are big components of the cuisine, he said.
Big Kahuna’s menu will feature plate lunch as well as a Big Kahuna Burger with grilled pineapple, bacon and Swiss cheese and Hawaiian barbecue sauce.
He’ll also have coconut shrimp and Spam fried rice as well as Spam musubi (slices of Spam on top of rice, wrapped in nori, dried seaweed.)
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner, with about 30 seats inside. Eventually, Ginsberg said, he plans to add a deck on the back for outdoor seating. There is off-street parking behind the building and street parking along Winchester and Liberty.
“It’s going to be counter service,” he said. “I’m hoping for fast-paced lunch vibe, with a lot of carryout business. And at night I hope to switch the pace to more of hangout.”
He’s putting in a small bar which will serve craft and local beer.
Ginsberg said that he also plans to offer traditional Hawaiian dishes including poke, a kind of raw fish salad, but will start with a semi-raw grilled rare tuna steak salad.
“I figured I’d start with some stuff as a special and get people accustomed,” he said.
It likely won’t take long. Like poke, Hawaiian barbecue has become a huge hit on the mainland and is spreading. L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is now in more than a dozen states and according to Nation’s Restaurant News is one of 10 growing chains to watch.
