Good to Grill-Kapahulu

BBQ ribs and Misoyaki Chicken with potato salad and shoestring fries- $12.99


While checking out some "nearby tweets" on my Tweetie 2 app, I came across someone tweeting for their new restaurant, Good to Grill. I looked up their website and found that they are "Wood-Fired Casual Gourmet" and when looking over the menu online, thought they sounded pretty reasonable. They are located in the Safeway Kapahulu Shopping Center, the new one right in the heart of Kapahulu.
While out and about yesterday in town, I thought I would give them a shot. Money is really tight these days, so if I am paying more than $7 for a plate lunch, it better be good. On the other hand, my wife was with me and she is a vegetarian now, so I had to pick up a Kove Bowl for her, while I went to eat meat!
The place was located on the makai side of the shopping center, on a corner, which is great since they have some nice outdoor seating. I walked in the front door, and immediately I could smell the awesome kiawe wood grill. Their menu was electronic on big LCD screens. They have a variety of things, plates, sandwiches, pasta, salads, pizza, sides, and desserts. All ranging from a $7.49 plate of chipotle chicken wings, and a prime rib plate for $16.49, to a grilled garlic prawn pasta for $12.99. Sandwiches were $7.99 to $9.99 and salads around the same price. Their pizza was also all under $10. They also have fried ice cream, bread pudding, and flan to name a few desserts.
I ordered a combination plate, hoping to try a couple different dishes they served. I picked the misoyaki chicken, and the pork ribs. They charged me $12.99 for that one, with the choice of 2 sides (rice, potato salad, mesclun greens, shoestring fries). I didn't quite understand why it was so expensive, when the chicken plate is only $7.99, and the ribs are $12.89? Maybe meet somewhere in the middle of the two instead of going $0.10 higher... oh well. I chose fries and the potato salad, since I am pretty sure I know what rice is like, and greens.
Here we go, the chicken was good, perfectly grilled with a little burnt edges, no skin, boneless thigh. There were two on the plate. The chicken had good flavor, but not much of it, good thing it was cooked over an open flame. The ribs given was 4 bones, very little meat on them. They had a good sauce on them, and was the best part of my meal. The fries, were so-so, not hot and crisp like I thought they would be. The potato salad had nice big chunks of potatoes, olives, peppers, but was very bland. It needed some salt, or something? I was expecting more flavor from a "casual gourmet." I left full, but not quite satisfied. I told my wife it was like eating at Chilis or someplace like that. I know that I would have paid probably $5-6 more at one of those places, so for the money, I guess it was ok. Overall, I liked the ribs, and even the chicken. I think having the two was a bad choice, since the ribs were so flavorful, and the chicken was good, but not next to the ribs (if that makes any sense.) If I do go back, I will try the prime rib, or maybe just the deep fried ice cream for $3.99.


Good to Grill
888 Kapahulu Ave., Suite 170
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
(808)734-7345

Sunday 11-9
Mon-Sat 11-10