Garlic furikake chicken with mac salad. Smoked brisket chili rice with homemade grilled corn bread. Smashburgers with bacon jam and chili cheese fries.
These are some of the featured dishes you’ll find at ThrowBack Alley, a Friday pop-up at Sheraton Princess Kaʻiulani.
The pop-up originally launched last July as a biweekly tribute to the flavors of old-school Hawaiʻi, honoring a time when drive-ins and diners ruled the island culinary scene.
“We love to feature nostalgic local foods from our hanabata days,” says executive chef Blake Kajiwara, who oversees the pop-up’s menu. “The ideas come to us while we talk story (about) our favorite plate lunches we grew up with.”
This summer, ThrowBack Alley was open every Friday, featuring a rotating menu of dishes that showcased diner favorites made with locally sourced ingredients and housemade sauces.
Each week’s menu features a main entrée, side dish, non-alcoholic beverage and a variety of treats.
“Every week, we make local snacks like lemon peel Green River gummies, kamaboko dip, li hing boiled peanuts, warabi salad, Sakura boshi (teriyaki ‘ahi jerky) and strawberry Guri Guri,” Kajiwara says.
During a recent pop-up, the main entrée was a chicken cutlet plate ($17), comprising tender chicken cutlet, brown gravy, two scoops of white rice and mac salad. Other menu items included a mochi waffle dog with maple Sriracha butter ($8) and Green River slushie ($6).
Pro tip: If the Green River slushie is on the menu, add Haagen-Dazs ice cream to turn it into a float ($4 more).
“One of my favorites has to be the smashburger — 2 Snake River Farms wagyu burger patties, American cheese, secret sauce, shredded lettuce, caramelized onions and bacon jam on a brioche bun,” Kajiwara says. “Another favorite would have to be pastele stew with Gandule rice, pickled onions and housemade chili pepper water.”
In September, ThrowBack Alley will resume a bi-weekly schedule and operate on the first and third Fridays of the month. On Friday, Sept. 19, customers can anticipate Goi ga chicken salad (shredded sous vide chicken breast with shredded cabbage, carrots, onion and cilantro tossed in nuoc cham dressings and garnished with toasted peanuts, crispy shallots and shrimp crackers) and lemongrass chicken banh mi as the entrée. It will feature lemongrass chicken thighs, housemade mayo, pate, cucumber, pickled carrot, daikon, jalapeno, cilantro, scallions and shoyu.
Customers can also expect a new location for the pop-up in the near future.
“We will be moving ThrowBack Alley to our actual food truck near the pool,” Kajiwara says. “We’re planning to dress up the area with picnic benches and string lighting. This will be next to the Lava Rock stage, where you can enjoy live music.”
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CONTACT
ThrowBack Alley pop-up
Sheraton Princess Kaʻiulani
120 Kaʻiulani Ave., Honolulu
5-9 p.m.
First and third Fridays of the month
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
