Mama’s Hawaiian Bar-b-cue

Hawaiian cuisine is a great blend of traditional five different ethnic styles of cooking. Every time a new cultural visitor visited the chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, they added another unique style and ingredients to the already vibrant local cuisine. With the location in Anthem, Arizona they are adding another flavor style to that community. With over seven locations throughout Arizona, they have been giving diners a slice of island living for some time.

I went to this restaurant when it first opened in Anthem and I was not blown away with the experience. But like I recommend to many people, it is important to give restaurants at least two visits before making a decision. I heeded my own advice and returned with a few friends to give it another visit. I am happy to report that I am very glad I did. It dawned on me on the first few bites that perhaps they had a few kinks to iron out on the opening month, and it is very apparent to me they have done just that.

There is a fair amount of options for all to choose from including an option or two for the less adventurous. I would suggest looking at the Island Specials or Plate Lunches sections of the menu for your first visit, as these items are more traditional and you will get to try the island flare that many have grown to adore. Most people when they hear Hawaiian food only think of Spam, macaroni salad, or rice. While those items are available that is hardly the extent of the menu. There is a large dining room, but also a drive through for quick ordering and pick up.

There are three sauce options available to diners that do decide to stay to eat in the restaurant. The sauces are a Teriyaki sauce, a Hawaiian BBQ sauce and a Sweet Chili sauce. The Teriyaki sauce is thinner than the other sauces, but is very flavorful. The Hawaiian BBQ is more viscous than the Teriyaki sauce. It has the consistency of a more traditional BBQ sauce, yet with a Polynesian flare. It is a good sauce for someone that likes a little more depth to the flavor profile of the sauce. The last sauce is more of an Asian style sweet chili sauce that you would find at a lot more dining establishments.

We started with a Spam Musubi ($2.00) as an appetizer. It is not on the printed menu or online menu, but is available if you ask. For those that are not familiar with Musubi, it is a bed of White rice that is sticky, and than a protein that is then all wrapped up with a small ribbon of seaweed. In this instance the protein was a marinated slice of Spam. Some people are not interested in a dish that includes the word Spam, but for anyone that has visited the Hawaiian Islands on a regular basis knows it is almost a staple to the locals. They have used it in abundance the same way they have used pineapple. Do not imagine the canned meal that you would open at the store. While this is the same meat, it has been sliced and then marinated in order to be transformed, if you have never tasted Spam that has been treated properly, you are missing out on an experience. To me it is no different than any other canned protein. While perhaps not delicious straight from the can, it can be manipulated into another item. Think of canned tuna, not something you may want to eat straight from the can but add a few other ingredients and you are enjoying tuna fish salad.

Their Spam Musubi is made early in the day and then wrapped in plastic wrap. It is then, upon ordering, unwrapped and warmed up in the microwave to take the chill from refrigerator storage. We were dining with someone that is very familiar with Spam Musubi and it brought back memories of her youth, as this was a usual after school treat at friend’s homes.

The next item we ordered was the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich ($8.49). All the sandwiches come with French fries as a side item. The chicken is a marinated chicken breast that they then grill. It is served on a toasted bun and finished with a piece of grilled pineapple. The chicken was tender, but did feel a bit like it was precooked and then re-heated upon order. While it still had enough flavor the consistency did not have a 100% from raw to cooked flavor or texture.

We then selected one of the items from the Island Specials section of the menu. We decided on the Loco Moco ($8.99) meal. This meal is two scoops of white rice, that is then served with two Island seasoned beef patties. The beef is then topped with a fried egg and the entire dish is then covered with some thick beef flavored gravy. This is a very popular dish in Hawaii, and they did a great job recreating it. The beef patties were perfectly seasoned and when the yolk of the egg mixed with the gravy and the rest of ingredients, it was a delicious bite.

The final item we ordered was from the Combo Plate section ($12.99). On the combo plate menu item you get to select two protein styles from a list of nine options. Some proteins are an additional charge, so be aware when ordering. After you decide on your two proteins, you then select two side dish items from a list of six items. We decided on the Teriyaki Beef and the Teriyaki Chicken for the proteins and then White Rice and Mixed Vegetables for the side items. The vegetables ($.50) were and additional price increase. The mixed vegetables consisted of a medley of broccoli, green bell peppers, and carrots. The beef and chicken had a fantastic flavor especially when you added some extra of the Teriyaki sauce from the bottles on the table. Unlike the chicken sandwich, this chicken had a great charred flavor and tasted amazing. The beef was tender with just a slight bite to it. This is a large dish, so be prepared to have help eating it, be very hungry, or take some home. Some of the other protein items consisted of Tofu, fish, or pork. It gives the diner a lot of mixing and matching ability on each visit.

There are a lot of very good Hawaiian food options available throughout the Valley of Phoenix, and this holds up with a lot of the other chain versions. One of the major advantages to this one is that it is local and offers Anthem residents something other than pizza or fast food for lunch or dinner. It is great to support smaller, local establishments and you have the added benefit to feel like you can get a taste of the Islands without the plane ride. So to that I say a resounding, ALOHA!

Location and Website – 3632 W. Anthem Way, Anthem, AZ 85086 http://mamasbbqtucson.com/locations/anthem-az/