Mixed Plate Special - Food for Thought feeds our stomachs

Food for Thought feeds our stomachs

Saturday, January 31 2009

The Mixed Plate Special team decided to spend Wednesday's lunch meeting at the environmentally friendly lunchwagon Food For Thought. It's located in the parking lot behind Kainoa's next to the former Haleiwa Super Market (IGA, RIP) in Hale‘iwa town. Our tasting menu included a falafel wrap, a seared ahi wrap, Sloppy Joe fries, the big wave tomato salad, and a veggie corn dog.

Since we all have different opinions and different tastes, rather than a traditional restaurant review, we've decided to share our respective takes on the various dishes.

According to their menu, the three-week old establishment supports local farmers—including Ho Farms, Big Wave Tomatoes, and Pupukea Organics. They're also keeping your lunch plate out of the landfill by using all-compostable products from styrophobia.com and feeding it to the worms.

We didn't order their hummus, the Greek salad, the onion strings, the black bean chili, or the garlicky shrimp, choices we plan to try out soon. They also offer an acai bowl and some imaginative desserts: funnel corn cakes and crispy banana with chocolate. So far, it seems like Food For Thought gets the North Shore seal of approval. Pipeline lifeguard Rick Williams stopped by and sampled some Sloppy Joe fries, and shaper Jon Pyzel was getting ready to grind as we were leaving.

THE BIG WAVE TOMATO SALAD ($6)

ANGELA: The highlight of the salad was the soft homemade pita bread, and the ripe locally grown tomatoes. We missed out on the fresh basil leaves that should have garnished this somewhat bland combo.

CHRISTEN: I was disappointed with the giant un-chopped lettuce pieces that didn't fit into my mouth. The dressing was only tasty because of the balsamic, but otherwise was was a letdown in the flavor department.

CATHARINE: The tomatoes were juicy, and that was my favorite part—which might mean something if you know that I don't really love tomatoes. Maybe it's because I know they were grown down the street in Mokulē‘ia.

THE FAMOUS FALAFEL WRAP ($5)

ANGELA: I love falafel, and these crispy chickpea balls hit the spot. The feta was a perfect sharp yet creamy accent, and the cucumber, onions, lettuce and tomatoes gave a fresh veggie crunch . . . but . . . I really need some tzatziki (yogurt sauce) on this!

CHRISTEN: I thought the falafel was a little too dry and crumbled easily. I ended up pouring the salad dressing on it for more sauciness.

CATHARINE: I think what this place will become famous for is their homemade pita, which is soft and sweet; in fact, I'm sure it's delicious with hummus alone. The falafel? Beggars can't be choosers.

SLOPPY JOE FRIES ($6)

ANGELA: Vegetarian sloppy joe? That's like driving a biodiesel monster truck. Seriously though, these fries are a must-try menu item. Finally, a dish where the sauce is plentiful and zesty. I would, however, douse it with Tapatio or tabasco, because I'm addicted to heat. The amount of cheese was just right, and not overpowering.

CHRISTEN: MMMMMMmmmmmm. Deliciousness.

CATHARINE: Definitely an innovative side that's almost like a meal unto itself. Like all shoestring fries, you have to eat them while they're hot. Very shareable.

BIG VEGGIE CORN DOG ($4)

ANGELA: I'm not a big corn dog fan to begin with, but this veggie version was a tasty meat-free junk food treat. A ketchup/hot sauce/mustard mix makes a good dip for it.

CHRISTEN: The homemade batter coating of this soy corn dog had great texture and flavor, almost like a beer batter. They make it themselves—I asked.

CATHARINE: Hmm, it's hard to beat the mini corn doggies at East Side Grill, but if you consider it in the soy dog category, I can't think of a better way to enjoy a soy dog.

SEARED AHI TUNA WRAP ($7)

ANGELA: Where's the sauce? Everything else about this wrap was delicious and fresh, but I'd love a thicker, more flavorful dressing on it. The honey vinaigrette was almost undetectable to me.

CHRISTEN: The flash seared ahi was moist and flavorful, but again, the sauce could've been better. Gotta love the pita though.

CATHARINE: This was my favorite dish, thanks to the homemade pita and the unexpectedly tangy vinaigrette, which balanced out the peppery ahi coating. Maybe I got the bite with all the sauce.

THE FRIENDLY STAFF

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

"I think, therefore I eat."

"Food for Thought is off to a good start. I admire their eco-conscious commitment to sustainable living and fresh locally grown food. The Tsutsui Family is putting their money where their mouth is. They've only been open for a few weeks, so a few kinks in the menu are to be expected. Everything was very fresh. I just need more sauciness! Sauce me, please."

"The pita was so good, I peed my pants."

Free social bookmarking plugins and extensions for Joomla! websites! title=

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments

(9)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

skyG said:

You are a hilariouus team of women! Thanks for keepin' it real!

November 01, 2007 - 10:44AM

slm said:

Lovin' the real down to earth foodie review. Clo, what is about you always getting wet? Christen, you know they say that your stomach is your second brain. Angela, nice teeth!

November 01, 2007 - 11:14AM

r2d2 said:

The sloppy joe fries are really good. I tried them yesterday. The Thai truck next to it is really good, too. Finally, options in Haleiwa!!

November 02, 2007 - 07:18AM

Rich said:

I was there the other day and got talked into a black bean hummus wrap...and it was absolutley great. The greek olives are a nice touch.
Their onion strings are as big as your head and they make 'em to order, I got the half fries and strings and they put fresh garlic on their homemade fries. They piled sloppy jo on top of 'em and I was ready for a nap by the time I got home. I'm usually a carnivore, but I didn't miss the meat at all.
I look forward to my next visit.

November 03, 2007 - 06:46PM

betyourarse said:

I love the food here. The hummus wrap is my favorite so far and for five bucks, you can't beat it!

November 15, 2007 - 04:33AM

betyourarse said:

Oh yeah, the sustainability feature is a beautiful, karmic bonus. :)

November 15, 2007 - 04:34AM

Jenna said:

I love Food for Thought!! I was hoping you would have there phone number listed, because I lost the menu and I am getting hungry. Aloha

January 26, 2008 - 01:07PM

Meadow said:

I just had the black bean hummus wrap and it was out of this world! I am still craving it a day later! I've been here for 7 months and was never able to catch them open. So glad I finally did! I can't wait to go back again! Great to know Hawaii has something this good to eat that's healthy, fresh, AND flavorful! Mmmm!

May 21, 2008 - 06:57PM