The many signature flavors of Cinnamon’s
Friday - March 23, 2007
|
Del.icio.us | 
Podcast | WineAndDineHawaii.com
Puna Nam started Cinnamon’s in Kailua
22 years ago
Most restaurants are happy if one or two of their dishes become signature items. At Cinnamon’s in Kailua, almost the entire menu is “signature.”
“We tried to change the menu lots of times in the beginning,“says the restaurant’s longtime chef, Carsie Green, “but every time we changed it, we’d have to change it right back because people complained so much.”
Today, Green combats “kitchen boredom” by running dozens of daily and weekly specials.
“That way we can keep introducing new dishes, but not upset any of the regular customers,” he says.
Kailuans have known for 22 years that Cinnamon’s offers great breakfasts. On weekends, there are lines around the block.
“We do about 600 breakfasts on a Sunday morning,” says owner Puna Nam. “It’s really out of hand,” he adds with a laugh.
Dishes like Eggs Benedict ($8.95), fluffy pancakes and omelets stuffed with everything from ham, bacon and cheese,to zucchini,olives,tomato and mushrooms make up part of the menu,and then there are specials that include “anniversary omelets” and raspberry pancakes. There’s also a truly welcoming, homestyle approach that appeals to almost everyone.
Mahimahi Picatta ia served
with a light wine and caper
sauce over spaghetti
You need breakfast in the evening, meatloaf for lunch or prime rib for dinner? Or maybe you’re craving liver and bacon and onions but don’t want to cook. Cinnamon’s is just the place.Dinner at Cinnamon’s is served Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and featured dishes include original creations by Carsie. The Fantasy, ($14.95) billed on the menu as “a dish unique to Cinnamon’s alone!” is one of the most popular. Fantasy features grilled chicken or mahi mahi served on a bed of fresh spinach leaves, topped with broccoli, melted Swiss cheese and hollandaise. I was impressed by the Mahi Mahi Picatta ($14.95). The fish was perfectly cooked, moist, flaky and served in a light sauce of white wine and capers with a few roasted red peppers. I would have tried the famous curry (“A Cinnamon’s Signature!”), but Carsie opted to cook a Fantasy instead.
“I’ve been making the curry for more than 20 years,“he said with a smile, “some-times you just want to make something else!”
And in a world where comfort food reigns supreme, nothing says home-cooked like a plate of liver and onions. Liver is so obviously a “love it or hate it food,“that it’s almost surprising the liver, onions and bacon ($10.50) at Cinnamon’s is one of the restaurant’s top sellers.
“You find so often that one person in a family will love this dish and no one else will want to cook it,“says Puna,“so we have it on the menu, and it’s one of the most popular dishes in the restaurant.”
With dishes like meatloaf ($10.50), hamburger steak ($11.50) and baked spaghetti ($10.50),as well as fish specials and a breakfast that’s served all day, it’s no wonder that the lines are long on weekends for a seat at this relaxing spot.
But if you want to catch a different side of Cinnamon’s, then go for dinner. At night there are candles on the tables, white lights on the trees outside, and live music.
“It’s really very different in the evening,” says Puna. “People who are regulars for breakfast are really surprised when they come back for dinner.”
Cinnamon’s Kailua Town Center 315 Uluniu St. Kailua 261-8724
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
