Hapa Grill - New Eatery in Kapolei Blends Old & New
Gail Jennings
July 2005

We have been hanging out on the west side of Oahu lately seeing what's going on with the food scene in one of the fastest growing areas of the island where most dining choices have been limited to fast-food and casual dining chains. In the past couple of months Elmer Guzman's Poke Stop in Waipahu, Big City Diner in Waipio, Buono Pasto (related to the local Assaggio chain) and today's review, Hapa Grill, both in Kapolei, have opened. There will soon be a Koa Pancake House in the area as well. These openings are a promising start for the many people who live there and have wanted more and better choices.

Hapa Grill owner and fledgling restaurateur, Shannon Tangonan Putnam, grew up watching her parents operate the legendary Sassy Kassy Lunch Wagon. They retired a few months ago after 27 years in the business. Her uncle, who owned Jurison's Westside Inn (Hapa Grill took over this space), was looking to sell the restaurant and focus on his other eatery at Waikele. In stepped Shannon who admits that even though her parents were in the food business, she never had an interest in it earlier in life. She took a different path, earning a degree in journalism from UH, and working at the Honolulu Advertiser before moving to the Mainland. She continued her career as a reporter at USA Today and, most recently, at the San Diego Union-Tribune where her beat was crime and public safety. I spoke with her for our Diner Dish feature a month or so prior to opening and she expressed the opinion that it would be a relief to feed hungry people rather than cover the worst of human nature. I wondered if, after a couple of weeks running the restaurant, she would still feel the same way.

Hapa Grill retains the comfortably modern upscale coffee shop appearance of the previous restaurant with the changes focused on the menu offerings. The goal was to offer contemporary renditions of popular local-style food such as Mochiko Chicken and Hamburger Steak and to introduce new dishes with fresh flavors, lighter preparations and a more modern sensibility. In a nod to the family legacy, they also serve the most popular of the Sassy Kassy classics like Teri Beef and Chocolate Macadamia Nut Brownie.

The best dishes we ate were the new creations like the Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich with fresh Mango Salsa & Basil Pesto and, not surprisingly, the above mentioned Sassy Kassy classics. A real surprise was the Eggplant Parmesan - Hapa Grill's version of this classic American-Italian dish was excellent. My dining partner loves eggplant parmesan and has his own secret recipe for making it, so we fully expected to be disappointed. It was so good that it could well prompt us to think twice before making it at home again.

The Teri Beef was excellent. We have to agree with the multitudes of Sassy Kassy devotees that this is the best we've ever eaten. There is no doubt that Shannon's father, Richard Tangonan, perfected his sauce over the years to a fine-tuned balance of sweet and savory. And, the quality of the beef that Hapa Grill uses makes an important contribution to the dish. They slice it about double the thickness of the usual teri beef. When it's combined with such excellent sauce you have a dish which is amazingly good. I would definitely eat this again. Just writing about it is making me hungry!

I would recommend a visit to Hapa Grill. Try their dishes and pay attention to the area of the menu where their specialties are featured. Ask your server for recommendations about what's new or popular. We wouldn't have ordered the grilled mahi sandwich if it hadn't been for our server and it showcases the best of what Hapa Grill can do with their original dishes. The fresh mango and pineapple salsa with red onion and just a touch of cilantro is a natural with the fish but the basil pesto made it special.

My earlier conversation with Shannon had been on the telephone so I wasn't sure if she was there until we were just finishing our meal. I guessed that the young woman checking on the various tables and asking customers about their meals might be her. When she stopped at our table I asked her how it was going and how it compares to the crime beat, she laughed and joked, "Give me a double homicide - that I can handle - this is hard work!" She went on to say that it's a work in progress and she very much appreciates the help her father is giving her in the day-to-day operations. As we were leaving, I complimented her on the Hapa Grill sign; she smiled and said that the first time she and her father looked up at it was a very emotional moment. From crime reporting to running a restaurant and lunch wagon to cafe, it would appear that for this family, life can be unpredictable yet oddly sweet and rewarding.

Hapa Grill
91-590 Farrington Hwy
Kapolei, Leeward Oahu
674-8400
Hours: Sun-Mon 8am-9pm, Tue-Sat 8am-10pm