Yay!  I got a text from Anna, a former student of mine.  She is visiting from Portland and had some time for dinner with me.  We decided to go to Hawaiian Style Cafe where she could indulge in some yummy local food.I hadn’t been to Hawaiian Style Cafe in a long time.  One of the many idiosyncrasies I have is that I like knowing what the special or most loved items are at restaurants before I go there.  I love food and I have difficulty deciding on a choice at the spur of the moment, especially when there are a lot of awesome choices. So–I checked out the reviews and the menu for Hawaiian Style earlier in the day before dinner.

Once I saw reviews and pictures for the lechon, I stopped.  I don’t make this at home–I should.  Maybe I will one day soon.  I don’t often see this at other restaurants so that made this choice a no-brainer for me. Pork, tomatoes, onion, patis with a splash of chili pepper water.  Can’t go wrong.  Plus, the serving was so generous that I had enough to take home for my lunch the next day.  My co-workers will be smelling the onions down the hall!

It was delicious and went perfectly with a cold Kona Longboard in a frosty mug on this humid day in Hilo!  We finished this dinner with a shared slice of a delicious and refreshing Lilikoi Supreme pie. Even better than the lechon and the pie? I got to spend this dinner with dear Anna where we caught up about travel, life, and friends. Living Hilo Style.