After reading Kathy’s food blog about Andy’s one day I had to see what all the fuss was about, so a few days later I rounded up the boys, Ray, Shane, and Justin and we went out in search of this famous sandwich place. Ray’s a sandwich whore. He loves Subway, Quizno’s and just deli’s in general. I’ve eaten more sandwiches in the last two years I’ve been with him than my whole entire existence. I always thought that sandwiches were a bit juvenile, made solely for the younger days of elementary school when we were forced to bring a plastic lunch box that accommodated a matching thermus filled with apple juice. Inside the box would almost always be some kind of monotonous sandwich, usually peanut butter and jelly or baloney and cheese. After the fourth grade I really can’t recall ever eating or having the desire to eat another sandwich, and then I met Ray. I have to admit, sandwiches have grown on me. Although, I can’t eat them all day like Ray can, I do appreciate a good sandwich ever now and then and Andy’s is perfect for those occasions.

Andy’s is a small, family owned and operated deli. The menu is written on super bright fluorescent paper. Sandwiches run around $5.00.

This is the Chicken Burger, $3.85. I think it resembles a sandwich more than it does a burger, but hey, it’s Andy’s store, he could name it whatever the hell he wants.

Roast Beef Sandwich, $4.50.

I ordered the Eggplant Melt, $5.85.

All the sandwiches were amazing. I have to agree with Kathy when she says the sandwiches “leaves you satisfied, not full.” Sometimes it’s liberating not being a glutton whore.
Another reason why I love Andy’s is they have Wifi. You gotta appreciate places that openly give access to free Internet.

Andy’s is another place that proves good food doesn’t mean you have to ass rape your customers just to stay in business

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Andy’s Sandwiches and Smoothies
2904 East Manoa Rd,
Honolulu, HI
(808) 988-6161

O.K. so I’m gonna take this time to be a little racist and stereotypical and I feel totally o.k. being this brutally honest because I’m here at home, safe, behind the screen of my laptop. I’ve devised this theory; Asian people treat their shaved ice the way White people treat their ice cream sundaes. I never come across an Asian that goes crazy over a sundae and vice versa, but Asians love their shaved ice and White people love sundaes, even on Mondays. Also White people go crazy with sundaes, they put all kinds of shit in it: strawberries, pineapple, chocolate, marsh mellow cream, nuts cherries, carmel, whipped cream, the list goes on and on. Well, same goes for Asians and their shaved ice. We put beans, mochi balls, tapioca, fruit, jelly things, condense milk etc.

Here are some pictures of some yummy shaved ice toppings from a Chinese shaved ice cafe in Los Angelos.

You get my point?

Now when it comes to ice cream for Asians, we keep it simple, ice cream and maybe one other topping, otherwise it starts to look like something I regurgitated back up and am still consuming only because I’m too cheap to let it go to waste. I don’t want to fuck up my ice cream by mixing all kinds of crazy shit into it and of course white people feel the same about shaved ice, just ice and flavored syrup. As a matter of fact, most hales have never even heard of shaved ice with anything else. Ray, my half white, half Mexican fiance, who mine as well be white, goes, ” Babe, I never knew Asians loved shaved ice so much and all that crazy shit that you guys put on it. You would hate shaved ice in Texas, just ice and juice. Beans as a desert, it just doesn’t sound right,” he says. Oh, but it taste so good. Now Ray, and Shane still refuse to eat my shaved ice, they just can’t get past the bean thing. Ignorant fools, such poor unfortunate souls. Shaved Ice is not just ice and juice. And yes, I can tell you right now honey, I will despise it in Texas, that’s why I’m here and not there. Shaved ice is an art that I take very seriously. It’s not just about the toppings, but also the consistency, texture, fluffiness, the amount of condense milk in ratio to the amount of ice. You get my point.
Now that I’m done ranting, I’ve found a place that so far is one of my favorites on this island. Tropicana has shaved ice as light and fluffy as the clouds of heaven.

My only gripe was that they didn’t have as many toppings as that Chinese place in L.A.
All their specialty shaved ice comes with azuki beans, ice cream, condense milk, and mochi balls. I ordered the #8 lychee berries shaved ice. It comes with vanilla ice cream and is amazing. Ice cream and shaved ice, the best combo ever. The shaved ice was perfect. The way it dissolved in your mouth, like butter on hot toast. One way of judging good shaved ice is the ice itself. If it’s at all crunchy, or hard, it’s no good, move on, you deserve better than that.

On a separate occasion I got the #3, strawberry flavored shaved ice with strawberry ice cream. This time it came in a different bowl, but still just as yummy.

I had to get another one. This time the #2, Mountain Coffee with coffee ice cream inside. Again, I loved every bite.

And this is what it looks like on the inside

Ray got shaved ice with two flavors for $2.00.

On a separate occasion I got the #12 Green Tea, with green tea ice cream, $4.50. If your a fan of green tea your gonna love this. Its cool, refreshing and who knows, might even be healthy.

Also, all prices include tax, so you don’t have to worry about factoring that in. The price you see is the price you pay. Now if shaved ice just doesn’t excite you, that’s cool. To each one own, right? They also have bubble drinks, floats and a nice selection of ice cream. I suggest the shaved ice. Even Ray agrees that it’s just better here, but he still refused to eat the beans.

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Tropicana
3036 Waialae Ave,
Honolulu, HI
(808) 739-2098

There are some people that drive by a really ostentatious place and say, “Wow, that looks fancy, we should go there for dinner one night,” Well, I’m the same way, but with hole in the walls. I say, “Wow, that place looks really dingy, we gotta go there.” That’s exactly how I felt the first time I laid eyes upon Diegos Taco Shop.
It’s a small boxy place. You walk in, menus up above, order at the register, grab a table and wait for your food. Usually places like this is family owned and operated. I remember seeing another Diegos Taco Shop in Pearl City a while back, so they must be doing good for them to want to branch out. I don’t know if the guy that took our order was a “Diego” but I do remember that he was very gracious and friendly.

Ray got a carne asada burrito. It cost $5.95 and was ginormous.

His complaint was that it didn’t come with refried beans inside and it didn’t come with cheese, but you can’t deny that they’re really generous with the amount of meat they give.

I ordered the fish taco for $3.15. I have no complaints, just preferences. While cabbage works, lettuce is just ideal on a taco, or even a burrito for that matter.

And a chicken taco for $1.65.

And of course I scurried the menu for dessert and all I could find was a churro. I believe it was $1.00. It was alright. My mom, who is Chinese, makes a better churro than this.

Overall I’m a fan of this place. The food was a little too salty, yet still tasty and very affordable.

Now that I know how their dishes are prepared I will be better prepared at ordering the next time around; extra, extra, cheese, and please substitute the cabbage with lettuce, spank you very much.

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Diego’s Taco Shop
2239 S. King St.
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 944-2949