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Who would ever buy shrimp from the back of a truck? Well, I did and all I can say is you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

I’m pretty sure there’s like only one road to Poipu from Kalaheo. Savage Shrimp is parked in the dirt, right before you get to all the fancy resorts. There’s construction going on there now. They’re building condos. Sorry I can’t be more specific.

Personally, I wouldn’t have stopped, but my friend said that his uncle thought the food was good, so we decided to give it a try. They basically only offer 3 dishes: regular garlic, the hot “grasshopper,” and a “bahia” with coconut milk and Thai-like spices. All the dishes are about $12 and come with rice and a little salad.

Grasshopper - This is good. Not too spicy.

Bahia - At first, I thought this was really good, but there was too much sauce on the rice. It got to be a little too much by the time I finished it all, but the shrimp are a nice size and very delicious. I wanted more…

We took our food to go, but you can eat there if you don’t mind the wild roosters roaming around. There are a few tables and chairs in the dirt, but no one was using them.

Savage Shrimp offers good meals without all the fuss. The meals are cooked right in the back of the truck and you can watch while you wait. I believe there’s even a discount for locals. Apparently, shrimp trucks are more common in Hawaii than on the mainland. Something to try and if you don’t like it, then at least you’ll have a story to tell about how you ate shrimp from the back of a truck…

3830 Hanapepe Road, Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii 96716. (808) 335-5011

Friday night is Art Night in Hanapepe. You can browse the galleries from 6 pm to 9 pm. Meet some of the local artists and gallery owners. Some of them offer little treats, such as cookies, crackers, cheese, and wine.

During this time at Hanapepe Cafe, a special (limited) menu is served and it changes every Friday night. The other entrees that we did not order were Southwestern Vegetable Pie ($22) and Paella ($28).

To start off dinner, the waitress offered us some of their homemade Focaccia Bread and Olive Oil. While the bread is soft, there is no real taste. It is very bland. Not as plain as white bread, but it’s almost like it’s white bread with a little corn meal.

We ordered a Head of Garlic ($4) to go with the bread. I didn’t try it though.

Seared Ahi Tuna ($28) - Accompanied by a savory onion bread stuffing and herb sauce. I tried a little bit of the tuna and it reminded me of steak.

Shrimp Scampi ($27) - Spaghetti in a garlic Chardonnay sauce with homemade garlic bread. The plump shrimp were delicious! They tasted like they were perfectly grilled. I added a lot of salt and pepper. I didn’t care for the garlic bread. I took one bite and that was enough. I could only taste the garlic. Very overpowering. I also didn’t care for the pool of “fat” that had collected at the bottom of my plate. I think it was olive oil, but I’m not completely positive.

They do not have a liquor license, but you can bring your own. There is also a live musician for your dining entertainment. Be sure to make reservations. While their sign says that the seating capacity is 8000, the restaurant is fairly small and you may have to sit at the counter if you don’t have a reservation.

I had looked at their regular menu and didn’t know that there would be a special (and more expensive) menu on Friday nights. I thought it was going to be a casual dinner. If I had known ahead of time, I would have dressed up a little bit for “a night on the town.” Especially at these prices…

Taste: 7/10
Presentation: 4/5
Service/Atmosphere: 3/5
Total: 14/20

219 North Center Street, Reno, NV 89501. (775) 786-3232

http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-reno/restaurants-dining/cafe-napa-detail.html

This restaurant is located in Harrah’s Casino. It’s open 24 hours and offers California cuisine as well as Asian specialties.

The rolls had a sweet, crunchy, sort of caramelized top.

The soup was a tasty blend of eggs, chicken, and corn.

I ordered a spicy chicken dish, which came with rice, veggies, and a few pieces of sushi.

This is the steak with veggies and a baked potato.

Add on a succulent lobster tail for $9.99. It’s a decent portion for this price.

Overall, it’s a fair place to have a meal, especially if you’re in the casino and you don’t want to gorge on the buffet.

Taste: 7/10
Presentation: 3/5
Service/Atmosphere: 4/5
Total: 14/20

42505 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265. (310) 457-3095

http://neptunesnet.com/

Neptune’s Net… sound familiar? It was one of the locations in the original “The Fast and The Furious.” I’ve wanted to try this place out ever since I saw the movie. Sadly, I was disappointed. It’s out of the way and not very noticeable… you may even drive past it.

Something that I found to be funny was this sign, “Neptune’s Net only serves DRY patrons. If you’re dripping wet, NO SOUP FOR YOU!” There are also other funny signs posted around the restaurant.

There are two sides to Neptune’s Net… the restaurant side serves clam chowder, grilled foods, salads, assorted combos and sides. The seafood side has live or fresh shrimp, clams, oysters, crabs, and lobsters that you can order to have cooked.

I had the Shrimp Basket. The fried shrimp and fries were ordinary.

Dave had the Clam Strip Basket with half a pint of New England Style Clam Chowder.

I think the appeal for locals is that it is right across from the beach. Whatever you do, DO NOT use their restrooms. They are portable restrooms and completely disgusting!!! If it weren’t for the restrooms and the far distance, I might go back and try the seafood side.

Taste: 5/10
Presentation: 3/5
Service/Atmosphere: 3/5
Total: 11/20

This promised review has been long overdue. Due to my lack of post, I have been demoted as Las Vegas Expert to Food Technician. Hopefully I can redeem myself and maybe someday write a review about a Las Vegas restaurant. This review hails on the Pacific jewel named Catalina Island. My wife and I recently stopped by the island (port stop in Avalon) on a cruise. We decided to eat at a restaurant named Armstrong’s Fish Market and Seafood Restaurant. I did my research earlier and the restaurant had decent reviews and was not too expensive. It was on a small platform over the water so it was nice to sit outside and enjoy the environment.

Armstrong’s Seafood had a wide range of choices at very reasonable prices. You can check out their menu with the link below. I had the fish and chips ($8.95) and a side of Guinness ($5.00). My wife had the combination dish of fried scallops and oysters ($14.95). It’s really hard to screw up fish and chips, although this was pretty tasty because of the environment. For my wife’s platter, the scallops were very tasty but the oysters and an extremely fishy smell and taste.

All in all, I think that Armstrong’s is a wonderful experience. If you ever stop by Catalina Island, make a stop by Armstrong’s for lunch. Fresh food, decent prices, and friendly service, just don’t order the oysters.

Fish and Chips

Taste: 7/10
Atmosphere: 5/5
Service: 5/5

Overall:  17/20

Combination Dish of Fried Scallops and Oysters

Taste: 4/10
Atmosphere: 5/5
Service: 5/5

Overall:  14/20

http://www.armstrongseafood.com/

306 Crescent Avenue
Avalon, CA 90704

Phone: 310-510-0113