Hi Hawaii Ya?

Renton now has two Hawaiian restaurants.
Hawaiian restaurants are few and far between in the Seattle area, and it's a cuisine I haven't had a lot of exposure to.
A couple of months ago we tried L and L Hawaiian BBQ (kitty corner from Wal-Mart) and got stuffed to the gills. L and L is a chain restaurant based in Honolulu, and is fast foody meat oriented. They serve macaroni salad with everything, whether you want it or not.
Tonight we went to the newer and more down home Aloha BBQ ,2439-B SE Maple Valley Hwy, Renton (425) 430-9319.
Aloha BBQ also features a lot of meat, maybe that's the hallmark of Hawaiian cuisine...but Aloha BBQ has interesting side dishes, which are included in the meal, like pickled radish, pickled ginger, pickled cuttlefish, and kim chee. You can also get macaroni salad there, but it's not forced down your throat as it is at L and L.
Speaking of meat, the Kalbi beef short ribs were tender, tasty, a bit of tang, and quite the bargain at 6.99. They were also served in a rather large quantity which I had no trouble devouring. Is this why there are quite a few heavy Hawaiians?
The Kahlua Pork with Cabbage( 7.99) is stir fried shredded pork with garlic, onions and Hawaiian sea salt. It's very good.
The Pork Lau Lau is a combination of black cod and pork steamed with taro leaves and wrapped in ti leaves. It too is very tasty and tender. What are ti leaves? I don't know, but the taro leaves were reminiscent of spinach and collard greens, had an almost creamy quality, though it had no cream.
You can also get a Caesar salad( with tofu!) or a hamburger there, but why would you want to?
For pescetarians, fish and chips and a seafood combo( scallops, mahi mahi and shrimp) are available.
They will occasionally have a teriyaki salmon or BBQ black cod available as a daily special, and both are available from the catering menu as well as garlic shrimp.
Did I say how good the food was? And at such a bargain?
The downsides:
Parking is tight. They share a parking lot with a tavern and a grocery store, and an apartment complex immediately adjacent. It may take a little while to find a space.
They're small, maybe 5 tables max.
I have this tendency to seek out places that aren't too far, but just a little off the beaten path.
This is one of those places, and it's a good one.