Rainbow Drive-In - Honolulu, HI

The rainbow diner is supposedly President Obama's favorite place to eat in Honolulu.  There was a picture of him chowing down here on one of his visits here.  

I don't know what the President ate, but I had the mahi mahi sandwich with tarter sauce and some fries. The Rainbow Drive-In is most definitely a dive and most definitely a drive-in.  Although oddly enough, there is no drive up window.  You have to park and get out of your car.  Most people seemed to be doing take-out when we were there. I like it.  I was not blown away with the food but, it was pretty good.  It is an old time fast food place.  Your food comes wrapped in paper and in a paper bag.    

It was very popular with the local population.  The line to order was probably a good 15-20 minutes. It was also raining on the day that we visited here which doesn't seem to happen much.  They seemed to do a pretty good business selling t-shirts with their logo on it.  I'm guessing that they have a mini cult following here.

The atmosphere was even more laid back than the rest of Hawaii, which is saying something.  

I would rate the Rainbow Drive-In a 7.0.  The food was okay and the atmosphere was okay.  

Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 737-0177
http://www.rainbowdrivein.com/

Jefferson Diner - Lake Hopatcong, NJ

I had an uneasy feeling when I started to see billboard signs for the Jefferson Diner 2 miles out complete with the Food Network logos.  I was afraid of all talk, no action.  They had obviously bought a replica red camaro like Guy's car and had it parked outside as if Guy might be inside.

Luckily despite the glitz outside, I was wrong.  The Jefferson Diner was a typical New Jersey diner on steroids.  It had the stainless steel cladding everywhere, circular vinyl stools, everything that makes up an old-time diner.

I got a soup and sandwich.  The seafood gumbo was more like a vegetable soup with seafood bits rather than what I think of as a gumbo. That is to say that I think of the spicy Cajun gumbo.  I don't know if maybe they eliminated the spice for the more plain northern preference.  The warm gumbo on a cold day went down well.  The chicken panini with dried tomato was also pretty good.  Redemption!

Service was very good. Waitress volunteered to take away my phone so that I could eat in peace.
ide.  I'll give her points for having a sense of humor.

Like most diners, they have a tempting desert case on your way in.  It truly looked incredible. I was however good so, I have only a visual report on the sweets to give.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it.  I rate Jefferson Diner an 8.6.

Jefferson Diner
5 Bowling Green Pkwy
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
(973) 663-0233

http://www.jeffersondiner.com

Betos on Broadway - San Antonio, TX

Beto's would probably be a great after work or night time dining joint.  They seem to be set up to be a great tex-mex version of a beer garden.  The outdoor area had its own bar, picnic tables and kids play equipment.  It was way too hot for that on my visit.  Everyone including me was forced into the inside air-conditioning.

The atmosphere was kind of festive.  There didn't appear to be anything special going on.  The place was just packed and the crowd was in a good mood.

They had a pretty decent beer selection.  I tried the Xingu.  It was a nice Brazilian black beer.  I recommend it.

I used the beer to wash down the fish tacos.  They serve the fish tacos with a generous amount of a creamy avocado sauce.  It was very good.  I would not call it crazy triple-D good but, it was very good.

Betos is worth checking out if you are in the area.  I would rate them an 8.8.

8142 Broadway Street
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 930-9393
www.betosinfo.com

Maria's Taco Express - Austin, TX

Maria's was one of those triple-D destinations that I had been trying to get to for a long time but had never had the opportunity.  I was glad that I finally made it.

One of the things that makes a triple-D restaurant is the unique atmosphere.   Maria's is kind of funky in the indoor/outdoor layout.  The architecture sends you off in every which direction.  There are all kinds of cool stuff on the walls.  A huge half mannequin/statue with arms stretched out to the sky greets you on the way in.  Maybe that's supposed to be Maria.  There is no shortage of funky and unique restaurants in Austin, Texas.  I am not sure that I would say that Maria's necessarily stands out from the Austin crowd.

Maria's is famous.  There were pictures of Guy Fiere and Rachel Ray with Maria on the wall from when they were here.  The real Maria walked right past me but, I didn't recognize her.  Someone told me afterwards.

We started off with some nachos and caso sauce.  The caso had a nice spicy kick to it.  It  was pretty good.  I had the fish tacos.  They were very good.  No complaints but, they didn't knock my socks off either.

I would score Maria's an 8.7.  My initial reaction was for a higher score but, I think that was just part of being happy to have finally made it here. Also, I was with my family at a triple-D restaurant which I rarely get to do.  I'm usually on a business trip. So, I was probably just feeling good.

Maybe I didn't order the right thing but, I just don't feel like Maria's lived up to the hype.

Maria's is cash only.


Maria's Taco Xpress
2529 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-0261
www.tacoxpress.com

Brints Diner - Wichita, KS (CLOSED)

Brint's diner has closed since I visited there in 2012.  I am not terribly surprised.  I did not see the DDD show on Brints but, my experience there was not great.

The service was exceptionally slow despite the fact that there was only one more table of people in the restaurant.  My waitress was not the most professional person.  She didn't know me but still felt comfortable complaining about her employer. The owner approached me later and tried to explain her behavior away.  It was all very strange.

Evidently from the menu, Guy liked the Cincinnati style chili spaghetti here.  I couldn't handle that kind of calorie count. So, I ordered the Ruben sandwich which was probably no better.

The Ruben was very average.  I pretty much had to inhale my lunch because I was almost out of lunchtime by the time it arrived.  I was underwhelmed.

I ranked Brint's 3.0 which was probably being generous.

Brint's Diner
4834 E Lincoln St
Wichita, KS 67216

Voulas offshore cafe - Seattle, Washington

Voulas was definitely a diner. It had stainless steel paneled walls and the sounds of sizzling food cooking and the clatter of spatulas on metal grills that is heard at diners all over the country.

The waitress was really friendly. Everyone in fact seemed to be in a good mood.

Voulas is located about 100 feet from the Portage Way in Seattle near the University of Washington in Seattle or "U 'dub" as the locals call it.

I got the little squealer sandwich which was pork, bacon, a coupe of different cheeses, tomatoes with a chipotle hollandaise sauce all on a toasted French roll.

Oh, this was savory decadence!  Just the comfort food needed to take the edge off of the cold north Pacific wind.

I would rate Voulas a 9.5.  It is well worth returning to again.



Voula's Offshore Cafe
658 Northeast Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 634-0183
voulasoffshore.com

Chino Bandido - Phoenix, AZ

Chino Bandito was kind of the quintessential triple-D restaurant.  It was a low-end restaurant in a low end of town with really great food using some really great creativity.  It was a Chinese - Jamaican - Mexican fusion restaurant.  

There was a statue of their mascot, a mexican panda bandit in the restaurant.

I ordered the jamaican chicken quesadilla salad.  I really liked the mix of jamaican and mexican foods.  They serve you a vanilla cinnamon sugar cookie with every meal.  I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a tip of the hat towards a chinese fortune cookie.

I would rate Chino Bandito a 9.7 for hitting full triple-D stride on food creativity and execution.  The atmosphere was just okay.  The panda bandito statue was pretty cool though.   Definitely worth checking out.


Chino Bandido
15414 N 19th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 375-3639
www.chinobandido.com

Zydecos - Mooresville, IN

Somebody at Zydeco's really knows New Orleans and this restaurant is a little condensed shot in the arm of NO right in the middle of Indiana about 30 minutes outside of Indianapolis.

The decorations were really cool and you really did feel like you were in a Bourbon street bar.  The style of the inside was right, there were beads everywhere, party lights, cool cajun bar stuff, you name it and it was here.  There was a mannequin of a joker with a cajun hat on that was part of a Bud Lite advertisement.

The service was really quite good.  The servers were genuinely glad that you were there and were kind of partying along with everyone else.  I was just here by myself.  This would have been a great place to bring a group of people.

The turbo dog beer from Abita was really nice. I don't know if it was an Indiana beer or a New Orleans beer.  It tasted like a thick stout to me.   It had a thick chocolate but not a yeasty

I ordered the crawfish étouffée.  It certainly tasted authentic to me.  My head was sweating from the cajun spices.  I was a little wary because in the north they will sometimes advertise cajun dishes but then tone the spice level down too much.  This was just the way it should be.

The music was likewise authentic and added a lot to the feel of this place.

Overall, this was a really great place.  I would rate it a 9.6.

Zydeco's
11 E Main St
Mooresville, IN 46158
(317) 834-3900
http://www.zydecos.net

Cecilia's Cafe - Albuquerque, NM

Cecilias is a cool little diner in downtown Albuqureque, New mexico.  It's got a cool atmosphere. It is in a very old typical new mexico style building with lots of exposed brick and rough wood beams. I think that the only heat was from a wood stove in the middle of the serving area which wasn't lit on this January day, I might add.  I had to put my coat back on to stay warm.  I suppose this qualified as a dive.

The lunch menu showed that Guy ate a double patty bacon burger when he was here.  That was a little too much for me so, I just went for one of their burritos for lunch.

Service very friendly and fast.  The table they put me at first was a little dirty but, she fixed that quickly.  I had asked for a slice of lemon for my water.  It sure looked and tasted like orange slices.

Parking limited. Downtown area. Bring change for parking meter.


The burrito was really good.  It was chicken with just the right amount of chorizo spice in a bath of the New Mexico green chile sauce.    This is what you are looking for with a triple-D restaurant.

I would rate Cecilia's a 9.1.  Great points for food, good points for atmosphere, slightly negative points for cleanliness.  I would still go back.

Cecilia's Cafe
230 6th Street Southwest
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 243-7070
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cecilias-Cafe/184663328221698