Ashland Oregon ~ Vinyl Club Hawaiian Restaurant and Nightclub

i found a reference to a new restaurant in Ashland.. any of you PNW TC'ers been here yet? the tiny picture in the article looks promising.. 471 miles from seattle.. worth the drive?

here's the text from http://www.dailytidings.com/2004/0518/051804b1.shtml

Hawaiian Spirit in Ashland

By Bill Choy
Ashland Daily Tidings

Plate lunch. It doesn't mean much on the mainland yet, but ask any Hawaiian and they'll tell you it is a culinary way of life in the 50th state.

Bartender Bethany Newton prepares for an evening of fun, Hawaiian style.

Photo by Satsuki Doi / Ashland Daily Tidings

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The plate lunch is a simple, inexpensive and plentiful meal normally consisting of two scoops of rice and macaroni salad that accompany a main course that encompasses the various cultures of Hawaii.

This could include kalbi ribs, a Korean delicacy consisting of thinly sliced short ribs marinated in a sweet Korean sesame sauce, chicken katsu, a Japanese delicacy of panko coated chicken served with a Japanese style barbecue sauce and kaula pig, a Hawaiian smoked pork dish.

Now, Ashlanders can experience these and other plate lunch specialties at the Vinyl Club Hawaiian Restaurant and Nightclub on Will Dodge Way, which opened on Saturday.

The idea was conceived by Eric Mak, promotions manager for the Vinyl Club who was born and raised in Honolulu.

Mak said the club's owner, Shar Benbarak, wanted to expand food service to include lunch. Previously, the club served crepes. Mak suggested offerings plate lunches and the idea of a Hawaiian plate lunch establishment was born.

"It's such good food and it's such an eclectic mix," he said. "We take all the good stuff of other cultures and put it all together. And the portions are large. With a plate lunch, there's only one size - the big one."

While Mak is not a cook himself, he knew he had nothing to worry about.

One of the first things he did was ask one of his best friends, Kris Mood, to head the kitchen. He was raised on the North Shore of the island of Oahu, famous for its surf and excellent plate lunches.

The pair met in 1998 on a shuttle bus in Medford as they made their way to freshman orientation at Southern Oregon University.

Mood had worked at numerous plate lunch establishments in Hawaii and in the kitchens at Omar's and Quinz here in Ashland.

"I kept begging him and begging him and he agreed," Mak said. "He's like the best cook, especially with Hawaiian plate lunch food. He cooks me food once a week so I knew it was real good."

Mood is offering food he was raised on and authentic recipes he has learned over the years. For Mood, it's a wonderful experience to offer transplanted Hawaii residents and others a chance to have a plate lunch in Ashland.

"This brings the Hawaii flavor here," he said. "It's very filling, delicious, homestyle food. It's the soul food of the Pacific. I want to give people a taste of the aloha spirit."

Food that is being served at the Vinyl Club include chicken adobo, a Filipino specialty, which is seasoned with vinegar and bay leaf, Mahi Mahi, guava chicken, teriyaki beef and chicken and one of the most popular plate lunch staples, the "Loco Moco."

The dish consists of two beef patties and two over-easy eggs, smothered in brown gravy. While this might sound unique, ask almost anyone from Hawaii and they'll tell you it's quite Ono (Hawaiian for delicious).

The prices at the restaurant range from $6 for kalbi ribs and kaula pig and top out at $9 for coconut shrimp.

And the macaroni salad is quite authentic, Mood assures.

"It's really smooth and melts in your mouth," he said.