Michael Mohica Brings the Islands to Boise

Hawaiian cuisine was “fusion” before fusion was hip.  Michael Mohica, the owner of Ono’s Hawaiian Café and Kanak Attack Catering, learned that truth a long, long time ago from his grandmother.

I spent a part of my youth in San Jose, and during those years my favorite neighbors were the Ragasas, a family of Filipino origins who came to California from Hawaii.  It was “Uncle Al” and “Auntie Liz” who first introduced me to the cuisine of their laid back, hang loose, multicultural island heritage.  At their annual backyard luaus, which included a whole pig slow-cooked in a covered pit, I learned a truth that I’ve only now been able to express: Hawaiian cuisine was “fusion” before fusion was hip.  Michael Mohica, the owner of Ono’s Hawaiian Café and Kanak Attack Catering, learned that truth a long, long time ago from his grandmother.

Michael came to Boise from Oahu in fall 1998 at the tail end of a cross-country trip to check out the strange ways of the mainland, and to find a culinary school to his liking.  It just so happened that his brother worked at Micron, and as if the fates had planned his itinerary, he had the good fortune of seeing Boise in all its fall splendor.  Goodbye Waikiki, hello City of Trees.  It also didn’t hurt that Michael was impressed with Boise State’s Culinary Arts program.

After graduation, Michael set about his mission of bringing the wonders of Island Fare to the benighted “haoles” (Hawaiian slang for us mainland “crackers”) of Idaho.  In 2001 he started his catering enterprise, Kanak Attack (another slang term meaning “eating so much that you want to take a nap” – think Thanksgiving and you get the idea), and it wasn’t too many special event gigs before throngs of believers were lined up at his catering rig and asking him where his restaurant was located…and expressing disappointment over his answer that they were standing in front of it.

All that changed seven years later when Michael opened Ono’s Hawaiian Café on Broadway, in what had previously been Berryhill’s (we used to joke about Berryhill’s being located in Rubber Alley – behind a Firestone tire dealer and a condom shop – get it?  Man, I love that pun!).

Michael firmly believes that Hawaiian food goes beyond an eclectic mash up of culinary cultures.  It’s a genre.  “I’m drawing on a tradition of what we call ‘plate lunches’ in Hawaii – a mix of different ethnic foods that includes Asian, Spanish, Filipino, Japanese, and Korean, as well as Polynesian.

While you might expect most chefs to tell you that they were born to cook, Michael is the only one I’ve talked to in years who has actually said just that.  “I was raised in a kitchen cooking with my grandmother, who taught me everything I know about cooking.”  And what he learned, he brings to Ono’s.  “It’s the things I remember seeing, the flavors I remember, the things I grew up with.  It’s in my heart, in everything I do.”

Michael firmly believes that Hawaiian food goes beyond an eclectic mash up of culinary cultures.  It’s a genre.  “I’m drawing on a tradition of what we call ‘plate lunches’ in Hawaii – a mix of different ethnic foods that includes Asian, Spanish, Filipino, Japanese, and Korean, as well as Polynesian.”  That mix shows up in a number of Ono’s signature dishes.

Let’s start with Michael’s teriyaki steak (courtesy of our very own Snake River Farms), sliced thin and marinated in teriyaki (duh!), quickly grilled and served with coconut infused rice and macaroni salad (a traditional side dish in Hawaii).  Or how about Ono’s chicken katsu, a Hawaiian fusion take on a traditional Japanese dish of breaded chicken breast, deep fried and served with a fruit-based tonkatsu sauce.  And then there’s the kimchee shrimp: Hawaiian shrimp sautéed in Korean pickled cabbage.  Some like it hot.

And all this doesn’t even get into the presentation factor around Michael Mohica’s dishes.  Those aren’t tears of joy, brah.  That’s your eyeballs salivating!

Along with the star of the show, Kalua Pig, is a supporting cast of other traditional luau favorites: homemade sweet rolls, Filipino lumpia, kalbi (a sweet, spicy Korean fried chicken), seafood dishes with bold Korean sauces, beefsteak steamed in taro leaf, a house salad and tropical fruit salad.  Did I mention dessert?

If you really want to pick up on what Ono’s is putting down, island style, you need to show up on a Friday for a buffet lunch or dinner.  It’s the closest you’ll get to a luau, short of Uncle Al’s place in East San Jo, homs.  In fact, for Michael Mohica, it’s the next best thing to having you over to his backyard.  No surprise here, but the centerpiece is Ono’s kalua pig.  Close your eyes and listen to the gentle sounds of the surf in the background as Michael whispers in your ear, “it’s just as you would find it in someone’s backyard, cooked for 12 to18 hours, seasoned only with salt and pepper.  It’s the smokiness and steam that keeps it moist and flavorful; it falls off the bone.”  Michael, you had me at “slow cooked”.

Along with the star of the show is a supporting cast of other traditional luau favorites: homemade sweet rolls, Filipino lumpia, kalbi (a sweet, spicy Korean fried chicken), seafood dishes with bold Korean sauces, beefsteak steamed in taro leaf, a house salad and tropical fruit salad.  Did I mention dessert?  There’s halpia, a Hawaiian coconut pudding, and pineapple upside down cake, to mention just two (check out the display case at the counter as you walk into the restaurant).

On Friday nights, throw in Hawaiian dancing and the incomparable ukulele stylings of “Uncle Herbs”, and you get a bit of the island ambiance that Michael wants to deliver along with the food.  “I want to create a destination for people who have been to Hawaii and remember how great the flavors are,” says Michael.

In the Hollywood version of the Ono’s Hawaiian Cafe story, Michael Mohica brings his grandmother to Boise to join him once again in the kitchen.  His kitchen.  Reality, however, is less sentimental.  Michael’s grandmother passed away last year; but not before she’d seen photographs of her grandson’s dream come true.  I know she must have been proud.  Sadly, Uncle Al passed away last year as well, but I’m equally certain that if he’d ever made it to Boise, he’d have felt right at home in Michael Mohica’s backyard.

Ono Hawaiian Cafe is located at 2170 Broadway Ave., Boise.  Restaurant hours are Monday – Thursday, 11 am to 9 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 10 pm.  You can contact Ono’s at 208-429-6800, or learn more about its menu and catering services by visiting www.onocafe.net