UYE Ray’s Cafe Dinner #4

How have I not written a review for Paul and David’s awesome UYE dinner? Total Unilocal slacker :(
If you have never attend an UYE, you must attend one of Paul and David’s UYE at Ray’s Café. Be warned that seats for this event are filled faster than Bruno Mars tickets going on sale. :) For those who don’t know, Ray’s Café is a tiny, hole in the wall establishment in Kalihi. Yes it can be a bit intimidating for those not familiar with Kalihi at night, but it’s perfectly fine. As is street parking in Kalihi, it’s a bit tough to find parking, but I was lucky this time around. Of course, Maka had a good laugh because I had trouble pulling into the stall. Fail. :(But luckily, Maka was nice enough to move forward a bit :) Also, if you’re one who isn’t comfortable being squeezed together with fellow Unilocalers for dinner, you’ll get past that pretty quickly ;)
31 awesome lucky Unilocalers were squeezed into Ray’s Café for a delicious dinner of either prime rib (perfectly cooked and with horseradish sauce on the side), mahi mahi/​fried chicken, or rack of pork chop/​fried chicken. I ordered the pork chop since I’ve tried both the prime rib and mahi at previous events. I was a bit worried thinking that the pork chop may be dried out. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a super moist pork chop. AMAZING! It was even juicy the next day when I ate the rest of it for lunch!
As always, my fellow Unilocalers amazed me with their cooking skills and of course drinking skills :) Beverages flowed (Mahalo Ramfis for the ono beer and Darrell for the jello shots). Mahalo to all those who made desserts. Aunty Nadine makes a super ono almond float. Mahina made a delicious creamsicle dessert.
I can’t wait till UYE #5 :)
#6 of 100 2015

This was Paul C’s fourth UYE and this was my fourth time attending this epic event. What does that tell you? If you haven’t attended one of these mind blowing UYE’s that Paul C and David T host then all I can say is that you guys don’t know what your missing.
I really think that it’s harder to attend one of Paul’s UYE’s here at Ray’s Café than get a reservation at the French Laundry in Yountville because once Paul C posts this exclusive event on Unilocal,it only takes a matter of minutes before this very special event is sold out. So don’t be like that Australian Golfer who passed out on the sidewalk and got beef jerky all over his face and say that he got drugged and kidnapped and say that he couldn’t attend Paul C’s UYE because he couldn’t RSVP when he had the chance to.
Now this particular UYE at Ray’s Café is in my eyes what put Ray’s Café on the map. Chef Felix’s Prime Rib is one for the ages and for those of you who have never eaten this Slab of Carniverous Ecstacy, you just don’t know what your missing. There were three menu options to choose from and they all came with two pieces of Chef Felix’s Amazing Fried Chicken which is so crunchy and juicy it would put Zippy’s Chicken to shame and make Jollibees want to take their business back to the Phillippines. He also had his famous Rack of Pork Chops available as well and let me tell you, these Pork Chops are so Thick and Juicy, there is not one place I know on this island that can rival these Pork Chops. It’s that damn good. And what can I say about his Macaroni Salad as well. Let’s just say if that Australian Golfer took a bite of this, maybe he would remember what else he did during his drunken stupor besides going to a Strip Club and running a $ 3,400 dollar tab.
UYE Events are always memorable to me because we get to meet Unilocalers in real life and to me, that’s priceless because we all bond together for two hours and those two hours are very precious to me because we are like one big happy family and to see the same faces such as Darrell and Sophie P, Jenn S, Maggie T, Lyla and Ed, Janice and Gabe, Lisa T and Jin, Mahina C, Jon N, Gary N, Maka K, Cathy T, Li Y, Nadine C, Luis, Darin, Victoria M, Erika O, David T, Paul C, and others who I forgot to mention, this is what being Unilocalers is all about.
Big thanks goes out to Paul and David for starting us off with those Ding Ding’s from Nanding’s Bakery. They were so soft and small it reminds me of what my wife says to me all the time.
Thanks to Li for those snacks to go with our Happy Juice
Thanks to Aunty Nadine for her famous Almond Float
Thanks to Lisa T for those Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Thanks to Mahina C for her Dreamsicle Cake
And Big thanks to Darrell and Sophie P for those kickass Grey Goose Jello Shots with Li Hing Mui Powder which was a perfect way to end the evening.
And to Chef Felix, the little filipino chef who makes Ray’s Café what it is today, a very big Thanks to you for feeding 30 very hungry Unilocalers and doing this all by yourself with your two sidekicks Paul and David who served us very intoxicated Unilocalers graciously
I’m anxiously awaiting for Paul C’s UYE at Ray’s Café #5. Thanks again Paul and David for another unforgettable event. You two definitely know how to throw it down…

There are talk threads, jokes, rumors, and more all about these infamous UYEs that Paul C. hosts! Why all the hype and talk you ask? Because space is ALWAYS limited! I thank my lucky stars that I troll Unilocal event listings on the daily (it’s my job, m’kay? But seriously…) or there’s no way I would’ve seen this event go up!
Anywho, 31 people somehow managed to squeeze into the tiny space that is Ray’s Café for the 4^th UYE dinner co-​hosted by Paul C. & David T! Prime rib & fried chicken for everyone… except those people that ordered pork chops w/​fried chicken or mahimahi… but why would anyone pass up the chance to eat a ginormous slab of prime rib w/​2 large fried chicken breasts and a side of salad & rice for the low, low price of $ 24 (including tax/​tip)!!! The correct answer should be «no one,» but hey, people make mistakes lol. :P
Huge portions of food aside, there was a lot of what Paul C. likes to call «Happy Juice» going around, i.e. LOTS of BYOB action all over. There was tons of wine on my table (thanks Oliver, Gary N & Victoria), jello shots (from Daniel C & Darrell P), and liquor galore (cue Ramfis B)! Happy juice makes for happy Unilocalers — great conversations, funny jokes, new friends, and all that good stuff that Unilocal is all about.
Surprisingly, there weren’t an onslaught of desserts as there normally are, but Mahina C (dreamsicle cake), Lisa T (lemon meringue cupcakes), and Nadine C (almond float) were all kind enough to provide us with some delicious homemade treats made with love and magic (seriously, don’t know where they find the time to make this stuff!) lol.
As always, a good time w/​good people. I’m really happy I made it to the event. It was great seeing people returning from long trips, people I hadn’t seen since events back in 2014, and a few new faces as well!

It has been 3 days and I’m still thinking about those pork chops. Paul and David always put on a great event and this night did not disappoint! I was lucky to find parking close by since street parking after 6 pm is free.
After the patron’s left, we took over and rearranged the tables to squeeze in 30 people. My table consisted of Lyla and Ed, Janice and Gabe, Sophie and Darrell, Li, Ramfis and me.
I ordered the pork chops and oh my gosh… When I first looked at it I was shocked at the amount of food on my plate. Tossed salad, 2 small scoops of rice, 2 pieces of fried chicken and 2 pork chops for $ 16 (including tip)!! It was enough for 2 meals! The pork chops didn’t need any gravy; they were moist and flavorful. Great job Felix!
Thank yous go to:
* Ramfis for the yuzu from Japan, the apple Crown Royal, Sake, the Johnnie Walker Blue and for sharing his mac salad!
* Darrell P, your jello shots were beautiful, hella potent but yummy! (guess I’m a light weight now… LOL)
* Lyla and Ed for the 2 different flavors of Iichiko.
* Mahina for the orange dreamsicle cake
* Lisa for the lemon cupcakes
* Nadine for her famous almond float
* Paul for the Spanish rolls from Nandings
* Li for the pupus

Nadine’s dessert is almond float. she makes it the traditional style with evaporated milk in the gelatin versus milk or agar agar usage.
I have different friends that are Filipino and they call the dish halohalo that is mixed fruit. I made the mistake and called it the wrong thing.
Hope this clarifies for anyone, sorry for any inconvenience.
Again– Unilocalers in HI are so wonderful. UYEs are possible not just because of the host but also because of generous and gregarious guest Unilocalers.
Hope to see you all at other great UYEs!
Mahalo–
Darin

FINALLY got to attend Paul’s famous UYE at Ray’s!
A special thanks to Paul C. and Nadine C. for coordinating with me in Thailand so that I was able to come to this UYE. Thank you David T. for all that you did to help make this UYE possible as well. After attending, I know why this UYE fills up so fast! It was awesome! Felix did a great job in preparing and having us at Ray’s for this UYE. The prime rib was perfect like always. It was the first time I had their fried chicken and the skin was so crispy while the meat was still so juicy. The evening was filled with great food and conversation. I don’t want to miss anyone so a BIG MAHALO to everyone who brought something to share! It made the night special. Already looking forward to the next Ray’s UYE!

TRIVIA: How many minutes did it take for this UYE to fill-​up? Answer to be disclosed at the end of this review.
The child in me will never change. Since as a small child I worry a lot and still do. I plan things out ahead and want to execute tasks well. Perhaps you should have been in my mind when planning out this menu with Chef Felix and David T. in the brainstorming process. It was running in many directions! I wanted variety but didn’t want to stress Felix out. I wanted a menu that some food could be made ahead of time to alleviate stress.
First of all, a HUGE MAHALO to Chef Felix for once again closing down his restaurant early to squeeze in a RECORD 31 Yeeps into his tiny restaurant. As a server, there was NO WAY you could squeeze through the 3 long tables to deliver food or refill cups. Thanks to all who cooperated in passing bowls of tossed salad, plates of macaroni salads and SUPER HOT plates of food to the right person. You guys are so awesome!
While David T. and I were in Kalihi early to get 5-​dozen of Nanding’s Spanish Rolls (aka DING-​DINGS) since they close at 6pm on Tuesdays, I also had to coordinate a take-​out for my cousin who was stopping by for a drive-​by at 6pm. I heard Felix and his waitress turn down a few patrons as he was closing his kitchen early for OUR private function.
Secondly, a HUGE THANK YOU to all participants who squeezed in last night for a memorable meal. I would like to recognize first time participants to my Ray’s Café UYE Series: Daniel C., Oliver (Daniel’s +1), Erika O., Luis R. and his lovely wife, Chris (Luis’ friend), Darin O., Wesley J. and Gabe H. (Janice H.‘s hubby). I also want to recognize David T.‘s cousins Debbie B. and Rick B. who are currently vacationing in Hawaii and took part in this UYE.
And thank you to David T. for listening to my many ideas and grounding me as I am very capable of biting off more than I can chew. His input and cooperation is important in the continued success and popularity of this UYE series.
I am amazed on how Chef Felix was cranking HOT plates of food from his kitchen. As many of you have witnessed either in person or via pictures, the quantity is impressive and quality is NOT compromised. Cooking in bulk and quickly to serve 31 hungry Yeeps — — NOT an easy task. It was about 620pm and although most people arrived, Chef Felix asked if he could start serving the tossed salad. He was EAGER to feed us.
I would like to extend SHOUT OUTS to the following individuals:
1) Nadine C. for granting my wish of dessert choice. She is an amazing baker and dessert maker. LOVE LOVE LOVE her almond float!
2) Lisa T. for those incredible lemon meringue cupcakes. So flavorful with many layers. I’m no baker but can imagine the labor intensive steps for each cupcake.
3) Mahina C. for the Dreamsicle Cake. I can still taste that ONO upside-​down pineapple cake she baked for Ray’s Café UYE #1. She can also make a mean Spam musubi. This girl has it all. In addition, she’s also a DUCK fan!!!
4) Daniel C. for those potent Jello shots. Tastes almost like pure alcohol. I remember those deceptive cups of Jello from a previous party he brought them to. I had a few and got drunk fast!
5) Darrell P. and Sophie P. for those unique and very tasty LI-​HING Jello shots. To have emptied clean lemons and oranges to pour Jello and cut them so clean. Just LOVED the presentation. And for flavor, POTENT!!! They also brought BOTTLES and BOTTLES of «happy juice» to share with others. Thanks guys!
6) Ramfis B. — - he’s the MASTER. His presence brings the party to another level. Not to mention, his bottles and bottles of «happy juice» were passed to all 3 tables. Very generous and thoughtful. And thank you for that Marcus Mariota t-​shirt. He’s also a fellow Duck fan. Can a person be any more cooler?
7) Li Y. for the PUPUS to start the dinner. Those snap pea crisps were a delicious appetizer to munch on before our meal.
8) Cathy T. and John N. — - these 2 have attended ALL of my 9 UYE’s that I have either hosted or co-​hosted. Maka K. comes next at attending 8 of 9. I appreciate the Unilocal LOVE and SUPPORT these cool Yeeps have for me.
9) Victoria M. for that lovely cigar lei with kukui nuts and mock orange. Is it that obvious that I do NOT get LEI’D often enough? :P
I am very glad both Luis R. and Darin O. attended my Ray’s Café UYE. I have been entertained with the Talk Threads for months now. They even cornered me at the Unilocal Elite Event at Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room in December 2014 wanting a seat at this UYE. I am humbled and honored by people wanting to attend my UYE’s.
In closing, co-​hosting UYE’s takes a lot of energy out of me but I enjoy seeing people happy over good food, good company and good conversation.
ANSWER: 32 minutes
P. S. Today, January 21^st is Darrell P.‘s birthday. Had I known ahead of time I would have arranged something for him. Next year buddy!

What a great night at Ray’s Café UYE hosted by Paul C. and David T. It just keeps getting better every time!
I think we got there about 6:15 pm and by 6:30 I was riding a really good buzz from the drinks flowing from bruddah Ramfis and sistah Lyla and Jennifer. Thank goodness for Paul and David for bringing those Spanish rolls. Definitely needed something in the belly to soak up some alcohol. Thank you!
The Prime Rib and Fried Chicken, as always was a winnah. You can’t go wrong with this dish. The au jus with the horse radish made it a bliss if you’re a meat eater. The fried chicken, crispy and moist as ever. Bruddah Ramfiis shared some of his pork chop with me and it was hella good and moist as well.
The deserts were great as well. Thank you Mahina C. for bringing the orange dreamsicle cake, Lisa T. for the lemon meringue cupcakes and Aunty Nadine C. for her famous almond float. They were all delicious! I hope everyone got to try the jello shots. It was my first time making it so bare with me. It will get better.
Mahalo once again to our great host Paul C. and David T. for another successful #4 UYE and Felix in the back putting up with all the noise coming from the other tables.

What can I say. it was another stupendous eventing with David T & Paul C! We were seated on the table with Ramfis, Sophie & Darrell P, Janice & Gabe. Jennifer S and Li Y. Boy oh boy did the liquor, er, spirits flow!
We started with Vodka Jello Shots, Apple Crown Royal, Proseco with Hibiscus, Yuzu sake from Japan, Iichiko Bar Fruits Yuzu and Ume Shochu, and Johnnie Walker Blue label. all BEFORE Our salads arrived! Paul, David, Maggie and Ed D were helping to «distribute» the entrées to the various tables of hungry and fun-​loving Yeeps. We had previously placed our orders through Paul C by January 12^th to ease the ordering process. We ordered the pork chops and fried chicken combination for the super-​low price of $ 16/​pp while others ordered the prime rib & chicken combination for $ 24/​pp. or the Catch of the Day and fried chicken combination for $ 16/​pp. All of the prices included tax and tip. It was so worth it!
If you have a chance to go to Ray’s Café, you’ll be amazed by Chef Felix’s portions to cost value and how flavorful his food is. Simple is good! We’re also thankful to co-​hosts Paul C and David T for coordinating this fun UYE and accommodating all of the different menus selections. Special mention goes to Nadine for bringing her famous almond float, Lisa T who brought those luscious lemon meringue cupcakes and the orange dreamsicle cake by Mahina.
Oooh, I have the feeling that I’ll wake with a hangover tomorrow morning… but, I’ll remember the fun, great conversation and company, tasty food and camaraderie we had. Thanks, again, Paul and David for this marvelous UYE!

How the hell did Paul find this joint? This area is a little ghetto looking. Reminds me of home though, but like home, I wasn’t sure if my car would be in one piece or there at all after the event.
Let me tell you, when we got there that place was crowded. I mean, you have to suck in your gut to squeeze by crowded. After going back outside and running a few miles, I came back a few pounds lighter so I can squeeze into my chair. Once seated, I was introduced to some banging bread. It tasted like «Pan de Sal» with some extra goodness. Along with the salad and Thousand Island dressing it was legit.
Listen, if you came here looking for carbs, i.e. rice, on your main dish, this was not the place. This was a straight protein meal. Those pork chops were big and delicious. The chicken was superhot and perfectly fried. In reality this was two meals in one and all I can say, is that to give this away for $ 13.00 is ridiculous. This dude must have a connect at the pig/​chicken farms or something.
Darin O ate the whole damn meal. I think he was the only one to do so. I felt bad for Ramfis though; I think he was looking for more carbs. He mentioned something about not being aware of a rice shortage and was looking for some more. To keep it real though they were a little stingy with the rice but don’t worry Ramfis I got you the next time I see you bro.
Dessert came out and I think there was more than everyone could handle. Those Jell-​O shots were potent. I think they were made with straight liquor. I am still trying to figure out how the hell you make Jell-​O shots out of carved orange and lemon peels. Classy touch Darrell. I have to say that my favorite dessert was that creamsicle cake. Off the hook yo!!!
And of course you need some dessert wine to go with dessert but since there was no dessert wine Ramfis decided to share his $ 200 Jonny Walker Blue label bottle. I think everyone had a shot at the restaurant. To buy those at a club/​bar can range from $ 30 -$ 60 a shot depending on where you go. All I saw was Maka pouring shots of Blue label like she was at church pouring some wine. The bottle came and went and so did the night. Thanks for the shots Ramfis
.
Also great seeing a few other Unilocalers, Victoria, John, Darin, Darrell, Maka, Cathy, and Nadine. Cool peeps there.
Thanks to the hosts Paul and David for a great event. I enjoyed my first UYE and I look forward to many more. Hopefully, next time you can sit down and enjoy.

«Continuous Improvement»
ENVIRONMENT
Each time David T. & Paul C. plan a UYE (Unofficial Unilocal Event), it’s better than the previous Event. For example, the major change at Ray’s Café #4 was the table configuration. This time, the tables were arranged in three long lines to accommodate more people — how clever is that?
DESSERTS
Another difference was the desserts — just when you think it can’t get any better, it does! Somehow, all of the green and red Jello shooters made by Daniel C. got all slurped up before a photo could be taken! Those were POTENT! I couldn’t finish, so I had to get some assistance from our Ambassador, Cathy T. She’s so helpful!
If I had to give an award for most Creative Dessert, it would be Darrell’s Lemonade and Orange Jello shooters! How did he empty out those fresh fruits and get the skin perfect enough to make a bowl?
The award for most Beautiful and Intricate dessert goes to Lisa T.‘s Lemon Meringue cupcakes. I can figure out how she made it, but I believe it is very time-​consuming and difficult! Injecting the cupcake with the lemon filling is not an easy task. Getting those raw sugar sprinkles to stick to the frosting is tricky, too!
Most Delicious Dessert award goes to Mahina for that moist and tasty Creamsicle cake! The temperature of it… just kicked it up a notch! Man — the frosting complimented the cake perfectly! My eyes were going to pop out when I took that first bite! YOWZA!
FOOD
We started with soft & buttery Spanish Rolls from Nanding Bakery, courtesy of our hosts; and Snap Pea Veggie sticks from Li Y. The tossed green salads were fresh and crisp! Instead of lobster or lamb, the main entrée featured this time was the PORK CHOPS — OMG! Very succulent and flavorful! Plus the Fried Chicken (with the crispy skin — someone said, «better than Zippy’s»), for a total of $ 16, including tax & tip? What a steal! (Other options included Prime Rib and Mahimahi.)
PEOPLE
There were some new faces! My table enjoyed the humorous conversations of Darin O., Chris, and Luis and his beautiful wife! We also dined with David’s relatives from Texas! Their company sure added spice to our meal!
Overall, it was again a successful event — thanks to Felix for opening his restaurant to us! The noise level and intensity of laughter reminded me of those movies in which Italian families are dining together… Hey — is that what this is? A Unilocal family?

Yep an amazing uye and evening packed with fun, food, fabulous people, ohh and of course, spirits… lots of happy spirits. Paul and David so graciously and tirelessly took care of their guests all night while Felix cooked like a little army in the back. Thank you guys for putting up with all the rowdiness. I thought for sure the police would come this time to break up the party!
Pregame snacks of Nanding’s famous spanish rolls by David and Paul and snap pea veges sticks by me got us started to help prime our tummies for all the alcohol about to pour. Delicious offerings, on our table alone, by Darrell, Ramfis, Jennifer, and Lyla. Desserts expertly provided by Lisa T (homemade lemon meringue cupcakes), Nadine C (almond float by request of host Paul), and Mahina C (dreamy orange creamsicle cake) rounded off the evening. What an evening it was!