UYE Ray’s Cafe Prime Rib Dinner

Date: Sunday May 25^th
Time: Approximately 10am
Place: Ray’s Café
I was having an early lunch chowing down on full rack of lamb with fellow Elite David T. after spending a couple of hours at the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. We’ve been tossing the idea of choosing Ray’s Café for a UYE. Restaurant is small, they don’t have the best service, not in the best neighborhood and you toss in limited street parking… very hesitant.
Just about done with our lamb, Felix walks out to greet his guests and I pulled him on the side if he’d consider closing his place earlier one weekday night and have us take over his joint for a prime rib dinner and he agreed!
I always stress out when planning my UYE’s. I want my guests to have a good time. I want them to enjoy the food. I want them to socialize with others and have a blast. As I reflect back that night when a total of 27 peeps squeezed into Ray’s Café, I think I succeeded:
1) This UYE originally could seat 23 people and the event was FULL in 24 hours of posting the event. I consulted with Felix and we squeezed in another 4 seats and still had to wait list people!
2) Event officially started at 630pm and at 620pm 26 people showed up. We did receive note that Mahina C. would be a little late. Blown away by the 100% in attendance that night!
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for co-​host David T. in planning this event. His input as well as bringing a plastic pitcher and cups (which Felix also provided that night) were pieces needed to finish the puzzle!
We would also like to thank Ramfis B., Nadine C. and Mahina C. for bringing desserts that evening. At first we were contemplating where to have post UYE dessert when planning but received offers from these 3 to bring dessert as Ray’s Café doesn’t serve any. There is one thing special about Hawaii — — people bring food to feed the ARMY!!! The chocolate cream pies from Sunny Side, brownie bites from Kilani Bakery (both courtesy of Ramfis B.), GINORMOUS bowl of almond float (courtesy of Nadine C.) and the still very warm upside down pineapple cake (courtesy of Mahina C.) were out of this world!!! We would also like to thank Li Y. for bringing «pupus» — — the Raging Crab Primo popcorn and HUGE bottle of white wine. What a great compliment!!! Also, thanks to the peeps who brought beverages and shared them with others.
In order to prevent our favors from crumbling, we decided to package them once we got there but recruited the awesome team of Darrell P. and Sophie P. Thanks for helping out guys!!!
Also, we need to thank Felix for having us that night and roasting prime rib specially just for us! FYI: He makes it weekly from Friday to Monday where it often sells out. So MAHALO for the special cooking for us on a Wednesday! We were prepared but Felix brought out cups and plates for the booze and dessert. Sure was not expecting him to provide them that night.
When hosting UYE’s it doesn’t bother me to step up to the plate and help out. I used to work at a restaurant during junior high and high school so it was cool to relive those days by serving water and delivering food. Refilling water cups is one thing my boss made me do all the time so I kept an eye for low cups!
In closing, I thank all who made this evening a memorable one. With such a great response and support from many we’ll be sure to have another UYE here.
NOTES:
1) I would like to thank John N., Cathy T. and Maka K. as all THREE have attended all of my 5 UYE’s I’ve held/​co-​hosted so far. Your guys ROCK!!!
2) Apologies to Nadine C. as I was able to guess her secret ingredient in her almond float. She makes awesome desserts so I knew it was gonna be good when we were discussing her making this. Nadine told me not many know about her «secret ingredient» but I knew it after I took a bite!
3) And apologies to those who were not able to make it due to either date change, change of plans or not able to attend due to full house. We hope you can attend the next one.

I would classify Ray’s Café as one of those hole in the wall places where only local foot traffic, truly dedicated foodies or friends of one of these would find, but if you do happen upon Ray’s little gem consider yourself lucky.
I look forward my next visit however parking can be a challenge so you may have to park on a side street and do a little trek to get there. Although the place seems rather small it was able to fit quite a number of Unilocalers, but they are a rather amiable effusive bunch that have little to no haphephobia.
If you’re sitting around with a group of friends considering where to eat give this place a shot, Ray’s has something that even picky eaters will enjoy. and if you do decide on Ray’s make sure to bring your appetite because Ray doesn’t fool around with the portion.
I had the Prime Rib which I recommend, the cut contained very little fat and it was cooked perfect for my taste, a very nice cut indeed. although the fried chicken looked tasty I had no room to try but others seemed to enjoy it greatly.

I’m sorry that this is a few days late but what a fun UYE! Actually, this was my first UYE too! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to our gracious hosts. Everyone was greeted with a smile and a hug from Paul & David. It was great to see familiar faces and meet new Yeeps too!
Li, Nadine and I carpooled and were able to find a parking fairly quickly in a loading zone (free to park after 4 pm… I think that’s what the sign said).
Thank you to Sophie P. and Darrell P. for reserving our table! haha Just kidding! Thanks for letting us sit with you two. We had fun conversation, wine, laughs and the food… oh the food!
Paul worked hard, making sure that everyone received the food that they ordered and even went as far as filling up glasses of water as needed. Paul is awesome!
We started with a simple veggie salad with your choice of dressings (ranch or French). Next came the main course. I ordered the fish of the day. It was a substantial piece of mahimahi. It was flavored well, cooked crispy on the outside and moist and soft in the middle and came with 2 small scoops of rice (I say small because I love rice and probably could’ve eaten 2 more small scoops). LOL Everyone else at my table ordered the prime rib. Holy cow! That thing was thick and looked good. Sophie P. let me try a slice of hers (she likes hers cooked a little more which is just the way I like it too). Yum-​E! For a few extra bucks you could upgrade to the fried chicken. 2 pieces of perfectly fried chicken. Crispy skin (which I gave to Nadine) and great flavor! Upgrade! Just do it! It’s worth it!
Wait, it didn’t stop there. Dessert! Thank you to Nadine, Mahina and Ramfis for bringing desserts! We had almond float, sunny side chocolate cream pie, brownie bites from Kilani Bakery and a family recipe pineapple upside down cake. So delicious. I was definitely stuffed!
Thank you to the hosts for the delicious cookies. I ate them the next day! Where did you get those from? Thin and crispy!
Thank you to those that shared their wine too!

Omg, Paul and Dave! What can I say! This was such an awesome UYE! I admit, I don’t frequently go out this way so I’m so excited to be introduced to another great «hole-​in-​the-​wall» place! Talk about hidden jewels! Thank you for setting this up and thank you to Ray and his crew for this special event opportunity!
I had been hearing so many great things about this infamous prime rib so I jumped at the chance to partake! And then someone said fried chicken and my inner stomach voice said I had to try that! So yes, prime rib and chicken for me!
We started with salad (gotta have some green) and then the plates were coming out. The cut of meat looked small at first but that was a lie. It was a thick cut slab of meat that was so juicy and perfectly cooked. The ajus (is that how it’s spelled?) was warm and no additional seasonings necessary! I don’t eat horseradish but that was ok! Then, the plates of chicken came out for those that ordered. 2 pc of crispy chicken which I only sampled… Cause the inner tummy voice cried out «getting full!» Of course my full tummy had nothing to do with the wine I had (one cup)… I don’t do well drinking wine and eating… plus I get insanely red, thank you to Victoria for pointing that out.
Once I was too full to eat, out came dessert! First we had almond float, made with love by Nadine. And then who could resist chocolate cream pie from sunny side bakery (I think Ramfis brought?) and a piece of homemade upside down pineapple cake, still warm made by Mahina! So Jacob, to answer the pie or cake question… BOTH! lol. And just in case there was a little more room in your belly, Kilani Bakery brownies (Also brought by Ramfis) got passed around too! Thank you to all who brought dessert!
Lastly, I’m just going to pretend this was birthday dinner #4 so thank you to everyone fo wishing me a Happy Birthday. I’m sorry I didn’t plan my party better and I’ll make it up to you! Thank you Paul and Dave for the lei!
Now my full belly and inner voice are going to digest and go to bed. Big day tomorrow so hopefully I can awaken from the food coma I am falling into…

After attending Paul and David’s UYE @ Ray’s Café, I woke up this morning feeling happy and carefree, very happy. Then half way to work while driving I realized I left with out my bra on… what happened last night, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!!!
Was planning to write this review last nite when I got home but… The evening is still a little hazy for me. I do remember wayyy too much alcohol flowing. I also remember the most awesome UYE hosted by David and Paul. Thank you to both for hosting this phenomenal evening!
Agree with Ramfis. Its great hangin with the Unilocal family. Last night attended by a little over half whom I had met at different Unilocal activities. The rest were Unilocalsters I enjoyed meeting for the first time. Agree, its like family pitching in when the need arises. Knowing the desserts were already planned out, last night I dipped into my «private emergency stash» of Raging Crab gourmet popcorn and shared with a nice double bottle of Chardonnay… kinda like the appetizer, the prelude to a great prime rib dinner. And great it was… thank you Paul for the special attention to my «special requests» meal… prime rib end cut with horseradish, green salad, no rice. You’re the bestest! Thank you also for the «Little Lamb…» coupons; can’t wait! The worst part of the evening was that, even with all the special attention you gave me, in my haze, I think you undercharged me… and I didn’t correct you! The guilt ways heavy so, we will just have to do something again soon! Maybe a «Little Lamb» meet up? :). Or, next time we bump into each other in Chinatown. I will have to buy you guys refreshingly icey smoothies to cool the day!
Thank you «Auntie Nadine» for the awesome homemade almond float… I know what the secret ingredient was… a «whole lotta love» …that or, the special water you have (is it gonna make us all a little cookoo?) !! Thank you Mahina for that delicious «secret family receipe» pineapple upside down cake; yum! Thank you Ramfis for the unbelievably memorable Sunnyside choco pudding pie AND brownie bites from Kilani Bakery. You’re da (odda) man of da hour! Thank you David and Paul for the delicious cookies (enjoying them today), for all the attentive and gracious hosting, and for dat discount price ;)
Am already looking forward to the next one, if any. I know braddah Ramfis is dreaming about seafood. I look forward to whatever is chosen to be enjoyed with fabulous dinner company! No need pake discount next time. :)

We have lived in Kalihi for a couple of decades so the neighborhood isn’t intimidating to me, but we were really concerned about parking so we arrived pretty early. As luck would have it we scored a stall in the loading zone close to the entrance. Glad we could help Paul C. and David T. small kine with bagging the delicious Lynn’s corn flake cookies they gave out as favors. Those cookies did not last long in our house! So ono!
It was nice to meet new people as they walked in. Since this was only my 2^nd UYE, I don’t know too many people yet so it’s nice to make new friendships. Thank goodness for name tags right? We were fortunate enough to sit with Nadine C. and Jennifer S. It was really nice to finally meet the infamous Nadine C. live and in person. And it was also really nice to meet and get to know Jennifer S. (Mahalo Jennifer for letting me taste the mahi!).
The prime rib was perfectly seasoned and was really flavorful. I am not a huge fan of meat, in general, unless its beef jerky-​like but I really wanted to experience the theme of the event to the fullest. This meat was really really good! Much better than I expected. My husband let me try the fried chicken which was also really good too. The skin was perfectly crispy and the chicken was moist without being too greasy. What a great dinner at a great price!
Then came the deserts! Omg… roll me out the door. Ramfis brought Sunnyside chocolate cream pies and Kilani bakery brownie bites. Mahina brought a scrumptious homemade pineapple upside down cake, and Aunty Nadine made an awesome almond float that I couldn’t get enough of! The room was so lively and full of chatter and laughing — there was a really great vibe in the place.
What a great job Paul C. and David T. did with this UYE! Fantastic food, wonderful company and good times! Thank you so much Ramfis, Mahina and Nadine for your thoughtfulness and generosity! Thank you also to everyone who shared their wine and spirit (thanks Victoria!). Thank you to Li for the raging crab popcorn, and to Paul C. for the Mongolian Hot Pot coupon. And a BIG Mahalo to Paul C. and David T. for hosting a very successful UYE! I am so looking forward to the next one!

As the sun sinks lower into the sky, we creep up the daunting streets of Kalihi. Inching out way ever closer, every hard fought step after the next. Finally we amass, surround our target, and descended upon the legendary Ray’s Café. We come face to face with the formidable army of Prime Rib accompanied by many renowned Add-​Ons Fried Chicken. Unilocalers, lead by Paul and Dave, standing united with fork and knife in hand are prepared for battle. A mighty war cry echoes across the battlefield, and the carnage ensues.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DINE!!!
Paul + Dave + Ray’s Café. What an epic combo!
Super huge mahalo to Paul and Dave for making this spectacular gathering of Unilocalers at one of Honolulu’s best hidden gems possible!
Ray’s Café has always been known for their delicious food, and especially their weekend prime rib! They have also been known for being a little out of the way. Near the edge of town, in not one of the best neighborhoods. And not having the best parking situation either. I’ve always imagined that it would be great to have a UYE here, but thought that it wouldn’t be possible because of all the hurdles, but Paul and Dave made it happen!
The food was hot, fresh, and delicious as to be expected from Chef Felix, the magic man who makes the delicious food. The byob drinks are always a wonderful enhancement to any gathering. And most importantly, dining in the company of such wonderful fellow foodies, these Hawaii Unilocalers is something that just can’t be beat!
Mahalo Nui to the awesome gang at Ray’s Café, to Super co-​hosts Paul and Dave, and to all my fellow Unilocaltastic dining companions (especially everyone who brought and shared your wine, and Nadine, Ramfis and Mahina for bringing such delicious desserts) for making this such an epic UYE!

I’ve lived in Kalihi most of my life, but I can’t say that certain areas don’t scare me… that being said, there are some hole-​in-​the-​wall spots that I’ve never been to that I always hear are amazeballz. If it weren’t for Paul C & David T’s UYE, I’m not sure I would’ve ever gone to Ray’s Café, but damn am I happy I signed up!
Speaking of signing up, holy begeezus! I’ve never heard of the UYE with that long of a wait list before in my life! A UYE! With a wait list! Totally unreal! I’m glad that I spend so much time scouring Unilocal event pages or I’m sure I would’ve been on said wait list instead of enjoying the company of a completely Unilocaler packed restaurant!
It was nearly a room full of prime rib dinners. Huge slabs of tender, juicy, red meat that just tasted great & didn’t break the bank (I feel like there’s a TWSS somewhere in there). Most people went for the prime rib, but I actually went for the company & got the Mahimahi (trying to be healthy & prime rib is a little fatty for me). That’s not to say I didn’t try the prime rib though! I sat next to Malia H, who graciously traded me some of her prime rib for some of my fish… while having a fun meat cutting demo lol. Anywho, I totally get what all the fuss is about! The portions at Ray’s are redonkulous & are such a GREAT deal!
Let’s not forget the copious amounts of wine and beer that were also floating around! Gotta love the BYOB action! Thanks Gary N for letting me steal 2 large cups or cabernet from you… SO sad that you couldn’t drink it! :P
Ray’s doesn’t sell dessert, but we definitely had more than enough! Paul C brought Lynn’s Cornflake Cookies, Nadine C brought homemade Almond Float, Mahina C brought homemade Pineapple Upside-​Down Cake & Ramfis brought Sunnyside Chocolate Cream pies & Kilani Bakery brownies! As a dessertaholic, there’s was no way to say no! It was just too hard to turn down homemade desserts & desserts that made the long journey from Wahiawa to Kalihi!
Anyway…ended up STUFFED by the end of the night; always the sign of a good UYE! ^_​^ Thanks to Paul C & David T for hosting, and to all the folks that contributed food or conversation to my awesome dining experience! Love ya!

What can twenty dollars get you here in Hawaii? Well if i told you that twenty dollars could get you a Nice Slab of Prime Rib and Two Pieces of Crispy and Juicy Fried Chicken from Ray’s Café in kalihi, you guys would think i’m crazy, but here at Ray’s Café here in Kalihi, not only is it a reality, but the food here at Ray’s Café for the price will just blow your mind away and if there’s a reason why i always recommend this Hole In The Wall Gem in the heart of Kalihi is because Ray’s Café is the real deal and that is the reason i didn’t even hesitiate on joining this UYE Event run by Paul C and David T because they too know a great deal when they see one.
I have to say, it is always a pleasure going to these UYE Events because it is always a pleasure to meet these Unilocal People in real life and i take great pleasure in meeting new Yeeps and other Yeeps i have met in person. It was nice to see the usual faces like Jacob N, Michael C, Maka K, Gary N, Cathy T, and meeting new people like Victoria M, Malia H, Mark H, Darren P, Kimo S, Lauren V, Li Y, and Jennifer S, Art S, and other i may not have mentioned.
All i can say is that when you have a UYE where you have a BYOB, there was all kinds of liquor and libations flowing throughout the restaurant. It was festive atmosphere here at Ray’s Café in the heart of Kalihi and everyone was having a great time.
What can i say about Chef Felix’s Prime Rib? It was spectactular as always and that Fried Chicken upgrade just took it over the top. I will tell you this people, you will not get a bigger bang for your buck anywhere on this island and the prices here at Ray’s Café still baffles me till this day. His food portions are crazy and the food never disappoints here.
And since there was no dessert available, i thought i would give my fellow Yeeps a taste of what Wahiawa has to offer by getting some Chocolate Cream Pies from Suunyside Bakery and some Brownie Bites from Kilani Bakery in Wahiawa. I was hoping to end this evening on a sweet note. I wasn’t alone with bringing dessert a s there was Almond Float and Pineapple Upside Cake to be had as well. That’s what being family is all about. Other Yeeps thinking about everyone elses well being. That’s why i’m so proud to be a part of Unilocal.
And for the two people who coordinated this spectactular event Dave T and Paul C, thank you so much for squeezing me in because this was a UYE Event for the ages. I can’t wait till the the next UYE Event at Ray’s Café with possibly King Crab Legs and Lobster in the works? What do you think Paul C???
In ending, i just want to say thanks again to Chef Felix for this wonderful food and thanks to Mark H for the delicious Sake and to Kimo S for turning me on to the Scherrer Chardonnay and Malbec from Argentina. We have to do this again Yeeps, This was a night for the ages and much mahalo Dave T and Paul C for running a UYE Event i will never forget. Oh by the way Paul C, those Cornflake Cookies from Lynne’s on my way home are a thing of the past as this Cookie Monster was devouring it on my way back to Mililani Mauka… Bwahahahahahaha

Counting the days as they go by all the way down to the last hour until it began, this was a long and anticipated wait for this UYE and it was definitely well worth the wait to get my T-​Rex action on.
The wife and I got here a little early so we were able to help Paul C bag the cornflake cookies he brougt for favors and at the same time getting to meet Ramfis B and David T. Sooner than you know it the place is filled with everyone. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to meet as much people as I could. If I didn’t, well theres always next time for sure.
For a lack of a better word the food was excellent and down right mmm mmm good! The prime rib with the chicken upgrade was well worth the $ 20.00 Felix did an outstanding job preparing everyone’s meal. It was just how I like it. Nice and red with a little run off and some nice crunchy fried chicken to take your palate from one flavor/​texture zone to another and back.
I learn a little as I go along to these UYEs. First was the BYOB and now the deserts. Nadine C brought her Almond Float. Ramfis brought some chocolate cream pie and brownie bites and that pineapple upside down cake! I haven’t had that in a long time. All very delicious and what a treat! You can bet I’m thinking of bringing some desert next time.
Once again I got to hang for a few hours with a wonderful Unilocal crowd, enjoying great food, great drinks, making some new friends and see some familiar ones as well. Thank you Paul C David T for putting on a very fun and successful UYE. And a special thanks to Felix and his workers behind the scene for opening up his kitchen for everyone to enjoy this awesome experience!

It’s pretty THICK, red, and juicy. It’s so big I don’t think I can shove it all into my mouth.
Yes, I WAS referring to the delicious and generous portion of prime rib served at this UYE at Ray’s Café. Really, what were YOU thinking about?! Tsk tsk.
As any follower of Paul C on instagram can attest, one can expect to find beautiful pics from his hikes, images of colorful flowers at the temple, and of course the mouth-​watering-​makes-​you-​wish-​you-​lived-​in-​town-​or-​at-​least-​closer-​to-​Kalihi prime rib at Ray’s Café. Shortly after this event was posted, the limited seats filled up faster than you can say Quidditch (this Harry Potter reference is for you Cathy). I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend such a FUN and enjoyable UYE, and I thank our wonderful hosts for being able to secure extra seats.
Arynn I. kindly offered to pick me up at home on her way to Kalihi, as the parking situation is not the greatest in this part of town. When we arrived David T directed us to park in the alley/​road on the side of the restaurant. Walking into the restaurant, we found fellow Unilocalers «talking story», having a drink, or catching up. As soon as everyone was settled/​arrived, David and Paul welcomed and thanked everyone who came to support their first endeavor at hosting an event at Ray’s Café. Soon after, the feast commenced.
A starter of green salad was served along with a choice of french or ranch dressing. While I was in the midst of eating my salad, the fish entrees started to make their way from the kitchen with Paul assisting with whom should receive those orders. And next, the main event: the prime rib. All I can is WOW. Wow, it’s so delicious and I probably could have eaten my entire portion were it not for multiple desserts that were brought. Nadine’s almond float was heavenly, the pie and brownies brought by Ramfis were a definite sweet treat, and the cake brought by Mahina truly proves that the cake is mightier than pie for sure.
Lastly, many THANKS to Chef Felix at staff at Ray’s Café. THANK YOU for your generosity of opening up your restaurant/​business to our very enthusiastic group of Unilocalers. THANK YOU also to our hosts Paul C and David T for planing and organizing such a fantastic UYE! Your dedication and hard-​work has resulted in yet another successful event. I enjoyed myself very much and look forward to attending any future events at Ray’s.
BOTTOM LINE: An enjoyable and fun event with good food and terrific company!

May I be the first to say… FIVE STARS! This was a very relaxed and fun event as all we had to do was select our food online, get to the restaurant, eat, and pay. Simple, right? Jennifer, Li & I were fortunate enough to park in the loading zone right in the front of Sophie & Darrell’s truck! That was a good sign!
We thought we were on time, but felt the pressure when we saw that Darrell & Sophie checked in about 45 minutes before the start time. Darrell’s bottle of wine was calling out to Li: «Where you at?» Happy hour apparently starts a half hour before the event! When we got to the door, the place was packed and humming with energy! It felt like standing room only! Like whoa — I’m lucky I got in!
When we got our seats, we were pleasantly surprised with party favors — Yummy cookies that were packaged to take home and enjoy later at home! MMM! Soon, after the warm welcoming presentations by David & Paul, we were served fresh, crisp green salad with our choice of dressing! Next was our main course:
I had the prime rib dinner with fried chicken upgrade. The meat was tender, juicy & flavorful! The chicken skin was crunchy and the meat was great for dipping into the au jus! Total with tax and tip was ONLY $ 20! What a deal! Then, we were treated to delicious chocolate pie and brownies from Sunnyside Bakery by way of Ramfis. .and home made, fresh out of the oven, warm pineapple upside down cake made from scratch by Mahina!
Felix came out of the kitchen to shake hands with the guests! That was really nice of him and his 2 staff to accommodate our rowdy group! They had opened the restaurant after-​hours just for us!
The people were great: Victoria was fun and bubbly as usual. I thank her for allowing me to sample her… um…refreshment…whatever was in her cup.. and thanks to Darrell for sharing his cup with me, too! He claims it was wine, but it sure tasted like sake! Jennifer and Sophie are excellent dining companions and even helped distribute the almond float with Maka as the delivery person. Maka also is a great sales person — she got me to eat the last piece of pie by saying how lonely it was… sitting there in the box by itself. Ah… okay, I’ll take one for the team and sacrifice.. oh, oh… fat tummy time!
It was also nice to see Arynn, the birthday girl, and Michael — long time no see! Alnd Jacob, Cathy & Vlad — I have seen at other events!
Paul was excellent water boy and wait help! He was so organized with his spreadsheet, knowing each person’s order, and very polite when collecting everyone’s tab. Everyone says that Paul has the most fun events — I’ll have to go to another one to make sure… Michael & Jacob’s Amuse Wine Bar was fun, too! So was Victoria’s Phở dinner… Mmmm… hard to decide… will have to attend another one, ok?
All this means is that EVERYONE has been so friendly and each Unilocal event was a great one — THANK YOU to everyone for all of these positive experiences. We get to try new food, new places, and meet new people — wow! What more can you ask for? See you all soon!