Magnum Mania!

I'm asking because I'm having lunch right now in a Bennihana here in Houston, it's one I used to eat at a lot about 18-19 years ago but haven't eaten at in a long time. The place has probably been around since the late 70s-early 80s, and the decor doesn't look like it's changed much in all that time. I'd forgotten what a Magnum PI vibe I always got whenever I came here.

Yes. I forget the exact episode title, but he's sitting on a boat or dock with a Japanese fisherman who offers him tuna he just caught and fileted.

That was "Forty Years From Sand Island" and Mr. White Death.

He ate sushi with Ernest Borgnine in "Mr. White Death" during season three.

Sam wrote:That was "Forty Years From Sand Island" and Mr. White Death.

Fr. Paddy McGuinness wrote:He ate sushi with Ernest Borgnine in "Mr. White Death" during season three.

I really love the guys here.

Anyone else have a restaurant near you that gives off a Magnum PI vibe, ie feels like it could be from Honolulu in the early 80s? Maybe a favorite Chinese or sushi restaurant? Houston has a very large Vietnamese population , the second largest in the country, I guess our hot steamy climate felt like home to the boat people who fled Vietnam in '75. There is a huge Vietnamese enclave that stretches for miles along Bellaire Boulevard in southwest Houston with lots of asian stores and restaurants, and Buddhist temples. It's called "New Chinatown" ("Old Chinatown" is just south of downtown Houston and is almost completely regentrified now), but it's really much more Vietnamese than Chinese. There are whole areas where the official street signs are in both English and Vietnamese, and there is a "Saigon Plaza", a statue dedicated to the soldiers of the ARVN (which looks eerily similar to the Three Soldiers statue at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC). The whole area feels Magnum-esque, reminds me of scenes where he's walking around Honolulu's Little Saigon looking for information, except a lot nicer. Plus the food there is fantastic, and most of the restaurants have a very Vietnamese atmosphere. Houstonians of all backgrounds have been eating pho and banh mi for a couple decades before these foods became trendy with hipsters nationwide.

I guess we never saw Magnum eating a banh mi sandwich or bowl or pho or bun (vermicelli bowl)?

Be careful this weekend Reef Monkey . . .

Oh, thanks, the media coverage makes it look worse than it is actually going to be. County Emergency Management Agency says we won't get hurricane conditions in the city, just lots of flooding, and my house is in a high spot. Just to be on the safe side, I filled my gas tank and a 5 gallon Jerry can for the generator, am having an iffy tree that hangs over my house taken down tomorrow morning, and have stocked up on the essentials - bottled water, batteries, canned goods, propane, rye whiskey, dark and light rum....

Reef monkey wrote:Oh, thanks, the media coverage makes it look worse than it is actually going to be. County Emergency Management Agency says we won't get hurricane conditions in the city, just lots of flooding, and my house is in a high spot. Just to be on the safe side, I filled my gas tank and a 5 gallon Jerry can for the generator, am having an iffy tree that hangs over my house taken down tomorrow morning, and have stocked up on the essentials - bottled water, batteries, canned goods, propane, rye whiskey, dark and light rum....

Good to hear, and all provisions look to be in order.

My Hurricane mix:
1 part light rum
1 part dark rum
2 parts orange juice
2 parts pineapple juice
1 part lime juice
1/4 part grenadine

Mai Tai from the House Without a Key at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. I know it's subjective, but it's the best I've had.

1/3 Ounce Orgeat Syrup
1/3 Ounce Orange Curaçao
1/3 Ounce Rock Candy Syrup
3/4 Ounce Bacardi Gold Rum
1/2 Ounce Bacardi 151 Rum
1 1/4 Ounce Fresh Lime Juice
3/4 Ounce Bacardi Select (float)

Build it over crushed ice and float with 3/4 ounce of Bacardi Select Rum. Garnish with a lime wheel, sugar cane stick, mint leaf, and Vanda orchid (I skip the garnish). It fills one rocks glass. If nothing else it's worth trying because the original Charlie Chan stories were written under the Banyon tree at this hotel. Rock candy syrup is just half portions of water and sugar. Boil it until the sugar dissolves and it's done when it cools. Try unprocessed cane sugar for the best results. Be safe this weekend and beware escaped convicts with pregnant girlfriends.

Reef monkey wrote:Anyone else have a restaurant near you that gives off a Magnum PI vibe, ie feels like it could be from Honolulu in the early 80s? Maybe a favorite Chinese or sushi restaurant? Houston has a very large Vietnamese population , the second largest in the country, I guess our hot steamy climate felt like home to the boat people who fled Vietnam in '75. There is a huge Vietnamese enclave that stretches for miles along Bellaire Boulevard in southwest Houston with lots of asian stores and restaurants, and Buddhist temples. It's called "New Chinatown" ("Old Chinatown" is just south of downtown Houston and is almost completely regentrified now), but it's really much more Vietnamese than Chinese. There are whole areas where the official street signs are in both English and Vietnamese, and there is a "Saigon Plaza", a statue dedicated to the soldiers of the ARVN (which looks eerily similar to the Three Soldiers statue at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC). The whole area feels Magnum-esque, reminds me of scenes where he's walking around Honolulu's Little Saigon looking for information, except a lot nicer. Plus the food there is fantastic, and most of the restaurants have a very Vietnamese atmosphere. Houstonians of all backgrounds have been eating pho and banh mi for a couple decades before these foods became trendy with hipsters nationwide.

I guess we never saw Magnum eating a banh mi sandwich or bowl or pho or bun (vermicelli bowl)?

I've written this somewhere else before, but the next city over from where I live in Long Beach is called Westminster. It's the biggest Vietnamese community in the US and several blocks along Westminster Blvd. are referred to as Little Saigon. They have a parade for Tet every year. We've been enjoying pho and banh mi there for many years. The cuisine has spread all around SoCal now. There is also a Buddhist monastery here in Long Beach and I occasionally see monks around town in their orange robes, as well as a Buddhist temple in the next town over form where I work. It's beautiful and draws many from the faith to live nearby. North Long Beach also has the largest Cambodian population, in the US having fled the Khmer Rouge in the late 70's. Little Phnom Penh or Cambodiatown, as the neighborhood is called, has many great restaurants and a few years ago a friend of mine married a Cambodian woman and their wedding reception food was amazing!

Stay safe Reef Monkey

ConchRepublican wrote:Yes. I forget the exact episode title, but he's sitting on a boat or dock with a Japanese fisherman who offers him tuna he just caught and fileted.

That would be Sashimi.

Sam wrote:That was "Forty Years From Sand Island" and Mr. White Death.

In Mr. White Death, they ordered Sushi at the restaurant. In, Forty Years from Sand Island, Magnum eats Sashimi, plain,raw fish.

Reef monkey wrote:Oh, thanks, the media coverage makes it look worse than it is actually going to be. County Emergency Management Agency says we won't get hurricane conditions in the city, just lots of flooding, and my house is in a high spot. Just to be on the safe side, I filled my gas tank and a 5 gallon Jerry can for the generator, am having an iffy tree that hangs over my house taken down tomorrow morning, and have stocked up on the essentials - bottled water, batteries, canned goods, propane, rye whiskey, dark and light rum....

Thinking of you Reef monkey. Looks pretty damn wild down there. Stay safe!

Theres a fabulous Tiki bar in Toronto that I go to sometimes that brings me to Hawaii. It's a bit more of a Hawaii 5-O vibe, but I'm still in my Magnum zone there: http://shamefultikiroom.com/toronto/

Fr. Paddy McGuinness wrote:He ate sushi with Ernest Borgnine in "Mr. White Death" during season three.

I thought the funniest part was when Ernest remembered Higgins as "Punky"