KE'EAUMOKU'S MEX OPTION

It's for real, amigos: A new Mexican place has opened in the heart of Keeaumoku, throwing fiery salsa and burritos into the mix of kalbi and plate lunches this hood is known for.

It's only been two months since La Isla Burrito opened in the former Iga Bento space at Samsung Plaza, and nearby workers and Heald College students have already become regulars. It looks like Keeaumoku was ready for some tortillas.

Stewart Shirasu, who owns Club 939 up the street, co-owns La Isla with cook John Viernes, who used to work at Los Chaparros and California Pizza Kitchen.

"We make it like Mexico City," Viernes says. "We make the kind of tacos you can get on the street for 37 cents."

After a few visits, we found several dishes we'd go back for. First, is the Island breakfast burrito ($4.75), with big potato chunks, your choice of meat, eggs and cheese, folded into a not-homemade flour tortilla.

Another hit: the spicy barbecue torta ($5 with chicken or shredded beef; $6 with steak or pork). It's a vaguely Mexican version of a barbecue sandwich, which Viernes will make as spicy as you like it. It's also huge, with all eight inches grilled nice and buttery inside, making for a crispy, juicy, flaming hot sub.

But our favorite dish on the menu is definitely the huevos rancheros ($5).

Whoever cooks these eggs really cares. They flop softly when folded on top of a rich sea of meat (again, you choose the meat), tomatoes, onions and peppers.

For a place that from the outside and inside looks like a fast-food joint, we like La Isla more than we expect to.

Once we taste those huevos rancheros, with those tenderly cooked eggs, we know we're in the hands of a good cook, and overall, La Isla scores a lot more hits than misses.

In this economy, you can't beat the combination of tasty plates, good portions and good prices.

And if in doubt, just go for the huevos rancheros.

La Isla Burrito, Samsung Plaza, 661 Keeaumoku St., 947-5263.

FOOD NEWS

Windward Mall will celebrate the debut of its new Pa'ina Ko'olau Food Court this weekend with a full lineup of activities and entertinment. At noon Saturday and Sunday, shoppers can participate in the mall's Drop to Shop & Eat event, which allows the first 200 participants to drop a Plinko disc for a chance to win a $5, $10 or $25 Windward Mall gift card. Tomorrow, join the mall's "Man vs. Food Court Challenge," which pits participants against the mall's new food court, providing contestants with four minutes to devour 10 portions of food. Contestants will win a $10 gift card for each portion consumed, with the potential of winning up to $100 in cards. Open to the first eight eligible participants who sign up at Center Court beginning at 2 p.m.

Slow Food, an organization that promotes the preparation and consumption of slow-cooked food (as opposed to fast food) is hosting a nationwide event in honor of author Douglas Gayeton's recently released book, "Slow; Life in a Tuscan Town." Here in Honolulu, the event, dubbed A Slow Taste of Tuscany, will take place at town in Kaimuki with a special Tuscany-inspired dinner prepared by chefs Ed Kenney and Dave Caldiero. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18, and costs $100 per person. The price includes a copy of the book and a multi-course meal with wine. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Slow Food O'ahu.

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Hawai'i is the only state in the nation that grows cacao, and master chocolatier Melanie Boudar is putting some of the home-grown beans to good use in her island-inspired confections like her Banana Maui Rum and Liliko'i Silk chocolates. Boudar makes her dizzying array of fine chocolates ($3 each) on the Big Island, but lucky for us O'ahuans, her only retail shop is in Kailua. At Sweet Paradise on Kainehe Street, chocolate lovers can satisfy every kind of chocolate craving from the fresh and sweet ( acai-raspberry and strawberry guava chocolates) to the rich and spicy (wasabi ginger sesame, Hawaiian chili pepper and kiawe-smoked sea salt chocolates).

SWEET PARADISE
20-A Kainehe St., Kailua
230-8228
Hours: 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays

NACHOS LIBRE
Tokkuri-Tei's (739-2800) menu is full of puns and jokes. One of our favorites: the Nori-chos ($7.50). Strips of nori are tempura-battered and fried, topped with diced tomatoes, avocados, tobiko and melted cheese, then drizzled with a teriyaki-like sauce. The crispy, salty, sweet appetizer is an unexpected addiction.

— Martha Cheng