$25 FOR TWO: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

Bianca D'Angelo, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

• 14221 E. Cedar Ave., Unit C, Aurora.

• 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Saturday

• 303-340-8824 , hawaiianbarbecue.com

• What: franchise offering authentic Hawaiian food featuring favorites saimin (noodle soup) and musubi (snack featuring choice of meat with rice, wrapped in seaweed). This is the only Denver-area store among the 200 across the country.

• How cheap is it? Pretty reasonable, with large helpings. Spam musubi (yes, that would be the meat-in-the-can Spam) is the cheapest "Hawai'i Favorite," at $1.59. Combo plates featuring seafood or barbecue or both, served with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad, start at $7.65. Plate lunches that come in three sizes, with meat choices, range from $2.79 (kids) to $7.50 (regular-size seafood plate) and also include one or two helpings of rice and a helping of macaroni salad. More Hawaiian specialties offered: Kalua pig with cabbage from $5; sandwiches from $2.49 (Spam and egg); sides from 49 cents (one scoop of rice) to $1.79 (gravy fries).

• Our deal: My fiance and I took the "order as much as you can for $25 or less" concept very seriously. Because the restaurant is extremely informal (order food at the counter, pick table and clean up after yourself), we arrived with the takeout menu in hand and our choices circled. I went with the seafood platter combo plate ($8.25). He decided to take a tour of the menu, ordering the Chicken Katsu Saimin ($3.79), Spam Musubi ($1.59), Hawaiian BBQ Beef Sandwich ($2.89) and the manapua side ($1.75). We also each ordered a regular-size soda ($1.19 each).

• So how's it taste? Yummy for a joint that gives the initial impression of selling Hawaiian fast food. My seafood platter contained juicy, garlic-marinated shrimp, and breaded shrimp and mahi mahi that had just the right amount of crunch. We really enjoyed the Chicken Katsu Saimin, which contained a robust broth with noodles and bits of fried chicken. The barbecue beef sandwich was sweet, tangy and juicy, as was the manapua - a sweet pulled pork stuffed into a chewy roll. My fiance admitted to enjoying the Spam musubi, saying the meat-in-the- can product and seaweed gave the side order a nice kick, while the rice added texture.

• How's the place? The restaurant is squeezed between a Wing Stop and an electronic-game store at the Aurora City Place shopping center. Bright yellow walls and tabletops, punctuated with salmon-colored sections, greeted our eyes as we entered, giving the small space an inviting, tropical feeling. "L&L Radio" drifted through speakers, offering a soothing blend of Hawaiian and reggae tunes. A surfboard was nailed to a wall, surrounded by framed awards the restaurant has won, and photos, including a signed picture of the 2003 Denver Broncos.

• Who else eats there? singles seeking takeout, families, couples

• Deals we wish we'd tried: We'd like to go back and try a plate lunch, and the weekend special (Kalua pig, lau lau, two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad) sounded particularly intriguing.

• Final damage: $22.52 with tax and $2 in the tip jar, bringing the grand total to $24.52. Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much).

Coming Friday: Look for John Lehndorff's review of Black Cat in Weekend Spotlight. Find his dining columns, reviews and 2007 Dining Guide at RockyMountainnews.com. To nominate a restaurant for $25 for Two, e-mail lehndorffj@RockyMountainNews.com.

Bianca D'Angelo is an editorial assistant.