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Chef Ernesto Limcaco’s "Original Burger," dipped in a rich, house-made jus (pronounced zhoo) is dripping with so much flavor, you will want to ask for a cup of jus on the side, just to drink it.
The grilled Love’s Bakery bun also has a schmear of house-made aioli, adding to the richness of the burger.
Due to open in August, Burgers and Things, in a double space at 1989 and 1991 Pauoa Road, also will offer burgers dipped in a teriyaki sauce that the chef and his partners have crafted.
The original and the teri dipping sauces will ensure that the burgers are so juicy, they are "going to be dripping down your elbow," Limcaco said.
The "and Things" to be offered at Limcaco’s grab-and-go burger joint will include Crazy Fries, meaning you can have the fries topped with a selection of seasonings or sauces including a balsamic sauce, garlic and butter, or house-made powdered ranch dressing, for example.
"I plan to have a burger board," or burger specials, to be added at some point, that may include wagyu burgers, ahi burgers or vegetarian options.
Given the many schools around the area, his target audience will be students, and his basic burgers will cost $6.
The former corporate chef at Y. Hata & Co. has teamed up with Rob McDaniel, former corporate chef at Macy’s, and Kara Shimamura, former chef coordinator at TheSullivan Family Kitchens, a division of the Sullivan Family of Cos., which provides food products for Foodland, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Food Pantry.
Shimamura gained a love for the culinary industry at age 15 as Limcaco’s intern at Y. Hata.
"She has a double degree from KCC," Limcaco beamed.
Shimamura majored in both pastry and in hotel and restaurant management at KCC.
Burgers and Things also will offer the option of an artisanal bun, which will be baked fresh daily, for an additional charge.
McDaniel originally is from the Midwest, has been hunting since his youth and loves wild game. He started working in the food industry at 13 during summer vacations, at a drive-in where carhops brought food out to diners in their vehicles and clipped food trays to car windows.
McDaniel’s son Gun, as well as Justin Sagisi, relative of former news anchor Sandra Sagisi, were on hand Thursday, helping prepare the restaurant for operations.
McDaniel, who first came to Hawaii for three years in 1986 and then returned in 2001, said he’s always wanted to work with Limcaco, since meeting him through Y. Hata. "We have 75 years of culinary knowledge between us," he said.
Brought to the restaurant from Limcaco’s garage, but not yet unpacked, is a box full of awards, plaques and certificates of recognition from numerous military organizations Limcaco has received over the years.
His partners want him to mount them on the walls, a concept with which the humble chef is struggling.
The space, not traditional for a restaurant, is essentially two spaces with doorways facing one another.
"These are the cards I’ve been dealt, and I’m going to turn it into a royal flush," Limcaco said.
The team has ideas to help compensate for the restaurant’s limited seating and limited parking of about eight stalls in the back, with entrances off Pacific Heights Road and Pauoa Road. Limcaco notes that several restaurants around Oahu have limited or no dedicated parking of their own, yet have customers lined up out the door.
A mobile point-of-sale system will expedite takeout purchases via credit or debit card, Shimamura said.
Hours of operation will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and an after-school discount for students with valid ID is planned for part of the day, McDaniel said.
As with most restaurants and many retail businesses, the actual opening date is a moving target sometime next month.
"I don’t want to open haphazardly," Limcaco said.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.