Atkinson branch blazes tasty new trails

By Nadine Kam

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 17, 2011

~~<p>The franchise ideology is one of standardization, addressing the sort of diner who never wavers from his/her favorite dishes and who doesn't appreciate many surprises. As uniform as franchise restaurants can be, even the strictest make allowances for regional tastes. Here, for instance, Burger King and McDonald's make the nod to our hunger for Spam. Elsewhere you'll find the crispy, deep-fried McSpicy Paneer at McDonald's India, McShawarma and McKebabs on flatbread in Israel, and Ebi Filet-O-Shrimp in Japan. So you'll excuse Blazin Steaks Atkinson owner Keone Gaspar if he wanted to spice up the basic menu of grilled steak, broiled chicken, fish and rice. Only, like the Energizer Bunny, he didn't stop at a handful of dishes, but kept going and going.</p>
<p>If you're familiar with the stripped-down Blazin Steaks formula, you might be overwhelmed when confronted with Gaspar's baby, with its whopping 115 options, plus another 12 or so daily specials. I sat there for the longest time, weighing the merits of kalua pork loco moco ($8.50 regular/$12.50 large), garlic-butter shrimp ($11.95/$15.95) or Angus burger ($6.75).</p>
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The franchise ideology is one of standardization, addressing the sort of diner who never wavers from his/her favorite dishes and who doesn't appreciate many surprises. As uniform as franchise restaurants can be, even the strictest make allowances for regional tastes. Here, for instance, Burger King and McDonald's make the nod to our hunger for Spam. Elsewhere you'll find the crispy, deep-fried McSpicy Paneer at McDonald's India, McShawarma and McKebabs on flatbread in Israel, and Ebi Filet-O-Shrimp in Japan. So you'll excuse Blazin Steaks Atkinson owner Keone Gaspar if he wanted to spice up the basic menu of grilled steak, broiled chicken, fish and rice. Only, like the Energizer Bunny, he didn't stop at a handful of dishes, but kept going and going.

If you're familiar with the stripped-down Blazin Steaks formula, you might be overwhelmed when confronted with Gaspar's baby, with its whopping 115 options, plus another 12 or so daily specials. I sat there for the longest time, weighing the merits of kalua pork loco moco ($8.50 regular/$12.50 large), garlic-butter shrimp ($11.95/$15.95) or Angus burger ($6.75). Login for more...