We all dine out at restaurants from time to time, some more than others. Although, I love to cook, I also really enjoy not having to do it all the time, especially on weekends or special occasions. The problem I run into is, that so many times the food just isn’t that good. I really resent it when I’ve paid twenty or thirty dollars for a meal at a “fine dining” establishment that I could have made better and cheaper for myself at home – especially in these harsh economic times!

On the other hand, every so often I find a restaurant that really does live up to its hype, and I’m pleasantly surprised. One here in town that I really enjoy is Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion. even though it's a chain restaurant (and I usually hate chains), I have found the quality of food and service there to be quite good. It’s a little too pricey to be a weekly hangout of mine, but it is definitely one of my top choices for special occasions.

One of my favorite items on Roy’s menu is their Misoyaki Butterfish. What exactly is butterfish? Actually, I’m not sure. My research on the subject yielded conflicting results. Some sources say that butterfish are small, bony fish weighing just over a pound, with thin, deep bodies similar to flounder. Others profess them to be in the pompano family. Still others say that butterfish are a fish called black cod, which is actually not even a codfish at all. To confuse the issue further, there are those who say that butterfish/black cod are actually a type of sablefish, which has a high oil and fat content. Is your head spinning yet? Most do agree, however, that these sablefish are probably called butterfish because of all that oil and fat they have.

This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2010.