Friday, August 13, 2010

Lunch at Ono Grindz


We discovered a great place for lunch after spending some time at the Las Cruces Farmers Market on Saturday--the Hawaiian restaurant called Ono Grindz, located along the Downtown Mall. The name means something like "delicious food" or "kickass eats" in Hawaiian slang.

It was a parching day and we had been out in the sun for a couple of hours, so the thick-walled adobe building with the fountain in its enclosed courtyard promised a cool respite that didn't disappoint. We were served tall glasses of ice water right away, and the sweet waitress even offered "to go" bottles of water later when we were leaving. When we said we were already carrying water bottles, she filled them up for us, a kindness much appreciated on a scorching summer day in the desert. 

The decor was casual and delightful, with all sorts of Hawaiian memorabilia and vintage posters like the one below. 


Our meals were colorful and delicious, and reasonable, too. I had the fish tacos, which came with an onion/pineapple/coriander sauce and a salad with fresh pineapple, macadamia nuts, and a mango vinaigrette; all for $7.95. 




Here are a couple more reviews:
Get Fresh at Ono Grindz (from the Las Cruces Sun-News) and Island Treasure (from Desert Exposure).


P.S. If you have a moment, could you help me with some Crock Pot Questions over on my other blog? Thanks!

12 comments:

becky said...

Those fish tacos look delish, Clair! How hot is it getting down your way? Our high has been around 90, but cooling off nicely in the evening. Lots of bloggers I know have been going to the farmer's market lately, including myself!
:) love the farmer's mkt!

Kate said...

What an interesting find for a Southwest location. Isn't it wonderful how many surprised there are awaiting us "just around the corner?"

clairz said...

Kate, this is the second Hawaiian restaurant that I know of in LC; the other is Guacamole's across the river on the west side. Both are run by ex-Hawaiians. Why, I believe that Ono Grindz will whip up a Sunday breakfast with that Hawaiian staple--Spam! Not sure if it's even on the menu, but that's what I heard.

Becky, I'm running out of words to describe the heat here lately. Scorching, blazing, parching... All this flaming heat comes at the time when the flies and mosquitoes are pretty brutal. I wouldn't want to say that the flies are as bad as in Clovis, but I'm tempted. The city just sprayed again for mosquitoes and they are a bit better--I'm not usually an advocate for spraying, but these guys are carrying some scary diseases. For now, it's best for me to pretty much stay inside and stay hydrated. We'll be moving into more pleasant weather soon, tra-la (my sister always calls that my Princess Bluebird attitude).

clairz said...

Becky, sorry--I could have answered your question in one word, but that just doesn't seem to be how I roll (see, here we go again): We've been hovering right around 100 degrees F.

becky said...

Oh, Clair, you are funny! You're second reply made me laugh! I enjoy having my before- work- coffee with you!
:)

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

Wow, you had me at the fish tacos...then the rest of the description made me book a ticket to NM.

Just kidding, of course!

clairz said...

Becky, come for coffee! Deb, the guest room is all ready! Anyone else? Kate? I would love some company.

JC said...

That looks really good !!!

Sandy ~~~ said...

I've had fish tacos and they were good! (Although at first it sounds kinda yucky...) Now these and your salad look delish!

Martha Z said...

Interesting. The mother of one of my son's classmates was from New Mexico, she had a Mexican father and Hawaiian mother. It seemed unusual but seeing this, perhaps not.

Linda said...

Although it's 10.45 pm and I've eaten a good evening meal, my mouth is watering.
Interested by your emphasis on water in this post. Sounds as if you're in survival mode in the heat.

Anonymous said...

That meal looks just wonderful. I wish we had something like that around these parts. Have a good week.