Uncle’s Hawaiian Grindz Opens in Fallston Village Center with Food Network Champion Kaimana Chee as Chef/Owner

FALLSTON, Md.– The North Shore experience has come to Harford County with the opening of Uncle's Hawaiian Grindz in Fallston Village Center (2315 Bel Air Rd., Ste. 2B, Fallston, Md. 21047).

Oahu-born Kaimana Chee is chef/owner of this full-service casual dining restaurant and bar. The grand prize winner on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen, Chee also was runner up on the Food Network hit show, Guy's Grocery Games, Native Chef of the Year and one of America's Top 100 Amateur Home Cooks. Additionally, he serves as executive chef and owner of Kaimana’s Katering and a chef instructor at CulinAerie, where he is the resident specialist on sushi, Asian-style dumplings, Hawaiian and Polynesian cuisine.

Chee shares owner/operator responsibilities for Uncle’s with Kosmas “Tommie” Koukoulis, a Fallston resident who also owns and operates Café Mezzanotte in Severna Park. Among its many accolades, the restaurant has received Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence and been named People's Choice - Open Table, Best Service – What’s Up Annapolis, Best Restaurant/Best Italian/Best Service - Severna Park Voice, Best Restaurant - Maryland Gazette and Best Italian - The Capital. Coincidentally, Koukoulis’ wife is from the same town as Chee.

Décor
Uncle’s mission is “to share Hawaiian food and culture with the world.” Upon entering the 4,800-square-foot space, diners will immediately get a sense of the casual island ambience by seeing the wait staff clad in board shorts.

The main dining room consists of all American-made distressed wood tables, banquettes and private booths. This space is complimented by industrial Edison bulbs and recycled pallets hanging from the ceiling, yellow metal accented koa wood chairs and coastal patina floor. Immense custom photographs of North Shore landmarks and real pineapple fields decorate the walls.

With its own entry/exit, the bar area features four flat screen TVs and a massive poured concrete bar. Custom Honolulu Fish Auction art covers the walls, with floral pattern banquettes and bar-height community tables adding depth to the fun open space.

The 50-seat outdoor dining area is surrounded by custom bamboo-inlayed planters built into the space’s black aluminum fence. Rustic metal tables are highlighted by 8-foot tall plumeria tiki torches. This space leads into a landscaped grass courtyard.

Uncle’s’ private dining space features custom tiki wall art, Kahuku farm stand photo art and a private entry/exit. This 40-seat room can be customized in a number of table and chair arrangements. A flat screen TV adorning the wall is available for visual presentations or viewing parties.

Menus
Committed to local farms and clean foods, Uncle’s prepares all foods, whenever possible, with locally sourced, sustainably grown or raised, and non-GMO ingredients. The cuisine can be described as “Island meets Asian” with a focus on balancing sweet and salty flavors.

To get the meal started, Uncle’s offers four kinds of Poke – including the signature Tuna Poke (sushi grade Cape May ahi tuna marinated with green onions, sea salt and sesame oil with wasabi aoli and wonton strips). Additional appetizers include Kalua Pig Lumpia (smoke-braised pork, carrot and cabbage stuffed inside spring roll wrapper and flash fried, served with chili sauce) and Spam Masubi (seared teriyaki Spam ® wrapped with sticky rice inside nori seaweed, drizzled with Uncle's secret sauce).

Entrees include Huli Huli Chicken (half-chicken brined in sesame-shoyu, turned low and slow with more shoyu, with crispy garlic, pineapple, li-hing mui slaw and Papa Sage’s Hawaiian chile water), Kalbi Style Beef (cross-cut 10 oz. short rib, braised in sweet garlic and Hawaiian chili water, with green onion and shoyu jus, and Hawaiian style greens), and Misayo’s Mahi Mahi (domestic fillet, crusted with furikake flakes and broiled, served over Hawaiian sweet greens with lilikoi (passion-fruit) beaurre blanc and sriracha oil). Along with a variety of meat, seafood and noodle dishes and mix plates, the menu includes Uncle’s Burger Bar, Ahi Tuna Tacos, sandwiches, and the Polynesian and Pacific Rim salads.

Uncle’s offers 12 appetizers unique to the bar that are available daily from opening ‘til closing. These “Aloha Apps” include Kaluua Pig and Terriyaki Beef Sliders, Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Turtle Bay Oyster Shots (Skinny dipper oysters with Hawaiian chile water, grated ginger and scallion shoyu), Katsu Poppers (Chicken Katsu bites fried and tossed in sweet shoyu and sesame aioli, green onion and charred corn), Furikake Fries (sweet potato fries tossed with furikake-garlic seasoning, served with kimchi slaw), and a Poke Bar.

Save room for the Tutu’s Treats Dessert Menu featuring Malasada (Portuguese style hole-less fried donuts, coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with custard, served with Kona coffee chocolate dipping sauce), Hawaiian Bread Pudding (Macadamia nut and crumbled sweet bread in caramel-vanilla bean cream, with coconut-ginger ice cream), Whipped Otai (Fresh mango, pineapple and shaved coconut in whipped coconut cream, topped with crushed macadamia nut and fresh mint) and Ted’s Pie Sampler (mini chocolate haupia {coconut cream pie}, key lime pie, and strawberry guava).

Almost everything is made in house including the Hawaiian style Teriyaki, poke marinades, various cabbage slaws, all rubs and sauces, Hawaiian chile water, Kalua Pig Lumpia, veggie potstickers, Malasadas, a variety of pies and Hawaiian Bread pudding.

The cuisine at Uncle’s is complemented by a diverse beverage selection. Hawaiian cocktails feature Ocean Vodka (organic from Maui), Pau Maui Vodka (made from pineapples) and Koloa Rums (from island of Kauai). Martinis include Mangoberry (Strawberry puree, mango, organic ocean vodka, triple sec, touch of ginger), Hawaiian (Pineapple infused pau maui vodka, coconut milk, splash of sprite, li-hing-mui rimmed glass, fresh lime) and Pass-O-Guavatini (Lillikoi passion fruit juice, st. georges orange vodka, guava nectar, triple sec, fresh lime, splash soda).

Additional options include the Pineapple Mojito (Muddled pineapple and fresh mint, with koloa hawaiian rum, coconut water, fresh lime and soda), Kona Ice Coffee (Kona coffee, Godiva chocolate liqueur, Kahlua, stoli vanil vodka, on the rocks with fresh strawberry) and Koloa Mai Tai (Koloa dark and light rums, triple sec, fresh squeezed lime, dash bitters, raw sugar and almond syrup, topped with cherry, mint and orange).

Designated drivers can choose from an extensive menu including Daysia’s Daiquiris (Mango Pureee, Strawberry Swirl, Li Hing or Mui Rim), Pohai’s Pina Colada (Fresh pineapple, touch of guava, grated ginger, coconut cream, maraschino cherry), Hawaiian Suns (Lillikoi Passion Fruit Drink, Strawberry Guava Nectar, Pineapple Orange Nectar or Pass-O-Guava Nectar) and Mango Otai (Tropical fruit with shaved coconut, coconut milk, coconut water, on the rocks).

In addition to a Sake Menu, Uncle’s offers 30 wines – including five reds and five whites by the glass – two of which are from Hawaiian fermented pineapple. Beer connoisseurs will enjoy four selections from Maui Brewing Company and Kona Brewing Company, plus Harford County selections: Falling Branch Brewery Saisson (Farmhouse Ale) and seasonal offerings from Independent Brewing.

Uncle’s Hawaiian Grindz operates seven days a week for lunch, dinner and lite fare from the bar all day with 1-hour call ahead seating, a children’s menu, carry-out service and off-premises catering. It is located at the intersection of Mountain Road (Rte. 152) and Bel Air Road (Rte. 1), with ample onsite parking. Its close proximity to I-95 offers easy access to Harford, Cecil and Baltimore counties, as well as downtown Baltimore, Delaware and beyond.

For more information, call 443.966.3999, visit www.eatatuncles.com or www.facebook.com/UnclesHG or email info@eatatuncles.com.
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-Click here for décor photos and here for food & beverage shots.
-To arrange chef interviews, restaurant tours or menu sampling, contact Caryn Sagal at caryn@lawrencehoward.com or 410.363.9583.