Hilo, Hawaii: Jose Can You See By Don's Early Light? If So, It Is Breakfast Time Amigo

Don’s Grill

485 Hinano Street

Hilo, HI 96720

Phone number (808) 935-9099

Website: donsgrillhilo.com

Prices: $$$$

A nondescript diner on a backstreet somewhere in Hilo, Don's Grill has decent service and fair prices, but is utterly unspectacular. The place has a vintage coffee shop motif with breakfast, lunch and dinner options served all day.

I asked our server for a list of beers, one of which was "Longboard", but when I asked if it was an IPA she looked at me and shrugged her shoulders, never offering to walk 20 feet to check. "I guess I will have the water", I said.

I had the Pork Cutlet Dinner ($13.75), two small, thin, cutlets breaded and fried and covered with brown gravy. It came with a very small salad and a roll fresh from a plastic bag. I had asked the server if they made their own mashed potatoes and she apologetically shook her head from side to side. "I guess I will have the fries", I said. The cutlets were extremely dry, making them difficult to cut even though they were very thin. The flavor was OK and the fries were hot, I will give them that, but the steamed carrot, broccoli and cauliflower medley was bland as all get out.

My wife ordered the Mushroom and Cheddar Omelette ($9.75), coming with hash browns and toast. When they say toast, they mean toast, because this is the only place I have ever seen that gives you just one piece of toast cut in half. The three egg omelette was actually cooked perfectly and there was plenty of mushrooms and cheese inside. The hash browns were plentiful and also perfectly cooked, a crispy golden brown on top and soft and warm on the inside.

Based on our experience, I would stick with the breakfast offerings if I were you. We filled the holes in our stomachs and neither got sick the next day nor paid an arm and a leg, so as George W. Bush famously said, "mission accomplished". 

CombatCritic Gives Don's Grill 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

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Title: Hilo, Hawaii: Jose Can You See By Don's Early Light? If So, It Is Breakfast Time Amigo

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Don's Auto Center: An Honest Business In A World Plagued By A Lack Of Integrity

Lawrence, Kansas: I took our 2000 VW Beetle TDI to Don’s Auto Center to see if the "problems" another mechanic (Das Autohaus - see review at http://www.combatcritic.com/2013/12/if-you-want-to-spend-lots-of-money-take.html) told me needed repairing were indeed concerns. On my recent Das Autohaus invoice, the owner had stated that the vehicle needed "new struts" ($400-$600 on RepairPal) and removal of “excess carbon buildup on intake manifold” (which I had done less than two years and 20,000 miles ago at a cost of $700), for a total of $1,100 to $1,300 in repairs.

I had recently taken the vehicle on a 500+ mile trip to Colorado to visit my mother and noticed that the fuel economy was six to seven miles per gallon less than last summer (intake manifold?) and the ride somewhat rough (struts?), so I decided to take the vehicle to Don’s when I returned to see if the Das Autohaus “recommendations” were accurate.

I explained to Mike, the owner of Don’s, what the symptoms were and what I thought could possibly be causing them (based on the Das Autohaus diagnoses – struts and carbon in manifold). Mike called me later that day and told me that he had checked the suspension thoroughly and found “no issues”, no concerns and certainly no need for new struts. He told me the cause of the rough ride was likely caused by the tires being overinflated and simply let some air out of the tires. As for the poor gas mileage and possible carbon buildup on the intake manifold, Mike said that the winter additives in the diesel fuel cause lower gas mileage and because the manifold was cleaned less than 20,000 miles ago, there was no need to have it done again. He told me that the air filter was a bit dirty, so I had him replace it and do an oil change ($30 for an air filter, $50/gallon for synthetic motor oil) for a total of LESS THAN $200 and OVER $1,000 LESS THAN THE DAS AUTOHAUS "NEEDED REPAIRS".

I thanked Mike for his honesty and integrity, values I as a retired military officer hold dear, and will return to have him service our

vehicles from now on. You can come to your own conclusions regarding Das Autohaus. All I know is that by taking our vehicle literally a couple blocks down the street to an honest mechanic, we saved over $1,000. Enough said ... THANKS MIKE!

Key Words: Don's Auto Center, Don's, auto, center, Lawrence, Kansas, 66044, honest, mechanic, integrity, honor, price, fair, manifold, tire, strut, repair, CombatCritic, combat, critic, TravelValue