The to-go window at BUTTERFLY has morphed from Pan Grill (we previously mentioned it here) into Sammy’s Aloha, under the watchful eye of Sammy Kong Kee, a two-time ahi poke recipe contest winner both here and in Hawaii. The kitchen is still stuffing the same awesome housemade milk buns, but now the menu is doing more of a farm-to-table Hawaiian vibe, with the Porky Boy ($8, kalua-style pork, hoisin barbecue sauce, and kimchi), Ono BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($8, Kewpie mayo, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, fried onions), and a burger ($8, teriyaki glaze, sriracha rémoulade, and caramelized onion jam)—all the meat and poultry is natural. Well, except if you see some Spam on the menu, and you know it’s from Hormel.
There are also some rice bowls (ahi poke and loco moco, oh, you know it), noodle bowls, salads, bao, and more: check out the menu here. Check out the Spammy Fries ($5), with fried sushi rice and salmon roe. Fun fact: the rice is from the famous Ikeda’s market up in Auburn (both Yumegokochi white rice and black Thai sticky rice). Swing by the takeout window on the south side of the restaurant from Tue-Sun (11am-3pm). Pier 33, The Embarcadero at Bay, 415-864-8999.
Sammy’s ahi tuna poke bowl (with an egg!). Photo courtesy of Sammy’s Aloha.
