Pu-Pu Platter
 

My beloved mother wants to relive her girlhood by eating one more truly wonderful pu-pu platter before the sun sets. She will travel anywhere in the contiguous forty-eight states. Suggestions please.

Little Mary Sunshine

As an 'ignorant' Aussie I am fascinated to know what a pu-pu platter is?

Note to ignorant Aussie: this dish is an appetizer tray served in "Chinese" restaurants in the USA. It includes a can of sterno, on which you can heat up various appetizers. My wife and I often make it into a meal.

And, unfortunately, Little Mary, I can't name any place whose platter was much better than any other.

I have eaten a lot of these things (my kids loved them when they were little). Can not honestly say I have ever had a truly good or bad one - they all seemed nearly identical. So maybe I have never had a wonderful one - so I might be missing something.

prue - the main attraction is that it is an open flame so you get to play with fire at a restaurant. It usually includes things like spareribs, sliced pork, eggrolls, a several fried things - shrimp, chicken fingers (do you know what these are - not fingers and only marginally chicken. Often preformed chicken strips deep fried in batter)

I wish I could direct you specifically, although it's a good bet that any city with a good sized Chinatown would still have a restaurant that would serve this greatest of American delicacies! It brings back fond girlhood memories of eating "lipstick meat!" If you've ever had a pu-pu platter (and giggled at the name), you know what I mean!

ummmm.....whut??? Here in Hawaii, "Pupu" refers to appetizers. But since you want something in the 48 contiguous, that leaves a trip to Hawaii out.

Could you possibly make the pupus at home?
http://tinyurl.com/ylxsl9

Am I speaking of the right pupu platter?

Your question has prompted me to do some research this morning in which I've found some fun/intersting info. I think the term pu pu is in fact polynesian meaning appetizers and the addition of the lazy susan/sterno thing is an American/Chinese invention. Many Chinese restaurants seem to still have pu pu platters on the menu, but none that I could find that are outstanding. I did find a discussion on chowhound about some in the Boston area.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/335224

My favorite though was this place in Queens (outside of Manhattan).
http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2...ning-king-yum/

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/248247

My husband's family had a tradition of going to see the Christmas lights in Manhattan every year and then stopping in at Trader Vic's at the Plaza Hotel for dinner. At TV's they call it a cho cho platter - assorted fried tidbits, bbq- pork, can of sterno .. .

My husband is very sentimental - so in every city we go to, if it has a TV, we have to go. I've been to many - San Francisco, Seattle, LA, London . . . and Palo Alto, CA just this past summer. To my extreme shock, the one in Palo Alto was REALLY good! How is it possible??? But everything was incredibly fresh, full of flavor, crispy not doughy, tender pork . . . who knew?

Wow... this brings back memories!
20 or so years ago, a pupu platter was a occasional extravagance for my young family.
I L-O-V-E-D these little foil packets that had a walnut sized piece of chicken (dark meat) in a sweet teriaki type sauce. We could go through dozens of these little packets!
I don't think I have even seen a restaurant serve appetizers in the style of a pupu platter in recent years!

Oh... PS, mp... a NEW Trader Vic's will be opening next to the new Hotel Palomar in Dallas.
Not sure of the date it will open but I expect the food will be great.
http://www.tradervicsdallas.com/

You know what, I think the platter is called "Cosmo's Tidbits . . ."

Thanks, TXTravel . . . always good to know where a TV is located . . .

Oh - there's a well known old-fashioned Chinese restaurant in Queens called King Yum that still serves a PU PU platter . . a real throwback to the mid-60's . . .

Feel free to come to the Omni Hut in Smyrna, TN where the pu-pu platter and polynesian food are alive and well. BYOB.

It's just not a pupu platter without a Scorpian Bowl with the 151 rum volcano!!!

mp, King Yum is what those links I posted are about. ;)

I also have great memories of Trader Vic's. Looked at those Cosmo tidbits online but didn't seem to have all the things I remember.

TxTravelPro, I always thought those little foil packets were tasty too.

LMS ~ dearest, you posts always make me laugh.

Tell your beloved Mom, that my DH has a favorite saying...

"He/she is one shrimp shy of Pu Pu Platter."

Ah King Yum -

Mclaurie, my husband grew up in Queens right near King Yum - one of his favorite memories of his late father is the admonition, "Don't fill up on noodles!" - you know, those addictive fried noodles you get with won ton soup . . . .

King Yum always advertises a New Year's Eve party that sounds like goofy fun - if it wasn't for the transportation issues from downtown it would be tempting!

For an all out pu-pu platter experience complete with a "volcano room" you have to go to Kowloon's on Rt 1 in Saugus Massachusetts. This place hasn't changed since the 60's. Sometimes they even have Elvis impersonators. Its always packed, the food isn't bad and the place is such a throw back, its a hoot.

Here are a few more links to Pupus on the web, just in case....

http://www.melekalikimaka.com/recipes/Pupus.htm

http://alohaworld.com/ono/viewrecipe...category=Pupus

If you DO decide to come to Hawaii, here's a quick list of pupus and the "best" happy hours in Hawaii:
http://www.happyhoursinhawaii.com/by_pupus.html
I say "best" because that's pretty subjective.

and an actual definition?!
http://tinyurl.com/yaq3lj

The MaiKai in Ft Lauderdale

Those little hibachis are pretty darn cute, but if you want pupus that are GOOD, come try the Hawaiian style ones!