Not garlic edamame, but still delicious.
When I was in Honolulu for spring break we had dinner at Side Street Inn which has become a sort of "last night in Hawaii" tradition for me. Side Street looks like every sports bar/restaurant in any city in America. The thing that sets it apart is the delicious, anything-goes, local-style food. This is a sports bar that forgoes most of the usual sports bar fare. You won't find nachos here, but you will find other treats like broiled hamachi kama (when they have it), sublime deep-fried chicken gizzards, and passion-fruit-glazed ribs. And, yes, the most kickass chicken wings you've ever eaten.
I am never disappointed when we have dinner there and this time was no exception. In fact, we had eaten an entire dinner consisting of: steamed clams with Portuguese sausage, kalbi, kimchi fried rice, mixed poke (ahi and tako [octopus]), king crab legs, Caesar salad and macaroni salad all served family style, when for dessert, my brother ordered another order of the steamed clams. They were that good.
But the dish that took the meal over the top was their garlic edamame. Try to see if you can imagine it: boiled, salted edamame (already delicious in their own right) tossed with tons of chopped garlic, melted butter (which made it heavenly), and olive oil (or just olive oil if you prefer) with just a hint of spiciness, finished with a squeeze of lemon. Presented at the table they looked like green velvet dusted with snow from all the garlic. (Here's a photo that does not do it justice--there's just not enough garlic on this batch.) They were amazing.
Today I went out and got a bag of edamame with the intention of recreating the dish, when lo and behold, some quick Googling brought up Side Street's very recipe. Their recipe makes a mountain, which is perfect for dinner parties (or one very ravenous party of 8). If you make this I promise you will be addicted. And you don't even have to go to Honolulu to taste them.
