Is Spam Musubi the secret to a great summer?

In the back room, wooden folding chairs sit on smooth bamboo flooring, well-lit by large surf decal-decorated windows and a Quonset-shaped canvas roof. Strains of tropical music provide a soft background. Outdoor deck seating under the eaves of this green surf shack building offers shade. Bamboo, banana and canna plants spruce up the small parking lot.

I kicked off my tropical micro-vacation with Spam Musubi ($1.95). A thick slice of grilled spam was wrapped with rice in shiny nori seaweed. Its salty richness brought back memories of campfire cooking.

Familiarize yourself with the restaurant’s specialties with Aloha’s three-item combo plate ($9.95). Each dish includes two tennis ball-sized scoops of moist white rice, and al dente macaroni and carrot salad.

The succulent and smoky Kalua Pig featured moist pork which pulled easily into tender shreds. Thin sweet slices of sirloin tip were tenderized by their teriyaki marinade. Skinless white meat katsu chicken was coated with fine Japanese panko bread crumbs, fried cutlet-style, and served with salty-sweet tonkatsu, a thick Japanese Worcestershire-style sauce made with tomatoes, apples and spices. The tender white fillet of mahi-mahi was grilled to flaky perfection. Tiger Prawns, which can be grilled, cooked katsu-style, or drenched in grated coconut batter and deep fried, came with sweet and sour chili sauce. Vegetable kabobs and portobello teriyaki are also available.

Aloha is a Certified Green Business, as well as a member of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Restaurant Program.

Live Hawaiian music is featured on Friday nights at 7 p.m. Grab a beer from Kona Brewing Company, and Hele mei hoohiwahiwa, come celebrate!

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From their small farm in Aromas, Pamela and Steve Mason get you off to a fine start. Cole Canyon Farm sells certified organic seedlings and herb garden window boxes at local farmers markets.

Cole Canyon’s beautiful combinations of colors and textures, such as bumpy purple sage mixed with fuzzy pink and taupe leaves of tri-color sage make attractive displays that are functional as well. Step out your kitchen door and harvest fresh herbs to make mid-week meals something special. It’s best to harvest leaves to lengthen container life, but when the time comes, these perennials can be transplanted as edible landscaping.

Theme boxes, such as Herbes de Provence with its traditional marjoram, thyme, lavender, savory, basil and rosemary, make lovely gifts. With a selection of mint in a biodegradable container, you can concoct your own midsummer mojitos.

This time of year, Cole Canyon sells seedlings of late tomatoes, extending summer freshness until possibly November. Basil will provide leaves for a few months more, adding interest to salads and sandwiches. Many varieties are available including Holy, African Blue and purple-hued Thai. Lemongrass is perfect for adding Eastern flair to your dishes. Summer lettuces, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and winter squash are coming to market as well.

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