BY ISAIAH JOHN AGUON
Journal Staff
Boonies Barkade N Bistro LLC is a fusion of food and fun housed at the Royal Orchid Guam Hotel in Tamuning. Owner Dennis Lang held a grand opening of the bar, arcade, and bistro on March 1.
“Boonies' vision is to be the best entertainment venue in Tumon,” Lang said. “We intend to be a place where people will come and find their favorite childhood games, games they've never seen, and watch the game they want on TV, all this while pairing great drinks with delicious food. …I like to see people happy and play games and have fun and even people watch, and to see people just having a good time.”
There are 11 items on the menu, including blackened salmon rice, taco BLT, and cordon bleu sliders. Patrons can play pool, sandbag toss, table football, and Nintendo Switch, among others.
“We definitely want the home feeling,” said Crystal Aguon, general manager of Boonies Barkade N Bistro.
Opening the business was “something I’ve always wanted to do … since my mid-20s,” said Lang, who hails from Chicago, Ill.
He retired from the United States Navy two years ago, after 26 years of service. Discussions of bringing this dream to fruition started in September 2022, and renovations began about three months later in December, which wrapped up in February.
Lang said it’s his love for animals that’s behind the name “Boonies.”
“I've got a couple of boonies,” he said. “We love them, rescued them, and have three dogs, and two of them are boonies. I always had the heart for animals.”
Boonies Barkade N Bistro plans to put a donation tab on its website for local nonprofit Guam Animals In Need, or GAIN, shelter.
Lang said the shelter needs the help “and in my eyes animals don't have a choice like they're stuck with their situation and if we don't help them and other people don't help them then they're on their own.”
Eventually, Lang would like to welcome dogs to the establishment, where they can play with toys and enjoy ice cream for pets, but he hasn’t yet had a chance to dig into what’s necessary to make that happen.
Investment cost of the 4,000 square foot establishment was $150,000, according to Lang.
Boonies Barkade N Bistro currently has 10 employees. It is open 5 p.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday to Saturday, and 3 to 10 p.m. on Sunday on 626, Pale San Vitores Rd Tamuning, Guam, 96913 on the first floor of the Royal Orchid.
Two years in the making, this is the group’s first venture into quick service restaurants, Crave Group CEO Brian Artero said. The Crave Group also does business as Lone Star Steakhouse in Tamuning, and Crust Pizzeria Napoletana in Hagatna.
“We operate full-service restaurants and this is a grab and go segment,” he said.
“When Pay-Less approached us in late 2020, they said that they were opening up a marketplace and they wanted new upstart businesses that weren’t opened yet, with the exception of Infusion but they wanted three new ideas, three new concepts.”
Artero said they asked him for two concepts.
Proof Bread Shop is an artisan bakery.
“It means handcrafted, an artist is making the food,” he said. “Artisan can be used in all kinds of different types of forms, whether they’re woodworkers, sculptors, or bread workers. We looked at doing something very, very specific with the bread shop and crafting nice artisan style breads like the sourdough.”
Some items on the menu include garlic loaf, supreme focaccia, and cream cheese onion croissant, among others. Proof Bread Shop is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at Pay-Less in Micronesia Mall.
“In our bowls, we are using Japanese rice and Japanese soy sauce,” Artero said, adding, “these are higher quality products, and higher quality ingredients that we're putting into our bowls that are very evident when you taste it.”
Some of the items on the Local Bowlz Co. menu are beef bowl, kalbi bowl, spicy tuna bowl, and salmon furikake poke bowl.
“People are really responding positively to the taste and the flavor profile,” Artero said. “So great feedback so far.”
He invites “everyone to come down and … enjoy our product.” “We want people to see our products with a strong, strong notion of confidence because we're an experienced food and beverage group,” Artero said, adding, “although we haven't done any branding by Crave Group."
Local Bowlz Co. is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Over in the Northern Mariana Islands, Lone Fox Bistro & Lounge opened on Feb. 4 for business on 13 Fishermen, Beach Rd. Garapan, Saipan, according to owner Troy Santos. The restaurant is known for its signature and classic cocktails with quality from scratch eats with customer service and hospitality. “We look to revolutionize the food & beverage industry on Saipan by providing something different both in the kitchen, and in the bar,” said Santos, who also curated the cocktail and food menu. “A place for people to enjoy that constantly innovates and brings something new to the table.” Lone Fox Bistro & Lounge is open 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. mbj