Steven and Sons Food — Restaurant in Fife

So I know the original branch of this establishment , located in Tafuna, American Samoa. The food back home is fine, as far as taste it is average but great, and what you would get from any average Samoan hot food type place as we have lots of these on the island. Anyway, let us talk about the Washington branch of Steven and sons. First the pros: food is not as greasy as most Samoan food vendors here in Washington. Even their ginormous lamb flaps slabs with soy sauce was, I am guessing possibly baked or boiled in the soy suave to get rid of that after taste of grease. The favorite thing for me to eat from S&S(aka Steven &Sons) was their fried fish which I am not sure was tilapia or flounder but it was a healthy sized flat fish fried in a egg and flour batter and smothered in onions & gravy. I love fish, what islander doesn't right? My only complaint is because the gravy was already on the fish it made the fried coating soggy. Maybe consider the gravy on the side? I have a feeling since these dishes sit in some kine warmer device the fish may dry out and hence the gravy over fish?! I am a fan of texture and texture contrasts. When everything is just soft it seems....boring or one note, flat. Nonetheless it was okay but average. It had the potential of greatness but fell short. It was however, good compared to everything else. Oh I almost forgot the little cute turkey tails which was another positive about this place. The turkey tail was tender, but as far as flavor i felt like the sauce used in the lamb was also poured over the turkey tail. I say this because your competition in that area would be Lily's and I have had their turkey tail, and the teriyaki sauce was excellent and turkey tail fork tender. S&S's corned beef brisket was nice and tender, and judging by its appearance alone i am guessing the corn beef they used looked like the ones you would buy from NZ in a paelo which I have not seen in a while. I say this becuase store bought corn beef here has less fat, and come in such smaller pieces. S&S definitely made me think of Samoa and Samoan portions. Again it was okay, I was hesitant thinking it would be super salty but it wasn't but it seemed bland but nothing ketchup wouldn't fix. Run from the chop suey, trust me, too much ginger n watered down flavor but not greasy though. I know I sound very negative here, and that is not my intention, but its more constructive criticism. So perhaps S&S could improve as well to beat out its competitors. Last time I was at Lilys 2 years ago they made their own corn beef brisket. Cons: bakery goods. I think they really need to improve in this area. The so called German buns are not like Amy's bakery German buns they are a thick and tough dough, like a fefeu panikeke. The jam was filled after it was fried and for the price you pay it was not worth it. The puligi... well it didn't taste bad, but all I tasted was the sauce. So here's why I really didn't like what they did to the puligi. Why did they cut them up in cubes and pour the sauce all over it? I am baffled. I cannot taste the puligi flavor much at all and the fact it is cut in cubes was just strange. A slice might have worked but why in cubes? The puligi sauce is from that store bought box of the yellowish custard. Bakery positive: Only positive thing from the bakery goods was the pineapple tart, 🤔 kind of. Here's the thing, the pies were literally baked tart shells then they scooped in the filling sloppily. No meringue which coulda gave it presentation points. I eat and chose my food with all my senses, smell, sight and of course taste most importantly. If S&S improves just a little more with its presentation that would be great and the curse perhaps more butter or actually use real butter and a dash of salt. Overall this place is great if you are just wanting typical average Samoan food. My reference to Tutuilas S&S is that I feel the Tafuna branch has better tasting food even their baked goods. WA S&S needs to step up their game, and match the pricing with the quality of...

Authentic fresh Samoan food and cuisine. Just my lunch a few days ago!! 😋😋😋 I finally tried Stevens and Sons and it was very good. Everything was really good, but I wish I had ordered more taro with that nice thick and creamy pe’e (coconut cream). This was a $30 meal. I only asked for about 1/3 bowl of Fe’e since I was going to be on the road for a long time. Some people complain about the price but prices have gone up everywhere. A couple of sides is what’s going to drive prices higher. Even when I go to my favorite Hawaiian restaurants, I’ll order a plate lunch and then extra Mac Salad, a drink, maybe some poke and bada boom bada bang it’s at least $30.

Lupo Ka not at all! $30.00. I didn’t get a whole bowl of Faiai Fe’e. The price of food is very expensive everywhere. A can of coconut milk is like $3.00 and the price of rice keeps going up. I think when we are used to eating Samoan food for free and especially if you were raised in Samoa where coconuts, taro and fe’e are free, it’s seems crazy to pay so much money. I can’t eat there everyday and so it was a real treat for me....

I love supporting Samoan-owned businesses, but Steven and Sons needs to be more transparent about their cooked food pricing. There are no posted prices, and I’ve been overcharged multiple times, including paying extra for items that were already weighed on the same plate. Until prices are clearly listed and charges are consistent, I can’t recommend their cooked food section. Their pineapple pies are great! Those are priced at $3.75 each. That I can at least say! Most Samoan owned businesses that offer cooked food most never post their prices. If you ask me, that is sketchy business! If you want transparency, I can recommend The Harvest Valley located in Kent right off Military Road. It is a grocery store that offers Samoan cooked food and it is a self serve buffet. I had hope in Steven and Sons Food but last Sunday was the last straw for me. I want to support transparent and honest business not ones...