Author: Frolic Hawai‘i

Did this: East Maui Taro Festival

By Keomai Eaton For two days last weekend, Hana was the unofficial kalo capital of the world. Fans from all over the globe converged for the 23rd annual East Maui Taro Festival, braving the winding road to Hana to experience…

Are you one of these office personalities?

(Sponsored Post) By Steve T. Yeti, ambassador of Real Jobs Hawaii From Waimanalo to Waianae, it doesn’t matter where you live or what you do for a living, you will inevitably come across one or all of these workplace personalities.…

Who’s coming: Eat the Street Philippines

On the fourth stop of Eat the Street’s tour of Asia, we’re mesmerized by the bubbling stews, intrigued by the lumpia and can’t get enough adobo. Mmm, it’s all so sarap sarap at Eat the Street: Philippines! We’re just as…

Win tickets to ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ screening!

We’re giving five lucky winners a pair of tickets to an advanced screening of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The screening will be held Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at Regal…

The lineup: Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival 2015

The Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary from Aug. 29 through Sept. 13, 2015, with an outstanding lineup of events on three islands at various venues. As in past years, celebrity chefs from across the globe will…

A beer lover’s guide to the Honolulu Brewers Festival

Tim Golden grew up on Oahu’s North Shore, picked up a love of craft brews while living in Los Angeles and brought that back to his home island. Now an experienced home brewer and beer lover, Golden explores the exploding…

Our Top 5: Hilo lunch spots

Editors note: Last week, we posted Our Top 5: Hilo’s hidden gems by foodie/photographer/pharmacy student Allan Higa, a first-time contributor to Frolic Hawaii. We knew the post would have appeal, but we were blown away by the reaction: 3.9K Facebook…

Save the date: Darsana – Two-Day Dance Music Fest

(Sponsored post) Six+ DJs, two days, two lounges, one space…. That’s what to expect at Darsana, a first-time dance music fest happening April 10 and 11 at eleven44 in Chinatown. DJ Collective and EyeContact present two music-filled days of cutting-edge…

Our Top 5: Places to grab a beer

Mike Watanabe lives, breathes and, well, drinks beer. He reads about craft brews, participates in the chats at beerinhawaii.com and often plans his travels around beer — bringing home souvenirs of beer, of course. Given his years of daily experience…

Our Top 5: Hilo’s hidden gems

Editor’s note: Early this month, we received the following email from Allan Higa: “First of I would like to say I truly enjoy your website… With that said, I was a bit shocked to not see any Hilo locations make…

Mahalo, Honolulu! Frolic’s Something New

Mahalo, Honolulu, for a milestone night in the life of Frolic. You made our first event a sold-out one: You came, you ate, sipped, grooved to the rhythms of Taimane Gardner and the beats of DJ Super CW, and when…

Who’s coming: Eat the Street Japan

Eat the Street says sayonara to its digs at 555 South St. this Friday, ending an era at the parking lot it has called home since 2011. The food fest’s finale theme at the old lot? Pack your chopsticks, it’s…

Win $100 to a Localicious Hawaii participating restaurant

Localicious Hawaii, the monthlong campaign to raise funds for agricultural education, has more than 120 participating restaurants across the state.We’re giving away a $100 gift card from EACH of these restaurants: MAC 24/7, Top of Waikiki, Tiki’s Bar & Grill,…

Ten strange excuses for being late to work in Hawaii

(Sponsored content) By Lynn Hiyane, ALTRES Office A recent survey by CareerBuilder found that 26% of employees admit to being tardy at least once a month and 16% are late at least once a week. But while most workers will…

Alan Wong’s Cuisine & Commerce Tour

Experience a unique culinary adventure through San Francisco and Napa with chef Alan Wong and through his point of view. The five-day trip, from May 18-23, 2015, includes a San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers VIP game experience; a…

Taimane live! at next week’s Something New food fest

She twirls, leaps, stomps and kicks, then she’ll go mellow and lyrical. Taimane Gardner can switch from frenzied flamenco to Mozart to Led Zeppelin in a flash, but whatever she does, she brings down the house — and she’s the…

A feast for math: Pi Day 2015

By Thomas Obungen March 14, also known as Pi Day, only rolls around once a year (or twice if you do the math — 22/7 — on July 22). This year’s Pi Day fell on the beautifully sequential date of…

Something New event: Ed Morita’s shochu desserts

So you know that Something New is a food fest centered on nine crazy chefs challenged with nine local ingredients. Well, some are crazier than others. Here, Frolic’s own Ed Morita, pastry chef at the new Off the Wall Craft…

Something new: Don Goyo’s Mexican Food

By Thomas Obungen A new Mexican spot quietly opened last week in sleepy Kaneohe — and its flavors are nothing to snooze at. Don Goyo’s menu features family recipes and a big variety of proteins. But as Mexican food goes,…

Something New event: Lee Anne Wong’s ramen bar

Coming Wednesday, March 25: Frolic’s own Something New event, a food celebration with a twist. Honolulu’s nine craziest chefs will unleash their creativity in fun new ways, each challenged with a local ingredient that takes them out of their comfort…

Something New event: Cow & the Lady

Coming Wednesday, March 25: Frolic’s own Something New event, a food celebration with a twist. Honolulu’s nine craziest chefs will unleash their creativity in fun new ways, each challenged with a local ingredient that takes them out of their comfort…

Ready for Something New? Frolic’s own killer event

At Frolic, we guide readers to what’s new in Honolulu. Our biggest hit? “Something New,” the hugely read, shared and liked series that uncovers the latest on the dining and nightlife scenes. You see, Frolic’s team has attended literally hundreds…

Win VIP tickets to screening of ‘Cinderella’

We’re giving 10 people a pack of four tickets to an advance VIP screening of “Cinderella” a live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale that stars Lily James and Cate Blanchett. The film will screen Tuesday, March 10 at…

Five signs you need a new job

Sponsored content By Lynn Hiyane, ALTRES Office It’s Sunday and you wish you could start the weekend over again because it’s back to work tomorrow… and you really dread Mondays. But maybe it’s not Mondays that bother you; maybe it’s…

Our Top 5: Post-workout meals

By Gilbert Ching Practicing what I preach goes a long way in my job as a health and fitness trainer. In this line of work, leading by example helps motivate clients. So when people ask what I eat after a…

Localicious Hawaii 2015: Restaurants and menus

Localicious Hawaii, a monthlong campaign to raise funds for agricultural education, is back and kicks off March 1, with more than 100 participating restaurants across the state. You can support this Hawaii Agricultural Foundation effort by dining out and ordering…

Win tickets to Mardi Gras – Carnaval 2015

This year’s Mardi Gras Carnaval happens Tuesday, Feb. 17, in Chinatown, and we’re giving 10 lucky winners a pair of tickets to take part in the huge streetfest (each ticket worth $10). To enter, just fill out the form below.…

Win tickets to a VIP screening of ‘McFarland, USA’

We’re giving away 15 pairs of tickets to an advance VIP screening of “McFarland, USA,” a film inspired by a true story about novice runners from McFarland, Calif., who overcome the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team…

The love series: Best first date spots — he says

Two Frolic readers go head to head in this he says, she says series. Here’s Alysha Komenaka’s female point of view. Brandon Suyeoka is a self-described outdoor type who tries to read what his date is into before planning their…

The love series: Best first date spots — she says

Two Frolic readers go head to head in this he says, she says series. Here’s Brandon Suyeoka’s male point of view. Though she’s married now, 29-year-old Alysha Komenaka is a frequent resource for friends seeking ideas for first dates. “I’m…

Save the date: Mardi Gras Carnaval 2015

Honolulu’s 15th annual Mardi Gras Carnaval Festival takes over Chinatown on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, starting at 6 p.m. As in years past, thousands are expected to converge for the street fest. Here’s what to look forward to: Ten venues…

Off-the-beaten-path recs for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be all about flowers and candles and a romantic dinner with a view of the sunset. OK, that does sound pretty good, but for those who prefer to defy convention, or just got shut out…

Seven reasons to sign up for the Jersey Fun Run

The inaugural Jersey Fun Run is set for this Saturday, Jan. 31 at Aloha Stadium. Pre-race festivities begin at 8 a.m., and the run starts at 9. It’s not too late to sign up for the event. Here are seven…

Localicious 2015 now lining up participating restaurants

The Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation (HAF) is currently recruiting restaurants that use locally grown, caught or raised produce and products in their menus for its 2015 Localicious Hawaiʻi campaign. The primary purpose of the annual campaign, which runs from March 1…

Frolic picks: Weekend events

Thursday, Jan. 15 ‘Becky’s New Car’ Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. Manoa Valley Theatre 2833 E. Manoa Road Tickets: $20-$39 This contemporary comedy is about love, loss, choices and what makes life worth living. It is a devious and delightful romp…

Time to hit the theater

Over the next few months, several new theater productions will hit the stage across the island. Here’s a roundup of the shows, plays, musicals and more. Friday, Jan. 9 “George & Ira & Shari” Jan. 9-18 Brad Powell Theatre 650…

Our Top 5: Brian Yang’s favorite local eats

Over the past few years, while starring as Charlie Fong on “Hawaii Five-0,” Brian Yang has come to embrace life in the islands, especially on the food front. “I grew up in California, so we’re exposed to dishes from Hawaii,”…

Dishes and drinks you can only get during the holidays

It’s that time of the year for indulgence, with holiday treats in abundance. In honor of the season, eateries across the city have special menus to get people in a festive spirit. Here are some of the desserts, dishes and…

Win VIP tickets to screening of ‘The Interview’

We’re giving away 15 pairs of tickets to an advance VIP screening of “The Interview,” an action-comedy starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, about two tabloid TV guys who discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of…

Win VIP tickets to ‘Into the Woods’

We’re giving away 15 pairs of tickets to an advance VIP screening of Disney’s “Into the Woods,” a modern twist of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Johnny Depp as the Wolf.…

Save the date: Pinch of Salt for the Holidays

Popular local designers and vendors will be showcasing their fashion, gifts and more on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Pinch of the Salt for the Holidays in Our Kaka‘ako. The pop-up shopping event — designed to be an alternative to hitting…

Black Friday 2014

Black Friday got started earlier than usual. By 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, shoppers had arrived in force at Ala Moana, taking advantage of doorbuster deals at Macy’s and a few other stores that opened at that early hour. As…

Our Top 5: Japanese restaurants

Editor’s note: Our recent post Where Japanese nationals eat Japanese food led our friend and social media man-about-town Toby Tamaye to challenge the suggestions and post a few of his favorite Japanese restaurants on his Facebook page. We liked where…

Weekend rewind: Our Kaka‘ako

Our Kaka‘ako was a hotspot for events this past weekend. After Friday’s Eat the Street, we checked out Threadz, the Kaka‘ako Arts & Makahiki Fest and Baker Faire. Here are some snaps from the weekend: Threadz ◄ Back Next ►…

Our Kaka‘ako events to hit this weekend

Our Kaka‘ako will be the place to hit this weekend, with lots of events for everyone. Here’s a rundown of what’s happening: Friday, Nov. 21 Eat the Street: Bacon Nov. 21, 4-9 p.m. 555 South St. Free All of Kakaako…

Frolic fitness: Favorite workouts

Editor’s note: Our goal with Frolic is to cover things that people in Hawaii do for fun, and for many, that includes working out and getting healthy. Local trainer Gilbert Ching will be blogging about how to do just that.…

Our Top 5 challenge: Manapua

Editors note: One thing we learned after running Melissa Chang’s Our Top 5: Manapua post is that people care deeply about their manapua and refuse to see their favorite relegated to anything less than the No. 1 spot. One of…

Party pics: Hale Aina Awards 2014

HONOLULU Magazine announced the winners of its 2014 Hala Aina Awards Sunday night at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, followed by a lavish outdoor soiree with guests tasting dishes from 14 of the city’s top restaurants. This year was the 30th anniversary of the…

HONOLULU Fashion Week: Kini and Dinko & Best of Neiman Marcus

By Crystal Pancipanci It was a big night for fashion in Honolulu, with two highly anticipated runway shows taking place Friday evening at the Hawaii Convention Center, as part of HONOLULU Fashion Week. Early in the evening, Art of Fashion:…