Mari Taketa

Dining Editor

Dining Editor Mari Taketa spearheads coverage of the city’s dining scene for HONOLULU Magazine and its digital food blog, Frolic Hawai‘i. A 10-year veteran of traditional journalism, she traded in a career at The Associated Press in Tokyo and Hawai‘i Business Magazine for nonprofit adoption work in Ho Chi Minh City. Food brought her back to journalism, starting with Metromix Honolulu, The Honolulu Advertiser, Hana Hou and now HONOLULU. She is also excited by travel and periodically attempts to learn new languages.

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Articles

First look: W Bistro at 1010

First look: W Bistro ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 10 This space, the old Le Guignol space in the medical building at Victoria and King streets: W Bistro at 1010 opened here in late January. The theme is…

Eat here: Valentine’s popup brunch

NOTE: Baked goods sale locations in last paragraph have been updated.—@aliyoko, who goes by the name Alison Yokouchi and makes desserts on occasion for Pig and the Lady, leaned in conspiratorially. “Three of us are getting together to do a…

One more day: Aloha, Taste Table

Kakaako’s Taste Table ends its run on Auahi Street tonight, and any way you look at it, it’s been a remarkable run. Its beginning was as notable for its promise — a Hawaiian blessing, partners Poni and Brandon Askew, Mark…

OMG: Ramen Burger

“What time do you think we should line up?” my friend Jan said. “You think 10:30 is early enough?”“Oh please,” I said. “It’s a weekday at lunchtime. People WORK.”At 10:30 on the day of Ramen Burger’s only open-to-the-public popup in…

Attention Honolulu: Ramen Burger is coming

You know the one. The mashup food phenom of 2013, the one 1,000 people lined up for in Torrance, California, the one that sells out every week in New York, that since August has popped up in L.A., San Jose,…

FRESH DURIAN ALERT: Chinatown, now

It was the call I’d been waiting nearly three years for.“Mari. Durian on Maunakea Street. By Bruno’s Forno.”@harrycovair, man of few words, was cutting in and out amid traffic noises. I had one question. Harry answered it before I could…

Who’s coming: Eat the Street Dia de Los Muertos

Ghouls, goblins and Mexican food come out this Friday for Eat the Street: Dia de Los Muertos, a.k.a. the Mexican Day of the Dead. So, many kinds of tacos, check. Horchata, check. Churros, tamales and nachos, all check. Plus a…

Our Top 5: Saimin

I have a newfound respect for saimin, thanks to the one time I publicly hated on it. Disdained it, actually, resented it even. Compared to all the noodle bowls I love in this world — ramen, pho, naengmyeon, the roast…

Hawaii Food & Wine: Under the Modern Moon

It’s posh, it’s chic, it’s see-and-be-seen — and it’s an eat your heart out, meet the chefs you’ve seen in magazines and on TV, swoon at every turn scene. When you go to the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, every…

Did this: Hwayo Soju launch party

Soju mojitos, soju martinis, soju on the rocks: A new Korean rice liquor debuted in Honolulu last night, but don’t expect any $4.99 sales. Hwayo Soju ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 14 Photo by Ed Morita jQuery(function($) {…

Joy of Sake: What to sip, what to eat

Joy of Sake happens this week, but before we get into sake tips and food pics, did you know that 1) it was born here in Honolulu, and 2) it’s the world’s biggest sake bash outside Japan?That’s how much Honolulu…

Did this: Natto Day dinner

Natto ruled at Friday’s (belated) Natto Day dinner, but not in the way you’d expect. At Nonstop’s request, Pig and the Lady took on the latest challenge of the fermented bean, and where others brought the full funk to the…

Crazy as it gets: Friday’s natto menu

Want natto? New spots have opened up — you can RSVP here or via Twitter or Facebook.To all who are coming to Friday’s (belated) Natto Day dinner, consider this your official warning: The menu is insane. This may be the…

Sneak peek: Eat the Street Cheese

Tonight, finally, as the summer sunset lingers and cool breezes descend on Kakaako, we feast on cheese. Cheesy waffles, cheesy garlic shrimp, cheesecake shave ice, cheesy popcorn. And cheesy french fries, ham and cheese cupcakes, cheesy spring rolls, even deep-fried…

First look: Arancino at The Kahala

Arancino opens at The Kahala Hotel & Resort today, but even if you know Arancino from its two Waikiki locations, this one is different. It’s the same Italian concept with light Japanese touches, and some dishes even broadly the same.…

Your guide to Saturday’s Night Market: Food

Heads up: New layout at this week’s Honolulu Night Market Xtreme. True to the theme, Red Bull’s X-Fighters are doing a live FMX jump demo up and down Auahi — I mean, have you seen these freestyle motocross tricks? Holy…

Hello, Sheldon!

It’s official: Sheldon Simeon, Top Chef season 10 finalist, is unleashing his bold, contemporary Filipino flavors in Honolulu for the first time at a four-night collaboration at Vintage Cave.If you watched Top Chef, you know Simeon (and why I couldn’t…

Foodscene: June

June 4: National Cheese DayHere’s your PSA for America’s most loved condiment. Seriously, what else could edge out bacon? Americans eat more than 30 pounds of cheese per person per year, our favorites being mozzarella and cheddar, of course, with…

Did this: Lady and the Pig’s beef 7 ways

I’m very happy. I just passed a milestone, one that brought an unexpected sense of wonderment, and it reminded me that some happinesses and yearnings long relegated to memory are worth going back and looking for again. Why not? I’m…

The feast I’ve been waiting for: beef 7 ways

Before I knew where Vietnam was, before I knew I would live there, I knew what bo bay mon was. And if you remember a Vietnamese restaurant at the corner of Maunakea and Pauahi called A Little Bit of Saigon,…

Night Market guide, part 1: Food & entertainment

An I <3 Kakaako block party? Oh hail yes. Now that Honolulu Night + Market has hit its stride, closing down a block and a half of Auahi Street on the third Saturday of every month for a celebration of…

What? Tsukenjo’s closing Friday

No more roast pork with gravy, no more fresh corned beef hash sandwiches. Fifty-four years after Tetsu and Mitsuko Tsukenjo opened for business at the corner of Cooke and Queen streets in Kakaako, Tsukenjo Lunch House is closing for good…

Did this: Eat the Street Bacon

Does Honolulu love bacon or what? The air wafted with the scent of smoky pork goodness Friday night in Kakaako, with dozens of trucks and food booths dishing up savory and sweet bacon dishes to one of the biggest crowds…

Your guide to Night Market: Green

It’s Earth Day and it’s green — a dual symphonic theme of sorts for this week’s Honolulu Night + Market, starring living architecture, music with a reggae touch and, uh, green food.We’ll get back to that food. You know by…

Sneak peek: Taste of Marukai

Tickets are sold out for Thursday’s Taste of Marukai, a first ever for the eight-year-old fest. For the 800 of you who’ll show up at the wholesale chain’s Dillingham store for one of the quirkiest, most fun showcases of Japanese…

Foodscene: April

April 1, 8, 15, 22: Maui Lamb Mondays12th Avenue Grill1145C 12th Ave.Reservations: 732-9469If we eat more parts of the lamb, would raising lamb be more sustainable for local ranchers? 12AG tests the waters this month, with lamb leg roulade April…

Pig and the Lady’s “Spirited Away” popup

Pig and the Lady is in my blood. I’m there Wednesday nights at the Blaisdell farmers’ market, Thursday nights in Kailua if I miss Wednesday; and every other Saturday, when they set up Noodle Bar at Taste in Kakaako, I…

Did this: Eat the Street Japan

Flavors of Japan hit Kakaako Friday night, with 42 food trucks and street food vendors outdoing themselves to provide Nihon-themed eats. Yakisoba hot dogs, sakura dango mochi pops, sushi, yakitori, okonomiyaki — hai! All on our favorite mega-block on South…

Eat the Street preview: Simply Ono

Yes, people, it IS the last Friday of the month already, which for the food-driven among you means one thing: It’s Eat the Street night in Kakaako. Tonight’s theme: Japan, meaning every one of the 40 food trucks and street…

Did this: Joy of Sake Aftertaste at HASR

It’s not just the midsummer mega-party the Joy of Sake puts on. Honolulu’s appetite for the ricey brew fuels monthly Aftertastes, samplings of 40 sake at a time at different restaurants around town, and if there were any doubts about…

Did this: Alan Wong’s Farmer Series dinner

Alan Wong’s puts on its Farmer Series dinners only two or three times a year, always supporting local producers, always delivering for a worthy cause. Last night’s showcased a range of microgreens and herbs from FarmRoof, the local project that…

Eat here … or here … or here

Forgive me if I’m missing something, but dang, these popups just keep coming. I’m in the midst of confirming a spate of three choice popups this week when one more I’m keeping an eye on comes through, as in hot…