The Everything Guide to Ahi in Hawaii
Hawaii's Most Beloved Fish: A guide to finding the best, and stories from the people who catch and serve it.
Mari Taketa
Articles
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…
Good-bye, Kelvin Shimazu
You were the Willy Wonka of shave ice, with a heart as big as your famous cones
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…
100 Best Dishes and Drinks in Hawaii
From hole-in-the-wall eateries to multi-million-dollar restaurants, we’ve rounded up our favorite dishes and drinks around the Islands.
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…
8 Kakaako eateries: The places in between
Exploring Kakaako’s plate-lunch past, diner roots, hidden Thai and Vietnamese spots, and its new, healthy-eating corridor.
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…
Guess who’s cooking a Natto Day dinner?
UPDATE: The Natto Day dinner is now full. If you were shut out this time, we’ll be back with a new all-natto feast this winter Natto lovers, never mind that Natto Day is July 10. You’re invited to…
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…
Your Ultimate Guide to Japanese Food in Honolulu
The best izakayas, sushi, ramen, okazuyas, mochi and more.
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…
Japanese Food Guide: Best Tonkatsu in Honolulu
Our three favorite places for deep-fried pork cutlets
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…
Your guide to Saturday’s Night Market
Time once again for the Kakaako block party that blows up the ‘hood, with more than food, more than shopping, more than fashion, street performers and live music. This time Honolulu Night Market stretches down Auahi from Keawe to Lana…
Naked Cow bringing back cheese dinners
You read right: Eight months after debuting locally sourced gourmet dinners featuring its homemade cows’ milk cheeses in Waianae’s Lualualei Valley, Naked Cow Dairy is back with more farm dinners. Even better, starting with next week’s series, the dinners will…
Why I’m going to Fatboy’s
For the longest time it was hard just passing Kapiolani. Most people know the medical center as a giver of life; for me it’s the place that cushioned the slow ride to the end of my mom’s. I don’t even…
Foodscene: March
March: National Caffeine Awareness MonthWhat is there to be aware of? Caffeine is good. Caffeine jump-starts intelligence. Caffeine makes the world go round. March should be National Caffeine Appreciation MonthMarch 1: Honolulu Festival Friendship GalaHawaii Convention Center1801 Kalakaua Ave.6:30 to…
It’s tomorrow: Aloha, Byron’s Drive-In
Whoosh, what a ride. Forty-eight years, countless shrimp burgers and deep-fried Oreos, Saturday lunches and late-night runs later, Byron’s Drive-In closes tomorrow night, and it’s a sad good-bye.Byron’s opened by the airport May 10, 1965. It’s the last restaurant of…
