Seoul is massive, population 11 million, fastest broadband speeds in the world, highest per capita energy consumption in Asia. In other words, ultra-developed. Going to take me a bit to get my bearings.My first taxi ride helped (I think). I…
10:45 a.m. Friday in Seoul = 3:45 p.m. Thursday in Honolulu. Snow on the rooftops, chance of flurries, high of 34 today. Anyunghaseyo, Seoul!I haven’t been anywhere faraway and exotic in so long, I’m hyperventilating about everything. First, the flight,…
Mochi treats ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 10 By Mari TaketaNonstopNew Year's may be a fading pop and sizzle in your memory, but there is a place for mochi the rest of the year. At least you hope…
I’ve been to Korea many times — but never past the airport. Never watched a K-drama, don’t know K-pop from J-pop. But I love Korean food, and in 48 hours I’ll be eating my way through Seoul!I still can’t believe…
Thank you for helping to turn around 2010. It got off to a bad start, with the news in February that the Honolulu Advertiser was being bought out of existence. As freelancers or full-timers, all of us at Nonstop worked…
Best mochi dishes ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 16 By Mari TaketaNonstopHappy (almost) New Year! House cleaned, Christmas put away, now it's time to get your mochi grind on.For those lucky enough to eat in this town, options…
Tokkuri Tei's new digs ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 20 By Mari TaketaNonstop6 p.m. last night, Dec. 27. Scent of deep-fried soft shell crab floats down the stairs above Hee Hing. Last time here, this sleek, ginormous space…
The email is totally out of the blue. It’s from former Advertiser reporter Kawehi Haug, who’s moved on to a new gig baking cupcakes:Hi Mari,Let Them Eat Cupcakes is assembling a small group of taste testers to taste our cupcakes,…
Popcorn toppings ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12 By Mari TaketaNonstopPopcorn rut got you down? Tired of opening your microwaved pouch for the same synthetically flavored drudgery you've been popping for years?Not to worry — serendipity sends Nonstop…
Shinn ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 38 By Mari TaketaNonstopI'll get to the point: Shinn is really good, already one of the best izakaya in town. The vibe is uber chic and sexy without trending too garish. Restraint:…
Ever since my What is it about saimin? blog a couple months ago, life has changed in small and subtle ways. One of the better ways happened earlier in December, when frequent Nonstop commenter harrycovair DM’d on Twitter that he…
Foodie gift guide ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12 By Mari TaketaNonstopTwelve days left 'til Christmas, people — have you taken care of the foodies on your gift list?Not to worry, Nonstop is here for you. And we're…
Naru ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 21 By Mari TaketaNonstopThree things I know about Naru before I set foot in the door:— Zero buzz, at least in English.— It's straight out of Tokyo, where this company already has…
Sometimes I do things without thinking first. A lot of times, actually. Which is why, after spotlighting my favorite dishes at izakaya around town, I threw out a proposition:“If you have a fave dish at a place I’ve missed, please…
By Mari TaketaNonstopHow to tell if you’re an anti-shopper: Crowds drive you insane. Crawling around looking for parking drives you insane. You think all those people crowding shopping malls and crawling around looking for parking are insane.If you’re like me,…
Mari Taketa and Tracy Chan both attended Saturday’s Spread the Word, a first-time event at the Hawaii Convention Center that showcased local arts and food. While Mari focused on the cuisine, Tracy captured scenes of the overall event. Here’s a…
Our favorite soul-soothers ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 11 By Mari TaketaNonstopWarm childhood memories, long day pick-me-ups, solace for tummy aches and fevers. Comfort food means something different to everyone. We polled Nonstop's team of 10 for this…
A comment on this site the other day got me thinking. It was from Nonstop’s Cat Toth, chiming in after her own “Great food debate” blog post when MaxCat and I called her out for not considering herself a foodie.“I…
OMG, we’re in a rut. Collectively, I mean, this town. I’ve had my eyes and ears open big time, but a conversation today with Nonstop editor Diane Seo drove home my suspicions. We were talking about upcoming food coverage.Me: So…
Ming Tsai ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12 By Mari TaketaNonstopYesterday morning I get a call from Ming Tsai's office in Boston. They seem to think I've asked for an interview. They're looking for a way to squeeze…
I’m outdating myself, writing this post at 6:21 on Sunday night, because I can’t stand the suspense. Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef” airs at 7, and I haven’t found a single update on Google, Yahoo or even Bing telling me…
Off-Premise ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 14 By Mari TaketaNonstopGritty backstreet Waipahu, sun's gone down, acres of warehouses loom. Here suddenly, a beacon: the familiar Soul Patrol lunch truck, dishing up grinds on white tablecloths. I've found my…
Dessert fantasy ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 25 By Mari TaketaNonstopHappy, heady holiday season! Dreams of sugar plum fairies, scrumptious tarts, gooey-chewy cookies and candies and fudge...All came true yesterday, an 85-degree day, smack in the heart of…
Fave izakaya dishes ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 17 By Mari TaketaNonstopTop 5 reasons why I love izakaya:No. 5. Sake rules — but your beer-, wine- and liquor-loving buds won't be left in the cold.No. 4. Cozy, dimly…
I hate days like yesterday. A downward spiral, triggered by a single text message from Melissa Chang: “GoShiGo closed?!”Nonononono. Plenty of room for misinterpretation with ethnic holes-in-the-wall where English isn’t the first language. Maybe the surfer dude who owns Honolulu’s…
In the week since my I hate saimin blog, I learned something important: Saimin doesn’t have to taste good to be good. What a concept. Not one day has gone by that this lesson hasn’t been hammered home. When islandgirlinnc wrote…
Kokoro-Tei ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 19 By Mari TaketaNonstopDriving down Beretania one day, I spy a new sign. Kokoro-Tei, it says. Fresh bento, coming soon.Hello! Since the demise of Iga Bento on Keeaumoku, and before that Imari…
Deep down, do you really, truly love it?
New eats: Makittii ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 25 By Mari TaketaNonstop5:30 last night, corner of Kuhio Ave. and Kanekapolei. The site of the former Perry's Smorgy is packed. Crowds throng the entrance on day one of the…
Foodie films @ HIFF ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 7 By Mari TaketaNonstopWe're scarred, we are, by this recurring vision of funk: It's October, it's HIFF season, and we're in a theater enthralled by scenes that have just…
Matsutake feast @ Zenshu ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 15 By Mari TaketaNonstopDays grow short, winds blow chill, and under special pine trees in climes cooler than ours, matsutake mushrooms begin to appear.So what, you say? Why all…
So I’m sitting here last Friday, waiting for a DM from @EatGogi to confirm his Korean taco truck is really opening as tweeted at 5 p.m.For the non-twitterati among you, that means I’m expecting a direct message from the owner…
I know nothing about Chinese food. I grew up deadened to it by years of Chinese takeout, the knee-jerk resort of a busy mom who ordered beef broccoli and cake noodles every time she was too tired to cook. Given…
I know locals who don’t eat raw fish. Another friend won’t eat fish if their heads are still attached. Another won’t eat pork because she thinks pigs are cute. And don’t get me started on people who won’t eat papaya,…
Morimoto Waikiki ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 27 By Mari TaketaNonstopOpening night for Morimoto Waikiki, and it's Masaharu Morimoto's latest moment to shine. A Michelin star for his Tokyo restaurant, another restaurant newly opened in Napa in July,…
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival brings up memories of a faraway encounter with mooncakes in Vietnam.
Fave okazuya finds ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 25 By Mari TaketaNonstopA childhood memory: It's early morning, air is cool and cars fill the streets. Field trip today, so there's a frozen can of juice in my backpack…
I’m sorry.If you’re in line at a taste-and-sip event and a short Japanese woman with wild hair flapping over her eyes cuts to the front and photographs your dish while you stand there giving her stink eye, I’m sorry.If she…
Taste at Kapolei ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 33 By Mari TaketaNonstopEleven years already, Taste at Kapolei? Where have we been? Your grassy knolls overlooking dreamy lagoons, white tents beckoning as far as the eye can see, and…
When you see the pics from the epic Nonstop Honolulu launch party, I want you to know that it was fun. Total, no-holds-barred, unabashed fun. For me, at least — I wasn’t covering it.This weekend I will be covering a…
