As mentioned yesterday, one of the must-do things at the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival is a celebrity chef demo. You get to watch them in action, get some tips, and best of all, eat their food for lunch. Chefs…
Most people know the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival for its signature events, like the Grand Tasting and the Seafood Festival that we covered. But if you really want to know more about American wine, a weekend pass will get you…
Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 21, and families around the country will be taking time to thank the dads in their lives for all that they do. Typically, people go out to restaurants on Mother’s Day and stay home…
This unit in Queen Victoria Residences has the space of a big house.
Whenever I see master sommelier Chuck Furuya, he imparts a little tidbit (or two, or three) of wine knowledge so that I can better appreciate the glass I’m drinking. He describes the hills that the grapes are grown on, the…
Radio personality and KHON correspondent Ron Wiley is one of the familiar faces at Taste of Hawaii. Although it started as a fundraiser in 1988 by the Rotary Club of Kapaa, the Taste of Hawaii on Kauai has grown to be…
The Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association (HFMA) held its second TASTE Awards Saturday night, honoring outstanding members for achievements in the industry. The evening started off with an interactive reception featuring “battle of the chefs,” where three Hawaii chefs were challenged…
Agu chef Hisashi “Teddy” Uehara with his new ramen creation at the Ward location. Agu Ramen has opened a second venue, located in Ward Centre next to Kua Aina (facing Auahi Street). While the menu is the same as its…
Denise Luke and Kevin Hanney at 12th Avenue Grill. Happy anniversary!Can you believe it’s been 11 years since 12th Avenue Grill opened in Kaimuki? There’s something to be said for longevity in the restaurant business, especially when there are so…
Spacious, renovated home has an architect’s touch.
The Hawaiian Airlines featured chefs with Chai Chaowasaree (center), from left: Jon Matsubara, Andrew Le, Lee Anne Wong, Wade Ueoka, and Sheldon Simeon. Photo by Rae Huo. Hawaiian Airlines kicked off its new featured chef program yesterday, where inflight meals created…
With two of my buddies, Lisa Kaneshiro and Karen Fujimoto. (Missing: Wendy Sato and Denise Mizumoto. Who has that photo of all of us at the end of the night?) It’s graduation season in Hawaii! We are the only place…
I always love the chance to see how new wines and spirits pair with different foods, so when Sten Lilja of Moet Hennessy — who presented a cognac dinner earlier this year — came back to Honolulu, I had to…
Amazing views from the top of the hill.
Time flies. I can’t believe it’s been two years since Arancino opened their third restaurant at The Kahala Hotel & Resort, but here they are celebrating their second anniversary in business.To celebrate, Executive Chef Daisuke Hamamoto has created some new…
Several months ago, I blogged about Holoholo Bar & Grill, a neighborhood bar with ultimate local grinds. As of today, they have separated their lunch and dinner menus and have started a new breakfast menu — meaning they’ll be open…
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto at his Waikiki venue. If you owned a chain of restaurants in foodie destinations around the world, where would you want to celebrate your birthday? For “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto, the obvious choice is Honolulu. Actually,…
Photo by Ricky Li The stars came out to shine last night at the 38th annual Nā Hoku Hanohano Awards, held again at the Hawaii Convention Center. The big highlight of the night was longtime singer and kumu hula Keali’i…
Here’s your chance to own a remodeled home designed by the famed Hawai‘i architect.
I am always nagging people to read my blog, but today … well, I’m kind of hoping they won’t. Bread + Butter, a new cafe/restaurant/pinot bar in the spot on Kapiolani where Angelo Pietro once occupied, has only been open a…
Mari’s Gardens in Mililani. Photo by Catherine Toth FoxWe are always talking about eating fresh and local as much as possible, to truly enjoy the bounty that the Hawaiian islands have to offer. This Saturday, May 23, Edible Hawaiian Islands…
White gloves at Crackin’ Kitchen — where the gloves are for the guests. At this writing, there are only five crab boil restaurants in Honolulu (and a sixth in Aiea). The newest to hit the scene is Crackin’ Kitchen, which…
The inaugural Bite of Hilo happened last night at the Pagoda Hotel, featuring favorite dishes and ingredients from Hilo. One of the headliners was Hilo High alum Sheldon Simeon, who was a “Top Chef” finalist. If you love Hilo but…
I had one final day in Japan before heading home, so met up with my friend, Hawaii ex-pat Deanne Matsushima. She, like many of my Hawaii friends, used to live in an area called Asagaya. It is an older, established…
This home on a private lane offers extra space and ocean views.
One of the reasons I flew to France via Tokyo was because I had a layover in Qatar, via Qatar Airways. You can tell a lot about a city from the airport, and the thought of getting a glimpse of…
Many people — me included — don’t have enough resources for staying connected in Europe. No problem with Japan, but Europe has been a big mystery, and even Mellissa Cedillo of Elena’s Filipino Foods has gone through various (expensive) trials…
I was so happy to have found a lot of places that served great food in Beaune. In fact, by the time we left, we had run out of time and didn’t get a chance to try a couple of…
When I first got to Beaune, I thought I was going to be disappointed. At a glance, it seemed like there were rows and rows of touristy restaurants, all with similar price points and all with the same thing on…
Living in Hawaii, we are conscious of the fish we eat from the water that surrounds us. And, as we know all too well during the holiday season, it can really take a toll on our budgets when demand for certain…
This newly listed home is located in Bay View Garden.
After tasting various wines in Beaune, Ahnya and I found that we both really liked white wine from a particular area called Meursault. I realize the flavors and complexity will vary from winery to winery, depending on blends and which…
I have been drinking and learning about wines for a couple of decades now, and my niece Ahnya has now started to learn more about the art of tasting wines in France. So in retrospect, Beaune — with its vast…
Although Dijon is a famous name for mustards, it’s actually one city in the entire Burgundy area that produces our favorite spicy condiment. When you go to Beaune, as we did, I recommend the Fallot Moutarderie tour.If you are staying…
Place de la Liberation, Dijon. This is a slightly different blog post as I am pretty much just telling you what we did in one day in Dijon. I actually can’t step up and say, “You MUST stop here!” —…
I love going to places that aren’t well known by most tourists, and Beaune seems to be one of them. When I was trying to get tickets in Paris to get to this city, just outside of Dijon, no one knew…
You probably heard by now that I got pickpocketed upon arrival in Paris, on my way to meet my niece Ahnya in Beaune. Listen, I’m not a newbie at solo travel and have been to more dangerous places in the…
My last day in Tokyo before heading out was a full day of hanging out with friends from Hawaii as well as Japan. The entourage (below) was a group that started with Hawaii folks and my friend Deanne Matsushita, who…
Every so often, DK Steakhouse will have special themed events: wine, vodka, Localicious, or tie-ins with holidays. You can find out about these events through their website or newsletter (which unfortunately is hard to find), or on their social media…
Tokyo can be expensive, but there are many cheap, filling restaurants that are popular with the city’s denizens. I saw some great spots on this trip, but didn’t have enough time to go in. There was the ramen shop right…
