Playing tourist: Jodie, who calls herself “Ghandi Indian,” with a giant American Indian statue. Funny how trying to blog a long trip works after you get home … work happens, and suddenly the flow of everything gets thrown off. But…
I think a lot of people mourned the loss of breakfast/brunch at Morimoto Waikiki, but the reality is, high-end breakfast spots don’t really do so well on the weekdays. If you need to get your fix, the restaurant is bringing brunch…
Chef Michael Mina at his new Stripsteak restaurant in Waikiki. Renowned chef and restaurateur Michael Mina has opened his first restaurant in Hawaii in the new International Marketplace, the 29th in his worldwide culinary empire. Stripsteak is his chic chop house…
I told pastry chef Belinda Leong how her b. patisserie baked goods made me sick. She beamed and said, “Aw, thank you!” You see, I had my first of her famous kouign amann (pronounced “queen a mon”) two years ago at her…
When you were eight years old, what kind of goals did you have? Okay, well, I’m Chinese, so of course by eight years old, I aspired to be an attorney. But most third graders aren’t really thinking of rising up…
The visiting Taiwan chefs with Flora Lu (left). Last night, the United Chinese Society had a very special benefit event at Jade Dynasty, and I had the good fortune to get an invitation from Flora Lu. For the second year,…
Pint + Jigger’s new whiskey offerings. Pint + Jigger quietly launched some new food and drink items last week, not just to refresh the menu, but to prep for football season, as well. They’ve got about 10 new cocktails, two…
The movies have started running, but last night the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival (HRFF) officially celebrated its month of international Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) films showing at the Honolulu Museum of Art Doris Duke Theatre every weekend. Businessman Jack Law started the…
Bill Muneno is crossing his fingers and hoping that his Growler USA craft beer pub opens today at 11 a.m. in the old Hee Hing building on Kapahulu Ave. At this writing, he is pretty sure his doors will open…
“I left my harp in Sam Clam’s Disco.” — Jodie Laltoo Since I hadn’t been on the East Coast for more than 20 years, I had to make a side trip up to Maine to visit a long-lost sorority sister.…
Everyone has their own list of must-dos in New York, but my trip was a little different because I was actually there for work, filming a special episode for Search Hawaii TV. I know a lot of people didn’t quite get…
If you know your juices, you’ve probably heard of Santa Monica-based Pressed Juicery and have tried its newest location in Ala Moana Center. (It’s not easy to find. Drive to the bottom level of the Ewa Wing by Shirokiya.) I…
I spent a day and a half back in New York after our big Block Island filming trip for Search Hawaii TV, but it was the start of peak tourism season, so things were booked or very expensive. Lucky me,…
From left: Jin Ahn, Chung Chow and Gerald San Jose. I’d been following New York’s noreetuh restaurant and its owner-chef, Chung Chow, on instagram for a while, so when I had a small break in filming for Search Hawaii TV,…
Roy Yamaguchi fans can now find his latest restaurant on Oahu’s north shore, in Turtle Bay Resort overlooking the beach. He opened Roy’s Beach House this week, offering media and friends a first taste as the staff practiced operating both…
There are about 19 boba tea spots in Kailua, and more than 100 on Oahu, so it’s not really news that a new boba spot has opened in Kailua. But the story behind this one is definitely different ……
There’s been a lot of buzz about a new izakaya in McCully, and with good reason. This place is craveable, and as my friend Brandon Suyeoka says, it’s at Gaku’s calibre — soon you may have a hard time getting…
We wrapped up our film trip with a day at the Lofaro’s house on the far end of Block Island — what a treat! It was the perfect setting for our final interviews for Search Hawaii TV. You’ll get to…
The visit to Block Island with Search Hawaii TV documented chef Mike Lofaro’s trip home aboard the Hōkūle’a, with him fishing and foraging in preparation for a big clambake for the community. Block Island is the size of Kihei on…
As mentioned when we first landed on Block Island, The Oar is one of the most popular places to hang out, night or day. It’s right on the water overlooking the boat slips, so you get a lovely view from…
The mango festival has come a long way in eight years since Mark and Candy Suiso first started it in Makaha. Starwood now puts on a big event, featuring cooking demos, a silent auction, a mini farmer’s market, mango tasting,…
We started our first full day on Block Island watching the Hōkūle’a crew perform their traditional protocol ceremony, where they ask the native people of the area permission for entry. This isn’t going to be part of the Search Hawaii…
It was great timing to have the Hōkūlea sailing up and down the North American East Coast while our Search Hawaii TV crew was filming for the summer. Chef Mike Lofaro, one of the stars of the show, is from…
I finally made it to the new Shirokiya Japan Village Walk, just to meet one of the owners of Tokyo Hot Dog, Akihiro Hironishi. Thomas and Maka already got a taste when they previewed the whole food court, but I wanted…
In addition to hunting and fishing, the stars of Search Hawaii TV also forage in the wilderness to find what’s seasonal and local in the area. But we were in New York. Where does one forage in the urban jungle?…
People often mistake this blog for my job, when in fact it’s more of a hobby. My real job is doing social media for clients, so this next series of blog posts will be a little different from what I…
Chef Ed Kenney with his mother, Beverly Noa. No one was surprised when “Family Ingredients” — the television show hosted by chef Ed Kenney joining local celebs as they trace their ethnic roots through food — won an Emmy. It’s…
It seems like a lot of chefs around town are trying to spread their creative wings so they’re not stuck cooking the same old, same old at their same old jobs. Although diners like to go back to restaurants for…
With most restaurants now, there is no such thing as a soft opening. They open their doors and BOOM! everyone’s busting down the doors and picking apart the food and service within the first hour, and posting it online for…
Tasting Hakushu 18 in Kobuchizawa. I’m still very much a novice at drinking whisky, but I have learned to appreciate it nonetheless. After last November’s visit to Suntory’s Hakushu distillery in Japan, I have a new appreciation for Japanese spirits…
Many people mourned the loss of South King Lounge, located in the same complex as longtime karaoke bar Anyplace Lounge. The owners were denied visa renewal, leaving them to re-restart their lives in Tokyo. The old space is home to…
They say that if you own a business and make it to the three-year mark, you know you’re going to be okay. Arancino at the Kahala is now celebrating its third anniversary, and they are introducing a new menu today…
Jimmy Borges’ daughter Steffanie and wife Vicki accept his Hokus for him. Many people had no idea that in his 60 years in the entertainment business, jazz vocalist Jimmy Borges had never won a Hoku Award. Last night, he won four.…
This restaurant has since closed. You’ve probably been wondering about that weirdly named new restaurant on Keeaumoku Street. Chick & Meck? What does that mean? Well, the chicken part is pretty self-explanatory: They serve chicken. The “meck” is shortened slang…
Since our flight to Dubai originated in San Francisco, we had time before and after that adventure to have another mini-adventure in the City by the Bay. One of my favorite people there to eat with is my Twitter friend…
You may have seen my blog last year about TLDYEU, an organic, locally made underarm deodorant that smells good. I’ve been using it ever since my review, and was ready to take a sample tin with me to Dubai to…
Kulu Kulu’s Chief Technical Patissier Takanobu Horiki with the shave ice cake. Summer is coming, and everyone will be looking for shave ice for relief. For a different twist, bringing two of our favorite desserts together, Kulu Kulu is launching a…
When we first booked our trip to Dubai, people’s eyes would light up as they asked, “Are you flying on Emirates Airlines?” Everyone knows about the famous airline with the beautiful flight attendants that wear a red hat with a veil.…
It’s been a long time in the making, but chef Sheldon Simeon of Top Chef fame has finally opened a place of his own, Tin Roof Maui, in Kahului. Janice and Sheldon Simeon in front of the door that she…
The Grand Mosque Sheikh Zayed in Abu Dhabi. If you go to Dubai, leave some time to take a day trip to Abu Dhabi, which is about an hour and a half drive away. The main attraction there is the…
