Hawaii: In Real Life ~ T.J.Maxx makeovers

Ever since T.J.Maxx opened its stores in Hawaii, stylist Tyson Joines (@Tyson_Joines) (and Nonstop contributor) has been dying to do some “Maxxinista” makeovers. The store is known for carrying designer and brand name items at better prices — keeping you fashionable from head to toe without breaking the bank.We recently visited the store to see what they have for the…

Why the ‘The Breakfast Club’ matters

When I first saw “The Breakfast Club,” I was awkward, pimply and smelled like Clearasil. While George Lucas and Steven Spielberg may have defined my childhood, the films of John Hughes defined my clumsy puberty. On Wednesday, Dec. 12, the ultimate high school movie, “The Breakfast Club” returns to Consolidated Theatres’ Hana Hou Picture Show at Ward. And while the…

VIDEO first look: Vintage Cave

Probably everything you might have heard about Vintage Cave, the new restaurant opening under Shirokiya next week, is true. Fantastical, but true:It’s one man’s dream. Takeshi Sekiguchi, whose developments span Maui’s Grand Wailea Resort and Four Seasons to Ko Olina to properties on the mainland and in Japan, has built the restaurant of his fantasies. Two years in the making…

Aloha Brisbane! Hawaii: In Real Life

Yes, I’m blending the two by making today’s trip blog about meeting people in real life. We actually met Hawaii girl Lisa Yanger (LisaYanger on Instagram, no Twitter), who had just moved to Brisbane the week we arrived. She’s going to be working for renowned chef Matt Moran at his new restaurant called The Brisbane River Bar, and had some…

Aloha Brisbane! Exploring the city

The faces of meat pie at Pie FaceThere’s nothing like having Cat Toth wake me up at 6:30 a.m. by pounding on my door, as I rush to answer it with no pants on. I’m sure Ed Sugimoto felt almost the same way when Cat called him from my room, asking for more Nespresso capsules while he was still asleep….

Aloha Brisbane!

Right on the heels of its Sapporo flight launch, Hawaiian Air started direct flights to Brisbane last week. I was fortunate to get a seat on the inaugural flight, thanks to chef Chai Chaowasaree. I brought one of my favorite travel partners, Catherine Toth (@TheDailyDish), along for the adventure.If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, you know that…

Nonstop Movies: ‘The Thieves’

“The Thieves” just recently became the all-time, top-grossing movie in Korean history, passing Bong Joon Ho’s excellent monster film, “The Host,” and it’s easy to see why. Featuring an all-star cast, a complicated casino heist and glossy production values, it could be called a Korean “Ocean’s Eleven.” But unlike the Hollywood blockbuster, there is no honor among these thieves. Yes, the…

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Manoa Chocolate

There’s something about locally made products, especially in Hawaii, that are just so darn appealing. Maybe it’s because we know a lot of the people who are bringing these products to fruition, and the exact places the ingredients come from. Maybe it’s because we know, ourselves, what work goes into creating these products. And maybe — at least for me…

Star Chefs in Hawaii: Mark Noguchi

As mentioned yesterday, I’m thrilled to see Hawaii chefs getting recognition in an online magazine I’ve followed for about 20 years. StarChefs.com is a big deal in the culinary world, and this is the first time they’re profiling our state, so the participants are looking forward to the big Rising Stars gala at the Halekulani next week. Chef Mark Noguchi…

Star Chefs in Hawaii: Dave Newman

Have you heard of StarChefs.com? I’ve been following this website for about 20 years (back when I used Hotmail!), watching mainland trends and jobs in restaurants as well as glimpses of new chefs there. I was surprised and thrilled when its editor-in-chief, Antoinette Bruno (@Antoinette_B) started following me on Twitter a few years ago; social media magic gives us a…

Nonstop Movies: ‘Red Dawn’

Can we stop with the pointless remakes now? Please?Sure, there have been a few good remakes sprinkled among the many awful ones, but I would love it if Hollywood would at least try to pretend they care more about art than commerce once in a while and not turn out lazy rehashes like “Red Dawn.” I’m sure there are thousands…

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Ocean Vodka

On a recent trip to Maui, Dania Katz (@DaniaEdibleHI) took me on a little detour to check out Ocean Vodka’s (@OceanVodka) new farm and distillery near Kula. Many of you may know Ocean Vodka as a brand that uses water from the deep sea off of Kona … thus, the name. But the water isn’t the only local thing about…

Sponsored Edition: Early Bird

Spend Thanksgiving Day at Royal Hawaiian Center

This year, you've decided to take a holiday from the holidays. You're tired of slaving over the stove all day. Trying to make awkward small talk with relatives you barely know. And apparently, there's some sort of football game going on. Get away from it all by spending Thanksgiving Day at Royal Hawaiian Center. Stores and restaurants will be open…

Did this: Hawaiian Islands Brewing Company tour

We recently got a chance to drop in on the guys at Hawaiian Islands Brewing Company, home of HI Beer, at Vice Nightclub in Ward Center. Owner Frank Wenzl and Brewmaster Greg Yount were gracious enough to show us around, explaining the various steps of the brewmaking process as we went.Photos by Tracy Chan, video by Melissa Chang. Hawaiian Islands…

Party pics: 2012 Point Panic Music Festival

BAMP Project once again packed the Kaka’ako Beach Park Amphitheater Saturday night for the 2012 Point Panic Music Festival. The festival started with local favorite Ooklah the Moc, followed by Groundation, an American roots and reggae band from Northern California. The festival was then capped off with the headlining acts Sublime with Rome and hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.Party pics Ooklah…

Nonstop Movies: ‘Dangerous Liaisons’

Korean director Hur Jin Ho takes the well-known story from French novelist Pierre Choderlos de Laclos and sets it in 1931 Shanghai, casting three of Asia’s most beautiful faces. Cecilia Cheung and Jang Dong Gun play the scheming Miss Mo and Xie Yifan. She’s a manipulative aristocrat and he’s a renowned playboy and both use people for entertainment. When Du…

Nonstop Movies: ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2’

The “Twilight” saga comes to end with “Breaking Dawn: Part 2,” but was it really necessary for fans to wait a year for the conclusion?Part 2 begins right after the final scene of Part 1, when Bella (Kristen Stewart) awakens after giving birth to a daughter Renesmee, who is half human and half vampire. Doing so has also converted her…

Nonstop Movies: ‘Lincoln’

Movies are the most powerful method of storytelling today. Great tales of action, comedy and human drama are told on a giant screen for two to three hours, visually and audibly stimulating the senses and providing an escape from our everyday lives. Biopics are especially effective in the telling of such stories, passing down tales of real life people and…

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Whole Foods Kailua

Whole Foods Kailua got a jump start on the holidays earlier this week with a tasting tour of their store, showcasing items that people may want to serve at their next party. This was the first time for me (and some people on the Nonstop team) to set foot in the Windward hotspot, so we made it a group outing…

Aloha Sapporo! Visiting Asahikawa

First rule of visiting Sapporo (or anyplace in Hokkaido): Don’t believe the reverse hype. We were told that there’s nothing in Sapporo and we should get out of town, but the city actually offers a lot. We went to Asahikawa just to tour the Otokoyama sake brewery, and were told that there’s nothing there, but we ended up loving the…