Had I a larger budget, and had they a larger menu selection, I could have order more and more dishes here. I’m sure they would all be equally as enjoyable as the multiple dishes I tried.
Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar
Restaurant Row
808.524.8466
Had I a larger budget, and had they a larger menu selection, I could have order more and more dishes here. I’m sure they would all be equally as enjoyable as the multiple dishes I tried.
Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar
Restaurant Row
808.524.8466
Ha Long Noodle House
808.845.3687
info@halongnoodle.com
Glazers Coffee now has a stamp card! “Buy 10 get one Free” Wish I knew about this ten visits ago!
Their motto is “Organic and fair because we care.” The rhyme is a bit cheesy, but the cause is good. The decor is minimalist contemporary, with light espresso colored tables and chairs, hanging orange glass ceiling lights, and lime green walls lined with paintings and photographs from local artists. Eat before you come, or bring your own snacks. There isn’t much to order here except for drinks. (Their coffee and hot chocolate is known to come with artistically swirled cream or whipped cream).
From my observations, Glazers Coffee shop tends to draw a lot graduate students and internet entrepreneurs. It’s centrally located to the UH, near kitty-corner to Kinkos (for quick Xeroxes and faxes) and in front of a
A non-coffee drinker, I usually order their Italian Sodas. I like Pina Colada with a tad of half and half and scant whipped cream for texture. And yes, they have unlimited free WiFi. (ask for the password)
Tip: Sit against the wall across from the coffee bar (non-mirrored wall). When the sun starts to move after 1pm, the other seating areas either get too hot from the sunfilled windows…or the glare blasts on your computer screen. (Closing time is 9pm).
After a day’s hike to the top of the state landmark,
The décor is part donated local surf stuff (e.g. surfboards for sale, surf photos for sale) and in part colorful mish-mash tabling. The wooden chairs are playfully multi-colored painting in red, blue, yellow and black. And the flooring is in a black and white checkered print. We enjoyed the window seats that allowed us to watch the joggers, walkers and strollers pass by on today’s bright sunny afternoon.
Where it’s at:
Mi Casa Taqueria Fish Tacos
The three of us shared the Empanadas, Bistec Palomilla (with onions, rice, beans and plantains), and a Cuban sandwich was it? I forget already.
For good Cuban food: Habana the Lab (aka the anti-mall) in
The Best Cuban place to eat:
Soul de Cuba
808.545-CUBA
Pukadog, what I loving call “PukaPups” (it’s a more catchy name), offers locals and tourists alike a unique hotdog experience. ‘Puka’ means “hole” in Hawaiian pidgeon. It’s called Pukadog because the bun is special made—fluffy and doughy with a hole carved down the middle. The hole is specially toasted inside, then inserted with special lemon garlic aioli (choose from 4 levels of spiciness) and filled with tropical relishes of your choice. The hotdog, beef or vegetarian, is added next, and then is topped with Hawaiian mustards—Guava mustard or Lilikoi mustard.
Pukadogs run $6.25 for polish dogs and $6.50 for vegetarian dogs. They also sell Puka Shave Ice with flavors like Cinnamon, Coconut Crème, and Hawaiian. They’re open until 10pm, so it’s a great late night snack and a couple blocks from the Hilton Royal Hawaiian shopping area.
Here’s my favorite Pukadog combo:
Polish Puka Dog+Garlinc Lemon Original+Pineapple Relish+Guava Mustard.
Another version tried:
Veggie Puka Dog+Spicy Jalapeno Aioli+Pineapple relish+Lilikoi Mustard.
Let me know your favorite combo!
Where it’s at:
Pukadog Waikiki
808.924.7887
www.pukadog.com
Shout out to Christian for the hotdog tip!
During my visit with her this past weekend, she identified which Shiseido products I needed to stop using and which ones to purchase. (Very helpful!) "I sell things from the heart. Only what you need,” she said. She made two changes to my skincare routine: She replaced my moisturizer from ‘The Skincare’ line with the ‘Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizer Cream” and replaced my ‘The Skincare Eye-Gel’ (used for puffy eyes) with the ‘Bio-Performance Super Eye Contour Cream” (for anti-wrinkle use). I didn’t know the difference for the latter and now know why the eye-gel was ineffective for me. The Contour Cream works very well for me.
I love the ocean and nature inspired pieces of Catherine Weitzman’s collection. Drawing cues from the organic and oceanic world of Hawaii, this New York artist now has a studio in Kaimuki on Wailea Avenue. She sells her pieces at island boutiques such as Hot Mama maternity store (next to Town restaurant) and other mainland museums and stores.
You can check out her handmade pieces ($125+) at: www.catherineweitzman.com
Outside of Taiwan, Arcadia (CA) and Washington D.C., Honolulu is one of the only places to try the handmade Taiwanese dumplings with soup inside. It's one of the first picture items on the menu.
Panda Cuisine: Fine Chinese Restaurant
808.947.1688
The first time I saw her work, I was strolling through art galleries at the monthly “First Friday,” where the streets are packed with strolling crowds and the shops, lounges and stores stay open late in the gentrified
Brown’s canvas oils were hanging on the wall of an obscure shop. I was so struck by the colors and designs of her work that I was planning to buy a painting on the spot. They didn’t have a canvas of the image I wanted, however, and I swayed back and forth on whether or not I wanted to purchase a print. With friends waiting for me outside, I decided to leave Heather Brown behind and enjoy the rest of the evening—including a live demonstrations of five glass blowers churning hot soon-to-be vases on a tiny street corner.
It was ridiculously dangerous to have five adults twirling hot molten on long metal rods within a small roped off area. As we shook our heads in disbelief, we knew there were looming accidents just waiting to happen. Indeed the glass storefront of Mark’s
[for background on Heather Brown click on my posted "comment" to this entry]
I missed this year’s Triple Crown of Surfing on the
Men’s Triple Crown Locations: Women’s Triple Crown Locations:
Nov 12-23 Nov 12-23
Reef Hawaiian Pro Reef Hawaiian Pro
Haleiwa Haleiwa
Nov 24-Dec 6 Nov 24-Dec 6
O’Neill World Cup of Surfing Roxy Pro
Dec 8-20 Dec 8-20
Billabong Pipeline Masters Billabong Pro
Banzai Pipeline
For more info: www.triplecrownofsurfing.com
Sharing this tid-bit might seem TMI (too much information) for most, but I do so to make a point: the Mobu Herbal balm is a miracle worker. An herbal rub that one can purchase in a tin can at major health food stores, the balm has helped to regulate my irregular menstrual cycles. While my cycle usually comes only a couple times per year, just three weeks after I first tried the Mobu Herbal balm, my period instantly came—and with painful cramps and a heavy blood flow I’ve never experienced before. Whenever I’ve used it thereafter, my period seems to return again.
There is a whole line of Mobu Herbal balms for different health needs. The particular one I use is called “Women’s 35+: Hormonal Yam Balancing Blend.” It contains wild yam, black cohosh, red clover, licorice root, dong qai, evening primrose oil, vitamine E and organic essential oils. Directions say to rub the balm unto the wrist, stomach and inner thighs (for the Women’s 35+ blend). Other balms for other health remedies are placed elsewhere on the exterior body.
In comparison to other natural alternatives I’ve tried--herbal teas from American health food stores, and special Chinese herbs from the Chinese alternative doctor--the Mobu Herbal balm has worked the best, with quick and consistent results. Priced at $17 the tin will last for around year or more if applied daily. During my last visit to Umeke Market, I saw that they were sold out of the Women’s 35+ balm. I guess others seem to find it just as helpful.
For more info: www.mobuherbals.com or call 877.396.MOBU
Found in
Two big changes for Shiedo’s reward stamp cards. Starting June 2008, the stamp card no longer comes with coupons for restaurants and free points for trying on the make-up.
Parking Cars Backwards
Tonight my car got bumped. It wasn’t so much an accident as much as it was a bumper to bumper bump. Call it the aloha spirit, but rather than get mad, I checked for damages (none) and let the situation go. I was sitting in my car parked at the market while another car was trying to reverse park into the stall next to me.
For some reason, people tend to like to back their cars into stalls when they park in
In any event, if you tend to be a reverse-parker, try to align your car straight so you don’t end up bumping backwards into the car next to you.