WiFi Places to Eat & Work

Honolulu is not like the OC, where it's almost common place to find free WiFi at malls, outdoor shopping plazas and eateries. Here, one must hunt high and low to find access to free internet availability. Here are a couple unexpected places that I like to simultaneously eat & work at:

Cafe Laufer, Kaimuki Great pastries, warm gourmet sandwiches, and cherry blossom themed decor make this place a delight to eat at. It's a cross between a cafe in Paris and Japan, leaving me to often feel unsettled in this space. Nonetheless, weekdays during the daytime are not crowded and a great place for free WiFi. Just turn on your computer and you'll be automatically connected.

Teddy's Burger, Hawaii Kai Yup, I'm here right now blogging away over a Veggie burger which is actually moist and filled with sunflower seeds and other fresh ingredients. As an American Airlines member I also get 5 miles for every dollar spent. Plus free WiFi. Not bad.

Big City Diner, Kaimuki I like BCD because I can watch football while I work. They have great floats and because I'm not a diner food kind of gal, I usually order the salads. They don't have free access per se, but one of the workers did tell me the password to catch Cafe Laufer's signal after hours: it's "pastries." But shhhh don't tell anyone!

Whole Foods Hits Hawaii

After a long nine month delay from the targeted opening date, Whole Foods has finally arrived in Hawaii. The grand opening week was a mad house. I could barely walk around the market; it was packed shoulder to shoulder as if the entire island had planned to do a shopping run on the same day!

It’s on the small side, but it has the basics and the only in-market kitchen for Asian food and Pizzas. On my first visit, I ordered two scoops of gelato—it shocked my wallet at $8.00! The sign for gelato prices weren't up yet, so after I mentioned this the cashier she sold it to me for $2.99. What a rip off that would have been! (Or perhaps she charged me wrong—I’m sure everyone was learning on the first day on the job).

I returned to Whole Foods today. It was empty and I felt so happy walking down the aisles. It’s like I was back at home, in my element of having the option for healthy living again. Organic produce, eco friendly products, fresh cooked meals, organic body products, vegetarian microwavable foods, and healthy life style magazines made me smile inside. Today I came home with: Terra vegetable chips (miss these!—though I don’t recommend the Terra "Kettles" line), Soy crisps, organic milk (miss this), Wallaby (Australian) yogurt, and hot food to go—lemon chicken (not too tangy, just right) and orange chicken (like Panda Express) on a bed of brown rice. Ah, my refrigerator is happy too.

The biggest disappointment for me was the limited yogurt section. I miss my Five Grain Mediterranean yogurt and was most looking forward to this as I anticipated Whole Foods' opening. Perhaps the Whole Foods at Ward Center will be bigger and have a bigger selection!? Otherwise I’ll have to fly to Irvine just to see the entire wall of neatly lined yogurt and find the one I miss the most.

Where to Go
Whole Foods Market is located at Kahala Mall on the bottom floor next to Starbuck, Jamba Juice.

Izukaya Nights

Last night a group of friends and I gathered at the izakaya Kohnotori to reminisce about our years living in Japan. In Japan, izakaya’s are late night drinking establishments that serve bite sized appetizer dishes to accompany the sake and cold beer. But in Los Angeles and Honolulu, izakaya’s have grown to become popular and trendy eating places among the hip and young who often head to these spaces for traditional Japanese food, and who rename the experience as eating “Japanese Tapas”.

The majority of our party ordered the typical izakaya fare: Bacon wrapped asparagus, scallops in ponzu sauce, karaage chicken, yakitori (skewered meat grilled over charcoal, topped with salt or sauce), and ahi poke (found only in Hawai’i izakayas). Mie, who was born in Japan, and Ken, who lived there for 11 years, were more adventurous in their orders--steamed daikon oden, baked lotus root stuffed with meat, and skewered chicken hearts.

Kohnotori is located in the same plaza as Imanas, another crowded and contemporary off-angular designed izakaya. Other popular places include Tokkuri Tei, Yamagen and Sushi Izakaya Gaku. The first izakaya that I tried in Honolulu was Gazen, a spacious dark-paneled restaurant serving dishes with a gourmet flare and health conscious twist. Izakaya Nonbei is another unique space with décor reminiscent of a home or inn found in Japan’s countryside.

Let me know what your own favorite Izakaya is!

Where It’s At:

Imanas | 2626 S. King Street, Honolulu | 808.941.2626
Tokkuri Tei | 611 Kapahulu Ave # 102, Honolulu 808.739.2800
Izakaya Nonbei | 3108 Olu Street, Honolulu | 808. 734.5573
Gazen | 2840 Kapikolani Blvd, Honolulu | 808.737.0230
Yamagen | 2210 S. King Street, Honolulu | 808.947.2125
Sushi Izakaya Gaku: 1329 S. King Street,Honolulu | 808.589.1329
Kohnotori | 2626 S. King Street, Honolulu | 808.941.7255

A Good Glass of Morning (Soy) Milk

I was drinking a glass of soy milk this morning as I muddled through a bowl of hot oatmeal...And I wondered to myself, “How many soy beans does it take to make one glass of milk?”

…Actually I should be a bit more honest and confess that the first thought that really came to my mind was, “Why isn’t soy milk as snowy white as the milk from cows and goats?” It seems that each time I pour a glass of soy milk, I have to remind myself that soy milk is supposed to be an off-white color!

I only started to drink soy milk since moving to Hawai’i so I’m a newbie when it comes to this product. I’ve always enjoyed a tall glass of cold (cow’s) milk straight from the fridge to start off my day. I love the thick richness and creamy texture that comes with the first sip of this milk in the morning…and I love how drops of condensation speckle the glass after only a few minutes on the kitchen table…

Ahhhh...(sigh)...(smile)...

--[screetch]--

Okay, back to soy milk. I learned a couple things today about drinking soy milk:

- Soy milk will only stay fresh for 7-10 days after the carton is opened.
- Do not smell the milk to see if it is spoiled; rather check to see if you notice a slight change in color, a slightly bitter taste, or a change in thickness.
- Soy milk should never be frozen as the consistency will separate when defrosted

What I like about soy milk is its storability. I love purchasing the 24 pack at Costco and being able to store it in the pantry until I want to drink it. I also appreciate that is a good source of protein and contains 100% of our body’s needed amino acids. It isn't a perfect bean however. Soy milk is not a source of natural calcium, and while whole soy beans provide a good source of fiber, soy milk does not contain this.

And so while I still don’t know how many soy beans it takes to produce one glass of milk, I do wonder about other questions like: Why does soy milk remain luke warm no matter how long it’s been in the refrigerator? Who thought to drink the milk from a bean? Who even knew the bean could be processed into milk? I also wonder how many people prefer soy milk to the milk of goats and cows? And how cooking and baking with soy milk compares to using cow or goat milk?

I’d love to hear your own thoughts to musings on Soy Milk!

Places in Honolulu to purchase Soy Milk:

- Umeke Market and Natural Foods | www.umekemarket.com
- Down to Earth Natural Foods | www.downtoearth.org
- Kokua Market Natural Foods Cooperative | www.kokua.coop
- Wholefoods Market (coming) | www.wholefoodsmarket.com
- Costco Warehouse | www.costco.com
- Most major supermarkets

Epic's David Hoffman Shares his Culinary Secrets

I love a good place to eat...and more over trying to replicate the dishes that I enjoy. What a better way to do this than to watch the restaurant chefs themselves execute their culinary best.

Forget staying home to watch The Food Network and head out to the Ala Moana shopping center on Saturday, June 14 to join Epic restaurant's Executive Chef David Hoffman in a mid-day cooking demonstration. At 12 noon Hoffman will be tantalizing us with his St. Louis style Plum Szechwan Ribs, Prosciutto wrapped Jumbo Scallops, and other Euro-Asian delights.

Epic is a popular contemporary restaurant serving New American cuisine in the revitalized Chinatown district. (1131 Nuuanu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96817; 808-587-7877)

When: June 14, 2008 12 noon | Where: Ala Moana Center Demonstration Kitchen, Level 4. | Free Admission