Taste of Wailea + Kapalua Wine & Food Festival - Tickets on Sale Today

They are back for another year!  The Taste of Wailea  & Kapalua Food and Wine Festival

Get your tickets to try the very best resort restaurants at the Taste of Wailea outdoor food event.  There is also the popular Taste of Chocolate event at the Four Seasons. The admission to each of these events also includes a Celestial movie ticket!  ($120 for event+ticket).  These events (and many others) are a part of the annual Mauil Film Festival where you can watch independent films on the lawn and under the stars at the Wailea Golf Course or the MACC.  It's one of my favorite events on Maui!

Last year I met folks who flew in from different mainland states, just to come to this event as well as the Kapalua Food and Wine Festival (which starts on June 9th).  This equally exciting festival is celebrating it's 30th Year anniversary and is always a hit.  Try your wine pallet to sample over 200 wines, enjoy some tastey meals, or take a sommelier course. Tickets for this seperate week long event run $80-120.

What a fantastic week it is to be on Maui. Mark your calendars!

June 8-12 2011 | Kapalua Food and Wine Festival
June 15-19 | Maui Film Festival Events

For more info and to buy your tickets:
http://www.mauifilmfestival.com/tixSYS/2011/specialevents

http://www.kapalua.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=897/

Laduree, Paris - Macaroon History & Recipe

Because I love all things French (and simply because I've been hunting down the best macaroon in Hawaii and the mainland) I thought I'd dedicate one post to my favorite macaroon place of all time: Laduree in Paris, France.  (See their enchanting website here.)

The macaroon cookie was said to have been first created by two French sisters in 1792.  A ganache filling was added 108 years later and this concoction has remained a French staple ever since.  It's presence and trend in the U.S. is a little surprising to me as Americans don't typically have tastebuds for the small, for the textured, for the flavorful. (Juicy hamburgers, bursting hot dogs, and greasy fries are what seem to tantalize the American tongue.) 

Laduree is the most famous and popular macaroon establishment in France, if not the world. Ernest Louis Laduree opened his first bakery in 1862 for the delight of his wife who dreamed for a place outside the home for women to gather for afternoon tea.  With this entrepreneurial vision in mind, Laduree became France's first tea parlour, catering mostly to the city's bourgeois class. Laduree now has chains set in different European countries, and the growing macaroon trend in the U.S. may just put Laduree on the map of American minds.

After introducing macaroons to my dad, the adventurous chef, he toyed with the idea of baking his own macaroons.  This would be quite a task as these delicate cookies are even too challenging for me to try. Yet for the bold and curious, here is a macaroon recipe from Laduree:


Macaroon Cookie:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar (480g)
1 cup plus 3-1/2 tablespoons ground almonds (280g)
7 egg whites
A few drops of flavoured food coloring, such as red raspberry

1. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. If using whole almonds, pulse in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the confectioner’s sugar and process to a fine powder. Sift to remove any lumps.
4. Beat the egg whites in bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, adding the food coloring as you go until you reach the desired shade. Then increase speed to high and continue to beat until the whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.
5. Quickly and carefully add the almond-sugar powder. (Meringue will deflate.)
6. With a wooden spoon, mix from the center of the bowl outwards, turning the bowl as you go. You want to achieve a smooth, lightly colored mixture.
7. Spoon batter into a piping bag with a 1/4-inch round tip. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a plastic freezer bag, pressing out excess air. Snip off one corner to create a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe inch-wide macaroons onto the baking trays, about 1-1/2 inches apart. You should have peaked mounds of batter, about the size of a chocolate kiss.
8. Cook for eight to nine minutes, leaving the door of the oven slightly ajar.
9. Remove the macaroons from the oven. Pour a little water between the baking tray and the parchment paper; this makes the macaroons easier to lift off when they have cooled. Cool completely on racks, about 30 minutes.
10. Carefully peel macaroons from parchment; they are fragile. Sandwich a thin layer of fillings between two macaroons—ganache, marmalade, jam or whipped cream. The two bottoms face the filling.
11. If you can, leave the finished macaroons in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This allows the flavors and texture to develop and intensify.
12. Whipped cream macaroons must be stored in the refrigerator; others can be kept in airtight tins at room temperature for up to three days after production.


Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
3 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate (buy a 70% cacao chocolate bar), finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/16 teaspoon quality raspberry extract

1. Melt chocolate with cream in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. If you don’t have a double boiler, use a metal bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
2. When the chocolate is melted into the cream, remove bowl from heat. Add the butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted.
3. Let stand at room temperature until cooled completely and slightly thickened.

Best Macaroons in Hawaii

French macaroons are overtaking the cupcake craze in trend-setting cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles...and this classic french treat is starting to hit Honolulu as well.

The first time I had a macaroon was at the 19th century establishment, Laduree, in Paris, France. With appreciation for this classic french treat, I drove around Oahu just a few weeks ago hunting for the island's best macaroon. I was surprised to find that even Kaimuki's two french cafes, Cafe Laufer and JJ's Bakery, did not carry french macaroons. After visits to various patisseries, I've concluded that he island's best places for macaroons is located...(drum roll please)...at the Ala Moana shopping center!

The Honolulu Coffee Company (See 2015 Update at the end of this section)
(Located on the third level next to Godiva toward Sears) has the best quality macaroons (see photo above).  Each cookie half is baked to perfection--light and delicately flaky outside, yet moist and chewy on the inside.  The dough is shaped is a perfect circle with even edging. The ganache is smooth and creamy, the flavors well infused, and the assembly of the cookie evenly pressured and well painted/dusted.  (All characteristics of a quality macaroon).  My favorite is the caramel with hawaiian sea salt macaroon which I highly recommend.  Haupia (coconut) and Lilikoi (passion fruit) are locally inspired treats. NOTE:  January 2015 Update: Honolulu Coffee Company no longer uses the local baker mentioned in this paragraph.  They now make the macaroons in house which are dry and unflavorful, with stiff fillings.

The second best place for macaroons located just steps away from the Honolulu Coffee Company, is the Pacific Place Tea Garden (on the third floor overlooking Center Stage, in push cart kiosk near Louis Vuitton/Neiman Marcus).  The Apricot-Lavender was surprisingly delightful and memorable, and the pistachio was bursting with flavor.  The assembly was a tad sloppy--unevenly shaped and sized cookies, messy ganache fillings, and broken edges.  The photo (below) shows the lack of french perfection of these macaroons.  The Pacific Place Tea Garden has hit/miss macaroons (some flavors better than others) but are priced $0.10 cheaper than the Honolulu Cookie Company.  Because these two places are only yards away from each other, I simply mix and match my favorite flavors from each place and enjoy them all the same.

I'll be back in Honolulu in just a couple of days, and look forward to checking out one more macaroon place: La Tour Cafe (888 N Nimitz Hwy).  {Thanks for the tip, Auntie!} My tummy can't wait.



Ululani - Best Shave Ice + February Free-bee

Ululani in Kahului and Lahaina, Maui, is simply my favorite shave ice shop on all of the hawaiian islands.  The big kicker for me is their homemade syrup and fine shaved ice. Made from fresh fruits, the syrup is made daily by the owner who taste-tests the consistency and flavor for perfection.  The guava syrup is thick, the lilikoi flavor comes complete with tad-pole looking seeds, and mango comes with small shavings of fruit.  I tried almost all of their flavors and lychee is one of of my personal favorites. 

Reasons why I like Ululani over others (matsumoto/aoki/waiola/etc):
- Ice is shaved fine
- They punch holes in the ice so the syrup flows through
- They give free added syrup if the bottom of your cone is dry and flavorless
- They provide a special plastic shave-ice stand to help support your table eating efforts
- They give you a punch card (buy 10 shave ice, get one free)
- They have a range of flavors from tropical, to tiger blood, to red velvet
- The workers have the aloha spirit
- Convenient locations

The lines are long but the wait is worth it.  I like picking guests up from the Kahului airport and driving down Dairy Road straight to the Ululani stand (shack looking place on the corner of Dairy Road/Hana Hwy).  Here you can eat under the patio shade at the neighboring restaruant tables (Ululani makes this permissible). There is also the orginal shop in Lahaina if you are staying in the Kaanapali/Kapalua side of Maui.

For the month of February get a free add-on to every shave ice order!  Now that's a treat on top of a treat!  Tanks eh, Ululani!

Where it's at:
http://ululanisshaveice.com/

Spam flavored Mac Nuts

My mom laughed so long and hard that she cried.  Indeed the combination of two popular hawaii flavors {mac nuts} + {spam} is as creative as it is confusing. 

Not being a big personal fan of spam, I popped open a $5 can, only to be overwhelmed by a cloud of chemically produced spam smells. The oddly pink colored powder nestled atop the nuts beckoned a try, and after one nut was consumed I was left convinced that the two Hawaii flavors should really be kept apart. {mac nut} {spam} period.

Were the company to adds bits of dried spam into a mac nut can, I'd be prone to guess this would work much better to the pallett than to have artificial spam-flavored nut dust.  Let me know your thoughts on this novelty item.  You might think it's a hit!  The limited cans of spam-mac nuts can be purchased at Target Hawaii in Salt Lake.

Hawaii's Mac Nut Hershey's Kisses

Over the past year, I found this to be another favorite omiayge gift to bring back to the mainland: Hershey's Mac Nut Chocolate Kisses. The best part...The little thin white wrapper tucked inside each kiss > the paper that usually bears the company's name > here reads,"Aloha!" How cool is that?! Now that's a special treat!

Where it's at:

Walmart (in the MacNut section, not chocolate candy section), $4.95/bag

Costco: in the local goodies section by the check out lines, $10.95/large bag

Longs: doesn't always have it in stock

Win a chef's table at Mariposa

Here is the Mariposa drawing blurb:

"Enter to win a private Chef's Table experience with chef de cuisine Marc Anthony Freiberg at Mariposa, located at Neiman Marcus. The winner will receive a personally-designed 4-course menu for two at the award-winning restaurant.

Plus, receive a $500 Williams-Sonoma gift card, courtesy of Ala Moana Center.

This is a gift that the foodie at heart will appreciate and use to whip up their own culinary treats.

Both of these treats, you'll only find at Ala Moana Center. With over 290 stores and restaurants, Ala Moana Center is where to go to grant every wish on your list."

To enter the contest, click here."

Vosges - Chocolate covered Bacon

I was making a purchase at the Ala Moana Neiman Marcus the other day when I saw this unusal chocolate bar displayed on the cashier counter. I've always said, "EVERYTHING tastes better with bacon." But does this adage hold true when it's covered in dark chocolate?

I had to try it for myself. I was just about to plop down a whopping $10 for this candy bar, when the assistant sales person decided to open up a bar and cut it into bite sized peices--to provide as samples. So, luckily I got my fair taste of the "desert-al-food" and report that...

...while bacon and chocolate don't seem to go together, you really can't tell what you're even eating. It's like eating salted crunchy bits with the chocolate dominating 90% of the bar. Did it taste fine? Sure. Was it as unique as I had hoped? Nah. But try it for yourself. (I also tried chocolate covered pears by Vosges which was pungnant, chewy yet good.)

Tartine (San Francisco)

I was introduced to Tartine by AL who lived right across the street from this bakery in his smartly decorated Mission District apartment. It's a "too busy to talk" New York yuppie type of bakery right in the heart of friendly SF. The shop is dressed in white and silver decor (with a hint of wood), where every cup, napkin and pastry is lined up neatly > everything in clean lines. Folks in business suits read the daily paper while sitting on high stools...and the rest wait in a long line (usually out the door) for scruptous scones, cookies and pastries. Their baked goods are fantastic.

I went there nearly everyday for a week, and it still remains my favorite SF morning stop.
http://www.tartinebakery.com/

Citizen Cake (San Francisco)

Great place for desserts, coffee and tea! Elizabeth Faulkner, a former film student, named her acclaimed SF bakery affectionally, "Citizen Cake" (after the movie Citizen Cane). When I first heard about this place, I trekked all over town to get here--the first two times it was closed, the next time, I arrived in time to have 15 mintues to slurp down a pot of hot tea with my cal-french slices of delight. Moving out of the Hayes Valley and into the Pacific Heights area, Faulkner's shop continues to maintain it's loyal following.

Wine Stores in Honolulu

Where to buy a bottle of wine on Oahu, Hawaii? Here are few good places:

Fujioka's Wine Time: 2919 Kapiolani Blvd ( 808/739-9463). Knowledgable service from die hard wine connoisseurs. They'll help you pick out the perfect bottle but they work from the assumption that you know a bit about wine. Some of the best quality wines here. Wine tasting too.

Tamura's Fine Wine & Liquor: 3496 Waialae Ave (808.735.7100). It's fun inside. They have stacked high bottles from around the world. You'll feel a bit claustrophobic from the racks and racks of wine--but in a good way.

Amuse Wine Bar: (Honolulu Design Center) I love this place, b/c you can try a 2oz sample of the wine before you buy the bottle. The owner is quite knowledgeable and very friendly too. Tell him what you're eating for dinner and he'll pick out a perfect recommendation.

Formaggio Wine Bar: (2919 Kapilani Blvd in Honolulu or 305 Hahani in Kailua). Outside of Amuse, one of my favorite places for wine and food. Buy wine by the glass and listen to live music. Great pizzas, bruchettas, and desserts. Would go here almost each week after photography class.

Vino: 500 Ala Moana Blvd (808.524.8466, Restaurant Row). An italian tapas place that sells wine by the bottle or glass. Sit at the bar and have the sommelier select a glass that he thinks fits your personality. He's usually right on--pretty amazing. Buy the bottle if you like it, or just enjoy a glass with some great tapas (appetizer sized) dishes.

The Wine Experience: (1016 Kapahulu Ave) Make your own bottle of custom wine or buy a house wine. Friendly owners and entrepeneurs who enjoy creating a space for wine-bottling parties and events. They're great about letting you sample a glass of their house wines.

The Wine Stop: 1809 S. King St (808.946.3070). Stopped by once, and it was closed. Oh well. Next time.

‘Elua Restaurant & Wine Bar (1341 Kapiolani Boulevard, 808-955-ELUA.) For serious wine drinkers and a traditional meal. Interesting concept to host two Italian and French trained chefs together. Elua is noted for their boutique wines. Excellent wine ratings by Wine Spectacular.

HASR Wine Co. (31 N. Pauahi St. 1B, 808.535-WINE). In Chinatown, they participate in First Friday events. Buy their glass for $5 and have a free refill at each First Friday event.

D'Vine (7192 Kalanianeole Hwy. near Blockbusters) just opened in Hawaii Kai. Has some vintages I hadn't heard of. Limited selection, but a unique niche for their collection. Too, east Oahu needs a good wine store. Weekly events held to foster a wine community. Friendly owners.

Hawaii Coconut MnMs

One of the coolest omiyage gifst i found in hawaii stores: Coconut MnM's!

{copyright 2011 mainlandgirl.com}

Penguini - Best Gourmet Gelato & Sorbet in Paia, Maui

Penguini is the best kept secret in Paia. I like revealing hidden finds and supporting local start ups, and mark my words...it’s just a matter of time before this place gets hoppin'.

Melissa, the chef-entrepeneur, makes fresh gelato and sorbets daily. You never know what flavor will be offered until you get there. She herself doesn't know what she will create until she wakes up in the morning, sees what fresh ingredients are around, and embarks on the process of exploring a new creative combination. Kula Strawberry and White Chocolate is her most popular sell. I enjoyed her Ruby Red Grapefruit with Mint sorbet, Goat Cheese Gelato, Coconut Kifer Lime Sorbet, Chocolate Hazelnut Rum gelato, and Green Tea gelato. As you can tell, her culinary training inspires her to work with flavor combinations, and use ingredients you'd not usually associate with frozen desserts (the goat cheese was fabulous, btw).

The texture of her gelato is smooth, creamy and rich. Her sorbets are light and filled with flavor. She uses local and natural ingredients when possible. And check out the unbeatable price: 2 scoops with your choice of flavors for only $3.00! Now that's a real treat!

Melissa McKelvy left her post as pastry chef at Wolf Gang Puck's Spago and opened up her own little joint in Paia. This sweet 30-something entrepenuerial chef kicked the fast paced beat of the glizy restaurant world to put her tastebuds to work under her own direction and whim. I was inspired by her courage to leave her post at a nationally reknown restaurant to start something small yet authentic to her soul. Her shop opened just six months before I stumbled upon it, and chatting with her was an inspirational delight.

Her shop front is a cozy little room in the back of Paia Inn. The location is pretty hidden and one would easily miss it were it not for a little "A" shaped sign perched on the sidewalk. Currently, the store is simple--it's just a wide window opening where customers order their treats (they have homemade cupcakes, petite pastries, Chai tea, and coffee too.) If you peek inside, the wall of her kitchen is painted a bright hot-peony pink, with a side door dressed in French inspired black and white toile window curtains. Her decor taste is whimsical and fun, and I can't wait until she's able to expand her business into a bigger space. For now, customers can enjoy her treates outside in the shade of a wooden bench.

See you there!

93 Hana Hwy #3 (look in the far back of the building)
808.214.4608

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday - 12:30p.m. to 8:30pm

"Downtown" - Honolulu Tapas & Business Model

From the owers of Town comes a tapas venue named Downtown (not that any of these names aren't already confusing in Honolulu. Town for example isn't located in town, but in Kaimuki.)

Located in the Hawaii State Art Museum, Downtown is a dim lit place that serves small portioned meals > order a few plates per guest and enjoy their creative menu.

This summer I was impressed with the business plan of Town and Downtown > truly eco conscious, earnestly concerned about issues of sustainability, and always supporting local Hawaii farmers and businesses whenever possible. They are known for giving back to the community (notice they are at many local events), and for not mixing business with politics. Tney have proven they can do the latter and still stay financially afloat, if not soaring to new heights. This is a company that works with integrity > they know what they are about and they don't waiver. Truly respectable.

If I were to run a restaurant, I would ask for business consultation from Town/Downtown > I like what they stand for - orgainic food, quality service, community partnerships, and business with integrity. Moreover the manager of Downtown is truly a warm, approachable and sincere guy. Kudos to the restaurants!

Downtown

at the Hawaii State Art Museum (behind the gift shop; ground level)

250 S. Hotel Street

808.536.5900

Limited hours: Monday-Satruday, 11am-2pm

Roy's Chocolate Souffle to End Childhood Hunger

From Sept 20-26th, a portion of every Chocolate Souffle ordered at any Roy's location will be donated to "Share Our Strength" organization to end childhood hunger in the U.S.

It's a good cause but funny concept--spend alot of money dining at Roy's for dinner and then only a small portion of the price of the dessert is donated? Nonetheless, I'm still a fan of Roys (still can't say enough about the Hawaii Kai location) and will be supporting this cause.

To see other participating restaurants in cities across the U.S. click here.

For more info:

http://strength.org/
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/news/GADO_press_room.html

Shokudo's Honey Toast

I've been to Shokudo more times than I'd prefer. It's a place that I personally would consider a last resort for a late night meal, but no where that I'd run to for good food. The concept is modern Japanese tapas meant for a family style meal. I do like the concept and visual ambiance at the Honolulu eatery but I find that the food here is often been rushed, sloppy, and not very carefully prepared. Time and time again, the flavors seem to run into each other, the vegetables often wilted, and rice, calamari and sushi often mushy.

They do have some redeeming qualities however. Their signature dessert, Honey Toast is actually quite good. I wasn't sure it'd be a hit, but everyone at the table loved it too. It's Japanese style bread toasted, with the middle carved out and cubed. Honey is drizzled over the bread, and it's topped with ice cream. Sounds plain or odd, but something about the combination really works!The dishes I liked were the homemade tofu, shiso fries, tofu salad with won tons, and I'm on the border about the calamari salad--good flavor, bad texture.Shokudo also offers Green Tea Lattes, Green Tea Shakes, and Green Tea Float. In Honolulu only they offer Green Tea shave ice. I can't vouch for any of these items (I think I ordered the green tea shave ice once), but I simply like that they offer such dessert creations on the menu.

Also, good to know: Shokudo offers free dessert when it's someone's birthday!

Interestingly, if you order the same menu items at their sister restaurant, Tokyo Table, in Beverly Hills and Irvine, the dishes are actually prepared better and tastier than in Hawaii. I think the smaller size of the mainland restaurants give it more quality control. The chefs may also be tailoring the dishes for a different taste bud pallet.

Where it's at:
Shokudo
Near Nordstrom parking garage
1585 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.941.3701

Obama Eats

{Obama ordering Shave Ice in Hawaii Kai}

Where did Pres. Obama go while he was vacationing in Hawaii with his family? Well, you too can treat yourself like U.S. royalty. Just stop by these Obama-seen places:

•Indigo (1121 Nuuanu Ave.). The Obama's ordered: the dim sum plate (goat cheese won tons, lumpia-wrapped shrimp, duck mu shu rolls); toasted black mustard and pepper crusted ahi served rare with wasabi soy, sun dried tomato and olive tapenade.
•Alan Wong's, (1857 S. King St.)
Rainbow Drive-In, (3308 Kanaina Ave). Plate lunch.
Zippy's: "Zip Min," a bowl of noodle in hot broth with everything from won tons and vegetables to fish cake and sweet pork.
•Grace's Inn: chicken katsu on top of a bed of chow fun noodles, two scoops of rice and a side of mac salad
•Island Snow Shave Ice, (130 Kailua Road, Kailua). Cheeseburgers
•Sakura Restaurant, (41-1801 Kalanianaole Hwy., Waimanalo.) ahi poke, fried gyoza, and the 12-ounce ribeye steak.
Kua Aina Sandwich, (1200 Ala Moana Blvd.) 1/3-pound cheeseburgers, six 1-pound cheeseburgers, 10 Kiddie Burgers and 20 orders of fries.
•Koko Marina Paradise: The tuna melt, now called the "Presidential Order". (I really don't like the food at this place, personally. I can make a better sandwich than here any day).
Kokonuts Shave Ice, (7192 Kalanianaole Hwy., Hawaii Kai). Small lemon-lime and cherry shaved ice.
Mariposa, (1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Ala Moana Neiman Marcus)

{souce: USA Today}

Best Mochi in Honolulu - Mochi Cream

Mochi Cream is a new phenomena in Japan. It's a fresh twist on an old Japanese tradition combining new flavors such as Hazelnut, Blueberry, Sakura...with interesting fillings (no more plain an)...and touted with a surprise tuft of light whipped cream in the middle.

I have to say that this might be my favorite mochi place in Honolulu. I enjoy Mochi Cream in a different way than I do the "Two Ladies Kitchen" (Hilo). The Two Ladies Kitchen is the best hand made, old school type of mochi in Hawaii. I do recommend them. Mochi Cream is for those who want to try to latest fad in Japan.
The major draw back to these mochi treats, is that they are not freshly made but rather shipped frozen from Japan. When you buy each piece, the workers will usually instruct you to wait 15-20 for the frozen thing to thaw out. Once it does, boy is it silky soft. The mochi rice they use just seems to melt on your tongue like fine rice paper.But a caution: If you don't wait for it to thaw, it takes on the consistency of a frozen mochi ice cream, rather than a fluffy and light treat. Alot of folks complain that they don't like Mochi Cream, but I think it's because they ate it frozen thinking it was mochi ice cream. So do wait the alotted thawing time. (I do think they have a mochi frozen yogurt line though).

So unless you're headed to Ginza, Japan (check the Mitsukoshi department store)...save youself some air travel time and stop by Shirokiya at the Ala Moana mall (bottom floor) for a real contemporary Japanese treat.

Best Handmade Mochi - "Two Ladies Kitchen" - Hilo

Wonder what to bring back from your stay in Hilo?

Why, "Two Ladies Kitchen" mochi of course!In their 70's, the Uchida's and Kishimoto's wake up at 4am to start hand making this traditional Japanese treat. The mochi is soft, individually crafted, with a fine texture that lets you know you're eating the real home made thing--not some microwaved version. What dedication they put into their food craft. And how lucky we are to enjoy their little delights.

Also, try their daifuku mochi, filled with an (bean) and a plump and juicy strawberry. Only other place I had daifuku was in Japan during the 3 month strawberry season. Yum!

Where it's at:

274 Kilauea Ave
Hilo, HI 96720

(808) 961-4766

{thanks Gina for the set of "Two Ladies" mochi at Christmas}
{thanks Aunty for sharing this treat when I first arrived on the Big Island}

Bubbies - Mochi Ice Cream

Bubbies in Honolulu (University area and Hawaii Kai) serves homemade mochi ice cream in unique island flavors like: azuki, guava, coconut chocolate, mango, passion fruit, sakura, lychee and others like blueberry and strawberry chocolate chip.

I like sakura, azuki, and of course green tea mochi ice cream.

Mikawaya from Little Tokyo, Los Angeles has a little vendor in Shirokiya (Ala Moana mall) but in Honolulu they aren't as popular as on the mainland. Locals like to support their locally owned proprietor, Bubbies.

And...Bubbies was actually featured in Oprah's O magazine. How about that for a locally owned factory? Way to go Bubbies.

{Hawaii folks and So Cal folks may be interested in checking out Mikawaya's large mochi ice cream selection in Irvine. (Flavors like Cappachino, Peach, Hazelnut, Blueberry Creme, Apricot, Tirimisu)}

Where it's at:
Varsity Plaza
1010 University Ave/Coyne Street
noon to 1 or 2am

Koko Marina Shopping Center
7192 Kalanianaole Hwy
closes at 9pm or so