Aloha, Gang!
Hawaii was fab and here's the report:
Food:
Genki Sushi
900 Kapahulu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-8889
This is a local branch of Japan's largest sushi outlet. Small plates of a wide variety of sushi and salads wind there way around the joint on a conveyer belt and you just grab whatever you want. When you're full, they'll count up your empty plates and charge accordingly. It's good(not the best)and cheap! Two of us ate until full and the whole tab was less than $20. Prepare to wait in line for a table.
Alan Wong's
http://www.alanwongs.com
1857 South King Street • Third Floor • Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 • Reservations: (808) 949-2526
This place is truly amazing. One of the finest meals I've ever eaten! The food vibe is Hawaii/Asian/Pacific rim with an emphasis on fresh seafood. We decided to go for the gusto and order the chef's 7-course tasting menu. This is like playing mystery date, you don't know what's coming out. Will it be a dream or a dud? It's all up to the chef, and it was all dreamy. I could go on and on about how wonderful the quality was and the delectable subtleties of taste and that they brought extra courses and that I still fantasize about their onaga(yes, I'm fantasizing about a fish, it was that good!), and the individual dessert platters, but let's just say that towards the end, we were pleading with them to stop bringing food 'cause we discovered there can be too much of a good thing. On the pricey side, but if you are a serious diner and winer(superior wine list), do not miss Alan Wong's.
The Historic Waiahole Poi Factory
48-140 Kamehameha Hwy.
Kaneohe, HI 96744
(808) 239-2863
A very pleasant surprise. We just stumbled into this place 'cause we were driving up to North Shore and got hungry. It looks like it's been there for genrations and belongs in a cowboy movie. The specialties are plate lunches, which come with lau-lau, poi or rice, chicken long rice, a purple potato, lomi salmon, and haupia. The best lau-lau and poi I've had and the chicken long rice was such good soup, someone's Jewish grandma must have been back there stirring the pot! Also try their chocolate haupia. Table seating is outside on picnic tables and the view is the lush tropical foliage of the windward coast. The proprietor's 90-year old father came and sat with us and gave us tips on how to eat the lau-lau and poi. It was charming to talk story with him. Then his nephew showed up and we go the whole ohana experience. Great food, great vibe, inexpensive, and beautiful setting. Maxine Prudencio is the gracious host here.
Curry House CoCo Ichibanya
Vaious locations around the city
Hearty and delicious bowls of Japanese curry over rice. You choose the toppings, spiciness and how much you want. Go for the Challenge Bowl. If you finish it, they'll put your picture on the wall. Doesn't seem worth it, though. This is the perfect tank-up before heading out to the bar.
Ono Hawaiian Food
http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/9874/
726 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816.
(808)-737-2275.
This is the classic joint for local food. My first experiences with lau-lau, poi, pipikaula, and lomi salmon were here and I'll always love them for it! It's a cash only, wait outside for a table small kinda divey joint that is full of character and characters. Not too may tourists come here, so when the proprietor saw us, he latched onto our table and stood there throughout the meal, telling us how to dip this into that and to pour that onto this, etc. A delightful fellow, he even ordered us extra food on him just 'cause he thought we had to try it to get the full local experience.
Pacific Beach Hotel Buffet Dinner
2490 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Telephone: (808) 922.1233
A wide variety of mass produced food, some very good, some kinda dry, some I wouldn't touch with YOUR 10-foot pole(pardon the expression). The real attraction here is that while scarfin' yer vittles you'll sit beside the gigantic 2-story Oceanarium aquarium. This impressive tank contains a slew of tropical fish, stingrays and eagle rays. A beautiful display indeed. A scuba diver even drops down tableside and displays signs like "Happy anniversary Milt & Ethel." If you're squeamish or health conscious, the lack of sneeze-guards on the fruit and dessert will be a problem.
Rainbow Drive In
3308 Kanaina Ave. at Kapahulu St
Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: (808) 737-0177
Well, most people rave about this joint, but I didn't care much for it. Maybe I just ordered wrong. I got the mix-plate 'cause it seemed to have a variety of their dishes included. What I got was a BIG pile of very breaded, fried and dry meat and fish over rice. The only flavor was of frying oil and it took several shakes of chili water and an order of gravy to make it edible. I hear the chili's good though. An inexpensive meal for sure. The highest priced plate is $5.85.
The International Market Place
The Kalakaua Ave. Strip in Waikiki
Truly an international food court. Pizza, adobo, tropical fruits, pho, curry, etc, can all be found here. My choice is Yummy's Korean BBQ. It is what it's name claims to be.
More on shopping, drinking, etc. later on. Thanks for bearing with me. I know this is long, but I hope it'll help out future travelers. Thanks.
-Weird Uncle Tiki
