Archive

Japanese-themed market offers ready-to-heat treats

The most excitement on the dining front isn't coming from new businesses, but from established restaurants hosting special events, from this week's wide-ranging Restaurant Week lunch and dinners,


Explore the savory side of crepes

Chances are, if you're familiar with crepes at all, you've most likely enjoyed them in dessert form, rolled up with a filling of fruit, chocolate, Nutella or cheese. But a couple of restaurants are introducing the heavier, savory side of crepes as a quick and inexpensive meal.


Thai ... with spice and style

I've always felt grateful for the drinkers among us. Their habits tend to subsidize the cost of food because restaurants can generally get away with a higher markup on your martini or wine than on poke.


Seeing the light

Beyond the usual risks associated with opening a restaurant, Myung Chul Cha knew he was challenging common assumptions when he opened Yu Chan 12 years ago.


Bali recaptures traditional

I grew up "normal," which by social standards at the time means I was raised by two parents in a happy household with brother and sisters, a dog, a cat — perhaps more guinea pigs (32 at one point) than typical — and lacking of the kind of drama that ruins lives. Normal.


When you're downtown

Here are a few additions to downtown Honolulu.


Eating Manhattan: The closing of a favorite restaurant prompts a search for a substitute

Beyond the thrill of going back to New York to cover Fashion Week, I was also looking forward to returning with my boyfriend to "our" restaurant, Payard.


Kailua takes tea

I'm reminded of the perception of Kailua as a world away from Honolulu when talking about A Cup of Tea, a Victorian-style tearoom in Kailua.


Buddhist flavor boosts buffet

I hadn't been back to Tsukiji Fishmarket since it opened in Ala Moana Center's Hookipa Terrace two years ago, but was drawn by the temporary addition of the Annon Cafe, Buddhist vegetarian offerings added to the regular buffet.


Eatery gets expansive with mandoo

The small takeout kitchen opened a little more than a month ago on Piikoi Street and is home to wang, or king mandoo, of the sort that the attorney who called my attention to the place described as common to the back streets of Seoul.


Eatery expands Mexican food options

Never trust a townie to give directions for the Leeward side. A friend who recently moved to Waipahu recommended a Mexican restaurant on "her" side of the island, and we made a plan to meet there.

Drive. Drive. Drive. Get there. Phone call.


Kalapawai's mode is good, easy eating

People often ask whether I ever return for follow-up reviews of restaurants. I do when there's news, like a radical menu change or the arrival of a new chef. I could probably count on two hands the ones that have had second reviews. So a second review of Kalapawai Cafe & Deli in two years is quite a feat on their part.


Yuzen takes sushi to the heights

Yuzen is one of those restaurants where the exterior gives no clue as to what's inside. The door is covered with a dark film, so peeking inside means putting your nose up to the glass. It's funny to see how many people do this.


Restaurant defies bowling-alley image

A bowling alley might be the last place you'd look for fine dining, but that's exactly what chef-owner Glenn Uyeda is doing at the Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl.


Kanpai boasts wallet-friendly fare

I've gotta stop eating this way. Outside, it feels like the most humid Hawaii summer I've ever experienced, and I long for corresponding light salads and pupu from our restaurants. But what happened to the idea of seasonal dining?


Waikiki grill wild about comfort food

Those mindful of their bodies' response to the summer heat are lightening up — not only on the outside, with lightweight clothing, but on the inside as well — cutting calories, cutting fats and greasy foods.


Udon given top billing at Go Shi Go

The backdrop for my noodle experience at Go Shi Go was watching the movie "Udon" playing on a TV screen at the bar. Watching the process of noodle-making on screen, the finished bowls and patrons slurping them up is akin to watching the warm-up band before a concert headliner.


Vibe is unassuming but food shines

A few weeks ago, I found myself in one of the latest in a long line of those trendy, crowded, late-night hot spots that are always a moving target. After listlessly milling around, finding it difficult to get food or drink, I decided, like a parched wildebeest, to migrate off to a more promising watering hole.


Takeout offers made-to-order holiday

The Fourth of July holiday is not complete without fireworks, blue skies and barbecue. If, for some reason you should find yourself without the latter, don't fret. Two of our newest take-out spots have you covered, and at a reasonable cost, to boot.


Siam Garden Cafe is full of surprises

It's another sign of the slow times that I've recently attempted to go to three restaurants that have closed at least a half hour before their posted hours. It's frustrating for diners who confirm the time in advance, only to get to the restaurant, find parking and learn they were already too late when they left home.


Poke Stop menu worth ride to Mililani

Last time I checked up on Elmer Guzman at his Poke Stop shop in Waipahu was shortly after its opening, and back then, it was all about the poke and other seafood selections.


Harbor Village's dim sum is a treat

Deciding where to go for dim sum is a no-brainer for me. I live two miles from Chinatown, so the thought of going anywhere else does not register. Dim sum on the weekends marks one of the rare occasions when eating is not a matter of meeting deadlines, but relaxing over family ritual.


Fans want Sabai Dee to outlast recession

Those who travel with packs to frequent the hottest places in town have reason to wonder what I'm talking about when I say that many more restaurants are more typically empty than full.


Hale makes macrobiotic dining palatable

The Hawai'i Food & Wine Paradise sponsored by American Express Publishing concluded its four-day run Sunday with a Hana Hou brunch in the Halekulani Ballroom.


Quick, stress-easing treats

About a decade ago I was predicting the demise of the full-sized restaurant in favor of smaller specialty boutiques catering to the busy road warriors and time-addled consumers less willing to stomach a meal of two hours or more. I never would have imagined that such a scenario would be abetted by the lack of money to go out.