Mandalay Chinese Restaurant

Mandalay Chinese Restaurant's designers & owners have created a truly classy ambience for a Chinese restaurant. Its neither garish nor excessively gilded. There is a tasteful design, which is quite restrained and even understated, as far as Chinese restaurants go. The food is quite good. But, I think I miss the dim sum carts. Im not sure a few dim sum carts with bamboo stacker containers would really have diminished the tasteful design. It is, after all, a dim sum place at lunch. Rather than pushing the carts, the waitresses take orders and bring out the dim sum to your table. The food tastes good. Its efficient service, even though working those carts back into service could be an "atmosphere-enhancing" move.

Ryan's Grill

And then there was one. Ryan's Grill is, for the time being, the last "man" standing among the upstairs restaurants in the Ward Center (once "the" place for restaurants in Honolulu). With E&O, Compadres and Brew Moon closed, Ryan's has proved that it certainly has staying power... and for good reason. Its been around since the mid-80s. Back then it had a "hip" "new" "current" "now" kind of thing going on. Even now, Ryan's stays current with its food, presentation, colors and flavors. This is part of the reason it has lasted for over a quarter century.

Another great thing about Ryans is its great late night hours, with later night happy hour prices!

Gordon Biersch

A chain restaurant, yes. But still quite an enjoyable evening. There was live music and the food was quite good. Sometimes a trip out to a chain restaurant can be fun too. There is a consistency about these chain restaurants that has its appeal. The portions, as with many of these chains, were large and I took home a doggie black-folding-box. The prices were not the best, but, I think theres a theory to the whole big portions thing, Im just not sure what it is.

We especially enjoyed a dish which they call "tapas" Its a dish with pita breads and four different spreads you can use as toppings. There was an olive spread, a bruschetta, humus, and roasted garlic. I paired it with their seasonal beer, a nice combination.

Chibaken Japanese Restaurant

If cool little restaurants interest you, check out the segment of Waikiki between Kalakaua Avenue and Ala Moana Blvd, on Ena Road. Chibaken is one of those cool restaurants, there's also an Italian restaurant that I plan to blog about soon, and, Cafe Hula Girl, which I've already blogged about.

Chibaken is the kind of sleek, artsy Japanese that seems to be eminating from that country. The flavor of its food is crisp and clean, as Japanese food really needs to be.

Chibaken's hours are late, and, its prices are reasonable.

Hula Boba

In down town Honolulu, just on the edge of China Town, is Hula Boba. Its a sweets store, with various snacks, "boba" (pearl tea drinks), ice cream, shaved ice and halo halo, a Filipino dessert consisting of finely shaved ice, shreds of flavored gelatin, fruits and beans. If youre not from the Pacific area, this dessert may sound a bit odd, but, I assure you, its quite refreshing. Hula Boba has wonderful halo halo, the ice is very very fine. The gelatin is tastey and the fruit is plentiful. I recommend it! Trying new things, its a good thing right?

Sorabol

Sorabol Korean Restaurant, across from Walmart on Keeaumoku. In other big cities, dinner after 10 pm is not as common as it is here in Honolulu. So, Sorabol Restaurant is a tastey alternative to the Zipps, Mikkey Ds, and J in the Bs. There is sit down service, and pretty decent Korean food. The pic of the cow is an iron hot plate that brings out sizzling kal bi. Unfortunately, the kalbi was pretty tastey, so it was gone before I could take a picture. But the cow shaped hot pan is a point of interest nonetheless. We had a fun dinner at 11 pm, when we were actually ready to eat!

Jack's Restaurant

East-Honolulu-ers have a secret: Jack's Restaurant is a fantastic little place for breakfast. Located in Aina Haina Shopping Center, Jack's is a small-ish cafe that is open only for breakfast and lunch. The restaurant is clean, and, the staff is friendly. And... the food is absolutely delicious!

We each had an omelette and split a short stack of buttermilk pancakes. Without exaggerating, these pancakes (which came suprisingly fast, despite the cafe being packed) were among the best I've ever had! The omelettes were delicious and the portions were big, without being ridiculous!

On that Saturday morning, we walked right in and there was a table. But we had been lucky! The people after us were not so lucky with seating... By the time we were done savoring every last bite of those buttermilk pancakes, there were at least 15 people waiting outside Jack's doors.

After eating at this little East Honolulu secret, I really do understand its reputation as a top notch breakfast place. I could also understand the dozen, or more, people waiting outside with nothing but anticipation on their minds!

Shabu Shabu

While "shabu shabu" is technically a Japanese tradition, many Chinese people enjoy it as well. Really, its a variant of the Chinese hot pot cooking tradtion. In the case of Shabu Shabu Restaurant, the hot put cooking is aided by a high tech induction heater at each table.

The pot is full of liquid, and, you place whatever you've ordered into it to cook. We had a few types of thinly sliced beef, and some seafood. In this way, shabu shabu is similar to Japanese sukiyaki, but, the flavors are quite different. Whereas sukiyaki has sweeter flavors, shabu shabu is more savory.

The sauces provided at Shabu Shabu Restaurant were delicious. The waitress, a friendly young woman with a Chinese accent, recommended that we mix a few of the sauces, which we did. Delightful!

All in all, we enjoyed ourselves---cooking at the table, talking and laughing. Theres more interaction, I think, at a cook-your-own dinner. Oh, and the giant Japanese imported beers helped too.

Mexico Restaurant

Clearly not Filipino, Hawaiian, Plate Lunch or Chinese, this restaurant's name is almost needed to state its identity. Yes, Mexico restaurant's cuisine is unexpected for this part of town: Kalihi. But, step inside and the ambience is unmistakably Mexican. The colors are bright, as are most of the staff. The food does not deviate far from an American's idea of Mexican food, but, is really quite delicious. This is a delicious and enjoyable place to eat, in Kalihi. A good value too.

Cafe Hula Girl: Guest Chef Zach Sato

I attended another of Cafe Hula Girl's "Guest Chef" events. This is where chefs from different venues come to the cafe and get to have fun. They really express themselves in a five course set menu, something they may not really be able to do at their regular gigs.

Cafe Hula Girl's "Guest Chef" events are the most interesting and most innovative dining experiences of this year! I attended a previous one, the "encore" of chef Merle Mariano, who was formerlly at the Wynn Las Vegas. I blogged (raved, really) about it previously.

As Im learning, the proprietors of Cafe Hula Girl have the wit and imagination that really makes you certain that there was some "purpose" in the naming of the last event. For those fortunate enough to have enjoyed the Wynn Las Vegas, you may know that they expanded the resort to include a second hotel tower, another casino, and more ammenities. They named their expansion the "Encore". Similarly, Cafe Hula Girl's repeat of Chef Mariano was named his "encore."

On to Chef Sato's dinner... I simply do not have the leeway, nor the energy, to artfully, or witfully, dance around my review of this Chef's dinner. It's just impossible for me not to rave about Chef Sato's fabulous dinner!

Highlights: The french onion soup, (called something else that night), did not have a toasty, cheesey crust. Instead, it was accompanied by a puff pastry "gift" (see my amateurish attempt to photograph it). A hearty delight! There was also a "deconstructed" gazpacho, with all the flavors of this summertime soup, but none of the soup! The pork loin had flavor, literally, gushing from the meat! The presentation was nothing short of spectacular! Fit for any Ramsay, Morimoto or Flay!

Lets not forget the ambiance! The service was very friendly and efficient, and, there even seemed to be time for the staff to chat with the tables, making people feel comfortable and welcome! The entertainment was,again, by Paul Barton. One of the waiters confided in me that the originally booked entertainer was forced to cancel, due to an emergency. But, the result was another fabulous performance. Paul's non-vocal guitar stylings are the perfect accompanyment to these creative and delicious dinners. The music is, at once, passionate, energetic and entertaining--without taking away one bit from the food. On the contrary, the two best accompanyments for Chef Sato's dinner was a wonderful glass of red wine and Paul Barton's guitar!

Rosarino Pizza

Although Rosarino Pizza is the lone Italian restaurant amidst numerous windows with hanging roast duck, odd smelling asian produce, and chinese imports, it does not particularly stand out. You'd think an Italian restaurant in China Town would stick out like a sore thumb, (with marinara sauce). True, it is odd, but once your eyes re-focus and you realize what it is, but, you could just as easily walked by. The interior is equally non-descript. Nonetheless, Rosarina Pizza has a reputation that reaches all shores of Oahu. Friends from "the country" have made special note to bring back Rosarina to their eagerly waiting friends and family, "way out there".

I finally tried Rosarina Pizza recently and wasn't at all disappointed. I've worked down town for years, too many years, and have known about this place for quite some time. So, of course, I had to try the infamous pizza: delicious! We split the pizza because I was compelled to also try the spaghetti with meatballs, my favorite food on earth. If you can impress me with your spaghetti, well.... Simply put, I was impressed. Tasted a lot like my Italian Nana made for me as a child. (o.k., Nana really wasn't italian, but, her spaghetti was as fabulous as any I've had anywhere, ahhh Nana...)

Cafe Hula Girl's "Guest Chef" Event

Cafe Hula Girl's Guest Chef Events are five-course set menus prepared by chefs from various other venues, including mainland venues, personal chefs and other Hawaii restaurants. We were at Chef Merle Marian's Guest Chef Event. He is from the Wynn Las Vegas, and, it shows. The presentation was spot-on and multi-dimensional (if you'll allow me a little use of my vocabulary). The Deep Blue Sea Menu included Crab Cakes, Scallops and Birds Nest Soup, Rock Shrimp Pot Stickers and Pan Seared Opakapaka. Oh, and the Opakapaka came out riding a blue wave made from fried sweet potato, very cool. The entertainment was by Paul Barton, who played beautiful guitar as a backdrop to this divine dinner. If you have the chance to try a Guest Chef Event, take my advice and do it!

OTTO Cakes

In other cities on the mainland and abroad, small, "alternative," "bohemian" type businesses like OTTO Cakes thrive. They offer people other choices in products, services, etc. These types of businesses can really have something special and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the small business climate in Hawaii has not been very favorable to these smaller alternatives. Im very glad to see OTTO Cakes exist and thrive! That alone was reason enough to visit. I did it and really enjoyed it. When these boys tweet about having awesome cakes, they are correct! I must say, it is among the best cheesecake I have ever had, in Hawaii or anywhere else!

Kona Brewing Company

Water from the bay and torch lighting create a sense of anticipation and energy at this Hawaii Kai hang out. Its all about "atmosphere," with live music playing in the bar and the smell of grilling foods wafting out of the open kitchen. On a busy Friday night, expect to wait a little for your food, but, it is tastey. All in all, an enjoyable but not especially memorable evening. But then, perhaps that was not really the goal. Sometimes an enjoyable dinner is something good in itself.

M P Lei Shop in China Town

Four Dollars for an orchid lei, now thats a deal. M P Lei Shop, in China Town has some beautiful cut flowers, arrangements and leis.

St. Germain's Bakery

If you decide to try St. Germaine's Bakery, bring your self-restraint! Very Clever: They provide you a tray, waxed paper liner and prongs, then tell you to walk around the store and pick your own treats. There are rows and rows of pastries, sweet and savory, almonds & custard, pizza, and on and on... Be careful not to overload your tray! The treats are delicious and fresh!

Sumo Sushi

Sumo Sushi is a small take out sushi place, located in a little building near the Pali Longs Drugs store. I stopped in for a small snack while I was waiting for my prescription to be filled. Who knew you could get a delicious sushi-bar quality California Roll to eat while you're just waiting for your prescription? It really was tastey and fresh!