This season is off the shizzy! I’m loving the crews so far.
Distorted X and Fanny Pack shouldn’t have been in the bottom two; however, I could see why Fanny Pack made it to the bottom two.
Last week’s live audition, the audience really wanted Team Millenia to go through. Didn’t seem that too many people were too thrilled for Fanny Pack. I dig FP’s style though…it’s different and fun. They get my votes for now…hopefully they can keep going.
My favorite crews tonight are as follows:
Fanny Pack - loving their style…gotta root for the Hawaii girl…go Cara!
Super Cr3w - these b-boys are a force to be reckon’d with…they sure love to fall…that first move was hot
Phresh Select - points for dancing to boyz II men…that last move was sick!
SoReal Cru - Houston peeps can dance…I guess so cuz they were hot
So I’ve been seeing a couple new salad take-outs popping up around town. First was Salad Creations that opened up on the corner of Bishop and Hotel Streets. San Francisco Salad Co. has been around for awhile and still has its long lines (I’ll vouch that the stuff is good there…try the tortilla soup with the chips on the side). Downtown opened up at the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM) over a year ago (good stuff and the motto goes “local first, organic whenever possible, and with aloha always” and I love their biodegradable utensils).
When I first heard of it, I was stoked about Salad Creations, a new create-your-own salad place in the downtown area. After a couple tries, I was a bit put off with the service and the quality of ingredients…the place eventually shut down for a couple weeks and reopened.
Back to the point of this post…I want to introduce everyone to Aloha Salads, a fairly new create-your-own salad counter that are conveniently located at Kahala Mall and Ward Warehouse. The Kailua location is a bit out of reach since I’m a townie. The prices at this joint is reasonable and may bit a bit pricey…but for their quality of ingredients, I’ll dish out a couple more bucks.
I’ve tried the Ono Island Ahi and Satay salads (both yummy choices). Today, I ordered their Lobster bisque…mmm so good that it reminded me of the ones I had on the East Coast. This place was so good that I’m turning a lot of my friends onto it. Join the Aloha Salad cult…I did!
Check out Tango over by Ward Centre. Located next to P.F. Chang’s, it’s a fairly new bistro-like restaurant by chef Goran Streng. My friends and I went for dinner and thought the dinner menu was okay. Honestly, you should go there for lunch…I went with some co-workers and it was definitely worth it. In any case, here are some photos of what we ordered at dinner.
Seared scallops spinach salad with balsamic vinagrette mushrooms and grape tomatoes…needless to say, this dish was the best of the evening. I forgot to take a photo…only one of the plate after we all ate it.
Sweet caramelized onion soup….great flavor…not too salty like other french onion soups…a bit oily though…took away from refreshing flavor.
Boulabaisse with mussels, prawns, fresh island fish saffron broth aioli and croutons…not as hearty as we would’ve liked it.
Hamakua mushroom risotto with garlic shrimp (tail on) and asparagus…can’t taste the mushrooms but the shrimp was tasty.
Sauteed moi with tomato fennel coulis on ratatouille of veggie…the ratatouille was a bit sour in taste but the moi was good. Actually, moi is always good.
Check out the free publicity for Hawaii…Keyshia Cole rocks and so does her new single, “Heaven Sent”…shot in Hawaii (with a lot of beauty shots of Oahu)
If you’re looking for a few tips when you plan your next vacation, check out these items on my list:
1. InsideTrip.com – I read about this new site a while ago on L.A. Times Daily Travel Deal Blog. It’s a new meta-search engine that provides a more in-depth look at various flights it pulls up. You’ll see a list of deals by “TripQuality” rankings, which rates the flights by speed, comfort, and ease. It’s another site to try out the next time you’re looking for flights.
2. Put a little humor into your travel planning by watching the following clip. Living in Hawaii, ethnic jokes don’t really phase me. I find it humorous since I can actually relate to it. Gotta love Anjelah Johnson!
3. If you’re bored and looking to do some good for the world, visit FreeRice.com, answer a few vocabulary questions and you’ll help out with the UN World Food Program by donating a couple hundred grains of rice to those who need it. I’m not quite sure how it all works out in the end, but it’s food for thought.
4. Check out TripIt…it’s a perfect place to throw all your travel planning documents into one place. It’s simple and really easy to use if you’re looking for an all-around itinerary. Just set up an account with an email address and send all your airline, hotel, or activity confirmations to a designated email address and the website does the rest.
5. After you take your trip and still couldn’t find any good souvenirs, check out UncommonGoods.com for some cool gifts and gadgets. I’ve known about this site for quite a while and it still amazes me with all the cool items that I want to buy for my place or desk.
By the way, what do you think of these shoes? I haven’t found them around Honolulu, so I guess I’ll have to order them online if I really like them that much.
After Bourdain’s Hawaii episode aired, it seems like a lot of people are wondering where new uptown fountain is. It is actually located in Liliha at 522 N. School Street. As you’re driving on School Street (heading west), it’ll be on your right after you pass the Liliha Street intersection. It’s easy to drive past, but look for the vintage sign by the street.
When the producers and I were at the restaurant in December, the owners had told us that they would be closing at the end of the year. It’s a sad truth to the ongoing saga of mom-and-pop stores and restaurants around Hawaii. As big box retailers and mainland restaurant chains open shop in Hawaii, the local institutions are slowly closing their doors. It’s the same story in a lot of historic destinations. I really wish that visitors could step out of their hotels more on whichever island you may be on. Really explore what Hawaii is all about…from the local culture to the local cuisine.
Okay, I digress. Back to New Uptown Fountain. Yes they did provide Bourdain and David Choo a big amount of food. Lunch started off with some fresh papaya…apparently the restaurant was known for it. The SPAM menu followed with SPAM musubi (made with fried rice and nori); SPAM omelette on top of rice with curry and kim chee; SPAM, eggs, and rice; loco moco with gravy, saimin with pieces of SPAM; extra slices of SPAM, mahi mahi; chicken tofu; homemade chili; and chop steak. All this was topped off with a nice cold can of Aloha Maid’s guava juice.
Boy, I feel really sick just writing about all these food. If you’re really craving some of these local dishes, be sure to pick up Watermark Publishing’s “The Puka Guide: Oahu’s Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants”. Be sure to visit my blog again when I post about my favorite spots to eat in Hawaii and all the places I travel to.
People have been asking what Bourdain is like when I met him in Hawaii. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant to meet him for the first time, not knowing what he would say or do. After watching all his episodes, he does speak his mind and smokes and drinks a lot. Imagine him saying, “who is this guy, Mike? He thinks he knows Hawaii? Maybe he’s just full of crock”…well I may be exaggerating.
Does he really smoke and drink that much?
Actually not anymore. Yes, he’ll drink but he stopped smoking ever since his daughter, Ariane, was born. I got a chance to meet his beautiful wife and newborn. The family really seemed to be enjoying their time at The Kahala and in Hawaii. The producers had warned me that he wanted to bring his wife and daughter on this production. Apparently, he misses so much family time because he’s on the road so much throughout the year…shooting the No Reservations season, book signing, TV appearances, etc. He had a horrible time in Jamaica…so horrible that the production was about to be halted so his family could return back to the States. With all this said, it was a bit nerve-racking. There was a lot on the line since I really wanted the Hawaii episode to be a success.
How is he in person?
Bourdain is the “what you see is what you get” type of guy. He’s quite quiet at times and cracks a few jokes here and there. He’s really intellectual and it shows in his books and his on-air commentary. I’m not sure if it was the all around Aloha spirit, but the producers were saying that he was really open to a lot of things in Hawaii…more so than other destinations they’ve visited. I had some opportunities to sit around and chat with him…he really seemed to appreciate everyone and everything. I’ve really grown to appreciate him as a respected chef and celebrity.
If you have more questions about Bourdain, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer in my own prespective. All in all, Bourdain is the kind of guy that sit down, have a beer, and just shoot the breeze.
