What we see: the shrimp trucks along roadsides, pizza and taro mochi at farmers’ markets, cookies, jams and sauces at craft fairs and on grocery store shelves. What we don’t see: the shared-use kitchens, without which Hawaii’s culinary landscape would look a lot… [»Read]
It’s the season that has us sweating seconds after stepping out of the shower and making embarrassingly weird-shaped wet spots on the backs of our shirts. But any excuse to cool down with a cold drink is welcome. Last year, the Weekly shared some of its favorite… [»Read]
If you’ve driven down Piikoi recently, you’ve no doubt noticed a giant red Japanese koi painted on a roof and building façade–calling attention to one of Honolulu’s newest restaurants, perhaps the splashiest. Izakaya Tairyo is like no other izakaya in town: the… [»Read]
Maybe you’re familiar with Polynesian, Micronesian and any other -nesian cultures. Maybe you’re curious. Either way, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed an infusion of Polynesian and Micronesian cultures to our fair Islands. Whether part… [»Read]
You know those neighborhoods where you can grab a bite while window shopping and people watching? The kind of neighborhood you’d find in New York, San Francisco, Portland, maybe even Waikiki? Well, that’s not Kalihi Kai. This is a neighborhood of warehouses, factories… [»Read]
If reading the sub-head of this article didn’t make you giggle, perhaps you’re missing out. Or maybe you’re just a mature individual. After going through a mental vault of sausage jokes, then blatantly ignoring the idiom of how one should never want to see how sausage… [»Read]
Yes, it is surprising that one might find foie gras in a bowling alley. Even more surprising is that a five-course menu like the one found at ‘Aiea Bowl would be anything more than adequate. But welcome to Tasty Tuesdays–a once-a-week culinary shocker designed for foodies… [»Read]
In case you couldn’t tell already, mango season is upon us, as manifested from Chinatown streets to farmers’ markets to highway shoulders to–if you’re lucky–your backyard tree. For Mark Suiso of Makaha Mangoes, mango season means not only keeping up with demand… [»Read]
Since when did wheat beer call dibs on summer? Sure, turkey can have Thanksgiving. Chicken noodle soup is all over the common cold. Hot dogs get baseball games; crack seed gets the megaplex; cheesesteaks get Philly (or maybe it’s the other way around); you get the idea…. [»Read]
There was Fast Food Nation in 2002. Then the movie version of the book came out 2006, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma in the same year. Food, Inc. was released in 2008 and is still being screened at events across the country and was recently shown on PBS…. [»Read]
Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs 2010” list includes only one female: Missy Robbins of A Voce in Manhattan. The annual “50 Best Restaurants” issue, put out by the UK’s food industry magazine Restaurant, lists only two restaurants helmed… [»Read]
With the boon of bars and boutique eateries popping up in Chinatown, it’s only natural to feel conflicted about where to dine or drink when you’re in the ’hood. Last summer, with the opening of Otto Cake and Manifest within a month of each other, fellow cheesecake-… [»Read]
Remember eating as much greasy food as you possibly could right before going on the Cyclone just to prove you wouldn’t pull a Sandlot from the top of The Whip? Well, now that you’re a little older and may not have as strong of a stomach as you once did, you still… [»Read]
The folks at Asagi Hatchery see the growing trend in raising chickens as a throwback to the the 1930s, when Asagi Hatchery first opened and almost everybody had a chicken in their backyard. Stepping into the Kalihi hatchery is like stepping back in time: from the clicking… [»Read]
Perhaps it was inevitable that Sanrio Cafe would disappoint. An eatery dedicated to that mouth-less white cat with the dot-eyes and red bow already brings expectations of unfathomable levels of adorable-ness, and being the first officially-licensed eatery in the country… [»Read]
Mercado de la Raza I’m at Mercado de la Raza, the Latin American grocery store, trying to find the right blend of chiles to make the mole that Rick Bayless used to win Top Chef Masters, the one that Gail Simmons wants to bathe in. The owner of the shop, Martha Sanchez,… [»Read]
Many of us start the day with a sweetened breakfast cereal, breakfast bars, toast with a sweet spread, or a breakfast pastry. As the day progresses, we indulge in sweet beverages from soda to tea, and keep our sweet tooth satiated with candy, gum, ice cream and the like…. [»Read]
Charles Phan opened the original The Slanted Door in San Francisco’s Mission district–it has since moved to a more expansive location in the Ferry Building– in 1995. While Phan drew inspiration from other Bay Area restaurants’ food philosophies, he broke new ground… [»Read]
Carnegie. 2nd Ave. Katz’s. Just a few famous delis that helped move the popularity of New York-style Jewish food’s mile-high sandwiches and tangy pickles beyond the kosher palette long ago, all the way to the shores of Oahu. The craving for a steaming pile of pepper-crusted… [»Read]
Of course, as I sit down to write this ode to a comfort food for cold, blustery days, the sun is shining and it appears the weather may be warming up. No matter. In the café where I’m sitting, people are still spooning soup, proving there’s more to a bowl than just… [»Read]
The instant it goes on, I start panicking. I focus on taking deep breaths while also not stepping on the heels of the person in front of me as we’re led to our seats in a blind conga line. As dinner begins, I alternate between enjoying a guessing game of “what’s on… [»Read]
Don’t expect a Foodland version of Whole Foods at the new Foodland Farms in ‘Aina Haina, which opened two weeks ago. For the most part, this is still a traditional supermarket–there’s the floor-to-ceiling case of cigarettes, a liquor aisle and aisles of high-fructose… [»Read]
In these grab ’n‘ go times, many entrepreneurs and foodies alike have entertained the idea of running a food truck. To do so, however, most don’t have to to step down as the executive chef of a prominent restaurant. It takes guts to roam the streets of Oahu selling… [»Read]
For a chef used to the abundance of local produce in the Pacific Northwest, it’s been interesting for Robert McGee to meet the challenge of using as many fine local ingredients as possible, then going to pick up shipments of the rest. “When you gotta go down to the docks… [»Read]
Honolulu is ready to get small. While izakayas, which pair Japanese small plates with beer and sake, remain popular, Honolulu diners have largely resisted the tapas-fication of menus popular in mainland dining cities. Even Alan Wong couldn’t make a go of small plates when… [»Read]
