Are you going to eat that?

Other title choices for this post were: "I'm no Andrew Zimmern, but...," "How fresh is your fish?" and "Why is my dinner staring at me?"

I've never considered myself a very adventurous eater. In fact, I've been pretty picky throughout my life, turning down pasta if it was slightly overcooked, or the wrong macaroni shape (I know, I know. I've finally moved past that one). But recently, I've decided to step outside my comfort level and try new foods. There are limits to this of course, but I'm slowly getting there.

On a trip to Hilo a few weeks ago, we stopped at The Seaside Restaurant, known for its fresh fish. And how right the reputation was - the fish was caught no more than five feet from where we sat at our table. How could I turn down the opportunity to have the freshest fish I'd ever have in my life? I couldn't. And I didn't. :)

When the whole fish arrived, I found myself actually excited - unlike a fish meal I had a few years ago... Well, I didn't exactly have it. I ordered it and couldn't bring myself to eat it because it was staring at me. (they didn't tell me that was going to happen when I read the menu)

But my how things have changed. When my meal of pan-fried crispy Aholehole served with daikon-suri arrived at the table, I couldn't wait to dig in.
It was fantastic. The small round dish was filled daikon-suri and per the waiter's suggestion, I added soy sauce and dipped portions of the fish into it. Amazing!

I tried to be polite, as it was a nice restaurant, and use a fork and knife, but after a few minutes it was clear that the easiest way was just to eat with my hands. No one around seemed to mind and at the end of the night, only bones were left on my plate. I give the whole experience an A+.

Yep, I've come a long way from the Pokemon shaped macaroni I refused to eat ten years ago :)

Introducing the puppy cake!

When I made the horse cake two weeks ago, my 12 year old neighbor asked for a cake of her dog for her party this past weekend.

Making the horse had been good practice and I felt pretty confident about making the dog, a Shepard with one blue eye, one brown. In fact, I was pretty excited to try the shape again as I had learned a lot when making the horse.

The beginning went great. I baked the cake in loaf pans, stacked them together and used chocolate frosting as a middle layer and as a glue to keep the pieces together. Then I shaped the cake, carefully cutting with a bread knife to get the desired shape, pictured below.
Using a star tip and vanilla and chocolate buttercream, I began decorating. Then the humidity set in, making the buttercream too soft. October is usually a great month where I live, with cool temps and rain. But the tradewinds decided to stop this week and we were left with high levels of humidity and heat. I began my routine of putting the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes at a time. This worked for a while until I opened the fridge and saw that the entire muzzle of the dog had fallen off and was now lying on the bottom of the fridge - with a white frosting trail on every shelf.

I originally had the nose resting on the feet with a gap below - a major flaw in the plan. The frosting made the cake too heavy and it collapsed and fell forward.

Looking back, it was pretty funny and I should have paused to take a picture of the fridge and the nose at the bottom with the body at the top, but I was so concerned about the time that I immediately focused on fixing the problem.

Fortunately I had cake left over from the shaping so I cut off a large square piece and placed it on the cake board in place of the nose. It made his head look bigger, but also made him look like he was resting his head between his paws and not on them.

I quickly decorated it with the buttercream and the nose turned out great! I know now to be wary of design flaws for the next time.
The eyes and nose were made out of fondant and decorated with my food coloring pens.
My neighbor was thrilled and the cake was a big hit at the party. I think I'm getting the hang of these shaped cakes! I have blog requests for a tortoise and a camel. Stay tuned. :)

It's no cup of noodles...

Growing up, ramen meant the packet of dried noodles that I dumped in hot water or poured water into a cup and waited. What a world I was missing out on. Fresh ramen is amazing.

On our recent trip to Oahu, we stopped at Goma Tei Ramen. We'd discovered this restaurant on a previous trip through the suggetions of Yelp and knew we would be back. When you have a meal this good, you can't help but go again.

I ordered the Chicken Tan Tan Ramen. This picture may be slightly deceiving as the bowl looks tiny but believe me, that spoon is huge as is the bowl. This is not a light meal that will make you hungry an hour later - this a full fledged ramen meal that will fill you up.
Beneath the sliced chicken is a copious amount of perfectly cooked noodles and vegetables - this restaurant doesn't skimp on anything. The broth bursts with a variety of flavors that I can't quite describe but take what you know of the instant ramen and multiply the flavor by ten. It also has a nice texture, letting you know that this is not some watered down meal. This is the real thing.

The waiters offer to fill your bowl with more broth as you eat in case you need more to go along with your remaining noodles and chicken. Wait, a restaurant that actually offers you a "refill" and doesn't charge? Oh yes. This place is that good. And the best part? When you leave, you are full, happy and only minus around $8 from your wallet.

A Horse is a Horse...

My neighbor turned 12 this past weekend and is an avid rider, spending most of her free time at the barn. I offered to make her a horse cake as the hubby and I were going over to their house for dinner on her birthday and she eagerly nodded. Her favorite flavor: Chocolate. Great, chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. That was the easy part.

I was stuck on how to do it. I first thought about doing a sheet cake in the shape of a horse's head, but that wouldn't be a challenge.

So I tried my first 3D cake. After arranging all of my baking pans in different configurations, I finally decided on baking in two loaf pans and four mini loaf pans.
Slicing off the end of one loaf, I added it to make the rise in the head and a curve in the back.
I frosted each portion with buttercream as I transferred it to a decorated baking sheet. I used wrapping paper but then covered that in plastic wrap - I wasn't sure how the paper would take the frosting. At this point, the hubby and I joked that it looked like an alligator.
From watching various cake shows, I knew I should make the ears out of rice krispies but we didn't have any in the house, so I used cornflakes. They worked okay, but I think I would use rice krispies in the future. Unfortunately at this point my battle with the humidity had begun, so the cake was decorated in 10 minute increments, placed in the fridge between segments.
I used fondant for the eyes, nose, mouth and horseshoes.
Even my cat seemed interested by the strange creation on the table.
It wasn't easy and took all day but I learned a lot and I know the next one will be even better - in two weeks when she's having a party with her friends and has requested a cake like this but of her dog. She also pointed out that the back legs of the dog need to have a round bit if he's sitting down. Oy. :) Watch this space...

It's Appetizing...

Last week the hubby and I visited Duke's at famous Waikiki Beach on Oahu. Nine times out of ten I order their Baja Fish Tacos (they are amazing and I highly recommend them). I'm always up for trying new restaurants and new dishes, but once I find something I love, I tend to stick with it. And Duke's fish tacos have been a mainstay of mine for a very long time.

However I pulled myself away from the delicious fish tacos and decided to venture out, trying two of their appetizers for dinner. I love appetizers and have been known to order a few of them in place of an entree at various restaurants. It's several little delights all in one and makes for a very fun meal.

First I ordered the Poke Rolls - Ahi and Maui onions, rolled in rice paper and sauteed. They were surprisingly wonderful! The warmth of the cooked rice paper with the cold ahi in the middle was a pleasant combination and the mustard sauce on the plate complimented the dish nicely. A definite winner!
The second appetizer was much larger than I expected and very filling - Crab and Macadamia Nut Wontons with creamcheese, served with a mustard plum sauce. A great dish, but definitely one to share. I'm also not a huge fan of fried foods and these were slightly heavier than what I had in mind, but still good.
Did I like the appetizers? Absolutely. Would I order them again? Of course. The next time I visit Duke's? Probably not. As much as I enjoyed my new meal choices, the fish tacos are calling me back. Old habits are hard to break. :)

Not what I had in mind, but...

Last night a friend and I headed out to our favorite sushi place, Jacques, for their happy hour sushi - 50% off all their roles. We've frequented the place a lot as the sushi is fantastic and when it's half off, well, it just can't be beat.

We stood outside, waiting for Jacques to open at 5. Their happy hour is only till 6 and the tables fill up quickly. As soon the doors opened, we grabbed a table and started to write down our choices on the order sheet.

The waitress came by, gave us water and said, "And you guys know we're not doing the half off sushi anymore, right?"
"Um, what?"
"Yeah, we stopped it a week ago."

I turned to my friend. We said not a word but just looked at each other for a few seconds before simultaneously picking up our purses and exiting the restaurant. Jacques has amazing sushi, but unless it is half off, the prices are a bit too high.

So what do you do when your dinner plans have been changed? Go for sugar. :)

We headed to a creperie, Cafe De Amis, just up the street. My friend chose a dinner crepe, but being that I have a bit of a sweet tooth (no big shocker), I ordered two dessert crepes as my dinner. Yep, you read that right. Two dessert crepes.On the left is the lime and Maui sugarcane crepe and the one on the right is bananas and Ghirardelli chocolate. I have to admit, I'm not a huge Ghirardelli fan ( I'm a Cabury's lover at heart) so I wouldn't order the chocolate one again, but the lime one was full of sugary goodness.

The crepes were great and a nice change, but I'm still bummed about Jacques. I don't know where we'll get our sushi fix from now on but I'm sure I'll figure it out. :) Stay tuned.

But it will hurt if I breathe...

Remember that cough syrup commercial in the late 80s, early 90s "Mommy, it will hurt if I swallow?" The theme of this Sunday was "It will hurt if I breathe." Why? Because I had eaten so much, that it literally hurt to breathe.

Why would I eat so much? Why would I throw away every ounce of exercise that week and consume massive amounts of calories? Because our favorite brunch was closing and I wanted to make sure I tasted every little morsel. How else do you really say goodbye to a wonderful meal, knowing you will never taste it again?

The brunch was located at the Maui Prince hotel. We'd celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and "just for the heck of it" Sunday mornings there. The staff was amazing, the food divine, and the champagne kept flowing. The staff was so attentive that the minute you took more than two sips of champagne, a server was there to top off your glass.
We hadn't been to the brunch since celebrating a friend's wedding in April, but this week an article in the local newspaper stated that the hotel was in trouble. I mentioned it to my husband and said that we should probably go to the brunch soon in case the hotel ended up closing.

Previously you had to call a few weeks in advance for a reservation, but this time just calling two days before, every seating time was open. Recession...

When we arrived, we were informed that it was indeed the last brunch and the hotel would most likely be closing their doors within the next month - Foreclosure sucks :(
Our view of the Makena coast from our table. And then the eating began.

The Prince had six stations in their buffet. Six delightful stations tempting me to try every little bite. Please note - I did not eat all of the items listed below, but I thought it would be fun to tell you everything they offered at the brunch.

Danishes, muffins, sweet breads, croissants served with tropical Maui jams and jellies. Freshly sliced pineapple, papaya and berries. Freshly squeezed orange juice and guava nectar.

Eggs benedict served on cornbread with Canadian bacon and a tomato chive hollandise. Eggs benedict with cornbread? Amazing!
French toast with sliced strawberries and powdered sugar served with maple, coconut and Maui strawberry syrup.
Apple crepes with Tahitian vanilla bean custard sauce.
Bacon and Portuguese sausage.

A chef stood ready to make you any kind of omelet including bay shrimp and caviar as ingredient choices.

Next an assortment of cheeses from around the world with lavosh, breads and rolls.

Carving station with boneless leg of lamb, marinated in garlic and herbs, served with Mango chutney and an oven-roasted herb-crusted prime rib of beef with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce.Assorted dim sum which included pot stickers, shrimp dumplings and char siu bao.

Fresh Hawaiian sashimi served with soy sauce, mustard soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.
Poke (a raw ahi dish) - which was the best we've had on the island.
Peel-n-eat shrimp, smoked salmon, snap-n-eat snow crab legs, and assorted sushi which included California roll, tuna roll and cucumber roll.

Selection of chef's composed salads with island grown and domestic mainland produce, prince Caesar salad bar with cherry tomatoes and roasted garlic croutons, kula greens with Hawaiian vinaigrette.

I can't recall all of the delicious salads they had at the brunch, as the menu didn't list them by name, but there was an amazing ahi nicoise salad, a snowcrab salad served with water chestnuts, a bean sprout and tofu salad, and a Kula tomato salad with shredded basil just to name a few. There was also a delightful one that had peas and peanuts that my husband really liked. Due to allergies, I didn't taste that one, but I'll take his word for it.
Wait, I'm not done yet. :)

Japanese Miso soup garnished with wakame, komaki fu and green onions.
Manhattan style seafood chowder with yukon gold potatoes and fresh herbs.
Pacific seafood medley in brandy cream sauce with oyster mushrooms.
Oyster beef with oriental vegetables, garnished with rock shrimp stir fry and kamboko.
Whole roasted herb crusted chicken with corn bread and sun dried cranberry.
Chef's pasta: Angel hair pasta topped with grilled shrimp and served in a tomato cream sauce. (this was fantastic and I'm still thinking about it).
Fresh seasonal vegetables and steamed Jasmine rice.
Makena Mashed potatoes with caramelized maui onions.

And of course, dessert. Cakes, pies, creme brulee, mousse,and my personal favorite - Bread pudding served with vanilla cream. OMG, it's the best bread pudding I have ever had. That's what definitely put me over the edge. Well, that and the coffee they served at the end of the meal.
Now, my husband likes food but he does not have the love for it that I do. So although he was full after the meal, he could breathe.
One of my plates. There's the Kula tomatos, the peel-n-eat shrimp, the ahi nicoise, the crab legs, sashimi, poke, sushi, ginger, the beansprout and tofu salad, and the snowcrab salad. Phew! I feel full just looking at that!

I know I shouldn't have eaten that much for many reasons, but after reading that menu, can you blame me? I wanted to send the Maui Prince Sunday Brunch out in style, a little token to show that I really appreciated it and a little note to my stomach to enjoy every bit.

But what about the cost? All that food plus unlimited champagne, an amazing view and live Hawaiian music? The mere price of $50 per person. In my opinion, a steal.

When we first discovered the brunch three years ago, we remarked that it was too good to be true. Funny how thoughts like that become reality.

ETA: I am thrilled to announce that as of October, the brunch has been brought back by the management of the newly named Makena Beach Resort and Spa. Yay!