Don't Always Listen...

While walking along Waikiki Beach, I looked up and saw large glass windows at the top of a building which I assumed to be a restaurant.

We asked our concierge who informed us it was the Hanohano Room and was fine dining and we probably wouldn't be interested. I'm still not quite sure what he meant as I love food of all sorts, including fine dining. Do I not look like I would enjoy fine dining? Hmm...

Fortunately we didn't listen to him and headed to the Sheraton. The glass elevator on the side of the hotel was a fantastic way to ride to the 30th floor - reminded me of Charley and the Chocolate Factory.

Once we were inside the Hanohano Room, our view was of the entire Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head in the distance. I thought it was one of the coolest dining experiences before I even reached the table.
It wasn't quite dinner time so the hubby and I sat at a table in the winebar and enjoyed wine samplers while marveling at the view. We decided to pair one of their appetizers with our wine - ahi lollipops served with crispy rice and pickled vegetables. Fabulous!
This just goes to show, sometimes it's best to check it out for yourself and not listen to others.

A little Truck with Big Shrimp

If you have ever had the shrimp scampi from Giovanni's on the North Shore of Oahu then this place needs no introduction. True, it doesn't look classy and you sit on picnic benches eating off paper plates, but the moment you bite into that first shrimp, it becomes a Four Star meal.
A plate of 12 garlic shrimp served with two scoops of rice and a lemon. To say the shrimp are covered in garlic would be an understatement and crispy pieces of garlic even adorn the rice. This is not a meal for anyone having an important meeting the same day, or even the next day.
This place is a must-stop for us anytime we are on Oahu. But besides the fabulous meal out of a truck, perhaps even more ironic is the fact that I never liked shrimp. But a few years ago, my good friend Lindsey insisted I try Giovanni's and well, I've never looked back.

A Chain, But a Good Chain

While on vacation, I really try not to eat at chain restaurants as I want to discover the local delights the area has to offer.

But this particular morning on Oahu, I couldn't shake my craving for French Toast. And when we walked by the Cheesecake Factory, I decided it would be the place. And was I ever right!

French Toast Napoleon. Okay, seriously? DIVINE!!
Three slices of grilled brioche french toast stacked with strawberries, pecans and chantilly cream. And strawberries were throughout the stack, not just on the top. I don't think I have ever had better french toast!

In a Land Called Hanalei...

In Hanalei, Kauai, there is a restaurant called Tahiti Nui. From the outside, it looks like a place to grab a burger or pizza, but if that is the case, you will miss out on the most amazing fish plates!

For an appetizer, we dined on a panko crusted seared ono served with a type of teriyaki sauce. Delicious!
And the main course was the best ono I have ever had. Panko macademia nut crusted ono served with coconut cilantro lime sauce and a side of mashed potatoes. The sauce was very rich but it went with the ono perfectly.
This fantastic ono dish, which to me was the definition of gourmet, was under $15. An absolute steal! My only complaint is that I don't live nearby so I can't go there more often.

Finding a Gem...

We recently did some island hopping, and of course with travel, comes lots of food. :)

When we landed in Kauai, the hubby directed me to find somewhere for us to grab breakfast. I usually delight in finding a small cafe or restaurant to discover something new.

However, this particular morning, I was starving and pointed to the McDonald's. Shocking, I know. The reason being, we had awoke at 5:00am that day to catch our first of two flights to Kauai and didn't have time to eat. Being that it was now 10am, I was hungry and needed to eat. No food does not make me a happy girl.

Fortunately, my husband was smarter than that. He reminded me that we wouldn't be on Kauai for a long time and that finding new food was my joy and it would only take a few minutes to find somewhere unique. He was right. He handed me his iphone and thanks to Yelp, within minutes I had chosen Pono Market as our destination.
What a find! Not only was the staff exceptionally nice, but the food was the best local food we have ever had! We delighted in spicy tuna poke (sorry, no pic for this one - I was starving and dug right in).

And following that, devoured shoyu tuna poke (top left) , lomi lomi salmon (top right), and chicken lau lau (hubby had the pork lau lau).
If these names are unfamiliar to you, allow me to explain a little further but in a loose definition as exact recipes for these dishes vary greatly. Lau lau is a dish that consists of a meat, usually pork, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed for about five hours. Can we say tender?

Lomi lomi salmon is diced salmon which is salted and mixed with chopped tomatoes and onions. And poke is made up of sliced pieces of raw ahi with onion, green onion, sesame seeds and shoyu (soy sauce).
The food was amazing and I can't believe I almost missed it for a McDonald's meal. If you're headed to Kauai, do not miss this place!

Homemade Pizza

Pizza. It used to be the cheap snack. What happened?

Now, I'm not sure if it is due in part to where I live, but a pizza costs about $20, often up to $30 if you want a few more toppings.

$30? For a pizza? For some dough, toppings and cheese? It reminds me of when salads use to be the inexpensive alternative at dinner, until they became "in" and part of the trend, and now they often cost as much as the main course.

So here in my household, we turned to making our own pizza which not only saves money, but we get exactly what we want. I took a picture of our most recent creation, which is covered with bell peppers, kalamata olives, onions, cilantro, basil, jack cheese, mozzarella cheese and goat cheese.
We usually make our own pizza sauce, starting out with a base of tomato paste, garlic, water and oregano, but recently we've settled on BBQ sauce. It began when we wanted to make a BBQ chicken pizza, but we enjoyed the BBQ sauce so much, that we use it on the pizza even when we don't have chicken on there.

And the dough is delicious. The recipe is from the website of my favorite yeast, Red Star Yeast.

Mix together:
1 cup flour
2 1/4 t yeast
1 1/2 t salt

Add:
2 T vegetable oil (we often use olive oil instead)
1 cup water, with a temperature between 120 degrees-130 degrees

Mix together, then add:
1 1/2 cups flour (we sometimes like to throw a cup of wheat flour in there instead of all white)

Knead for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth.

Let it rest for 15 minutes, then roll or pull the dough onto the baking sheet and cover with sauce, cheese, etc. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

You don't be disappointed!

Play It Again...

I belong to a book club and every month we meet and discuss the book while eating the goodies that everyone has brought. It was only recently that I decided I should make a cake to go along with the book! I don't know why I didn't think of it before!

This month's book was The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason. It was a good read, about a man traveling to Burma to tune a piano. So of course, I made a piano cake.


The cake was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I found the cream cheese frosting slightly harder to decorate with than the buttercream I have been using on other cakes, but it turned out okay! And it was a big hit at the bookclub!

The next book might be a little tougher - Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. But I have till August to read it and plan the cake! Watch this space!