Tokkuri Tei - The Izaka-ya to Die-ya For

Rated 5.0 Stars

Our company recently completed a weight-loss competition, in which we - depending on how serious you were - stripped ourselves of the bare essentials. For some, these "essentials" included cake, pork chops, deep fried foods, or a combination of the three. For me, it was sushi! More »

See and Eat Seattle - Part II

Rated 5.0 Stars

OK class, when we last left off, we ate up Seattle favorites like Piroshky, Piroshky, Le Panier, Beecher's Handmade Cheese Cafe, and Salumi's. This month, we'll be exploring Paseo's Caribbean Restaurant, Umi Sake House and Salty's on Alki, but before then, your homework assignment please. More »

Oahu... A Day In the Life

Rated 5.0 Stars

Todd is your typical local boy. Born and raised on big plate lunches, beaches and BBQs, this pseudo-expat will get all emotional on you if he stays away from these for too long. So when he made plans to return to Oahu for a few days from his current/temporary abode on the Big Island (with previous stints in Las Vegas, Maryland and Virginia), I made it a point to take the day off and tag along with this tourist to wherever he wanted to go. Turns out HE showed ME a thing or two about Oahu and its many hidden treasures... More »

See and Eat Seattle - Part I

Rated 5.0 Stars

Ever notice that if you combine the words See and Eat, you (almost) get Seattle? Not quite sure what "tle" stands for just yet, but gimme some time and I'll figure it out. For now, let's just go with what nature, er, make that Doc Maynard has given us when he named Seattle in 1853 after chief Noah Sealth. Let's See and Eat Seattle shall we? More »

Wowie In Maui - Part III

Rated 5.0 Stars

In this third and final part in the Wowie in Maui series, we start our adventures in the clouds. After soaring through the air at Skyline Eco Adventures last month, we head to the highest of elevation at nearby Haleakala National Park to get a different perspective on heights, this time, while on solid ground. More »

We Do It Big Island Style

Rated 5.0 Stars

When you think "island style," you think Hawaii and our innate, laid back way of life. After two recent trips to the Big Island of Hawaii, I quickly discovered that we ain't got nuthin' on 'em. This here is true, island style living and I'm about to show how you too, can roll John Cruz style... brah. More »

Shave Ice Ice Baby

Something fishy is definitely going on here... The airports have been bustling with college folk and local eateries and nightclubs are a' bumpin'. You're no longer alone at the beaches and malls, and there's an unusually large amount of parties and family functions to get to. And let's not ignore the fact that you're sweating profusely like Kalua pig at a luau. Yep gang... like Bell Biv Devoe's Poison, Summer is in full effect! More »

Kau Kau Kauai - Part 3

Rated 5.0 Stars

Well, we've finally made it gang. The 3rd and final part in our Kau Kau Kauai series. Please! Hold back your tears! In part 1, we spanned the Garden Isle for favorites such as Tip Top Motel & Cafe, Waimea Brewing Company, and Jo Jo's Shave Ice. The 2nd part of our series took us to Ono's Family Restaurant, Hamura's Saimin and Duke's, among others! Now, we'll round it all out with stops at such hotspots like the Cafe Hanalei Sunday Brunch, Brick Oven Pizza and Polynesia Cafe. More »

Let's Get On With the Shokudo

Rated 5.0 Stars

Pops and I have this ongoing joke/battle with each other about where the best Japanese eats are around town. Hailing directly from the heart of Tokyo, he's got this unyielding, old school, traditional Japanese palate, while I have more of an open "nu skool" hunger for innovative dining experiences. Who's right? Let's get it on and see shall we? More »

Don't Know How to Cook? Shabu-Shabu Is for You!

I've grown up cooking my own food. Helped a large family, with siblings galore, to cook family meals. So when I finally moved out on "my own," the adjustment wasn't so harsh. But now, I look at the some of the "younger" generation and gasp at their "microwave" and "order-take-out" cooking capabilities. More »

Land of the Rising... Appetite!

As most of you who read my column note, I LOVE to eat. The places I review, are definitely places which don't scrimp on their food. I am NOT racist in any way, but typically when I've gone to eat at Japanese restaurants, especially sushi establishments, I leave, and then a half hour later, I feel like I didn't eat at all! Yes, it could be because of my insatiable local girl appetite, but as a general rule of thumb in my eats, I never get full off Japanese food. That is, until I dined at the selection of this month's column, Kunio Restaurant, located in beautiful Waikele. More »