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Sunday, June 30, 2013

INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA

INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA
HONOLULU, HAWAII

INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA
WARD CENTER
1200 ALA MOANA BLVD
HONOLULU, HAWAII
808-375-1200
HOURS: Monday thru Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
EMAIL: info@infernospizzahawaii.com

UPDATE:  Inferno's Pizza has moved and is now located at Tsunami's Waikiki
2260 Kuhio Avenue.  Hours:  Monday - Thursday 8:00 PM - 3:30 AM.  
Friday-Saturday 6:00 PM - 3:30 AM.  Sunday 6:00 PM - 3:00 AM.

Hands down the best thin crust pizza on Oahu.  Boy was I happy to find Inferno's Wood Fire Pizza   has opened next to Ryan's on the second floor of Ward Center.  The last time I had Inferno's Pizza was from a portable food truck and oven that they set up in a parking lot in Kalihi.  See blog post link below.  I liked the pizza years ago in the parking lot and now love it at their new location in the former space that was home to Paparazzi and Blue Moon Brewery.  The entrance to Inferno's is a disaster.  Looks like a road sign done with cheap paint and stencil.  There is nothing to draw you into this space. In fact, looks so shabby you might want to walk away.  It does not get much better when you enter.  The place is pretty much a large black space with inexpensive tables and chairs and the standard Italian style plastic table cloths in white and red.  We were here around 1:00 PM on a weekend and the place was completely empty except for one guy at the bar enjoying a beer.  There was one waitress/bartender taking care of the entire restaurant.  She was really nice to her only dining customers.  This place has no atmosphere or decoration and could have been a bit cleaner.  All of this meant nothing to me when the pizza arrived.  I was totally into the flavor of the pizza and so happy to have found great thin crust pizza in Honolulu.  We ordered the Margherita Pizza with local tomatoes and basil and fresh mozzarella ($14).  Love the fact that you can taste every ingredient on the pizza.  Just enough cheese and sauce plus the fresh tomato and basil make this a very light but satisfying pizza.  The Pepperoni Lovers Pizza ($13) was ordered with JalapeƱo and Onion which took the cost to $15.  Wow....this was delicious.  The Jalapenos really had some kick.  Again the perfect amount of sauce and cheese.  Not the 1/4" of cheese you get at the National Pizza Chains.  This pizza delivers flavor and not mass.  Love the thin lightly charred crust where you can taste the Kiawe Wood Fire.  This to me is what makes the pizza.  The combination of a great thin crust, tasty sauce, light amount of cheese and fresh ingredients make this my favorite pizza in Hawaii.  There will be no Dominos or Pizza Hut in my future.  Only Inferno's Wood Fire Pizza when it comes to eating pizza.  Links below to past posts on Inferno's.


INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA

ENTRANCE IS NOT VERY INVITING.  LOCATED NEXT TO RYAN'S ON
2ND FLOOR OF WARD CENTER.  
BAR AND INDOOR SEATING
VERY SIMPLE SEATING AND NOT TOO MUCH ATMOSPHERE
OUTDOOR SEATING ON THE DECK OVERLOOKING KAKAAKO
LARGE WALL INSIDE INFERNO'S HAS SOME GREAT PAINTINGS
WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO EAT PIZZA UNDER TONY MONTANA
MARILYN IS HERE TOO
CRUSHED RED PEPPER AND PARMESAN CHEESE
HAND CRAFTED BEERS FROM HAWAIIAN ISLANDS BREWING COMPANY
SIMPLE ONE PAGE MENU
APPETIZERS AND SALADS
PIZZA MENU
THE HI BREW LAGER WAS A LITTLE BITTER
MARGHERITA PIZZA
MARGHERITA PIZZA WITH FRESH LOCAL TOMATO, BASIL AND MOZZARELLA
MARGHERITA SLICE
PEPPERONI LOVERS PIZZA WITH JALAPENO AND ONIONS
JUST THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF CHEESE WITH LOTS OF JALAPENOS, ONIONS AND PEPPERONI
PEPPERONI, JALAPENO AND ONION SLICE
THIN AND CRUNCHY CRUST WITH JUST ENOUGH OF THE KIAWE WOOD CHAR

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

HONEY DIJON CHICKEN - PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

HONEY DIJON CHICKEN
DINNER AT HOME

I had a Dentist appointment at 4:30 PM and my daughter had volleyball practice while the wife was at the gym. Had to get dinner on the table fast so I went to my Bob Warden Pressure Cooker Cook Book and researched chicken recipes that had ingredients that we had in the refrigerator or pantry.  I scoured the book and found the Perfected Honey Dijon Chicken recipe.  Ingredients were simple and all available at home.  This recipe was so easy and took only about a half hour to cook.  The chicken cooks in 8 minutes plus an additional 10 minutes in the pressure cooker while it is off.  Below is the step by step recipe and finished product.  The chicken was excellent and full of Honey Dijon Flavor.
You may buy the Bob Warden cookbook on Amazon via the link below:

HONEY DIJON CHICKEN

THE BOB WARDEN PRESSURE COOKER COOK BOOK IS A WINNER
CHICKEN STOCK, BROWN SUGAR, STONE GROUND MUSTARD, DIJON MUSTARD,
HONEY AND ONION POWDER PLUS BONELESS-SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS.
COMBINE MUSTARDS AND DRY INGREDIENTS IN BOWL AND MIX
HONEY DIJON SAUCE
PLACE BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS IN PRESSUR COOKER
PLACE CHICKEN IN PRESSURE COOKER AND GLAZE WITH HONEY DIJON SAUCE

ADD ONE CUP OF CHICKEN STOCK TO CHICKEN IN PRESSURE COOKER
SET PRESSURE COOKER ON HIGH AND COOK FOR 8 MINUTES
AFTER 8 MINUTES COOKING TIME LET SET IN COOKER FOR ADDITIONAL 10 MINUTES.
THIS IS COOKED CHICKEN AFTER REMAINING IN PRESSURE COOKER FOR 18 MINUTES
REMOVE CHICKEN BREASTS FROM PRESSURE COOKER WITH TONGS
HONEY DIJON CHICKEN WITH FRENCH GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS, GARLIC AND BACON

Click links below for more great Pressure Cooker recipes;


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

MID PACIFIC COUNTRY CLUB

MID PACIFIC COUNTRY CLUB
KAILUA, HAWAII

MID PACIFIC COUNTRY CLUB
266 KA'ELEPULU DRIVE
KAILUA, HAWAII  96734
808-262-8161
808-263-4369 FAX
EMAIL:  mpcchi@pixi.com

Blessed to spend some time golfing at Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua.  I don't get to the Windward side of Oahu too often so this was a real treat.  Kailua and Lanakai are beach communities situated on some of the most beautiful beaches in all Hawaii.  Mid Pacific Country Club is located just blocks from the beach and pretty much hidden except for the dozens of homes and condos that wrap around the course.  There are amazing views of the Ko'olau Mountains from almost every tee.  The course is pretty much flat with water coming into play on several holes.  The signature hole is #5.  This Par 5 features an Island green surrounded by water.  I did my part and hit one in the water in front of the green.  This is a pretty good course that offers some challenges and nice Par 3's.  Very surprised to see how old the homes are along the course.  Very hold 1970's style with simple architecture.  Not like the multi-million dollar homes that Kailua and Lanakai are known for, but I am sure they cost a bundle.

MID PACIFIC COUNTRY CLUB FIRST HOLE ELEVATED TEE BOX

MID PACIFIC COUNTRY CLUB IN KAILUA, HAWAII
VIEWS ARE BEAUTIFUL WHEN THE CLOUDS CLEAR
LONG NARROW FAIRWAYS WITH WATER ON SEVERAL HOLES
CLASSIC HAWAII 
I MANAGED TO STAY OUT OF THE WATER HERE BUT MADE IT IN ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE
HOLE #5 ISLAND GREEN
VIEWS OF THE KO'OLAU MOUNTAINS
GREAT LITTLE PAR 3
SPENT SOME TIME IN A FEW BUNKERS
HOLE #18 FAIRWAY WITH CLUBHOUSE ABOVE

LA MARIANA SAILING CLUB


LA MARIANA SAILING CLUB
HONOLULU, HAWAII

LA MARIANA SAILING CLUB
50 SAND ISLAND ACCESS ROAD
HONOLULU, HI  96819
808-848-2800
HOURS:  Monday thru Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

La Mariana Sailing Club stands alone as the last of Hawaii's Tiki Bars.  This iconic restaurant has been featured in movies and television series such as Lost, Hawaii Five 0 and Anthony Bourdains'
No Reservations to name only a few.  The restaurant sits on a boat harbor off Sand Island Access Road.  While the address is shown as Sand Island Access Road you need to make a right turn off Sand Island to a dirt road that runs along the boat docks.  La Mariana stands alone outside the industrial area where she has laid perched amongst the boats since the 1950's.  This is a true Hawaii gem that transports you back in time.  Back to a more simple Hawaii where cool breezes and cooler drinks were the order of the day.  Tsunami's, evictions and the sad loss of the owner Annette have not stopped La Mariana from sailing along in Hawaii history.  This is a restaurant that "must" survive for the sake of all America and the world.  It is the last of the Tiki Bars darn it.  At one time there were chains across America copying this type of restaurant.  All have vanished save one.  I have dined here dozen of times and clearly remember Annette there every day when we were eating lunch.  During her later years, she would sit at a table in front of the entrance and greet customers as they arrived.  This was her life and legacy.  I encourage tourists and locals to visit La Mariana and spend some money.  Enjoy a cocktail, lunch or dinner and take in the open air, uneven floors, rickety chairs and Hawaii memorabilia that is unique to La Mariana.  The food is good and reasonably priced.  Past post links below plus great story by John Heckathorn:
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2010/11/la-mariana-sailing-club.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2008/04/la-mariana-sailing-club.html

LA MARIANA SAILING CLUB

Keeping the Tiki Torch Burning: La Mariana Sailing Club, Sand Island
You forget. La Mariana Sailing Club is still going strong.
It survived the death in 2008 of Annette Nahinu, the woman whose force of will kept it alive, through five decades, two moves, assorted financial crises and tidal waves. The last tidal wave, following Japan's March 2011 earthquake, wreaked havoc with the boats at the docks, but La Mariana still shines.
To find it, you more or less have to know where it is (first right after the first light on Sand Island Access Road). But when you walk in, you're suddenly not on Sand Island anymore. You're not even in the 21st century.
It's still 1955 at La Mariana. 
The decor is the last word in Eisenhower-era exotica. Tapa-print tablecloths, shell chandeliers, tikis, canoes, lighted glass fishing floats suspended in nets. Lauhala wall coverings, koa trim carved before koa got scarce. 
It’s Trader Vic’s, South Seas, Kon Tiki, Tahitian Lanai—literally. When those nightspots fell to fashion, their furnishings found new life at La Mariana.
This is the place to drink like it's 1955. Have a Mai Tai, a Zombie, a Tropical Itch. The Blue Hawaii, despite its off-putting neon blue coloring, is rich with coconut.
One of the younger members of our party arrived late, thought he might have a beer. You could, we said, if you wish to defy the entire spirit of the place. He ordered a Hawaiian Sunset, which turned out to be vodka-based and surprisingly palatable.
The food? Solid bar food. For $20, you can a large platter of tako and ahi poke and adequate sashimi.  Or a massive stack of heavily sauced ribs. We got both and four of us could hardly finish.
The food and drink are fine, but they pale beside the entertainment. Blind piano player Ron Miyashiro once played at the legendary Tahitian Lanai.  Like a magnet, he attracts singing talent that's amateur only in the sense that it's unpaid.
"If you're over 50, and too good for karaoke, this is where you end up," said one of party. The songs range from Hawaiian classics to the standards from Great American songbook to doo-wop. 
It's almost unnerving the first time someone solos, and from the tables all around the room rise perfectly layered harmonies and soprano glissandos.
Everyone knows the words, everyone hits the notes. A woman who only identified herself as Lei, told us she was 88 and sang with bands during WWII. Her voice is 50 years younger than she is.
La Mariana is so old-fashioned it's cool again. 
When was the last time you were in a cocktail lounge when at the end of the evening everyone stood up, held hands and sangHawaii Aloha and Hawaii Pono'i, withAmerica the Beautiful and My Maile Leithrown in for good measure.
Anytime you need a dose of the real Hawaii, rapidly disappearing, La Mariana is keeping the tiki torch burning.
50 Sand Island Access Rd., 848-2800, www.lamarianasailingclub.com.
Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 in Permalink
LA MARIANA IS THE LAST STANDING TIKI BAR IN HAWAII - A TRUE GEM!



LOTS OF PUPU'S FOR LUNCH OR AFTER WORK
SOUP AND SALAD OPTIONS
SANDWICHES AND BURGERS
ENTREE OPTIONS FOR LUNCH AND DINNER
THIS HISTORY OF ANNETTE AND LA MARIANA
SIDE SALAD
MAHI MAHI SANDWICH WITH COLE SLAW