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Sunday, December 28, 2014

SEED RESTAURANT

SEED RESTAURANT
HONOLULU, HAWAII

SEED RESTAURANT
1137 11TH AVENUE, SUITE 104
HONOLULU, HI  96816
808-732-1137
HOURS:  Daily 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
www.seedhawaii.com

I like Seed Restaurant and what it is doing and stands for.  This is a "Justice" restaurant that is staffed with survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, homelessness and other challenges.  While I do not know their personal stories, I can say that the staff made us feel welcome, at home and valued.  Everyone was friendly and smiling thanking us for dining there before and after our meal.  The freshness of the menu was explained by our waitress.  She took time to tell us that the restaurant uses the freshest ingredients and makes every dish to order.  If you have a food allergy or don't like something on the menu, she explained that they will do whatever is possible to accommodate you.  She went onto tell us about the Daily Specials which included fresh fish, steak and a Juice of the Day that was a Watermelon Mint Frostie.  Both me and my daughter went for the Watermelon Mint ($5.25).  My daughter said it was "refreshing".  I tasted the mint a bit more than the watermelon but thought it was good.  We ordered the Chili & Chips ($7.95) for the table to share.  The presentation was beautiful with the purple organic chips and chili topped with cheese, sour creme and red and green bell pepper.  The chili was really tasty but a bit sweet.  The waitress explained that it was meatless and filled with beans, lentils, tomatoes, corn and other ingredients plus a little brown sugar. We loved the Chili and Chips but added some of the hot sauce on the table to balance the sweetness.  The Portabello Tofu Sandwich ($12.95) should be called the Tofu Portabello Sandwich because the majority of the sandwich is Tofu.  The Tofu patty was huge while the Portabello mushrooms were almost nonexistent.   The Tofu was dusted in Cajun spices and very dense.  My wife who ordered the sandwich thought it would be more of a large Portabello along with a little Tofu.  If you love Tofu you will love this sandwich I think.  If you love Portabello then order something else.  The Baked Fries served with the sandwich were pretty mushy and had no crunch at all.  I prefer a crispy french fry so these were not my favorite.  I ordered the Bacon Avo Turkey Burger ($12.95).  The burger was delicious but there was absolutely no Avocado in the burger or on the plate.  I did not miss the Avocado as the burger was full of flavor.  Kinda tasted like Turkey Meatloaf with cheese and bacon.  The salad was fresh but drenched in too much dressing.  My daughter ordered the Ahi Wrap ($13.95) and almost finished it all.  The Ahi was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  This was a very good Ahi Wrap.  While there were a few misses on the food this trip, I would eat here again and again.  I like being able to help a good cause and people who are working hard for an opportunity to better their lives.  The people working here on this day were awesome and I would have never thought any of them had any problems.  All they seemed to care about was the restaurant and the customers which is better than most places we visit where employees only care about themselves. 

SEED RESTAURANT

DOWN THIS LITTLE WALKWAY AND YOU WILL FIND SEED
ENTRANCE TO SEED RESTAURANT
SEED RESTAURANT IN KAIMUKI
SEED RESTAURANT IS OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
ENTRANCE WITH HATS AND T-SHIRTS FOR SALE
SEED RESTAURANT SEATING AREA
DRINKS OF THE DAY ARE POSTED ON THE WINDOW INSIDE THE RESTAURANT
A LITTLE FARMERS MARKET WITHIN SEED
FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AT SEED
SMALL KITCHEN PUMPS OUT THE FOOD PRETTY QUICKLY
FOOD ON A MISSION
WHAT IS A JUSTICE RESTAURANT?
SEED RESTAURANT MENU
ALL DAY DRINK MENU
STARTERS, SALADS AND SIDES
SEED LUNCH MENU
SEED DINNER MENU
FINISHERS AND KEIKI MENU
THREE TYPES OF TABASCO ON THE TABLE
WATERMELON MINT FROSTIE
CARROT AND APPLE JUICE
CHILI AND CHIPS
CHILI IS DELICIOUS BUT A BIT SWEET
PORTABELLO TOFU SANDWICH WITH BAKED FRIES
PORTABELLO TOFU SANDWICH
SHOULD BE CALLED A TOFU SANDWICH
BAKED FRIES
BACON AVO TURKEY BURGER WITH SALAD
BACON AVO TURKEY BURGER WAS DELICIOUS BUT HAD NO AVOCADO
AHI WRAP WITH SALAD
FRESH AHI TUNA WRAP

Saturday, December 27, 2014

TASTE TEA

TASTE TEA
HONOLULU, HAWAII

TASTE TEA
1391 KAPIOLANI BLVD
HONOLULU, HI  96814
808-951-8288
HOURS:  Daily 10:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Email: tasteteainchawaii@gmail.com

My Wife and Daughter love Taste Tea on Kapiolani Boulevard near the Ala Moana Shopping Center. If appears that many others love this place too because it is always packed with a young crowd of mostly females.  Financially the place seems to be doing well as the owner was arrested for trying to smuggle $100,000 in cash back to Taiwan.  Customs seized the cash and a Judge ordered probation for the owner and took the 100k for the government.  Looks like he will make back the cash well within his probation period as this place is non stop hopping with the youth of our Island who seem to enjoy coffee and tea drinks with milk, cream, ice cream and tapioca pearls.  My girls always order the Milk Tea with Mini Tapioca Pearls.  They like the refreshing taste they say.  I tried it and would not buy one.  I do however enjoy waiting in line here. 

TASTE TEA

TASTE TEA ON KAPIOLANI
TASTE TEA IS QUIET NOW BUT THIS PLACE GETS PACKED
EVEN THE LULULEMON CROWD ENJOYS TASTE TEA
YOUNG, SMILING STAFF KEEPS THE LINE MOVING
TASTE TEA MENU (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)
A FEW DESSERTS AVAILABLE AT TASTE TEA
ORDER AT THE COUNTER
CHOOSE YOUR LEVEL OF SWEETNESS AND AMOUNT OF ICE
YOUR ORDER AND NAME IS HAND WRITTEN ON THE CUP
PICK UP YOUR DRINK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF COUNTER WHEN THEY CALL YOUR NAME
PEOPLE WAIT IN LINE AND PACK THIS PLACE FOR THIS GLASS OF TEA
MILK TEA - SMALL TAPIOCA AND LESS SWEET

BUY 10 AND GET ONE FREE



CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB AND CRAB DINNER

 CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB AND CRAB 
DINNER AT HOME

Nothing better than Christmas Dinner at home with family and friends.  We invited what little family we have in Hawaii plus a few very old friends to enjoy a Christmas feast.  For some crazy reason that I cannot explain I bought a 17 pound Prime Rib for nine people.  It is safe to say that there was plenty of leftovers for people to take home.  It took about four hours to cook the Prime Rib.  We started by making small cuts in the meat and then inserted cloves of garlic into them.   Generously coated both sides of the beef with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Then coated with a mixture of Dijon Mustard and Horseradish followed by a mixture of garlic, rosemary and thyme.  The Prime Rib cooked to perfection in about four hours.  Only problem is that the outside herb mixture burnt.  I think next time we will tent the Prime Rib with aluminum foil to avoid crisping the herbs.  The overall flavor of the Prime Rib was fantastic.  One of the best we have ever made if not the best!
We started the day with several hours of hanging out and enjoying pupu's. Then we convened in the formal dining room for a Christmas feast.  Served Alaskan King Crab Legs along with the Prime Rib and some great side dishes.  I liked the Twice Baked Potatoes best.  My wife crisps the potato skins and then fills them with mashed potatoes, cheese and bacon.  Oh..so good....top with a little Sour Cream, Bacon and Chives and you are in potato heaven.  Also enjoyed Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce, Brussels Sprouts with Honey, Shallots and Bacon, Caesar Salad with Anchovies and Sauteed Mushrooms with Shallots, Garlic, Thyme, White Wine and Butter.  This was an incredible meal enjoyed with the two loves of my life, family and friends.  Very blessed for this day.

CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB

17 POUND BONE IN PRIME RIB
CUT SMALL HOLES IN BEEF AND INSERTED GARLIC
SALT AND PEPPERED BOTH SIDES OF THE BEEF THEN COATED IN A
MIXTURE OF DIJON MUSTARD AND HORSERADISH
TOPPED MUSTARD AND HORSERADISH WITH MIXTURE OF THYME, ROSEMARY AND GARLIC
CHRISTMAS APPETIZERS
CHILLED SHRIMP WITH COCKTAIL SAUCE
FRESH AHI SASHIMI
ASSORTED CHEESE PLATTER
ASSORTED ITALIAN MEATS
KIM CHE TAKO AND AHI POKE
DEVILED EGGS WITH CREAM CHEESE, SOUR CREME AND PIMENTO
SUPER SPICY EDAMAME
LIVER PATE WITH RASPBERRY JAM AND TOASTED BREAD
READY TO FEAST!
CHRISTMAS DINNER
THE STAR OF THE SHOW WAS A LITTLE BURNT ON THE OUTSIDE BUT PERFECTLY COOKED INSIDE
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS WITH WHITE WINE, GARLIC, THYME AND BUTTER,
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH SHALLOTS AND BACON,
ALASKAN KING CRAB LEGS
CRAB LEGS WERE LARGE, MEATY AND SWEET
TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH CHEESE AND BACON, CAESAR SALAD, ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
ROAST BEEF COOKED TO PERFECTION 
MEDIUM RARE ON THE INSIDE WITH GARLIC AND HERB FLAVOR
I LOVED THE PRIME RIB AND TWICE BAKED POTATOES 
BACON, CHIVES AND SOUR CREAM FOR THE BAKED POTATOES
CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES AND WHIPPED CREAM
LUCKIEST GUY ON THE PLANET TO HAVE THESE TWO ELVES