JOURNEY CONCERT VIDEO

JOURNEY

WITH ARNEL PINEDA

One of the best concerts and performances I have ever seen.  Arnel Pineda had everyone in the audience saying "Steve Perry Who".  Arnel can sing and entertain.  Don't know what this band would have done if they did not discover him on YouTube.  We filmed this on Saturday, March 28th in Honolulu, HI.  Enjoy the video

SENOR PEPE

SENOR PEPE

ALA MOANA CENTER FOOD COURT

HONOLULU, HI

Hawaii is known for not having very many good Mexican restaurants.  The last place you would think of munching down on some good Mexican would be the mall's food court.  Well, I am here to tell you that Senor Pepe has some of the best Fish Tacos on the Island.  They are really good and come with your choice of three sides.  There are 10 sides to choose from including beans, rice, potato, cucumber and Jicama, cole slaw and a few more.  For $7.79 (two tacos & three sides) this is a big plate of food and very filling.  The Fish Tacos are made with Mahi Mahi and are lightly battered and served with cabbage, white sauce and some fresh pineapple salsa.  There is a small salsa bar that contains three red salsas and one green salsa.  The "hot" salsa does have some good heat and was perfect on my tacos.  I really enjoyed the fresh sides too.  The cole slaw with chipotle sauce is a bit spicy and delicious as is the cucumber and jicama salad.  The other salad I tried was filled with garbanzo beans and fresh veggies.  All really good.  My wife enjoyed the typical refried beans and rice with her meal and loved it.  In Hawaii we can't be picky about good Mexican restaurants.  They just don't exist.  Senor Pepe for Fish Tacos is my new destination.  It is by far better than Wahoo's and most everyplace else that tries to serve a Fish Taco here.

RUBY'S DINER

RUBY'S DINER

Kahului, Maui

I was a bit skeptical when my friend recommended that we meet at Ruby's Diner for lunch.  Here we go with another 50's style diner with lousy food and corny service.  I was dead wrong.  Both the food and service were great at Ruby's.  I enjoyed the fish tacos.  They were huge and filling.  Totally surprised me and my guests.  The menu here is large and diverse and the prices are not too bad for Maui.  Since our entire table ordered the fish tacos (it was Ash Wednesday) I cannot comment on the other menu items.  I do know that we will return to Ruby's again the next time I do business in Kahului, Maui.

Click link below to view another post on Ruby's Diner Maui;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/02/rubys-diner-kahului-maui.html

PIZZA MADNESS

PIZZA MADNESS

Kihei, Maui

When my friend on Maui told me the best pizza on the Island was located in the Maui Dive Shop in Kihei I was a bit surprised.  Turns out the owner of the dive shop wanted a place for him and his friends to enjoy a cold beer and pizza after work.  They built Pizza Madness and now you can eat pizza and buy diving gear in the same building.  We started with ice cold beers served in tall chilled glasses.  Fried Cheese sticks and pizza bread appetizers started our meal.  Then we ordered pizzas.  Beware the pizza's are huge here.  A medium is as big as many large at other places.  The pizza is good.  Thin crust with a nice sauce and all the toppings you are supposed to have at a pizza joint.  I asked for some hot sauce and the waitress brought me a small cup of Franks Hot Wing Sauce.  I placed this on my pizza and it was FANTASTIC.  When I told the waitress that the sauce really went well with the pizza she told me she had a customer that orders their pizza with the Franks sauce rather than the tomato sauce.  They may be onto something here.  We ordered three pizzas, two appetizers and beer for four guys.  The bill came to $150.  I think the pizza is very good.  Prices may be a bit high, but what the heck.  You are on Maui.

FIVE PALMS - WAILEA, MAUI

FIVE PALMS

WAILEA, MAUI

I have been eating and drinking at the Five Palms for around 15 years.  Me and my Maui friends call it the "secret spot" because it is tucked away in a quiet lagoon overlooking the ocean.  You would never find this place if you did not know where it was.  The atmosphere and view are second to none.  The food is good but has been getting pricey over the years.  I have enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Five Palms.  Most recently we caught a quick breakfast here to start our day.  The Five Palms is definitely on Maui time.  Breakfast is not served until 8:00 am.  My friend ordered the 5 Palms Big Breakfast ($14).  This includes two pancakes, 2 eggs and your choice of ham, portuguese sausage or bacon served with steamed rice or roasted breakfast potatoes.  I opted for the traditional Eggs Benedict.  Lightly poached eggs over english muffin with Canadian Bacon and Dill Hollandaise Sauce.  The dish was perfect and served with roasted potatoes with onion ($13).  I have enjoyed burgers, fresh fish and salads here too.  All very good if you can handle the prices.  We often visit the "secret spot" for a cold beverage at the end of a days work.  This is a must visit when you are on Maui.  

THE COUNTER CUSTOM BUILT BURGERS

THE COUNTER CUSTOM BUILT BURGERS

HONOLULU, HAWAII

I guess the world has forgotten the Atkins Diet and how bad beef and buns can be to your diet. Burger Joints like The Counter are popping up all over the place.  We visited this one on Sunday afternoon and found a line of people waiting for a table.  Our wait was about 45 minutes from the time we signed in until the time we got a partial order.  Was it worth the wait.  Quite honestly No.  The Counter features 1/3, 2/3 and 1 pound burgers made to order.  You are given a clip board with a menu and you simply check off your ingredients.  There are 10 different cheeses from Gruyere to Jalapeno Jack.  There are 18 regular toppings and 11 premium toppings ranging from grilled onions to Roasted Chiles and Avocado, Kim-Chee and honey cured bacon.  Then you have around 18 sauces including apricot, roasted garlic, bbq, teriyaki and peppercorn steak sauce.  Choose a bun and you have built your own burger.  The prices range from $8.95 to $13.95 per burger.  I went with a 1/3 pound ($8.95) burger with Cheddar Cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce and jalapenos.  I chose the Red Relish sauce.  It took a long while to get our burgers.  While we waited the waitress forgot to notice that our order of Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Strings did not come out of the kitchen.  When we finished our burgers we told her that the side dishes never arrived.  She did not seem too surprised and said nothing.  The burgers are big and tasty but not worth an hour wait and almost ten bucks.  The kids meal mini burgers are tiny and cost $5.95 with french fries.  People are flocking to The Counter and waiting in line to try the burgers.