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www.greaeatshawaii.blogspot.com

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all over the world and Hawaii Dad.  We love and miss you dearly.

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BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR KELI

BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR KELI

DINNER AT HOME

Our daughter will eat most anything.  Last year she requested Escargot and Rack of Lamb for her birthday dinner and i made it for her.  When I asked her if she would rather go out to dinner or even to Dave and Busters she said "no Daddy.  I just want to eat at home".  What would you like I said.  Caesar Salad, that pasta with the mushrooms and a petit filet" she quickly rattled off.  We did the Caesar and added Japanese Cucumbers and Anchovies because she loves them both.  I cooked up Pappardelle Pasta with a Sage Butter Sauce and exotic mushrooms.  A Petite Filet Mignon completed this birthday dinner fit for a 12 year old queen.  So blessed to have an incredible daughter and family that just loves staying home hanging out together.   

PETITE FILET WITH PAPPARDELLE PASTA IN A SAGE BUTTER SAUCE AND MUSHROOMS

CAESAR SALAD WITH CUCUMBERS AND ANCHOVIES

OUR FAVORITE BASKIN ROBINS ICE CREAM CAKE

MINT CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM AND CHOCOLATE CAKE - MY DAUGHTERS FAVORITE

PUPU'S AT ROY'S WAIKIKI

ROY'S WAIKIKI

HONOLULU, HAWAII

ROY'S WAIKIKI

226 LEWERS STREET

HONOLULU, HI  96815

808-923-7697

HOURS:  Monday - Thursday 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM

                 Friday - Sunday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

www.royshawaii.com

I have been a fan of Roy's for many years.  We always enjoy having dinner at the original Roy's in Hawaii Kai but lately have entertained visiting guests at the Waikiki location.  On this visit I just hit the bar with a friend to enjoy a glass of wine and some pupu's on the outdoor lanai that fronts the restaurant on Lewers Street.  The bar area is a bit small and can get very busy with locals and tourists alike.  Service is good and you can order everything off the menu at the bar.  Weather you want a snack or a full blown fine dining meal, the bar will accommodate you.  This is especially nice when there is a long waiting list to get a table inside the restaurant.  I ordered up some of my favorites.  Roys Ribs, Crab Cakes and Pot Stickers.  All delicious!!

ROY'S BBQ RIBS

ROY'S WAIKIKI LANAI BAR IS A GREAT PLACE TO GRAB DINNER OR A SNACK

ROY'S WAIKIKI BAR OVERLOOKS THE BUSY LEWERS STREET

ORDER APPETIZERS OR A FULL BLOWN FINE DINING MEAL AT THE BAR

COMPLIMENTARY EDAMAME WHEN YOU ORDER FOOD

ROY'S CRAB CAKES

POT STICKERS WERE DELICIOUS!

DON MIGUEL CHIPOTLE CHICKEN FLAUTAS

 DON MIGUEL 

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN FLAUTAS

DINNER AT HOME

I crave Mexican food just about every single day.  Only problem is there is no good Mexican food in Hawaii.  There is only a handful of Mexican restaurants (maybe one) that we go to on a pretty regular basis.  That is Jose's in Kaimuki.  I usually have to wait and travel back home to San Diego to get the good stuff.  When I saw Don Miguels Chipotle Chicken Flautas at Costco I had to grab a package and try them.  The package includes 16 Flautas for $8.99 so the price is right.  We baked the Flautas for 15 minutes at 400 degrees and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro and salsa.  The result was a very bland dish.  These Flautas have no flavor.  Absolutely no flavor.  Nada...nothing.....Would not buy again.  Guess I will wait to visit Juanita's Taco Shop in Encinitas, California for the real thing.

DON MIGUEL CHIPOTLE CHICKEN FLAUTAS

DON MIGUEL CHIPOTLE CHICKEN FLAUTAS

TWO INDIVIDUALLY PACKED PORTIONS FOR $8.99

PLACE FLAUTAS ON BAKING PAN AND COOK ON 400 DEGREES FOR 12- 15 MINUTES

COOKED FLAUTAS READY TO SERVE

ADDED SHREDDED CHEESE, LETTUCE, TOMATO, ONION AND CILANTRO
AND SERVED WITH SALSA - STILL NOT MUCH TASTE TO THESE FLAUTAS

CARANDO ITALIAN SANDWICH SOLUTIONS FROM COSTCO

 CARANDO

ITALIAN SANDWICH SOLUTIONS

DINNER AT HOME

I always complain that there are no good Italian Deli's in Hawaii. To me it is sad when Subway is the best place in town to find a sandwich.  I always remember my youth in California where we would go to a local Italian Deli and get the best Italian Subs with great deli meats, cheese, veggies and fresh bread.  The kicker was always the Italian Dressing poured over the lettuce to add that extra depth of flavor.  The Deli by our house in Honolulu serves cold cuts on bread and that is it.  Absolutely no seasoning or flavor and they charge up to $16 for a sandwich.  Forget that.....When I saw Carando Italian Meats at Costco for $10.99 I figured we could make our own Italian Subs at a fraction of the price.  The Carando package includes enough meats for eight sandwiches.  This comes out to $1.37 for the meats on each sandwich.  The individual servings of meat are pre-sorted in the package and separated by wax paper.  Each portion includes four slices each of Ham Capicola, Pepperoni and Genoa Salami. We simply placed the pre-portioned meats on a roll we bought at a local vietnamese restaurant and added cheese, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced tomato and onions.  Topped with salt, pepper, oregano and Italian Dressing.  Yum.... for about $3.00 per sandwich we had an Italian Sub that is better than most deli's in town.  The $5.00 Foot Long is here at almost half the price.  Loved the Carando meats and how easy they are to prepare on a sandwich.  This is a great value.

CARANDO ITALIAN SANDWICH SOLUTIONS

CARANDO ITALIAN MEAT SOLUTIONS FROM COSTCO

HOT COOKED CAPICOLA, PEPPERONI AND GENOA SALAMI

CARANDO MEATS, LETTUCE, TOMATO, ONION AND FRESH BREAD 

OUR HOMEMADE ITALIAN SUB SANDWICH

SINGLE PORTION OF CARANDO MEATS IS ENOUGH FOR A NICE SIZED SANDWICH

GRILLED RIB EYE STEAK

GRILLED RIB EYE STEAK

DINNER AT HOME

Was surprised to come home to a steak dinner.  We do not eat a lot of meat at home.  Seems to be more of a chicken, fish and pasta family here.  Turns out that steak was actually cheaper than fresh fish at the market.  Picked up two nice Rib Eyes for around $10 total.  My wife can cook a steak at home that is total restaurant quality.  She pan sears the meat first and then pops it in the oven with a small amount of butter on top.  Always cooks to a perfect medium rare.  The vegetables and mashed potatoes were good too.  I think the key thing to cooking a good steak is to make sure that you season the meat.  It takes a good bit of salt and pepper to bring out flavor.  The butter on top always good to improve flavor.

LPGA LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP - KO'OLINA, HAWAII

LPGA LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP

KO'OLINA, HAWAII

We arrived late to the Lotte Championship this year with only about five holes left to play on the last day.  I saw that Inbee Park was still on the course and we walked to the 15th Hole to watch her play.  Stacy Lewis and Jessica Korda were in her group.  Korda is tall and lean and not bad to look at either.   After watching these three tee off, I checked the leader board and saw that Lizette Salas was making a charge for the lead.  We picked up and moved back a hole to watch Salas make a putt on 15 that either tied her for the lead or put her up by one stroke.  The crowd and Lizette were excited.  We walked side by side with Lizette to the 16th tee where she cracked a perfect drive that landed 3' from the cup.  Bam...she is in the hunt.  We walked with the Salas group that included Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand and Hyo Joo Kim from Korea.  Hyo Joo Kim was a total bitch.  One of the rudest and most unfriendly female golfers I have ever seen.  She raced off each hole with her head down and away from the other golfers in her group.  She spoke to no one and after her round did not sign one autograph.  A huge line of young kids waited for her and she just walked past them with her head down. Said nothing and did not stop for anyone.  Back to the golf.  Salas finished her round and was quickly grabbed by tournament officials because Pettersen had tied her.  We had a playoff.  Salas appeared to be shaking and crying with joy or just nerves.  Pettersen and Salas went to a playoff hole on the 18th.  Both hit perfect drives just in front of the lake that fronts the course restaurant and overlook.  Pettersen hit her second shot and it landed on the green.  Perfect shot over the water.  Salas studied the shot that just minutes before she landed perfectly on the green just a few feet from the pin.  The crowd was silent.  We were standing right next to Lydia Ko and Ariya Jutanugarn on a hill above the green.  Salas hit and we all watched the ball.  It was like it was in slow motion.  Up it went heading toward the green.  This was her chance to become a LPGA winner.  The ball was heading straight for the pin, climbing in the air and then with a splash hit the water.  Over - Done - Pettersen is the winner.
Click links below for blog posts on the 2012 LPGA Lotte Championship
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/04/lpga-lotte-championship-koolina-golf_22.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/04/lpga-lotte-championship-koolina-golf.html

MORGAN PRESSEL HAPPY TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS

MORGAN PRESSEL HAD A BAD ROUND BUT WAS VERY NICE COMING OFF THE 18TH HOLE

THE 18TH HOLE AT KO'OLINA IS BEAUTIFUL

SO YEON RYU CHECKS OUT HER APPROACH TO THE 18TH HOLE AT KO'OLINA

WALKING WITH INBEE PARK, STACY LEWIS AND JESSICA KORDA

LIZETTE SALAS COMES OFF THE 15TH HOLE LEADING BY 1

LIZETTE SALAS TEE SHOT ON THE 16TH LANDED JUST A FEW FEET FROM THE HOLE

SALAS IN THE HUNT TO WIN THE TOURNAMENT

HYO JOO KIM WAS GRUMPY AND REFUSED TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS AFTER HER ROUND 

SALAS SO CLOSE TO VICTORY COMING OFF THE 16TH HOLE

ARIYA JUTANUGARN WAS SMILING AND NICE TO EVERYONE

SALAS LOOKING DOWN THE 18TH HOLE AND HEADING TO VICTORY WE THOUGHT

SALAS TEE SHOT ON 18 WAS PERFECT

SALAS FINISHES ON 18 AND IS IN A TIE FOR LEAD WITH SUZANN PETTERSEN

PETTERSEN WINS ON FIRST PLAYOFF HOLE AND DOES THE HULA

MY DAUGHTER AND THE HULA DANCERS ON 18TH HOLE

ARIYA JUTANUGARN HAPPILY SIGNS AUTOGRAPH

ARIYA SIGNED FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON STANDING IN LINE

ARIYA JUTANUGRAN AND LYDIA KO THIRSTY AFTER THEIR ROUND AT KO'OLINA.
TWO OF THE YOUNGEST AND BEST GOLFERS ON PGA TOUR

HEE KYUNG SEO SHOWED TOTAL CLASS SIGNING FOR EVERYONE THAT WAS WAITING FOR HER

LYDIA KO - YOUNGEST PLAYER EVER TO WIN AN LPGA EVENT - PLAYS AS AMATEUR

2012 LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER AI MIYAZATO - SUPER NICE GIRL WITH CLASS

MY DAUGHTER WAS HAPPY AND DOING CART WHEELS DOWN THE 10TH FAIRWAY AT KO'OLINA

PARADISE GRILL - KAANAPALI, MAUI

PARADISE GRILL

KAANAPALI, MAUI, HAWAII

PARADISE GRILL

2291 KAANAPALI PARKWAY

LAHAINA, HI  96761

808-662-3700

HOURS:  Daily 7:00 AM - 2:00 AM

                 Happy Hour 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

www.paradisegrillkb.com

Enjoyed lunch with a customer while working on Maui.  He suggested the Paradise Grill in Kaanapali because one of his workers has a family member working there.  The restaurant location is a bit of a landmark because it is at the entrance of the Kaanapali resort area and sits between the 1st and 18th hole of the Kaanapali Golf Course.  You can actually sit outside on the decks and watch people tee off on the first hole or come in on the 18th hole.  Our waitress said that they sometimes get golf balls hitting the restaurant.  Paradise Grill is a bar and restaurant with an extensive menu plus Round Table Pizza.  There really is something for everyone on the menu.  We decided to eat Pupu style and order a few dishes for our entire table to share.  Buffalo Wings ($12.95) were pretty much standard and nothing to rave about.  The 10" King Arthur Supreme Pizza ($16.99) was delicious.  As I have written on this blog before, there are not many good pizza restaurants in Hawaii.  Round Table is among the best.  The Beef Siders ($10.95) were filled with Shredded Beef and smothered in BBQ sauce.  These were not bad but needed the pickle to set them apart.  There were no pickles.  The Paradise Parmesan Bites ($9.50) with Pepperoni were good but we were all so full that we did not put a dent in the plate.  I enjoyed this place even though it has no air conditioning.  Food and service were good and I would love to return again to try a few more dishes.

PARADISE GRILL

PARADISE GRILL IN KAANAPALI, MAUI

INSIDE LARGE BOOTHS, BAR AND LOTS OF WIDE SCREENS

PARADISE GRILL MENU

PUPU'S

SOUPS, SALADS, CHOWDER AND CHILI

SANDWICHES AND WRAPS

DRINKS, BEER AND WINE MENU

ROUND TABLE PIZZA MENU

PARADISE GRILL ENTREE MENU

BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

KING ARTHUR SUPREME PIZZA

SHREDDED BEEF SLIDERS

PARADISE PARMESAN BITES