Monday, August 25, 2014

WAOLANI WINDOWS AT OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

WAOLANI WINDOWS
OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

WAOLANI WINDOWS
OAHU COUNTRY CLUB
150 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD
HONOLULU, HI  96817
808-595-6331

Not fair that one of my favorite restaurants on Oahu is in a private Country Club.  Wish I could share Waolani Windows with all of Hawaii.  I love the food, service and the view of Honolulu here.  Really does not get much better for fine dining in all of Honolulu.  We ventured back to the Club to try a new menu that still included some of our old favorites.  Started with the Foie Gras French Toast.  The Foie Gras was excellent but really does not go well with a banana.  French Toast Foie Gras good idea but not so good execution because of a big slice of banana sitting on top of a mouth watering piece of Foie Gras.  Next up was a new item call Degustation Fruits Del Mar with Abalone, Scallops, Shrimp and Sevruga Caviar.  Loved the Abalone and wanted more of them.  The Caviar was presented wrapped in gold leaf.  Loved this one bite morsel and also wanted more.  Much more..  We love the fresh Beet Salad at Waolani Windows.  There is a lot of things on the plate and the Goat Cheese is a bit strong but the Beets always seem to shine through.  Just give me the Beets and Balsamic and I would be happy.  I loved the Butter Poached Main Lobster even though it was a bit small.  My daughter loves the Australian Rack of Lamb here.  I took a bite and loved it too.  The Wild Mushroom Pasta seemed to miss the mark on taste with my Wife.  She only ate a few bites and we packed the rest up as takeout.  Maybe she was full from the appetizers, bread and salad.  Finished our meal with one of the best chocolate desserts of my life.  Rich and creamy chocolate that was all chocolate flavor.  I ate the whole thing and yes I wanted more!.  All in all another great meal at Waolani Windows.  Love the food and staff here.
Click below for previous posts on Waolani Windows:

WAOLANI WINDOWS

GREAT VIEW OF HONOLULU FROM WAOLANI WINDOWS
THE OHAU COUNTRY CLUB IS OLDEST COUNTRY CLUB ON OAHU
APPETIZERS AND SALADS
WAOLANI WINDOWS ENTREES
A LITTLE CUCUMBER WITH AHI APPETIZER
FOIE GRAS FRENCH TOAST WITH BANANAS
BEET SALAD
DEGUSTATION FRUITS DEL MAR
SEVRUGA CAVIAR
BUTTER POACHED MAIN LOBSTER
AUSTRALIAN RACK OF LAMB
WILD MUSHROOM PASTA
ONE OF THE BEST CHOCOLATE DESSERTS OF MY LIFE.  PURE RICH CREAMY CHOCOLATE!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

NORTH SHORE TACOS

NORTH SHORE TACOS
HAUULA, HAWAII

NORTH SHORE TACOS
54-296 KAMEHAMEHA HWY
HAUULA, HI  96717
808-293-4440
HOURS:  Daily 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Cruising home from Turtle Bay one weekend I saw North Shore Tacos in Hauula and had to make a stop.  Walked in and found a smiling local gal behind the counter.  She was friendly and asked how my day was going.  I said "great" and that I had just finished golfing.  She actually took an interest and asked what course I played.  I looked over the gals head at the menu that is posted on the wall.  Went straight for one Steak Taco and one Fish Taco with Rice and Beans.  You get a choice of Black Beans or Pinto Beans and I went with the Pinto.  I took a seat outside on the patio overlooking Kamehameha Highway.  A few minutes my name was called and I returned to the counter to pick up my food.  The Tacos, Beans and Rice were served in a round aluminum pan.  I grabbed a bottle of hot sauce off the counter and returned to my table.  I liked the Steak Taco especially after adding some hot sauce.  This Fish Taco was a bit disappointing because the fish pieces were so small.  Really could not taste the fish in this taco.  I liked my visit to North Shore Tacos and will try it again.

NORTH SHORE TACOS

NORTH SHORE OF OAHU NEAR TURTLE BAY
NORTH SHORE TACOS IN HAUULA
ORDER AT THE WINDOW
INDOOR AND PATIO SEATING
ONE STEAK TACO AND ONE FISH TACO WITH RICE AND BEANS
STEAK TACO
MARINATED GRILLED STEAK WITH LETTUCE AND TOMATOES
BEANS AND RICE 
FISH TACO WITH SMALL CUBES OF FISH AT BOTTOM
LIKED THE CHILI PEPPER HOT SAUCE

GARLIC AHI

GARLIC AHI
DINNER AT HOME

After a bit of world travel this month it was nice to return home to Hawaii and get back in my kitchen.  Found some fresh Ahi Tuna at the market that looked incredible.  The bright red fish was so fresh.  I wanted to make Poke but decided to have Garlic Ahi Steaks instead.  This simple recipe can be done in just minutes and it is delicious.  I dip the Garlic Ahi in some Giovanni's Hot Sauce and that really kicks up the flavor.

GARLIC AHI

FRESH AHI TUNA FROM HAWAIIAN WATERS - SIMPLY ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO START
SAUTE GARLIC WITH A LITTLE OLIVE OIL
SEAR OUTSIDE OF AHI IN THE GARLIC AND OIL
DO NOT OVER COOK YOUR AHI - YOU WANT A PINK MEDIUM RARE
GARLIC AHI DINNER COOKED UP IN JUST MINUTES
I LIKE IT NICE AND PINK IN THE MIDDLE.  GREAT GARLIC AND AHI FLAVORS!


UPDATED VERSION 2020

NORWEGIAN EPIC

NORWEGIAN EPIC
MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE

The Norwegian Epic is "Epic" in size.  The ship is a floating fortress that really has to been seen to get the magnitude of its size.  Ship was just a little too big for our tastes.  Too many people and average service.  On previous cruises staff members remembered our names, greeted us chatted about their lives.  Did not get much of this on the Epic.  More like move em in and move em out cattle drive.  We ate at most of the restaurants where you pay a cover charge.  $15-$30 per person to eat at these specialty restaurants within the ship.  Food was good with exception of the Chinese Restaurant. Worst Chinese food ever.  Did not taste anything like Chinese food.  Entertainment was good with performances by The Blue Man Group, Cirque of Dreams and a great Beatles tribute band that was really good.  The Ice Bar was cool.  No make that "COLD".  We could not finish our drinks because we were freezing in there.  What I did like about the ship was that you could view all of the ships menus and restaurants on your television.  You could see the daily menus for the buffet and sit down plus specialty restaurants and then make a reservation right from your screen.  You could also view port tours and book them from your room.  I'll add more to this post later.