Monday, March 13, 2023

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

DINNER AT HOME

Spaghetti Carbonara when done right is one of my favorite meals.  Lucky that my Wife has mastered the recipe and process so we can enjoy this at home.  Using good Guanciale and Pecorino Cheese are the key.   This is as good or better than any restaurant version.  I added Truffles and Truffle Caviar for that wow factor.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

A TOUCH OF ITALY ON OUR HAWAII LANAI

 

Sunday, March 12, 2023

MANDARIN KITCHEN

MANDARIN KITCHEN
4618 KILAUEA AVE
HONOLULU, HI
808-739-1388

Walked into Mandarin Kitchen in Kahala and was immediately turned off because the tables and chairs were stacked against the wall so you could not eat in.  Also did not expect that this would be buffet style with a station where you can choose from over a dozen popular dishes.  Stuff like Beef Broccoli, Sweat & Sour Pork, Orange Chicken, Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, Eggplant, Shrimp and many more.  The Salt and Pepper Pork Chops looked good in the photo so we tried it.  Very thin pork fried and topped with JalapeƱos, Peppers and Green Onion.  Wish there was more of this to add spice.  The Pork Chops tasted Salty with no taste of Pepper at all.  The Szechuan Beans were good but would be better with some spice.  Overall we were not too impressed but would come back to try those Ribs.

MANDARIN KITCHEN


LOCATED IN KAHALA NEXT TO MC DONALDS

ORDER FROM THE BUFFET STATION OR OFF THE MENU

THE RIBS AND ROAST DUCK LOOK DELICIOUS

MANDARIN KITCHEN MENU

SZECHUAN BEANS

SALT AND PEPPER PORK CHOPS

 

BREW'D CRAFT PUB

BREW'D CRAFT PUB
3441 WAIALAE AVE
HON0LULU, HI
808-732-2337

I liked the service and outdoor seating at Brew'd but was not a fan of the food.  Mostly fried items on the menu and a lot of unnecessary sauces and cheese.  The Beet Salad was my favorite dish.  Plenty of Beets, Pickled Onions and delicious vinaigrette.  The Fried Goat Cheese Balls were a nice touch but I cannot eat a lot of Goat Cheese.  This salad should be served on a plate and not in a bowl.  All of the Beets were covered with the lettuce.  The Brussels Sprouts looked like a turd.  Way too much cheese.  It overpowered the vegetables.  Same with the Ribeye, covered in sauce and cheese that took away from the flavor of the steak.  Left here pretty unsatisfied and hungry for a pizza.

BREW'D CRAFT PUB

BEET SALAD WITH FRIED GOAT CHEESE BALLS

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

RIBEYE


Saturday, March 11, 2023

CELEBRATING 3.7 MILLION PAGE VIEWS

CELEBRATING 3.7 MILLION PAGE VIEWS!
www.greateatshawaii.blogspot.com

COSTA RICA

 Mahalo for following this little food blog from Hawaii.  
More food, travel and maybe golf coming soon!

FRESH HAWAIIAN HEBI WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

DINNER AT HOME

This dinner was simple and oh so delicious.  The Hebi (Shortbill Spearfish) was on sale for under $10 and it was super fresh.  Hebi is a very light and moist fish that just needs a sauce.  
I made an incredible sauce with Shallots, Garlic, White Wine, Chicken Stock, Lemon Juice, Butter, Cream, Salt and Pepper.  My Wife made the vegetables look like a lei.  

FRESH HAWAIIAN HEBI WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

FRESH HEBI (SHORTBILL SPEARFISH)

AHI SASHIMI WITH AVOCADO

APPETIZER AT HOME

Back to my all-time favorite appetizer at home.  Tough to buy fresh Ahi these days as it is about $40 per pound.  This little slab was $15

AHI SASHIMI WITH AVOCADO

VEGETARIAN SUSHI ROLLS

LUNCH AT HOME

Love these little low carb Vegetarian Sushi Rolls that I pick up at Foodland Farms for around $7.  I top with a little Sriracha Sauce and and Chili Sauce.

VEGETARIAN SUSHI 

 

Friday, March 10, 2023

RUTH'S CHRIS - WAIKIKI

RUTH'S CHRIS
226 LEWERS STREET
HONOLULU, HI 96815
https://www.ruthschris.com/menu/dinner/
808-440-7910
HOURS:  Monday thru Thursday 4:30PM - 9PM / Friday & Saturday 4PM - 10PM / Sunday 4PM - 9


I love Ruth's Chris Waikiki.  Always great food and service plus I like being able to sit outside on the lanai and enjoy our great weather.  On this visit, I didn't even have to look at the menu.  Ordered my "go to" dinner.  Seared Ahi, Wedge Salad, Creamed Spinach and a Petite Filet.  We ate at 5PM so my meal qualified for the Sizzling Prime Time Special at $59.95.  Included dessert too but I was too full to enjoy it.  Think they charge a little to upgrade to a Wedge Salad and the Seared Ahi was extra also.  The Seared Ahi was perfect and I love the Pickled Vegetables on the side.  The Wedge Salad was huge and probably enough for two people.  I could not finish it.  The Petite Filet was steak perfection.  Cooked to a perfect medium rare and seasoned nicely with Salt, Pepper and all that Butter.  Love the consistency at Ruth's Chris.
This is one of my all time favorite meals.

RUTH'S CHRIS WAIKIKI

SEARED AHI

CALAMARI

WEDGE SALAD

PETITE FILET 


Wednesday, March 8, 2023

SALMON WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

DINNER AT HOME

This is one of our all-time favorite dinners.  Wild Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce.  Always served with Broccoli or Asparagus and a little Rice and fresh Dill.  Love it!

SALMON WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

 

SPICY CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS

DINNER AT HOME

My Wife cooked up this absolutely simple dinner because we had Chicken and Asparagus in the refrigerator.  I don't know what she put in here but it was really good!

SPICY CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS

 

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

FAMOUS DAVES BAR-B-QUE - SAN JOSE, CA

FAMOUS DAVES BAR-B-QUE
61 CURTNER AVE
SAN JOSE, CA
408-292-7444

We went to the Boiling Crab ready to feast on Shrimp, Crab, Lobster and Crawfish.  Arrived to find a line out the door and a waiting list that the hostess said was past closing time.  They said they were sorry but our party could not be seated before closing.  Walked outside and saw a huge Famous Dave's BBQ sign just to the left of Boiling Crab.  Without hesitation, I told our party of 10 that we were eating BBQ.  No time to have a vote or consider other restaurants.  Walked into a huge restaurant that was mostly empty.  The hostess said there would be a wait so I told her we would wait in the bar.  Hit the bar and told the bartender we were waiting for a table.  "What" she said, "we have a table right here next to the bar".  In less than a minute we were seated next to the bar and had our drink orders taken.  Now that is service.  With a large group of ten, we went Family Style and ordered dishes for the entire table.  Fried Pickles, Burnt Ends, Dave's Sampler Platter with Chicken Wings, Rib Tips, Chicken Tenders, Catfish Fingers and Onion Rings arrived to a hungry group ready to grind.  My mind went blank eating all these appetizers.  The wine kicked in and I was very happy.  BBQ heaven was on.
The main course arrived and I was full.  The All American BBQ Feast x 2.  Two of these huge platters of BBQ.  I recall having one rib, a piece of Roasted Chicken, some Brisket and a taste of all of the sides.  Everything was good.  Living in Hawaii with very little BBQ made this BBQ heaven.  Full to the hilt and still ordered two of every dessert.  The Bread Pudding was the best by far.  Delicious.  The Banana Pudding didn't have enough Bananas and flavor.
Would definitely come back to Famous Dave's when in San Jose!

FAMOUS DAVES












FRIED PICKLES

DAVE'S SAMPLER PLATTER

RIB TIPS I THINK?

BURNT ENDS

ALL AMERICAN BBQ FEAST

BREAD PUDDING

BANANA PUDDING

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE WITH ICE CREAM

HAPPY AT FAMOUS DAVE'S!

 

Monday, March 6, 2023

GAO VIET KITCHEN - SAN MATEO, CA

GAO VIET KITCHEN
313 S. SAN MATEO DRIVE
SAN MATEO, CA
650-477-2524

Loved our visit to Gao Viet Kitchen in San Mateo, CA.  This definitely is a destination restaurant that was worth the 2500 mile flight from Honolulu and over one hour wait. We arrived for lunch and found the restaurant packed and a line out the door.  Rather than wait outside in the cold, I asked if they had a bar and was directed upstairs where we found four seats overlooking the restaurant.  Great spot to watch people and the incredible food being delivered to tables.  As each dish was placed on the table, the cameras came out for those Instagram moments.  Presentation is key here and they do not disappoint.  The oversize portions are artfully crafted for maximum impression.  This is a place where I highly recommend you eat family style so everyone can enjoy a variety of dishes and flavors.  We went big with a selection of appetizers, meat and seafood dishes.  The star of the show was the Phozilla.  A $95 bowl of Pho with giant Beef Ribs and a 1.5lb Main Lobster.  The equivalent of three large bowls of Pho, this monster was enough for our entire table and we still had leftovers.  The Lobster with Garlic Noodles looked and tasted incredible and again we had leftovers. The entire table loved the Pork Belly and I thought the Garlic Noodles 3-Ways was fantastic.  Also loved the Grilled Scallops and Chef's Signature Bo Ne with Filet Mignon, Sweet Sausage, Eggs and Pate served with bread.  Only dish that disappointed me was the Crab with Noodles but that may have been because I ate everything else before it.  Did not seem to have a lot of crab flavor and was mostly noodles.  I loved the food and experience here and would highly recommend.  We will definitely make the trip to Gao Viet Kitchen again!

GAO VIET KITCHEN


TWO STORIES OF DELICIOUSNESS

DON'T WAIT OUTSIDE.  HIT THE UPSTAIRS BAR

DEVIL'S LYCHEE MAI TAI'S

THE GALS LOVED THIS DRINK

CHEERS FROM GAO VIET KITCHEN



GOT TO MEET THE OWNER VIET!

CRISPY IMPERIAL ROLLS

PORK BELLY

GARLIC NOODLES 3-WAY WITH GRILLED SHRIMP AND RIBEYE

CHEF VIET'S SIGNATURE

GRILLED SCALLOP

THE PHOZILLA

                                                        THE PHOZILLA BONE REVEAL

THE PHOZILLA WITH BONES REMOVED

LOBSTER

CRAB WITH NOODLES

HAPPY HAWAIIANS AT GAO VIET KITCHEN

MAHALO FOR THE HOSPITALITY AND GREAT FOOD VIET!