Saturday, December 16, 2023

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES - HONOLULU TO SAN FRANCISCO

I am a die hard Hawaiian Airlines customer, but am getting fed up with the lousy food and service in First Class.  The food is horrible and the service is below even United now.  The Flight Attendants prefer to sit in the galley talking rather than take care of the customers.  They provide the minimal level service that they can get away with on most flights and rarely offer water or drink refills.  Oh..how I wish they could fly on Japan, JAL, Korean, Singapore, Lufthansa or other airlines that really understand customer service. Really fed up with the food too.  On this flight the Braised Beef Brisket was ruined with Curry and and overload of Furakake on top of the meat.  If you want to absolutely ruin the flavor of good pork, just cover it up with a ton of Furakake.  This was so bad.  My Wife tried the Pumpkin with Couscous and it was flavorless.  I tried the Pumpkin and it was terrible.  No seasoning whatsoever.  Best part of the meal was the Taro Roll with Butter.  Oh but to make things great in first class, they passed out a small bag of snack crackers at the end of the flight.  How nice.  These are the same snacks they serve on InterIsland flights.  C'mon Hawaiian, you can do much better than this.  Hopefully Alaska Airlines will up the game and bring real First Class service to Hawaiian. #pissed #nothappy

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES - HONOLULU TO SAN FRANCISCO

HAWAIIAN FIRST CLASS MENU

COULD BE WORST FOOD IN THE SKIES

MY SEAT DID NOT RECLINE BUT THEY WARNED ME AND OFFERED
$350 VOUCHER OR TO BE MOVED TO COACH PLUS.

PUMPKIN AND COUSCOUS 

BRAISED BEEF

COVER THE BEEF IN SEAWEED FOR MAXIMUM FLAVOR?

HIGH END SNACKS SERVED IN FIRST CLASS

BEST PART OF SERVICE IS THE PRE-FLIGHT PROSECCO

 

MAUKA MARKET - HONOLULU AIRPORT MAUKA CONCOURSE

My second visit to the Mauka Market at the Hawaiian Airlines Concourse in Honolulu.  Now it is 2 for 2 not liking the food here.  Ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich and while the Pork tasted ok, there was very little Slaw and Fried Onions.  Wish there would have been more.  The Fries were terrible and tasted like they were cooked in old oil.  The 9oz vino was good though!
Click link below to view previous post on Mauka Market;

MAUKA MARKET - HAWAIIAN AIRLINES CONCOURSE

MAUKA MARKET MENU

PRE-FLIGHT MEAL WITH BBQ PORK SANDWICH

 

Thursday, December 14, 2023

VEIN AT KAKAAKO

VEIN AT KAKA'AKO
685 AUAHI STREET
HONOLULU, HI 96813
808-376-4800

Enjoyed a very unexpected lunch at Vein at Kakaako.  Went to pick up my Tesla which was being serviced and they informed me that the work would take an hour plus longer.  I sat in the lounge for awhile and then decided to walk down the street and have lunch.  Vein was open and pretty empty so I grabbed a table for one and viewed the menu.  The Pasta with Sausage caught my attention so I ordered it.  I thought this was a bargain for $17 in Honolulu.  Heck Plate Lunches now run $20 in most places.  Food was super delicious.  Loved the Pasta and Sausage a lot.  Sausage was full of flavor and the Peppers and Onions added more delicious flavor.  Nice sauce and the Pasta was cooked perfectly.  Totally happy and satisfied!
Click links below to view previous posts from Vein at Kakaakao;

VEIN AT KAKAAKO

VEIN AT KAKAAKO LUNCH MENU

ITALIAN SAUSAGE NAPOLITAN

DELICIOUS LUNCH AT VEIN


 

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

TRUFFLE BRIE WITH APPLE, HONEY AND FIG JAM

APPETIZER AT HOME

We enjoy this dish at Island Vintage Wine Bar in Waikiki and decided to make it at home.
Tasted really similar to the restaurant version.  My Wife LOVES this!

TRUFFLE BRIE WITH APPLE, HONEY AND FIG JAM

ALL ON TOP OF GARLIC CROSTINI

 

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

$100,000 DONATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII CANCER CENTER

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII CANCER CENTER

Blessed and honored to present the University of Hawaii Cancer Center with a check for $100,000.  This brings our total donations to the Center to over $550,000!  The money comes from our Cooling Cancer Golf Tournament that was held in September at Hoakalei Country Club.  My sincere thanks to all of our Title Sponsors, Vendors, Volunteers, Donors and Golfers who came together to support this great and important cause.

L to R - Corey Correa, VP Cooling Cancer, Drew Santos, President, Cooling Cancer,
Dr. Ueno, Director, University of Hawaii Cancer Center and
Shirley Santos, Secretary, Cooling Cancer

GRATEFUL FOR OUR TITLE SPONSORS

MAHALO TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS, VENDORS AND DONORS!

WHY WE DO IT!



 

PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE

PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE
KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT
5000 KAHALA AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI 96816
808-739-8760

Enjoyed a rare weekday lunch with my Wife and a Business Associate working on our non-profit organization Cooling Cancer.  I ordered my fave Beach House Salad and requested all Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce as I do not like the fufu type lettuce.  They said yes to my request without hesitation.  Salad was delicious with the Shrimp, Crab and Avocado.  My Wife loved the Caesar Salad with Fresh Swordfish.  The location of Plumeria Beach House is my Happy Place so it is always a joy to eat here.

PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE

BEACH HOUSE SALAD WITH THE GOOD LETTUCE

 

ISTANBUL HAWAII RESTAURANT

ISTANBUL HAWAII
ANAHA BUILDING
1108 AUAHI ST
HONOLULU
808-772-4440

Enjoyed Istanbul Restaurant on a warm Sunday late morning.  The place filled up quickly and became packed.  Our waiter was fantastic with a friendly attitude and knowledge of every menu item.  Looking through the menu I felt it was expensive.  The Steak and Eggs for breakfast runs north of $150.  Wow!  We ordered the Crispy Reef Squid ($19).  Liked the Squid and lighter breading.  Sauce was a bit bland and we thought the portion was small for the price.  I went for the Lamb and Beef Doner Pita Wrap ($21).  Thought it was pretty good but nothing I would run back to order again.  My Wife had the Eskender Doner Plate ($29) which is the Wrap in a skillet without the Pita Bread.  She was not a fan and didn't eat much.  With a glass of wine this meal was over $100 which we thought wasn't worth it.  I totally understand the cost of food these days but just calling it as I eat it.  Probably will not return but judging from the crowd, plenty of people love this place which is great.

ISTANBUL HAWAII

ISTANBUL MENU





ISTANBUL BRUNCH MENU







CRISPY REEF SQUID

$19 REEF SQUID PORTION

ESKENDER DONER

LAMB AND BEEF WITH SAFFRON RICE

SERVED WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO COMPOTE 

LAMB AND BEEF DONER WRAP

LIKED THE OUTDOOR SEATING AND IT FILLED UP FAST

SUNDAY AT ISTANBUL IN KAKAAKO

Sunday, December 10, 2023

KAHAI KITCHEN CATERING - CHRISTMAS PARTY

KAHAI STREET KITCHEN
946 COOLIDGE STREET
HONOLULU, HI 96826
808-845-0320

Kahai Street is my "go to" caterer and I highly recommend them for events large and small.  This company Christmas Party meal was incredible.  Beautifully presented and everything was delicious.  The Prime Rib was cooked perfectly with a nice seasoned crust and served with Horseradish and Au Ju.  The Lobster Tails were among the most moist and sweetest ever.  Loved the Pasta Bar with al dente Spaghetti with Marinara and White Wine Cream Sauce plus Sausage, Chicken and Vegetables.  Many people raved about the Hibachi Chicken and Spicy Shrimp.  Everyone loved the Poke Bar with Ahi, Tako, Spicy Ahi and Salmon complete with an array of condiments.  Chinese Chicken Salad was a big hit too.  This was an absolutely delicious menu that was enjoyed by all!  Amazing!

KAHAI STREET KITCHEN CATERING

DELEICIOUS ROAST PRIME RIB OF BEEF

MOIST AND SWEET FIRE ROASTED LOBSTER TAILS

HIBACHI STYLE BONELESS CHICKEN

LINGUINE PASTA STATION

BREAST OF CHICKEN, ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SAUTEED VEGETABLES

MARINARA AND WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

SPICY GRILLED SHRIMP

FRESH FRUIT SALAD

SHOYU LIMU POKE

SPICY AHI POKE

TAKO POKE

WASABI SHOYU POKE SALMON

CHILI PEPPER FLAKES, CHILI PEPPER WATER, KIM CHE, BUBU AWARE, FURAKAKE

VEGETABLE SUMMER ROLLS

DESSERTS NOT FROM KAHAI STREET