DIN TAI FUNG CUCUMBER SALAD

DINNER AT HOME

Yup, this was dinner.  My Wife did her version of the Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad.  

Spicy and delicious plus very filling.  Starting a three day fast tomorrow so this is my last meal until Thursday.  Hope I can do it!

DIN TAI FUNG CUCUMBER SALAD

 

THREADFIN BISTRO

THREADFIN BISTRO

KILOHANA SQUARE

1014 KAPAHULU AVE

HONOLULU, HI

808-692-2562

https://www.threadfinbistro.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/threadfin-bistro-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/threadfinbistro/

We enjoyed the Treadfin Bistro.  Both the food and service were good but there was really not a single dish that would make me come back again.  We were seated at the bar which is better than some of the other seating that puts you within inches of other diners.  The place is small but really perfect in design.  Loved the woodwork, colors, lighting and overall feel of the space.  A lot of thought and talent was put into the decor.  Love it.  The menu changes and it is $65 for a three course meal.  You can choose between two starters and three different entrees.

They also have specials that can be added.  We went with a Burrata and Heirloom Tomato Salad for an additional $23 and the Lobster Pasta for an extra $32.  The Burrata and Tomato Salad was probably our favorite of the night.  The Lobster Pasta was good with a decent amount of Lobster but the sauce didn't have much flavor.  The Beet and Apple Salad was pretty good.  The Scallops were a bit of a disappointment.  First off they cover them with a rice cracker which I thought ruined the presentation.  Secondly, the dish was pretty tasteless.  Kind of bugged me that most dishes here are served in bowls.  For some reason I don't like that but thought maybe it is a Japanese thing.  The Hudson Valley Duck Breast cost an additional $9 but was worth it.  Perfectly cooked Duck charred on the outside with lots of flavor.  The Mahi Mahi was served in a bowl with a Curry Sauce.  The sauce was pretty tasty and the fish was delicious.  Dessert was delicious and the Red and White Wines are only $10 a glass which was supper nice!  I will come back here again when the menu changes to give it another try.  Love the space and the employees were all very nice.

THREADFIN BISTRO

THIS IS THE ONLY SIGN AND ENTRANCE AT KILOHANA SQUARE

LOVE THE LOOK AND FELL OF THIS SPACE

LIGHTING AND WOODWORK ARE BEAUTIFUL

THREADFIN BISTRO MENU

$10 VINO MADE ME HAPPY

BURRATA AND HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD

LOBSTER PASTA

BEET AND APPLE SALAD

SCALLOPS

HUDSON VALLY DUCK BREAST

MAHI MAHI

 

SPANISH WINE DINNER - OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

150 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD

HONOLULU, HI 96817

808-595-6331

https://www.oahucountryclub.com

https://www.facebook.com/oahucountryclub

https://www.instagram.com/oahucountryclub/?hl=en

To say the wine was flowing at this Spanish Wine Dinner would be an understatement.  It was like a waterfall of glass after glass of really good wines.  Food was perfect and delicious.  The Jamon Iberico was great but the bread was hard and really didn't complement the ham.  The Simple Salad was delicious and I loved the Vinaigrette.  Octopus was cooked perfectly and even the Potatoes tasted fantastic.  One of the best Paella dishes I have ever eaten.  Chef cooked the rice perfectly and the Shrimp were large and flavorful.  Not a huge fan of the dessert but it was a Spanish thing.  Great night, great food, incredible wines and fun table of friends.  Loved it!

SPANISH WINE DINNER AT OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

BEAUTIFUL EVENING AT OCC

SPANISH WINE DINNER MENU

THE STARS OF THE EVENING

PLENTY OF GLASSES

JAMON IBERICO

OCTOPUS WAS DELICIOUS

TASTY SIMPLE SALAD

PERFECTLY COOKED PAELLA

SPANISH RICE PUDDING - NOT MY FAVE

MAHALO CHEF MIKE.  WE LOVED THE FOOD, VINO AND FUN!

BA-LE SANDWICH SHOP

BA-LE SANDWICH SHOP

377 KEAHOLE STREET

HONOLULLU, HI 96825

808-396-6556

Ba-Le Hawaii Kai makes THE BEST Bahn Mi in Hawaii.  I have found no equal.  The Special Sandwich with Cheese plus extra veggies and no mayo is my "go to" Bahn Mi.  I crave this Bahn Mi all of the time.  The combination of the Meats, Pate, Pickled Veggies, Cheese and Cilantro on a perfect roll is da bomb.  Always add a little Sriracha Sauce too.  On this visit we also ordered the Green Papaya Salad and asked for Spicy.  This was also delicious and the perfect light summer salad.

BA-LE SANDWICH BAHN MI

GREEN PAPAYA SALAD

 

BURRATA AND HEIRLOOM TOMATOES WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

DINNER AT HOME

This simple dinner was absolutely amazing. I mean world class delicious.  My Wife picked up Heirloom Tomatoes at Whole Foods and the Burrata from Bocconcino in Kakaako.  A little fresh Basil and some really good Balsamic from Modena.  A secret we learned from enjoying this same Burrata at Arden Waikiki was to put Pink Himalayin Sea Salt on the cheese.  You will be amazed how this kicks up the flavor.  This is all we had for dinner this night and it was so satisfying and filled me up too.  Wow....want to have this again tonight!

BURRATA AND HEIRLOOM TOMATOES WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

FATHER'S DAY BRUNCH - PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE

PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE

KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT

5000 KAHALA AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI 96816

808-739-8760

www.kahalaresort.com

www.yelp.com/biz/plumeria-beach-house-honolulu-3

www.facebook.com/PlumeriaBeachHouse/

www.instagram.com/explore/locations/246798991/united-states/honolulu-hawaii/plumeria-beach-house-at-the-kahala-hotel-resort/?hl=en

Enjoyed Father's Day at my fave The Kahala Resort with brunch at Plumeria Beach House.

Food was ok, but the Crab seemed a bit dry and old.  Disappointed as that is one of the reasons we wanted to dine here.  As you can see, I don't eat much at buffets.  Everything you see here was all I ate with exception of a bit more Crab.  Our table at the edge of the lawn made up for this and the rest of the food was pretty solid.  Just love being at The Kahala so it was perfect for Father's Day.

FATHER'S DAY BRUNCH AT PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE

OUR FAVORITE TABLE AT PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE

FIRST COURSE FOR ME

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

SASHIMI AND SUSHI FIRST COURSE

CRAB AND PRIME RIB 

DESSERT

FATHER'S DAY AT THE KAHALA

BROUGHT THE DOG TO ENJOY THE DAY

 

NOBU BLACK COD WITH MISO

DINNER AT HOME

I kept looking at this recipe and had the magazine out several times.  Without saying anything to me, my Wife surprised me by making the Nobu Black Cod with Miso.  This was totally restaurant quality and I cannot wait to visit a Nobu's to see if it really tastes like the original.

NOBU BLACK COD WITH MISO

SAW THIS IN FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE

NOBU BLACK COD WITH MISO RECIPE

ARDEN WAIKIKI

ARDEN WAIKIKI

THE LOTUS HOTEL

2885 KALAKAUA AVE

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-791-5151

https://www.ardenwaikiki.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/arden-waikiki-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/arden_waikiki/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/reel/266643393109382

Dinner at Arden Waikiki started off with a bang.  We ordered the Burrata and asked if they could substitute Balsamic Glaze for the dressing with Li Ming Mui which we don't care for in dressings.  Our waitress checked with the kitchen and our wish was granted.  The Burrata with Balsamic was amazing.  One of the best I have ever eaten.  So many Burrata's are bland but they added flavor by topping the cheese with Himalayan Sea Salt.  Made a huge difference.

The Himachi Sashimi hit high marks too.  Loved the fresh fish, sauce and Jalapeños.  The Foie Gras Terrine blew my socks off.  We normally do not like cold Foie Gras in a terrine, but this was different.  Packed with great Foie Gras flavor and served with toasted bread and jams.  At this point I said that I wanted to return soon to enjoy the Burrata, Himachi and Foie Gras.  Unfortunately after the appetizers, the bang was over.  The Roasted Carrots were bland and not well seasoned.  The $26 Mushroom Rice was terrible and not worth the price.  Would recommend not to waste your money on this.  $26 for rice...yes.  The Lamb Lolipops were good but not great.  My Wife did not care for the Kona Kampachi.  I tried it and it was a bit fishy tasting.  Did not like the fish our sauce.  Dessert was decent but nothing we would order again.  Service was great and I liked the view of Kapiolani park.  All of our appetizers rocked and that makes me want to go back again and try some more dishes here.

ARDEN WAIKIKI

UPSTAIRS AT THE LOTUS HOTEL IN WAIKIKI

LOUNGE, BAR AND RESTAURANT

ARDEN WAIKIKI MENU

LIKED THE VIEW OF KAPIOLANI PARK

HAMACHI SASHIMI

BURRATA

FOIE GRAS TERRINE

THIS WAS DELICIOUS!

ROASTED HIRABARA CARROTS

$26 MUSHROOM RICE - DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS

LAMB LOLIPOPS

STEAMED KONA KAMPACHI

DATE NIGHT AT ARDEN WAIKIKI