GREAT EATS HAWAII: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

MEMORIAL DAY BBQ AT HOME

OUR GUESTS OF HONOR

MEMORIAL DAY BBQ
AT HOME

Keli planned a sleep over with friends for the Memorial Day Weekend. This was a great time to do a BBQ for friends and parents. Started the day with fresh Ahi Sashimi and Poke. We enjoyed burgers and mini burger sliders hot off the grill. I stuffed some jalapeno peppers with creme cheese and pimento and wrapped them in bacon. Grilled them until the bacon was cooked. These were good. Shirley put a bunch of Langoustine in the Mac and Cheese which put in over the top. Ended this great meal with some sweet watermelon.

PARIS AND KELI - FRIENDS SINCE BIRTH

FRESH AHI SASHIMI ON PLATE MADE BY TOYE

TAKO POKE, SPICY AHI POKE AND SHRIMP POKE

CREME CHEESE AND PIMENTO STUFFED JALAPENO WITH BACON

BLEU CHEESE AND BACON BURGER HOT OFF THE GRILL

CHEDDAR CHEESE BURGER

BURGER WITH THE WORKS

THE BLEU CHEESE AND BACON BURGER

GREAT BURGER

LANGOUSTINE MAC AND CHEESE

BBQ RIBS

BBQ BAKED BEANS WITH HAM, BACON AND ONION

CORN ON THE COBB

SHIRLEY'S HOME MADE COLE SLAW

Sunday, May 29, 2011

BERNINI HONOLULU

BERNINI HONOLULU
HONOLULU, HAWAII

We had already booked reservations at the new Bernini Honolulu prior to my five day Pasta Fest. Eating pasta again didn't seem to be a problem. I dove right in and loved every bite. Dining with our good friends Tom and Arlene made this night even more special. Tom is officially retiring and selling his condo in Hawaii. While this is sad, we all enjoyed this special time together at Bernini. Bernini Honolulu is the sister restaurant from Bernini in Japan. The celebrated Head Chef has won numerous awards and has made a name for himself in Japan. We were all curious to see if this Bernini was as good as what they write about in Japan. First off, Bernini is located in a somewhat commercial district across from Ala Moana Center. The entrance is on Waimanu Street across from KHON Television. Parking is limited in the lot to about 10 spaces which seemed good enough on this night. We entered the restaurant and was greeted by a nice Japanese lady that quickly took us to a nice quiet table near the back of the restaurant. Moments later our waiter appeared and offered various waters or "tap water" with lemon. He offered to take our drink order, but we opted to wait for our guests. Once they arrived we ordered a nice bottle of Chardonnay. The wine list while small offers bottles from around $39 to $1200. Small selections from Italy, France and California. We started with a Pizza Romana for the table. This is Roma Style Pizza with thin crust. Seemed every table had a pizza on it when we walked in and just had to try one of these. The Margherita Pizza ($16) was light and delicious. Simple Mozzarella Cheese and Basil. The slices were cut rather large so we ended up cutting them in half. We followed the pizza with Prosciutto from Parma ($14). Thin slices of ham covered in Arugula. This was very good and did not last long on the plate. The Antipasti Misti ($28) was a large plate of the Chef's selection for appetizers. The plate consisted of fresh Ahi Tuna that was absolutely fantastic plus several dishes of marinated octupus and potato lightly flavored with anchovy. There were certain bites of this dish that just floored me with great flavor. For entree's we tried the Beef Ragu Linguine ($19). The stewed angus meat sauce was good and the pasta was cooked perfectly but the dish included a bunch of thickly sliced zucchini that did not seem to belong in a Beef Ragu dish. Liked this despite the zucchini. The "King Crab" Linguine ($24) was served with Broccoli. My wife and daughter said it was "great". The Penne "Norma" ($18) included grilled eggplant, Ricotta Cheese and Tomato Sauce. Tom ate all of it and said it was good. The Half Chicken "Al Forno" ($19) was half a Crispy Chicken served Bernini Style? Looked good and Arlene seemed to enjoy it. The desserts were o.k. I liked Bernini and would return in a heart beat.

Click links below to view more posts on Bernini;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2022/01/bernini-honolulu.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2022/01/bernini-honolulu_23.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2022/02/bernini-takeout.html

INSIDE IS SMALL BUT COMFORTABLE AND HIP

MARGHERITA PIZZA - MOZZARELLA AND BASIL

ANTIPASTI MISTI - CHEF'S SELECTION OF THE DAY

PROSCIUTTO FROM PARMA WITH NALO'S ARUGULA

LINGUINE BEEF RAGU - STEWED ANGUS BEEF MEAT SAUCE

LINGUINE KING CRAB - WITH TOMATO CREME SAUCE AND BROCCOLI

PENNE "NORMA" GRILLED EGGPLANT, RICOTTA AND TOMATO SAUCE

HALF CHICKEN "AL FORNO"

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH HAZELNUT

APPLE TART

Saturday, May 28, 2011

PATTAYA THAI RESTAURANT - GUAM

PATTAYA THAI
TAMUNING, GUAM

I invited a customer on Guam to lunch. He asked if I liked Thai Food. "Yes" I said. Love good Thai. Is there good Thai on Guam i asked. Absolutely he said. We drove a few minutes from his shop and took a right turn down a side street. There was a dump of a place called Pattaya. We walked in to find all the lights off to save energy and keep the place cool. The tables were a bit shabby and there were three other people eating. I thought this would be a terrible meal. The waitress who had the personality of a rock strolled to our table and three menus on the table. Did not say a word. We decided to eat family style with each person choosing a dish. There were three of us so we all picked something. Pad Thai with Chicken, Shrimp with Garlic, Pork with something and beef with something plus an order of Lumpia (fried egg roll). Everything that came out of the kitchen was delicious. Nothing was spicy so I asked for hot sauce. The waitress brought out an empty bottle of chili sauce and said they were out. Despite this I enjoyed this meal. Good food at very reasonable prices. Don't come for the service or ambiance. Just good Thai Food in Guam.

AL DENTE RISTORANTE - HYATT GUAM

AL DENTE RISTORANTE
HYATT GUAM RESORT
TUMON BAY, GUAM

A new friend and customer picked me up for dinner in Guam. He recommended eating Italian food. I did not tell him that I had eaten Italian for the past three nights. We drove down the road to the Hyatt Guam. The hotel was fairly busy compared to the Westin. We entered Al Dente and found a pretty local crowd of business people, young adults and a few tourists. We ordered a seafood appetizer that included Crab, Clams, Oysters, Shrimp and Mussels. This was a good deal for around $20. Lots of good and fresh seafood. We both ordered the House Lasagna. A huge portion (bowl) of lasagna that was smothered in cheese. It was really good. I would like to try Al Dente again. If the other dishes are as good as the ones we enjoyed, this place is a winner.

KING'S RESTAURANT GUAM

KING'S RESTAURANT
GUAM

GPS does not work in Guam and there are very few street signs that you can read. Getting around the place is a struggle if you do not know your way around. I make more U Turns in a week in Guam that I make in a year in Hawaii. The only way to get around is to know the landmarks. Turn right after K-Mart, Make a left at the Nissan Dealership etc.... One of my customers asked me to meet him for breakfast at King's. Go up this road and you can't miss it he said. it is on the right side of the road after the shopping center. I found King's easily and enjoyed a business meeting and Fried Rice, egg and Portuguese Sausage. Just like Hawaii. For $4.95 it was a great start to the day.

KING'S RESTAURANT

PREGO - THE WESTIN GUAM RESORT

PREGO
THE WESTIN GUAM RESORT
TUMON BAY, GUAM

I rarely eat at the same restaurant twice while traveling. Guam however was a different story. After being out seeing customers in the 89 Degree heat and humidity, I just wanted to have quiet dinner and hit the sack so I could be ready and fresh the next day. I remembered from another trip to the Westin Guam that they had good Italian restaurant on the fourth floor. After an eight hour flight I was hungry and decided to grab a bite to eat before I retired. I enjoyed a nice plate of Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was light and delicious. I returned several times during the week to enjoy the Linguine and Clams, Salad, Fresh Pappardelle with Lobster, Ahi with Avocado and a perfectly cooked filet served with a small side of spaghetti. All were simply delicious. The Linguine and Clams had a very light sauce. The clams were very small but I enjoyed the flavor of this dish. The Ahi and Avocado was the bomb. Fresh Ahi Tuna served with avocado and a balsamic vinegar glaze. The Pappardelle with Lobster was fantastic. Home made spinach pasta served with nice chunks of lobster in a sauce that reminded me of a chinese dish. Could eat this every week. Loved it. My last night in the hotel, I asked the waitress if I could get a small steak served with a side of pasta. Since this was not on the menu she politely asked if she could check with the chef. A minute later she was back to tell me that it would be fine. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare as requested. This was a good steak for Asia or any where else. Served with the perfectly cooked pasta bolognese that I enjoyed earlier in the week. Just a fantastic meal. Prego serves fresh and hot bread with the meal. It comes with a side of marinara sauce. Really good bread. The service was excellent and the view is terrific. I highly recommend Prego. This is a place where you can dress up or show up in shorts and a t-shirt. Just casual and relaxing with no attitudes.

PREGO

CASUAL AND RELAXING

TUMON BAY VIEWS FROM PATIO AND RESTAURANT

DELICIOUS AND HUGE SALAD - ENOUGH FOR TWO

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE (WITH MEAT SAUCE)

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

AHI TUNA WITH GUACAMOLE AND BALSAMIC

HOME MADE PAPPADELLE WITH LOBSTER


FILET WITH PASTA AND VEGETABLES BACK AGAIN FOR ANOTHER VISIT - FEB 20 FRESH BREAD WITH MARINARA SAUCE IN PLACE OF BUTTER ANTIPASTO PLATTER - SHRIMP, FRESH AHI TUNA, ROASTED VEGETABLES AND AHI TUNA WITH AVOCADO PASTA BOLOGNESE FRESH PASTA WITH CRAB

THE WESTIN GUAM RESORT

THE WESTIN RESORT

TUMON BAY, GUAM

After a long hot day working on Guam, it was always nice to get back to the Westin. I really like this hotel. The staff is friendly, the hotel is clean and because of the drop in Japanese tourism, the hotel was uncrowded. The Westin Guam sits on the end of Tumon Bay on a very nice stretch of beach. While I did not venture into the pool or ocean, they both looked great. The hotel has a very nice buffet type restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is a little pricey so I did not eat there. There is also an Italian restaurant and a Japanese Steak and Seafood restaurant that is really expensive. I opted for the Italian restaurant called Prego. Prices were moderate and the food is great. You can grab a Starbucks coffee or cocktail in the lobby bar. Great place to have a cup of coffee, read the paper or do some paperwork. The staff was friendly. This hotel caters to mainly Japanese tourists. I would say 80% of the guests are Japanese. The balance are business people and maybe a few tourists from other places in the Pacific. I find the hotel to be very relaxing and a great place to stay for business.
Click links below for more posts on The Westin Guam Resort;
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2014/06/guam-sunset-westin-guam-resort.html