ISLAND VINTAGE WINE BAR

ISLAND VINTAGE WINE BAR

ROYAL HAWAIIAN CENTER

2301 KALAKAUA AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI

808-799-9463

https://www.islandvintagewinebar.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/island-vintage-wine-bar-honolulu

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

https://www.facebook.com/islandvintagewinebar/

It's official.  Island Vintage Wine Bar is one of our favorite restaurants on Oahu.  Absolutely love this place.  The food is top quality, fresh, beautiful and delicious.  We started with he Truffle Brie which is one of our favorite cheese plates ever.  Toasted Bread, Fig Jam, Honey, Apple and Truffle Brie.  The flavor combination is amazing.  Next up was the Beet Salad with fresh Beets, Tomato, Avocado, Feta Cheese and a Hummus spread.  Served with a thick vinaigrette.  Delicious.  The Spicy Ahi Poke was one of the best Poke dishes we have ever tasted.  The perfect amount of heat, onions, avocado, sea asparagus and no mayonnaise. Loved it!  This was my fifth visit here and everything I have eaten has been really good.  So good in fact, I asked to thank the Chef and the Kitchen Manager came to our table and chatted about the food and preparation.  Amazing story of how a Korean family started with a coffee stand and 17 years later has two rocking great restaurants in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Click links below to view previous posts of Island Vintage Wine Bar;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2023/10/island-vintage-wine-bar.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2023/07/island-vintage-wine-bar.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2023/04/island-vintage-wine-bar.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2022/11/island-vintage-wine-bar.html

ISLAND VINTAGE WINE BAR

TRUFFLE BRIE

ONE OF OUR ALL TIME FAVE CHEESE PLATES

THIS COMBO ROCKS.  FIG JAM, APPLE, TRUFFLE BRIE AND HONEY

SPICY AHI POKE

BEET SALAD

THE PERFECT COMBO

DATE NIGHT AT ISLAND VINTAGE WINE BAR

 

BREW'D CRAFT PUB

BREW'D CRAFT PUB

3441 WAIALAE AVE

HON0LULU, HI

808-732-2337

https://www.brewdcraftpub.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/brewd-craft-pub-honolulu

https://www.facebook.com/BREWdcraftpub/

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

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

BACI BISTRO AND BAR - PLEASANTON, CA

BACI BISTRO AND BAR

500 MAIN STREET

PLEASANTON, CA 94566

925-600-0600

HOURS:  Monday thru Thursday 11:30AM - 3PM / 5-9:30PM / Friday 11:30AM - 10PM / 

Saturday 10:30AM - 10PM / Sunday 10:30AM - 9:30PM

http://bacibistroandbar.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/baci-bistro-and-bar-pleasanton

https://www.facebook.com/BaciBistro/

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

Visiting our dear friend Tom in Pleasanton and his favorite spot to meet is Baci Bistro on Main Street.  This was our third time here and we really like the food.  Nice portions, friendly service and delicious.  I had the Chicken Piccata and it was excellent.  My Daughter went nuts of the Caprese Salad and Grilled Artichoke.  Wife loved the Beet Salad.

BACI BISTRO AND BAR

BEET SALAD

ROASTED ARTICHOKE

CHICKEN PICCATA

LUNCH AT BACI WAS GREAT!

WEDGE SALAD WITH ROATED BEETS AND BACON

DINNER AT HOME

Returned home from a long day in Kona and enjoyed this delicious, light and very satisfying dinner.  This was so good and perfect!

WEDGE SALAD WITH ROASTED BEETS AND BACON

 

ROASTED BEET AND AVOCADO SALAD

DINNER AT HOME

Roasted some Beets and made this light dinner salad.  Added a nice Balsamic Dressing and some Goat Cheese to elevate the flavors.  Yummy!

ROASTED BEET AND AVOCADO SALAD

ROASTED BEETS

 

SEARED AHI AND ROASTED BEET SALAD

DINNER AT HOME

Saw a beautiful block of Ahi at the market and decided to make a Seared Ahi Salad.

Looked in the fridge and saw we had some beets so I roasted them and added to the salad.

Beets and Ahi were delicious.  Loved this!

SEARED AHI AND ROASTED BEET SALAD

FRESH AHI BLOCK

ROASTED BEETS

 

ET AL.

ET AL.

4210 WAIALAE AVE

HONOLULU, HI 96816

808-732-2144

https://etalhawaii.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/et-al-honolulu-2

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

Blessed to be able to spend a day with just me and my Daughter.  We cruised around the South Shore of Oahu and visited a friend in Kailua.  Coming home and we decided to have brunch at Et Al in Kahala.  Food and service were great.  The Fresh Shucked Oysters were tasty and my Daughter loved them.  I had the Maui Beet Salad and loved it.  The Et Al Chopped Salad was devoured by Keli.  We shared the Hamakua Mushroom Risotto which was absolutely delicious.  I will return again just for this.

Click link below to view previous post on Et Al;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2022/08/et-al.html

FRESH SHUCKED OYSTERS

MAUI BEET SALAD

ET AL CHOPPED SALAD

HAMAKUA MUSHROOM RISOTTO

 

FETE HAWAII

FETE HAWAII

2 N. HOTEL ST

HONOLULU, HI

808-369-1390

https://www.fetehawaii.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/fete-hawaii-honolulu

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

We enjoyed the food and service at Fete.  This downtown Honolulu hot spot is good.  Our waitress was knowledgable on all of the dishes and could recite all of the ingredients and where they came from.  Nice to learn that everything possible is sourced locally and fresh.

We started with the Beet Salad which was more than enough for two people.  Loved the Beets and Avocado and greens but was not a fan of the dressing.  My Wife however liked it.  The Fried Shrimp were good but I am not a big fan of Mayonnaise on my Shrimp.  They call it Aioli but it is mayo to me.  Shrimp were really good and again a nice portion and more than enough for two.  Wish they served with some sort of hot sauce.  I went with the Mahi Mahi which was wrapped in Prosciutto.  Fish was cooked perfectly and had a nice flavor with the light Pesto sauce.  The Korean Bavette was a Flank Steak served with an egg and Fried Rice.

Delicious!  My Wife loved it.  Definitely would recommend and return to Fete.

Click link below to view previous post on Fete;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2017/05/fete.html

FETE HAWAII

LOCATED DOWNTOWN ON N. HOTEL ST

SMALL COZY PLACE WITH PACKED BAR

FETE MENU

BEET SALAD WITH AVOCADO

FRIED SHRIMP

MAHI MAHI

KOREAN BAVETTE

DATE NIGHT AT FETE

 

STEAK AND FOIE GRAS

DINNER AT HOME

Celebrating my Daughters birthday week concluded with her favorites.  Started with fresh Sashimi and Avocado which we all love.  Next up was a Beet and Tomato Salad served with Blue Cheese and Balsamic Glaze.  My Daughter loves Foie Gras and can eat it like candy.  I will always remember ordering a piece of Foie Gras at a restaurant for around $40.  She ate it in one bite and did not allow anyone else to have any.  I made Foie Gras for this dinner along with a Raspberry Sauce.  Once again my Wife prepared the most amazing and delicious steaks.  She also made these flavor packed Smashed Potatoes with Garlic, Butter and Parmesan.  This dinner was absolutely amazing.

FILET OF BEEF WITH SMASHED POTATOES AND BROCCOLINI

AHI SASHIMI AND AVOCADO

BEET AND TOMATO SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE AND BALSAMIC

PAN SEARED FOIE GRAS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

DINNER IS SERVED

PERFECTLY COOKED FILET OF BEEF

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DINNER ON THE LANAI

FOIE GRAS FROM FOODLAND FARMS

PERFECT FILETS FROM WHOLE FOODS

GRILLED ONO WITH BEET SALAD

DINNER AT HOME

Wanted to make a Beet Salad and serve with some fresh fish.  While I probably shouldn't have put both of them on the same plate, this dinner was delicious and satisfying.  I make a White Wine, Butter and Shallot Sauce for fish that really elevates the flavor to restaurant quality.

GRILLED ONO WITH BEET SALAD

 

SHRIMP, TURKEY, AVOCADO AND BEET SALAD

DINNER AT HOME

My Wife wanted a Shrimp Salad to start her Happy Birthday weekend.  I obliged and made this delicious dinner using ingredients we had in the house.  Grilled Shrimp, Turkey Breast, Avocado, Beets, Red Onion, Bell Pepper, Egg, Cherry Tomato and Cheddar Cheese. 

Served with a Balsamic Dressing.  

SHRIMP, TURKEY, AVOCADO AND BEET SALAD

DELICIOUS SALAD ON THE LANI

 

MAMMA MELINA - SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

MAMA MELINA

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

It was not hard to find some good Italian food near our hotel because the front desk clerk told me to walk right across the street to Mama Melina.  This is a very hip and modern restaurant with a nice bar and indoor and outdoor seating.  With the weather being a perfect 80 degrees, we opted to sit outside on the patio.  Our waitress Samantha was the best.  Treated us like old friends and always was there to take care of our table even when the place got very busy.  I felt so comfortable sitting on the patio watching people walk by and enjoy a perfect Seattle evening.  We started the evening with the D-Polpette Pizza ($12).  This was a pizza with sliced meat balls.  Liked the sauce and slightly burnt crust.  The meatballs were good, but next time I would stick with the traditional pepperoni or something else.  We tried the Beet Salad ($7).  Large pieces of beets served with feta cheese and balsamic dressing.  Light and fresh.  I was blown away by my entree which was the Lobster Spaghetti ($21).  A nice size lobster tail served with clams with a tomato sauce.  This was a great pasta dish.  I loved it and could not believe they only charged $21.  This would cost $38 in Honolulu.  My friend ordered the Portobello Special and loved it.  I really enjoyed our dinner and time here at Mamma Melina.  Could have sat on that patio sipping Pinot Noir all night long.

MAMMA MELINA

MAMMA MELINA IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

PATIO DINING ON A PERFECT SEATTLE EVENING

PIZZA WITH MEATBALLS

BEET SALAD WITH FETA CHEESE AND CANDIED WALNUTS

LOBSTER SPAGHETTI WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS

PORTOBELLO SPECIAL