SASHIMI, SHRIMP, CLAMS AND WINGS

DINNER AT HOME

My Wife wanted to go with a Pupu style dinner that included my Buffalo Chicken Wings.  We bought some fresh Ahi, Clams and Garlic Shrimp Poke and feasted with our Daughter on the lanai.  What a blessing to enjoy this meal with my gals and eat some of our favorite foods.  I cooked the Clams in White Wine, Butter, Shallots, Portuguese Sausage, Parsley and a ton of Garlic.  They came out darn good as did my Wings.  Love cooking Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer.  They get crispy on the outside but stay moist on the inside.  Enjoyed a crisp Chardonnay with all of this and loved it.

PUPU STYLE DINNER ON THE LANAI

AHI SASHIMI WITH AVOCADO, DAIKON AND CABBAGE

STEAMED CLAMS WITH GARLIC BUTTER, WHITE WINE, SHALLOTS, PARSLEY
 AND PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE

AIR FRYER BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

GARLIC SHRIMP POKE

AIR FRYER COOKS SEASONED WINGS TO PERFECTION THEN A DIP IN COMBINATION
OF FRANKS HOT SAUCE AND BUTTER

WHITE WINE, BUTTER, TONS OF GARLIC, SHALLOTS, PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE

BIG BAG OF CLAMS

 

RUM FIRE - SHERATON WAIKIKI

RUM FIRE - SHERATON WAIKIKI

HONOLULU, HAWAII

We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful sunset at Rum Fire last night. Scored a great seat with umbrella directly on the water overlooking Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. Throw in the new Infinity Pool to the right and you have "paradise". The Sheraton Waikiki has invested millions in water features, new bars and restaurants. The new Infinity Pool is spectacular. The larger family pool with slides, waterfalls and direct access to the ocean is also impressive. Sitting between the Infinity Pool and the Family Pool is a huge indoor/outdoor bar called Rum Fire. There seems always to be very good live local music playing here. The place is always packed around sunset. We go for the Happy Hour where you can enjoy small plates for a pretty good price. On this visit we enjoyed the Chipotle BBQ Babyback Ribs ($6). They were really good with a smokey bbq flavor and lots of sauce. The Edamame ($4) is served with a slightly spicy sauce and comes with a more spicy sauce on the side. The Jerked Seasoned Chicken Wings ($6) were just so so. Basic chicken wing. The most expensive item was the Fresh Fish Taco ($10). Two small mahi mahi tacos served up with a little cabbage and chipotle sauce. The grilled tortilla was good and the tacos were o.k. Worth $5 each? No. We also tried the North Shore Baby Romaine Ceasar Salad ($7). A nice salad with two fresh anchovies. You can enjoy

draft beers for $3 and house wines for $5 during happy hour which runs from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

This is a fantastic place to take an out of town guest or the family for a people watching afternoon in Waikiki.

WAI' OLU AT TRUMP WAIKIKI

WAI'OLU AT TRUMP WAIKIKI

HONOLULU, HI

Some of my friends wanted to get together and check out the new Trump Waikiki Hotel. We met at the restaurant/bar called Wai'olu. This place is indoor/outdoor with comfortable couch seating outside under the stars. Problem is that when the sun is out, the couches are useless as there is no shade. Once the sun goes down it is great. I about died when I opened the bar menu and looked at the prices. A glass of wine runs between $13 and $32. This is PER GLASS. A 3 oz glass of champagne is $46. I am not joking here. Just think about this when you have a table of 8 people. A bottle of beer is $7. Cocktails are $14. O.k., we started with a beer. We ordered some appetizers that were good but expensive. The Trump Onion Rings are $14. Good but not worth over $2 per ring. The cold cut with cheese plate is $25. Again good, but c'mon twenty five bones. I really liked the mini loco mocos served in a spoon and topped with a quail egg.  Could eat a dozen of these. The manager came by as we were deep into our drinks and food. He offered us a champagne tasting with appetizers for what I think was $35 per person. Three shot glasses of different champagnes and a variety of small plate appetizers. We went for it. The total tab for this little night out was around $1000.00. Glad everyone pitched in. We had a fun time here but the prices were just too high. Service and food were good. Make sure you bring people with money to this place. It will break your bank.

SIDE STREET INN

SIDE STREET INN

HONOLULU, HI

Side Street is one of the best hidden gems in Honolulu. This popular bar/restaurant is the bomb if you like to eat family style and enjoy a lot of different plates with a cold beer or glass of wine. The Fried Rice alone is worth a visit. It is filled with meat and hands down the best in town. The Spinach Salad is also the best in town. Everyone loves Fried Pork Chops, huge steaks and the Kalua Pork Sliders. Pork with a slice of pineapple sandwiched between two buns and topped with a sweet sauce. We tried a whole fresh fish and it was fantastic on this visit. Side Street is always busy but the veteran wait staff is friendly and on the ball. They keep bringing the dishes and beverages with a smile. I love to take out of town guests here. They all seem to love the local atmosphere and great food.

SIDE STREET INN - HONOLULU

SIDE STREET INN

HONOLULU, HI

Welcome to a new version of my blog complete with video. I picked up a Flip Video Device that is about the size off a cell phone. It fits in your pocket and shoots high definition video with a touch of a button. The video is easily downloaded onto the computer. You can make and send a video in a matter of minutes. There are no tapes or memory cards either. This will allow me to shoot video clips when we travel and dine.  Turn down a back street near Ala Moana Center and you find a little gem housed between a bunch of seedy bars. Forget about parking here. There just is not much around. Lucky they offer a valet right in front for $5.00. The valet workers are courteous and fast. Once you enter Side Street you will notice that it is an odd shaped place. The tables go from room to room in different shapes. There are flat screen tv's everywhere playing sports. You can sit at the bar and order food or drinks. I like the booths for a little privacy. This is a hot spot with people constantly coming in and going out. The waitresses are all veterans and know how to work in a fast paced environment. They smile and really provide excellent service given how busy they are. The food is without compare. Most of the items are large portions and are meant to be shared. At Side Street you just order a bunch of plates and eat family style with everyone having a little bit of everything. This trip we ordered the Spinach Salad. A huge mound of spinach topped with large chunks of bacon, onion, egg and shredded mozzarella cheese. Add a great tasting dressing and you have what could be the best spinach salad in town. The fried rice is definitely the best in town. A huge bowl of perfectly cooked rice jam packed with ham, pork, portuguese sausage, carrots, onions and then topped with sliced green onion. Simply amazing and always enough to bring home extra for tomorrow's breakfast. We tried the Escargot with puff pastry. Large snails stuffed into a mushroom cap and then smothered in garlic and cheese. Sinful but delicious. The Pork Sliders were off the hook good. Kalua Pork stuffed in a chinese style bun and topped with bbq sauce and a slice of pineapple. You get three for around $9. Awesome! If you just want to enjoy a cold beer and some stick to your ribs local food. This is the place to go.

SIDE STREET INN