MAHI MAHI WITH PAPAYA SALSA

MAHI MAHI
WITH PAPAYA SALSA
DINNER AT HOME


Enjoyed some fresh Island Mahi Mahi served with a Papaya Salsa with Balsamic Vinegar.  Cooked the Mahi Mahi in garlic, ginger with a little white wine, capers and butter.  Topped the white rice with Salsa and stir fried fresh vegetables in garlic, ginger and oyster sauce.  Simple, fresh, healthy and delicious.

SIAM GARDEN CAFE

SIAM GARDEN CAFE

HONOLULU, HAWAII

There is a reason why the Siam Garden Cafe is packed everyday for lunch.  The food comes out fast and it is good.  Real good.  I have been here a dozen times and always enjoy it.  The staff is all business.  Not much talk or show.  They just jam out the orders so you can get in and out on a timely basis.  The Spring Rolls are good but they do not cut them and do not serve them with lettuce.  I like to wrap the roll in lettuce and then top with sauce, cucumber and hot sauce.  We just ask for lettuce and they bring it.  You also need to ask for the hot sauce as it is never on the table.  After the Spring Rolls, we tried a Minced Beef.  This dish was large and delicious.  Only problem is the cabbage they give you to make a wrap is too small.  We had to ask for more cabbage too.  The Curries here are always good.  I am not a big Curry person, but always seem to enjoy the Red Curry.  I loved the Spicy Beef Stir Fry.  Tender strips of beef sauteed with vegetables and a not too spicy sauce.  I recommend Siam Garden Cafe if you are on Nimitz and want a quick and delicious Thai lunch.
Click links below for more on Siam Garden Cafe;
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/03/siam-garden-cafe-nimitz-highway.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2011/01/siam-garden-cafe.html

MINCED BEEF WRAPS

SPRING ROLLS

RED CURRY

SPICY BEEF STIR FRY

KOREAN BRAND BEEF STREET TACOS

KOREAN BRAND BEEF

STREET TACOS

DINNER AT HOME

Never thought I would ever eat tacos out of a box from Costco.  When we saw Korean Style Street Tacos in a kit,  we just had to try them.  The Kit by Bamboo Lane includes Beef Strips in Korean BBQ Sauce, Shredded Cheese, Hand Pressed Tortillas and packets of Sriracha Hot Sauce.  There is enough product for twelve tacos.  All you do is put the beef pouch in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, heat the tortillas for 30 seconds and then assemble.  We added lettuce and tomato.  You can also add cabbage, cilantro or anything else you like.  These were pretty good.  The entire family liked them.  Price comes out to around $1 for each taco.  Two of the tacos filled me up, so this is not a bad deal.  

UPDATED ON 10/10/11.

Bought some more of these tacos at Costco.  They still had them this weekend.  Topped with cabbage and fresh salsa.  Added some new photos below.

KOREAN BRAND BEEF STREET TACOS

KOREAN BRAND BEEF STREET TACOS

ADDED LETTUCE, TOMATO AND SHREDDED CHEESE

THE INGREDIENTS OUT OF THE PACKAGE

ADDED CHOPPED CABBAGE THE SECOND TIME

FRESH HOMEMADE SALSA

COOKED TORTILLAS IN A PAN

MICROWAVED THE BEEF 1 1/2 MINUTES

THE FINAL TACOS WITH CABBAGE AND SALSA

PASTA WITH LANGOUSTINE AND PANCHETTA

PASTA WITH
LANGOUSTINE AND
PANCHETTA
DINNER AT HOME


Costco had Langoustine on sale which is very rare.  We picked up some and followed a recipe by Emeril Lagasse.  The succulent sweet Langoustine were sauteed with Panchetta, Red Onion, Parsley, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil and White Wine.  Served on a bed of Angel Hair Pasta with a pinch of hot red pepper flakes.  This was a delicious dish.

JAPAN RELIEF FUND - A GIFT FROM KELI

JAPAN RELIEF FUND

A GIFT FROM KELI

Keli was featured in our local MidWeek Magazine for her contribution to the American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund.  The story was also picked up by KHON Channel 2 News in a short feature.  Click the link below to see the news story.  Keli requested that cash donations be made to the Japan Relief Fund rather than giving her birthday presents at her birthday party.  While she went home empty handed without gifts, Keli was so happy that she raised over $1100 to help the people of Japan.

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/2460290/5_13_2011_keli_santos

MAI TAI BAR - ALA MOANA SHOPPING CENTER

MAI TAI BAR

HONOLULU,  HAWAII

Ahhhh....to be in my twenties again.  If I was, I would be hanging out at the Mai Tai Bar located in the middle of Ala Moana Shopping Center.  The waitresses are hot, the beer is cold and the people watching is second to none.  Add some great pupu's and good service and you have one of the busiest bars in Hawaii.  On this visit, a good friend was visiting from Maui and we only had about an hour before he had to catch a flight.  We tried the Carne Asada Mini Tacos ($7).  These are great.  Four small tacos filled with steak and topped with guacamole and green salsa.   We also tried the Fresh Seared Ahi Tuna ($12).  Perfectly seared on the ends with a slight bit of cajun spice.  Fresh and very tasty.  The Pupu Steak ($11) was a meal.  Large slices of steak served with white rice and sliced Daikon.  The Mai Tai Bar has several great Pupu specials for around $5.  The Calamari is excellent and so are the Onion Rings.  The music gets a bit loud here but it is all good.

MAI TAI BAR SEARED AHI TUNA

CARNE ASADA MINI TACOS

PUPU STEAK PLATTER

LOBSTER RAVIOLI

LOBSTER RAVIOLI

DINNER AT HOME

Sam's Club sells a dual package of Pasta Prima brand Lobster Ravioli for around $11.  Wild caught North Atlantic Lobster with cream ricotta cheese and vine ripened tomatoes nestled in a perfect pocket of pasta.  These are good.  I was surprised to find nice chunks of lobster in the Ravioli.  We topped the Ravioli with some Pasta Sauce and had dinner for three for two nights for around $15 total.  Not bad at all. Would recommend using maybe a creme or butter sauce rather than a tomato sauce with these Ravioli.  

NAUPAKA TERRACE - KAUAI BEACH RESORT

NAUPAKI TERRACE

KAUAI BEACH RESORT

Enjoyed a rare Sunday breakfast at the Naupaki Terrace and loved it.  Our waitress was smiling and friendly and the food was good.  I had the Granola with Yogurt and Fresh Fruits.  Strawberries, Blueberries, cantaloupe and pineapple.  Huge portion served with Toast for $12.  Keli had the French Toast for $6.  She said it was great.  The menu here is good for breakfast and the outdoor terrace is cool and relaxing.

A LITTLE FRUIT AND GRANOLA FOR THE OLD GUY TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT

THE BOSS IS READY FOR SOME BREAKFAST ON KAUAI

FRENCH TOAST WITH BANANAS AND BERRIES

DRIFTWOOD BAR AND GRILL - KAUAI BEACH RESORT

DRIFTWOOD BAR AND GRILL

KAUAI BEACH RESORT 

Really like the pool bar at the Kauai Beach Resort. Great staff, beverages and good food overlooking one of the pools and beautiful ocean.  I tried the Fish Taco Wrap.  Lightly breaded Mahi Mahi wrapped in a tortilla with lettuce, salsa and Ranch type sauce.  Really good.  So good I ordered it again on our second day here.  My daughter loved the Grilled Cheese Sandwich and the Chicken Pesto Sandwich was really good too.  Could have gone without the Won Tons because the Taco Wrap filled me up.  The sandwiches are served with some really good french fries.  They are cooked to perfection and crunchy.

DRIFTWOOD BAR AND GRILL

DRIFTWOOD BAR AND GRILL OVERLOOKS POOL AND OCEAN ON KAUAI

WON TONS

FISH TACO WRAP

CHICKEN PESTO PANINI

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH WAS A WINNER

NAUPAKA TERRACE - KAUAI BEACH RESORT

NAUPAKA TERRACE

KAUAI BEACH RESORT 

The Kauai Beach Resort is just minutes from the Lihue Airport on Kauai.  The resort sits on the ocean and has beautiful pools, waterfalls and even a water slide.  The hotels restaurant is an indoor/outdoor space that overlooks the grounds and large swimming pool.  We have dined at the Naupaka Terrace many times.  Usually go for the Friday and Saturday night buffet. For around $30 you get an all you can eat buffet featuring seafood and usually a prime rib or steak entree.  This trip we enjoyed the Shrimp, Ahi Poke, Steamed Clams, Oysters and Head On Shrimp.  They also had some breaded and fried Mahi Mahi that I would not touch.  Not the best selections but you can tell that they are trying to do the best they can with what they have.  Sometimes they have King Crab Legs which make it much better.  Did not really enjoy this visit but the service and location were excellent.

NAUPAKA TERRACE

NAUPAKA TERRACE AT THE KAUAI BEACH RESORT

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SEATING AT NAUPAKA TERRACE

SHRIMP, AHI POKE, OYSTER AND CAESAR SALAD

HEAD ON STEAMED SHRIMP AND PAPAYA

STEAMED CLAMS

FILET OF SIRLOIN (PRIME RIB)

STINGER RAYS - HONOLULU AIRPORT

STINGER RAYS

HONOLULU AIRPORT

Stopped into Stinger Rays at the Honolulu Airport prior to our flight.  This is a good place for a beer or drink, but the food will not thrill you.  Service is always prompt and good here.  The staff does a great job making sure food and drink come out fast.  We tried the Stinger Hot Wings ($11.49).  These are good size Chicken Wings with a nice hot kick.  Recommend the Wings.  The Chili Nachos ($12.99) however were terrible.  Terrible chips, not much chili and just globs of salsa.  Stinger Rays serves a decent burger, fish sandwich and large hot dog.  This is not a place to get  healthy food, but if you want a cold beer or cocktail before your flight it does the job.

STINGER HOT WINGS

STINGERS CHILI NACHOS

RUBY TUESDAY

RUBY TUESDAY

HONOLULU, HAWAII 

The wife hit a pot hole on Honolulu's great streets.  Had to wait two hours for the repair at Sears.  Decided to have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays since it was close.  They had a special and offered Mini Burgers for $1 each.  The burgers were great.  Great deal for a buck. The kids meal mini burgers cost $6.49.  Same thing but with fries. Add $1.99 for the salad bar and it is $8.50 for the kids meal plus a buck for a drink.  We tried the Shrimp Diablo with Salad Bar ($20.48),  This was a spicy dish of pasta served with small shrimp in cajun spices.  The Salad Bar alone for me was $11.99.  There is no way I ate $12 worth of salad.  The $1 burgers were great but everything else just seemed too expensive.

$1 MINI BURGERS - YUMMY!

SHRIMP DIABLO

PADOVANI'S GRILL

PADOVANI'S GRILL

HONOLULU, HAWAII 

Had lunch at Padovani's in the La'Uraku building on Kapiolani Boulevard.  The company (Brigitte and Shelby) was much better than the food.  Our lunch started with a very good waiter who had to start the lunch off by telling us that they were out of half the items on the menu.  No Ahi, no shrimp, no this and no that.  Wow...I  thought, these guys need to go out and buy some food.  There ended up only being a few items to order.  Basically soup, salad, risotto and a Duck dish.  All three of us had the Onion Soup Gratinee ($10).  This dish really smelled foul when they brought it to the table.  The smell was from the cheese and reminded me of the back alleys of Chinatown.  The overwhelming smell kind of ruined the dish.  The soup however was not bad.  I had a Caesar Salad ($10) that was unlike any other I have ever had.  The salad had almost no parmesan cheese and a olive oil dressing that was not too good.  The girls both had an appetizer portion of the Risotto ($14).  Looked really bland to me but they seemed to like it. I liked the service since we were the only people in the restaurant besides one other couple.  Don't know if I would return to this place.  Definitely not for lunch.  UPDATE:  THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS

SHELBY AND BRIGITTE LOVE FUJITSU

ONION SOUP

CAESAR SALAD

MOTHERS DAY BREAKFAST

MOTHERS DAY 

BREAKFAST AT HOME

Mom insisted that we don't make her a big breakfast so I crafted up a fresh bowl of fruit with whipped creme and gave her the coffee drinks she loves.

MOTHERS DAY BRUNCH AT WHOLE FOODS

MOTHERS DAY BRUNCH AT WHOLE FOODS

HONOLULU, HAWAII 

Mom did not want to go out for brunch so we dined at Whole Foods for Mothers Day.  Had a slice of jalapeno and sausage pizza.  Mom went for the Tomato and Pesto slice.  Not bad.  Keli had a beef bowl with rice and vegetables.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET PIZZA LINE UP

JALAPENO AND SAUSAGE PIZZA SLICE

TOMATO AND PESTO PIZZA SLICE

BEEF BOWL WITH RICE AND VEGETABLES