GREAT EATS HAWAII

Thursday, March 5, 2015

RIB EYE STEAK

RIB EYE STEAK

DINNER AT HOME

Picked up two huge Rib Eye Steaks for $20 and enjoyed a steak dinner at home with my girls.

I polished off about 1/4 of one of the steaks and my girls split the other one. Served up with some Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Broccolini. Great little dinner for three for around $25. Not a bad deal and we have leftover steak for some breakfast burritos.

RIB EYE STEAK

RIB EYE STEAKS WITH GOOD AMOUNT OF SALT AND PEPPER

COOKED ON GRILL PAN FOR ABOUT 4 MINUTES PER SIDE

NICE GRILL MARKS AND READY FOR THE OVEN

ADDED A LITTLE BUTTER ALA RUTH'S CHRIS AND POPPED IN A 400 DEGREE OVEN

COOKED IN 400 DEGREE OVEN FOR 10 MINUTES AND THE STEAKS CAME OUT LOOKING SO GOOD

LET THE STEAKS REST

CHICKEN TERIYAKI STIR FRY

CHICKEN TERIYAKI STIR FRY

DINNER AT HOME

Looked into the refrigerator crisper and saw that we had a lot of vegetables that needed to be used. Checked the freezer and found some boneless skinless chicken thighs. Decided to mix everything up and make a Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry. I made a few mistakes here. Primarily not cooking the chicken all the way through the first time. My thought was to add it to the vegetables at the end and let it finish cooking. It did finish cooking, but in the process I overcooked the vegetables waiting for the chicken to cook through. Everything tasted fine but I wanted a little fresher and brighter look to the dish. Easy enough to fix the next time I make this delicious recipe. I used J.E.S. brand Ginger Teriyaki Sauce because we had half a bottle sitting in the refrigerator. This is a pretty mild tasting Teriyaki Sauce. Dish tasted great and we used up a lot of vegetables that may have gone to waste.

CHICKEN TERIYAKI STIR FRY

PRETTY MUCH EMPTIED OUR CRISPER OF VEGETABLES.

CUBED BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS AND THEN SEASONED THEM WITH SALT, PEPPER AND A KICKIN CHICKEN SPICY SEASONING

ADDED A LITTLE GINGER TERIYAKI SAUCE AT THE END

STARTED WITH A LITTLE HEATED OIL AND THEN ADDED GARLIC AND GINGER

ADDED THE CHICKEN

COOK CHICKEN THROUGHLY AND THEN REMOVE FROM PAN

I ADDED THE REALLY HARD VEGETABLES FIRST AND PUT IN SOME WATER TO CREATE STEAM

ADDED ONIONS, CARROTS AND CELERY

AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES I ADDED THE BELL PEPPERS

ADDED CABBAGE

STIR EVERYTHING UP

ADDED THE COOKED CHICKEN AND TERIYAKI SAUCE

KEEP STIRRING AND SEASON TO TASTE

Sunday, March 1, 2015

ITALIAN SANDWICH

ITALIAN SANDWICH

DEL DUCA GOURMET SELECTION VARIETY PACK

LUNCH AT HOME

I have been craving an Italian Sandwich for months and have eaten at three new Sandwich Shops in Honolulu in search of a good sub. Tried The Earl of Sandwich, Sprouts and Kaimuki Superette and they did not have anything that looked or tasted like an Italian Sub. Just last week I went into a place that has an Italian Sandwich on their menu and they told me it was not available on that day because they were out of the bread. I left disappointed once again and did not get my Italian Sub fix. At that point I decided to just make my own Italian Sandwich so while in Sam's Club I picked up Daniel Del Duca Variety Pack for $12.28. The Gourmet Selection included Capocollo, Prosciutto and Calabrese Salame. I also picked up some sliced Provolone Cheese. Created my own Italian Sandwich and it was GREAT! Better than any sandwich shop in Honolulu. I layered the three meats and cheese onto a fresh Deli Role and added Shredded Lettuce, local Hamakua Tomatoes, Dijon Mustard and Balsamic Dressing. I think the Balsamic Dressing is the key here. Really imparts a lot of flavor into the sandwich and makes it taste like the sandwiches I remember in New York and Chicago. Next time I will add Red Onion, Roasted Bell Pepper and Peppers to make it really authentic New York.

We made five 6" sandwiches with this package of meats which is around $2.50 per sandwich.

http://www.danielefoods.com/pages/cfHome.cfm

ITALIAN SANDWICH

GOURMET SELECTION CAPOCOLLO, PROSCIUTTO AND CALABRESE SALAME

MEATS ARE REALY FRESH AND DELICIOUS

HANDS DOWN BETTER THAN ANY SANDWICH SHOP I HAVE FOUND IN HONOLULU

ENTIRE FAMILY HAS A NEW FAVORITE SUB SHOP AND IT IS IN MY KITCHEN

ORCHID LANAI

ORCHID LANAI

HONOLULU, HAWAII

ORCHID LANAI

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

150 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD

HONOLULU, HI 96817

808-595-6331

www.oahucountryclub.com

Decided to take the entire family up to the Oahu Country Club one weekend to hit some golf balls on the driving range. Prior to hitting the range, we enjoyed a great lunch at the Orchid Lanai. The Orchid Lanai is an outdoor dining area located just off the main clubhouse. The Lanai features comfortable open air seating with a view of the course and downtown Honolulu. On a picture perfect day this was really one of the best places to be on Oahu. We started our meal with an order of Steamed Clams ($16.50). This was a huge bowl of plump little Clams served in a butter and white wine sauce. The Clams and broth were delicious. One of the first times ever that there were more Clams in the bowl than our family could eat. Loved the Steamed Clams big time. I ordered the small portion Turkey Cobb Salad ($9.50) and was not disappointed. The small portion was plenty big and included pieces of Avocado, Turkey, Bacon, Egg, Tomatoes and Cucumbers over Romaine Lettuce. Served with Louie Dressing and crumpled Blue Cheese. Salad was very good and filling. My Wife enjoyed the Oxtail Soup ($15) which was a Daily Special. She said it was really good and had better flavor than other places she has tried. My Daughter went for the Lau Lau Plate ($16.95). She loves Hawaiian food and especially the Lau Lau which is slowly steamed Pork wrapped in Taro and Tea Leaves. The Plate included a large bowl of Poi which is pounded Taro Root. I don't like the stuff but she ate a little bit of it. She finished off the piece of Mahi Mahi on the plate and also the Lomi Lomi Salmon which is small cubes of Salmon with Onion, Tomato and Green Onion. Service is always good out on the Orchid Lanai and if the weather is good and there is a nice breeze it is a comfortable and relaxing place to enjoy great food, drinks and the view. We finished our great lunch and jumped in a golf cart and hit the driving range.

ORCHID LANAI

ORCHID LANAI AT THE OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

COMFORTABLE OPEN AIR DINING AREA

THE VIEW FROM OUUR TABLE WAS BEAUTIFUL ON A CLEAR MARCH DAY

STEAMED CLAMS

OXTAIL SOUP

LAU LAU PLATE

UNWRAP THE LEAVES OF THE LAU LAU

STEAMED PORK INSIDE THE LAU LAU

SERVING OF POI AND LOMI LOMI SALMON

LAU LAU PLATE INCLUDED A PIECE OF MAHI MAHI AND RICE

SMALL PORTION TURKEY COBB SALAD

WIFE HITS THE DRIVING RANGE AT OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

Saturday, February 28, 2015

VIA GELATO

VIA GELATO

HONOLULU, HAWAII

VIA GELATO

1142 12TH AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI 96816

808-732-2800

HOURS: Tuesday thru Sunday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Closed Monday

www.viagelatohawaii.com

After eating dinner in Kaimuki we were walking back to our car and noticed Via Gelato. The place looked cool and there was a small line starting to form so we decided to jump in it and try this locally made Gelato. Turns out a local girl started this business after living in New York and traveling to Italy to research and eat a whole lot of Gelato. She returned to the Islands and started a small business in Kaimuki which from what I saw during our visit is on its way to success. There was a line out the door here by 6:30 pm on a Saturday night. A single young gal was behind the counter taking orders, scooping Gelato and ringing up the tab. She did her job with a big smile and was very efficient. Got people through the line with no drama and unbelievable speed for one person. We ordered small Chocolate Gelato's ($4) in a handmade cone. Loved the flavor and texture of the Gelato but it was a bit runny and melted quickly. Would have liked to have had it a bit more frozen.
I know, this is Gelato and not ice cream. It is supposed to be this way. Just saying.

Loved the look and feel of Via Gelato. Totally kid and family friendly with plenty of seating.

This is the kind of story and place I really want to see succeed so if you are in Kaimuki try Via Gelato.