CENTRAL BAKERY ITALIAN BISTRO

CENTRAL BAKERY ITALIAN BISTRO

4614 KILAUEA AVE

HONOLULU, HI  96816

808-777-6700

HOURS:  Monday thru Saturday 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

                 Now open 11:00 AM for Sunday Brunch

The old Wahoo's Taco location in Kahala has been totally transformed into a quaint little Bistro/Bakery with Japanese and Italian influences.  My first impression upon walking in the door was "wow".  What a great space.  Bright, clean and very neighborhood hip.  We entered to find the restaurant empty just after 11:00 am on a Sunday.  Turns out this was the first Sunday they have been opened.  We walked pass the bar and kitchen and saw an employee behind a dessert and bread counter.  She welcomed us with a big smile and then sat us at a table where she presented Brunch menus.  Going through the menu I could not figure out what the concept was here but then on the second page I saw Pasta which could mean Italian food.  But then there was the French stuff on the first page so I thought French/Italian?  Looking around the restaurant for the first time we loved the look and feel of the place.  The chalk boards, bread baskets, bread display and a cool clock built into the tile wall.  I got up at least three times and walked over to the bread counter to check out the fresh breads and baked goods that were coming out of the kitchen.  Everything looked so fresh and delicious.  Our waitress which was named Celina on the receipt was exceptionally nice and friendly.  Just a sweet person who seemed to like her job.  She recommended one of the French Sandwiches, Pasta Bolognese and then a salad.  We placed our order and then received a huge bowl of bread.  The waitress said to enjoy and this was a way we could try many of their breads with our meal.  The breads were served with butter and Olive Oil and Balsamic.  I reached for the Baguette and then another piece with chucks of fruit.  Delicious!  I was in bread heaven.  We ordered the Tartine ($14.00) with Salmon and Avocado, Grilled Vegetables and Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Tomato.  I enjoyed the Prosciutto Tartine the best.  Second favorite of the three was the Salmon and Avocado.  The only problem here was that after trying about 1/3 of each sandwich I was getting full of bread.  Ended up just eating the toppings of the last Vegetable Tartine.  The Bolognese ($22) was a hit with everyone at the table.  The Pappardelle Pasta was cooked perfectly and there was a ton of Oxtail and Beef in a very light tomato sauce.  Would definitely come back for another helping of the Bolognese. The Casse-creute Ham and Cheese Sandwich ($10) was served on a very hard Baguette but I really liked the flavors of the ham, cheese and mustard.  The Chicken and Avocado Salad ($16) was large and filled with fresh vegetables like Cauliflower, Broccoli, Asparagus and Zucchini.  The salad was made with Arugula and the bitter dark greens that readers of my blog know I hate.  There was a bit of Chicken and Avocado but really not that much.  My Wife felt that the "salad was missing something".

Finished our meal with the Tiramisu and it was super light and delicious.  Really good Tiramisu!

The entire family liked the waitress and restaurant.  The food was good and we will be going back real soon for dinner.  We also picked up some of the Brioche to take home.

CENTRAL BAKERY ITALIAN BISTRO

CENTRAL BAKERY IS LOCATED NEXT TO KAHALA MALL - FORMER WAHOO'S TACO LOCATION

CENTRAL BAKERY PATIO SEATING

THIS IS THE ONLY SIGN ON THE BUILDING THAT LETS YOU KNOW THIS IS A RESTAURANT

NOW OPEN FOR SUNDAY BRUNCH TOO

THERE IS NO SIGN AT THE ENTRANCE TO CENTRAL BAKERY

BRIGHT, CLEAN AND VERY COOL SPACE 

FRONT DINING ROOM

BACK DINING ROOM WITH BREAD AND DESSERT COUNTERS

REALLY NICE DINING AREA

LIKED THE WALL CLOCK BUILT INTO THE TILE

THE BREAD LOOKS AND TASTE AMAZING

SOME GREAT LOOKING BRIOCHE

FRESH BREADS SELL OUT DAILY WE WERE TOLD

ANTIPASTO

CENTRAL BAKERY MENU

DAILY SPECIALS

CENTRAL BAKERY MENU

CENTRAL BAKERY BRUNCH MENU

SALADS, PASTA AND ENTREES

THE BREAD BASKET WAS INCREDIBLE

BUTTER AND OLIVE OIL WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

TARTINE - FRENCH OPEN FACED SANDWICHES

PROSCUITTO, MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO

CAPONATA - FRESH VEGETABLES WITH CHEESE

SALMON AND AVOCADO

BOLOGNESE WITH OXTAIL AND GROUND BEEF

CASSE-CREUTE BAGUETTE SANDWICH WITH HAM, CHEESE AND MUSTARD

MELTED CHEESE, MUSTARD AND HAM ON BAGUETTE

CHICKEN AND AVOCADO SALAD

TARIMISU

FILMING NEW FUJITSU TELEVISION COMMERCIAL - "READY TO PARTY"

"READY TO PARTY"

FILMING NEW FUJITSU TELEVISION COMMERCIAL

With a major beverage company making us take my Coolest Man in the World commercial off the air, we had to come up with a sequel that would be even better than the first one.  I turned to Greg Davis at KHON Channel 2 in Honolulu and presented him with a storyboard and script that brings back the Coolest Man in a very humorous way.  The idea was to bring together some really good looking girls and guys and film the spot on the beach.  We began by casting the girls with the help of Larson Talent in Honolulu.  Three of the four girls were contracted through Larsen Talent.  We actually did a casting call at KHON where about nine girls modeled in their bikinis.  It was a tough day choosing the models for this spot but I endured and did it for my company.  The fourth girl (Monica) is a friend who I thought we be perfect for the part.  It took some time to get her to commit to being in the commercial, but in the end she did.  For the men, I turned to Rich Miano who introduced me to Royce Mori.  Rich also reached out to Leonard Peters who was in a previous Fujitsu commercial.  Leonard is extremely handsome and he has the body I wish I could have.  I knew that the ladies watching this commercial would love him.  Our final actor also came from Larson Talent.  His name is Tommy Hackett.  Tommy is a National and International model who just completed a major campaign for Hollister.  He is also on his way to sign with a major European brand which will kick start his modeling career into another level.  Tommy lives on Maui and flew to Honolulu to do the shoot.  On the day of the shoot we set up a tent at Ala Moana Beach Park.  This served as a make-up department, lounge and dining room.  Started the day with a little champagne along with breakfast.  We asked the girls what they wanted for lunch and they picked Pizza and Sushi.  My faithful assistant Greg Thomas delivered the Pizza and Sushi right after the shoot was completed.  Filming was a breeze with Greg Davis, John Veneri and crew taking control of each shot.  We had to stop filming several times due to jack hammering, helicopters, sirens and a guy who took three ten minute showers directly behind where we were filming.  The girls and guys were all fun and relaxed.  There was absolutely no attitude on this set.  What a delightful day!  View the video of the making of this commercial below.  My sincere thanks to the cast and crew who made this so much fun.  Stay tuned for the final commercial coming soon from KHON. UPDATE:  See new commercial below.

Visit www.ilovemyfujitsu.com to view all of our Fujitsu commercials.

CLICK TO WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO

MONICA HAMADA

NICOLE FONG

DANIELLE WHITMANN

KEALA PATTERSON

LEONARD PETERS

TOMMY HACKETT

ROYCE MORI

THE COOLEST MAN IN THE WORLD

THE BEACH BEAUTIES

THE BEEF CAKE 

THE ENTIRE CAST OF "THE BEACH" 

GET A SNEAK PEAK OF THE NEW COMMERCIAL HERE

SMOKED MARLIN SANDWICH

SMOKED MARLIN SANDWICH

DINNER AT HOME

Many years ago I was sitting next to the pool bar at a hotel in Bali, Indonesia.  There was a chalkboard sign on the bar that advertised Smoked Marlin Sandwiches.  I ordered one along with a cold beer.  When the sandwich arrived I opened it up and found Smoked Marlin, red onion, capers and horseradish on a buttered roll.  I took one bite and was in love with this sandwich.  Ended up eating one every single day of my trip.  I returned to Hawaii wanting to make these great tasting sandwiches at home.  Normally I pick up Smoked Marlin on trips to the Big Island of Hawaii where you can find it in the supermarkets.  On Oahu, I am lucky to have a customer that smokes his own Marlin when they get a good catch.  He sells the fish for $10 per bag.  So happy to make this sandwich again.  It is so delicious and probably one of my favorite sandwiches of all time.  Try this recipe and you will be hooked!

SMOKED MARLIN SANDWICH

   

ROLLS, RED ONION BUTTER, GARLIC SPREAD, HORSERADISH, CAPERS AND SMOKED MARLIN

DELICIOUS SMOKED MARLIN 

BUTTER AND GARLIC SPREAD ON ROLLS

PLACE BREAD ON COOKIE SHEET AND BAKE AT 400 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES

SPREAD HORSERADISH ON BOTH SIDES OF ROLL

TOP WITH SMOKED MARLIN, RED ONION AND CAPERS 

GREAT TASTING SMOKED MARLIN SANDWICH

SUMMER'S LAVADOGS

SUMMER'S LAVADOGS

1020 AUAHI STREET

HONOLULU, HI  96814

808-699-0008

HOURS:  Tuesday thru Saturday 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM

                 Closed Sunday and Monday

Cruising by Ward Avenue around lunch time and saw Summer's LavaDogs tucked back behind Sports Authority and adjacent to StarBucks.  Not having much time, me and a colleague parked the car and took a look at the menu at LavaDogs.  The Chicago Style Dog ($5.25) caught my eye because it included jalapeños.  Done deal after seeing that so I ordered one.  My Dog was ready in just a few short minutes and I dug in.  First off I tasted a lot of mustard but there was onions, jalapeños, tomatoes and sauerkraut on a warm and fresh bun.  As I took a few bites nothing really stuck out about the Dog that would make me crave another one.  I like it when you can taste each ingredient separately and then all together.  This Dog lacked the big flavor explosion I was hoping for.  The toppings were really overpowered by the mustard and that is all I really tasted.  The Sauerkraut was pretty tasteless.  Not a bad Dog but just not great.  

SUMMER'S LAVADOGS

SUMMER'S LAVADOGS

SUMMER'S LAVADOG MENU

CHICAGO STYLE DOG WITH MUSTARD, TOMATO, ONIONS AND SAUERKRAUT