Honest reviews of Hawaii restaurants and travel experiences from the Santos family in Honolulu, Hawaii. Please join to follow this blog and leave comments about the places you read about.
Click on "Older Posts" at the bottom of each page to continue your adventure. This blog is for fun only. I am not a food critic. Just call em' like I eat em'. Enjoy!
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I have been a lover of Yanagi Sushi for well over twenty years. It is an institution among Sushi lovers in Honolulu and has not changed one bit over the centuries. Consistently good food and service. On this visit we enjoyed the Lunch Menu which did not include much Sushi. See link below for a visit to the Sushi Bar. We sat at one of the booth type tables in the back and were greeted by a very friendly waitress who engaged our table with compliments about how beautiful my Daughter was throughout our meal. I explained that me and my Daughter are twins and thanked her :).
As water was poured and drink orders taken a small plate of appetizers consisting of Shrimp, Bean Sprouts and Edamame for each of us was placed on table. Along with this was a plate of Pickled Cabbage and Ginger. These were nice little snacks that fueled my hunger. The menu at Yanagi is quite large and when you go through the menu there are dozens of things you want to order. This is the perfect place to visit to eat family style to enjoy a wide variety of dishes. I went with the Special Combination Lunch Set Menu ($22.45 Plus $3.00 upgrade for Butterfish) The meal started with a nice crisp salad with a Thousand Island type dressing. This was followed by a steaming hot cup of Miso Soup that was so delicious. I left a small amount of soup in my cup and my Daughter finished it off after finishing all of her soup. The Butterfish Miso-yaki was incredible. The light buttery moist fish was cooked to perfection and charred on the skin. This would make a kid that doesn't eat fish become a fish lover in minutes. Highly recommend the Butterfish here. Along with the Butterfish I enjoyed Chicken Teriyaki. The Chicken was moist and full of Teriyaki Flavor. Really delicious with the perfectly cooked rice. My Daughter ordered a Three Piece Combination Lunch ($27.45 Plus $3.00 upgrade for the Butterfish. She finished the Butterfish in what seemed liked seconds after devouring an entire California Roll. She was getting full but was able to finish off the Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura with a little help from Mom and Dad. The Donburi Unagi Don ($25.95) was served in an attractive Japanese box and when opened revealed two large filets of tender Teriyaki glazed Eel with rice. Everyone at the table said that this dish was satisfying and delicious. Yet another happy experience at Yanagi Sushi. You really cannot go wrong here.
Click link below for another post on Yanagi Sushi;
Playing a round of golf at one of my favorite Oahu courses in Ko'Olina led me to Pizza Corner. This New York Style Pizza restaurant is located across from the Aulani and Fairmont resorts and across the street from Monkeypod Kitchen and the ABC store in Ko'Olina. We wanted to have a quick lunch prior to our round so I called Pizza Corner in advance and ordered our pizza and salads and requested they be ready at a specific time. A nice gal named Sarah took my order and payment over the phone and when we arrived our pizza was coming out of the oven. We were seated outside on a beautiful bright and sunny Ko'Olina day and our food was brought to the table along with the receipt to sign. The Antipasto Salad ($4.75) was a nice fresh salad with crisp Romaine Lettuce, Salami, Pepperoni, Tomato, Cucumber and Mozzarella Cheese. This was a very good salad for the price. Served with a store bought dressing out of a tube that was not bad but a fresh homemade dressing would have been better. The Corner Combo Pizza ($25) was loaded with Salami, Pepperoni, Sausage, Onions, Bell Pepper, Mushrooms and Olives. Nice size Pizza with a thin and crispy crust cooked to perfection. I liked the flavor and taste of the Pizza but the sauce was a bit weak. Did not really shine through and make this a Pizza I would crave. The Hawaiian Style Pizza ($25) with Ham and Pineapple was also loaded with toppings. They do not scrimp here and the toppings are fresh. Pizza Corner does not overload the Pizza with too much cheese which to me is a good thing. Liked this Pizza too but just wanted a little more sauce flavor to come through. I requested Jalapeños on the side ($2.50) and received a large container of them. More than enough to cover the two pizzas and delicious. Overall I really liked the Salad and Pizza at the Pizza Corner and will return again and recommend. While we were eating outside on the patio the owner who's name is Frank visited our table to see how we liked the Pizza and chat a bit. He let us know that this was a BYOB restaurant and we should return again with some beer or wine. Very nice guy. Also nice to take a few slices to the golf course and have some to snack on during the back nine.
PIZZA CORNER
Ko Olina Poke Pizza Dish Wins Big At International Competition
Pizza Corner’s executive chef Jerome LaSorba II (left) and owner Frank Mento with their award-winning poke pizza at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas. Photo from Frank Mento.
Ko Olina’s Pizza Corner unveiled its Original Hawaiian Poke Pizza just a few months ago, and the signature creation is already winning awards.
The popular pie took first place in the regional division of the non-traditional pizza category at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas. The contest was held March 26-28 as a part of the 30th annual Pizza Expo. From there, Pizza Corner moved into the finals, where it won third place overall for its category.
“We went up there with the intention of trying to represent Hawaii the best way we could,” explained Frank Mento, who co-founded Pizza Corner with cousin Helen Savio-Godwin. “I was thrilled when they called our name. It was really kind of surreal.”
As far as Mento was concerned, after all, the idea for a poke pizza started as just a little office humor. When discussing possibilities for local style pizzas with executive chef Jerome LaSorba II, Mento jokingly threw out the idea to create a poke pizza. Fortunately, LaSorba was up to the challenge, and a few weeks later, he was back with the winning concoction.
The Original Hawaiian Poke Pizza features hand-made dough (all pizza doughs at Pizza Corner are hand-tossed) baked with extra virgin olive oil and furikake. When the pie comes out of the oven, a tomato lomi salsa (comprised of red onions, Roma tomatoes, cilantro and Hawaiian salt) is applied generously. Finally, on goes the poke that has been lightly marinated in LaSorba’s original sauce. They top it all off with green onions and sesame seeds.
“The nice thing about this poke pizza is that it is fairly healthy and it is fairly light,” Mento pointed out.
The idea for Pizza Corner, which turned 1 year old on Saturday, came when Savio-Godwin and Mento noticed the rapid growth that Ko Olina was going through. Mento had previously worked a string of restaurant jobs, including serving as food and beverage director at Honolulu Club and owning a soft-serve dessert shop.
“Once Aulani opened up – seeing all those families with children – I thought pizza could work out here,” recalled Mento, who is originally from New York. “We both saw that the future here was nothing but growth.”
The restaurant serves traditional New York-style pizza, but it’s also beefing up its local-style menu, which currently includes the Kalua Pork, which features pork with mango salsa and mango chutney.
“What (LaSorba) has done with chutney on here is just killer,” Mento declared. “Sweet and spicy. It’s a little dance party in your mouth for your taste buds.”
LaSorba stays busy in the kitchen whipping up a whole slew of pizzas to add to his Hawaii-inspired menu, including a chicken char siu pizza and a seafood pizza with lobster cream sauce.
“I think there’s a missing gap here,” Mento added. “The chain pizza places here are never going to do anything that is really local style. There is a real good opportunity here. We have a traditional pizza for people that want that, and then we also do something that is very different.”
Pizza Corner is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 380-4626.
CATEGORIES
PIZZA CORNER IN KO'OLINA
TAKE OUT OR DINE IN
PIZZA CORNER MENU
SALADS, APPETIZERS, SUBS, PASTA AND RIBS
PIZZA CORNER PIZZA MENU
LUNCH SPECIALS MAKE THIS PLACE POPULAR WITH LOCAL CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
ANTIPASTO SALAD
CORNER COMBO PIZZA
HAWAIIAN STYLE HAM AND PINEAPPLE PIZZA
PIZZA CORNER IS LOCATED NEXT TO KO'OLINA GOLF COURSE
NOT A BAD PLACE TO ENJOY A SLICE OF PIZZA
GOLF, PIZZA AND BEER - WHAT A GREAT COMBINATION!
THE 18TH HOLE AT KO'OLINA GOLF COURSE RECOMMEND YOU HIT PIZZA CORNER BEFORE OR AFTER YOUR ROUND
ALA MOANA SHOPPING CENTER
1450 ALA MOANA BLVD
HONOLULU, HI 96814
808-946-82226 www.senorpepehawai.com
It's pretty sad when you have to go to the mall to get Mexican food because there are no good Mexican restaurants in Honolulu. I like Alejandro's in Kalihi but they are closed on Sunday.
Señor Pepe actually does a pretty good job with their Tacos. I have not tried much else on the menu here. On this visit we went with Carne Asada Tacos w/Three Sides ($11.89) and Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos w/Three Sides ($11.89). I picked my three sides; Cole Slaw, Refried Beans and Mexican Rice.
I was surprised that the Tacos came out as a plate with the Tortillas wrapped in foil. This turned out to be good because the Tortillas were kept warm and the Carne Asada did not soak through the Tortillas. Also surprised to see all the condiments served with the Carne Asada. There was Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Guacamole plus you have your choice of around six different Salsa's that go from mild to Habanero HOT! There is a small Salsa Bar where you can fill containers with as much Salsa as you want. I went with four different heat levels and liked the Hot mixed with Habanero the best. The Habanero alone was just too hot. The Carne Asada is good and there was enough to fill four Corn Tortillas. I liked the Grilled Onions in the Carne Asada and it added another layer of flavor to the tacos. The fresh Cilantro was a nice touch. Pretty good tacos and I had no complaints. Could not finish my plate though. Just too much food for me. The Rice and Beans were both good and the Cole Slaw with a light Chipotle Sauce is delicious. The Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos were also good. I peeled off some of the batter and found bright white fresh Mahi Mahi that was well seasoned. The Fish Tacos came with tortilla chips which I absolutely loved with the Hot Salsa.
SENOR PEPE IS LOCATED IN THE ALA MOANA SHOPPING CENTER FOOD COURT
SENOR PEPE MENU
TACOS, BURRITOS, ENCHILADAS, QUESADILLA'S , FAJITAS, TAMALES AND MORE
HARD AND SOFT TACOS
FRESH SIDES AT SENOR PEPE
RICE, BEANS AND POTATOES
TWO FISH TACOS WITH THREE SIDES
FISH TACOS FEATURE BREADED MAHI MAHI
FISH TACOS CAME WITH FRESH TORTILLA CHIPS
CARNE ASADA TACOS WITH THREE SIDES
CARNE ASADA TACOS COME WITH SALSA, SOUR CREAM AND GUACAMOLE
GUACAMOLE WITH CARNE ASADA
FOUR WARM FLOUR OR CORN TORTILLAS COME WITH THE CARNE ASADA
CARNE ASADA TACO WITH SOUR CREAM, GUACAMOLE AND HOT SAUCE
REALLY LIKE THE VARIETY OF FRESH SALSA AT SENOR PEPE. HERE IS HOT, MEDIUM, HABANERO AND HOT/HABANARO MIX
