LUCKY TO LIVE HAWAII
RAINBOW IN PARADISE
Blessed to live on one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Sunshine, rainbows, great golf and some of the nicest people on the planet. And great food too!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
W&M BAR-B-Q BURGERS
W&M BAR-B-Q BURGERS
HONOLULU, HAWAII
W&M BAR-B-Q BURGERS
3104 WAIALAE AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI 96816
808-734-3350
HOURS: Wednesday thru Friday 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday and Sunday 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
When Wilfred and Mary Kawamura (W&M) created their secret barbecue sauce in 1940, I don't think they realized that their hamburger stand which was originally located on Nuuanu Avenue would become a Hawaii institution and winner of many local Burger Awards. Back then the burgers sold for 19 cents and people lined up to enjoy them. W&M moved to its current home on Waialae Avenue in 1980 and is now owned by Walt and Joy Kunimitsu who guard the secret sauce recipe that is only known to a few. W&M Burgers is closed Monday and Tuesday. They have limited hours the days they are open so there is usually a line when you arrive. The biggest challenge to enjoying a W&M Burger is getting in and out of the parking lot. With only about eight parking stalls and one way in and out this place is easily passed up by motorists who do not want to deal with the parking. I cannot imagine how long the line would be if there were ample parking. At W&M, you order at the window and are given a number. Be prepared to wait. After you order step aside because there is only one ordering window and one pick up window. The lady behind the counter was super sweet and recognized my daughter from the Fujitsu commercials. "Look" she yelled to the entire staff. "The Fujitsu girl is here". We ordered the Royal Cheeseburger ($4.00). This is basically a Teriyaki Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, relish, mayo and ketchup. Not a bad burger. It is a bit thin and filled with Teriyaki taste. Really cannot taste the meat. I liked the fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. The entire family loved the French Fries ($2.10). Thin, crisp and tasty! This is mostly a takeout place as there is absolutely no seating. There is a small section where you can stand and eat on a counter.
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| W&M BAR-B-Q BURGERS |
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| W&M BAR-B-Q BURGERS ON WAIALAE AVENUE IN KAIMUKI |
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A FEW SPECIALS - ADD THE BACON! |
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| ORDER AT THE COUNTER AND PICK UP ON FAR SIDE |
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| ROYAL CHEESEBURGER |
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| ROYAL CHEESEBURGER WITH LETTUCE, TOMATO, ONION, RELISH, MAYO AND KETCHUP |
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| THE BURGER IS A BIT THIN AND FULL OF TERIYAKI FLAVOR |
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| REALLY GOOD LIGHT AND CRISPY FRENCH FRIES |
Saturday, July 6, 2013
ROY'S HAWAII KAI 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION
ROY'S
6600 KALANIANAOLE HIGHWAY
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96825
808-396-7697
HOURS: Monday thru Thursday 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Saturday 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Sunday 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
We have been enjoying 4th of July at Roy's Hawaii Kai every year since 2009. There is really no better place to enjoy the fireworks on Maunalua Bay if you want to eat and drink in style before, during and after the show. Roy's closes on the 4th and turns the restaurant into the ultimate backyard bbq party. Tickets this year were $65 for adults and $30 for children. The doors open at 5:00 PM and the fireworks begin promptly at 8:00 PM. When you enter Roy's vast property on the 4th, you can choose indoor or outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is great for the fireworks but there is not much shade from 5:00 to sunset. There is plenty of seating indoors at the lower bar area or upstairs dining room. Food tables are set up on the lawn fronting the restaurant and additional food stations are located upstairs in the dining room. You can mingle about inside and out and graze the food stations. This year they sold Aloha Brewing Company Beer outside for $5 a cup. You can also order beer, wine and other drinks from the bar or wait staff but this is not included with your admission. We brought our own wine and they charge a modest corkage fee. Kids can enjoy Root Beer Floats and Lemonade with their food at no additional cost. The food this year at Roy's was down a notch. Seems like there was less of a selection and they did away with the table service of appetizers where plates of fresh sashimi, shrimp and other finger foods were brought to your table by the staff. The sashimi and sushi this year were absolutely terrible. The Pad Thai Noodles were tasteless and the BBQ Beef Brisket was was too salty. They served very undercooked Baked Beans (still hard in middle) with Corn Tortillas. Not too many people at our table could figure that one out. Loved the Baked Mahi Mahi and Huli Huli Chicken. These were excellent dishes that were bursting with flavor. Once again the staff at Roy's was amazing. Always friendly, smiling and ready to assist our table in any way. Chef Roy Yamaguchi himself was here and he mingled happily with all the guests. I really respect Chef Roy. He is probably the most successful Chef in Hawaii history. His restaurant empire that started right here at this restaurant in Hawaii Kai has grown to 31 restaurants in the United States, Japan and Guam. My take on Roy's Hawaii Kai this 4th of July was that it is the best place to enjoy the fireworks on Maunalua Bay if you want to eat and drink in style. The food however this year was just a little less appetizing than previous years, but the staff made up for it with their great attitude and service.
Click links below to view more posts on Roy's 4th of July celebrations;
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| ROY'S HAWAII KAI 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION |
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| ROY'S TURNS THEIR FRONT LAWN INTO THE ULTIMATE BACKYARD 4TH OF JULY PARTY |
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| THE RESTAURANT IS CLOSED ON THE FOURTH OF JULY AND THEY SELL TICKETS FOR THE 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION. WARNING: THEY ALWAYS SELL OUT IN ADVANCE. BUY EARLY. |
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| OUR TABLE UNDER TREE OFFERS A GREAT VIEW BEFORE AND DURING THE FIREWORKS |
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| PORK BELLY BUN, SHRIMP SKEWER AND PAD THAI NOODLES |
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| BBQ RIBS, BEEF BRISKET AND CORN TORTILLA WITH BAKED BEANS |
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| MAC N' CHEESE, BAKED MAHI MAHI, CRAB CAKE, PAD THAI, SHRIMP SKEWER AND SASHIMI |
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| ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SUSHI I HAVE EVER TASTED |
Sunday, June 30, 2013
INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA
INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA
HONOLULU, HAWAII
INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA
WARD CENTER
1200 ALA MOANA BLVD
HONOLULU, HAWAII
808-375-1200
HOURS: Monday thru Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
EMAIL: info@infernospizzahawaii.com
UPDATE: Inferno's Pizza has moved and is now located at Tsunami's Waikiki
2260 Kuhio Avenue. Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00 PM - 3:30 AM.
Friday-Saturday 6:00 PM - 3:30 AM. Sunday 6:00 PM - 3:00 AM.
Hands down the best thin crust pizza on Oahu. Boy was I happy to find Inferno's Wood Fire Pizza has opened next to Ryan's on the second floor of Ward Center. The last time I had Inferno's Pizza was from a portable food truck and oven that they set up in a parking lot in Kalihi. See blog post link below. I liked the pizza years ago in the parking lot and now love it at their new location in the former space that was home to Paparazzi and Blue Moon Brewery. The entrance to Inferno's is a disaster. Looks like a road sign done with cheap paint and stencil. There is nothing to draw you into this space. In fact, looks so shabby you might want to walk away. It does not get much better when you enter. The place is pretty much a large black space with inexpensive tables and chairs and the standard Italian style plastic table cloths in white and red. We were here around 1:00 PM on a weekend and the place was completely empty except for one guy at the bar enjoying a beer. There was one waitress/bartender taking care of the entire restaurant. She was really nice to her only dining customers. This place has no atmosphere or decoration and could have been a bit cleaner. All of this meant nothing to me when the pizza arrived. I was totally into the flavor of the pizza and so happy to have found great thin crust pizza in Honolulu. We ordered the Margherita Pizza with local tomatoes and basil and fresh mozzarella ($14). Love the fact that you can taste every ingredient on the pizza. Just enough cheese and sauce plus the fresh tomato and basil make this a very light but satisfying pizza. The Pepperoni Lovers Pizza ($13) was ordered with Jalapeño and Onion which took the cost to $15. Wow....this was delicious. The Jalapenos really had some kick. Again the perfect amount of sauce and cheese. Not the 1/4" of cheese you get at the National Pizza Chains. This pizza delivers flavor and not mass. Love the thin lightly charred crust where you can taste the Kiawe Wood Fire. This to me is what makes the pizza. The combination of a great thin crust, tasty sauce, light amount of cheese and fresh ingredients make this my favorite pizza in Hawaii. There will be no Dominos or Pizza Hut in my future. Only Inferno's Wood Fire Pizza when it comes to eating pizza. Links below to past posts on Inferno's.
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| INFERNO'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA |
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| ENTRANCE IS NOT VERY INVITING. LOCATED NEXT TO RYAN'S ON 2ND FLOOR OF WARD CENTER. |
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| BAR AND INDOOR SEATING |
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| VERY SIMPLE SEATING AND NOT TOO MUCH ATMOSPHERE |
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| OUTDOOR SEATING ON THE DECK OVERLOOKING KAKAAKO |
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| LARGE WALL INSIDE INFERNO'S HAS SOME GREAT PAINTINGS |
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| WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO EAT PIZZA UNDER TONY MONTANA |
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| MARILYN IS HERE TOO |
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| CRUSHED RED PEPPER AND PARMESAN CHEESE |
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| HAND CRAFTED BEERS FROM HAWAIIAN ISLANDS BREWING COMPANY |
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| SIMPLE ONE PAGE MENU |
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| APPETIZERS AND SALADS |
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| PIZZA MENU |
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| THE HI BREW LAGER WAS A LITTLE BITTER |
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| MARGHERITA PIZZA |
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| MARGHERITA PIZZA WITH FRESH LOCAL TOMATO, BASIL AND MOZZARELLA |
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| MARGHERITA SLICE |
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| PEPPERONI LOVERS PIZZA WITH JALAPENO AND ONIONS |
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| JUST THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF CHEESE WITH LOTS OF JALAPENOS, ONIONS AND PEPPERONI |
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| PEPPERONI, JALAPENO AND ONION SLICE |
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| THIN AND CRUNCHY CRUST WITH JUST ENOUGH OF THE KIAWE WOOD CHAR |
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