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CITY FOR TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITES!

Monday, April 14, 2014

PAESANO RISTORANTE ITALIANO - MANOA

PAESANO RISTORANTE ITALIANO
HONOLULU, HAWAII

PAESANO RISTORANTE ITALIANO
MANOA MARKETPLACE
2752 WOODLAWN DRIVE
HONOLULU, HI  96822
808-988-5923
HOURS:  Monday thru Friday 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (LUNCH)
                Monday thru Sunday 5:00 PM - 9: 00 PM (DINNER)
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED

Paesano in Manoa has been around for over 20 years and I have been eating here for all twenty.  There are not many restaurants in Hawaii I can say that about.  I can also say that in twenty years, I have never had a bad meal here.  In fact Paesano is probably one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii.  For some reason our visits here have declined over the years and I don't know why.  After eating here the other night, I realized that we need to come back here more often and bring friends and family when they are in town.  My memories of Paesano run deep.  Back in the day some of my favorite waitresses worked here.  We used to come for dinner and stay until they kicked us out.   One was Maile who opened her own restaurant called Maile's Thai Bistro in Hawaii Kai.  Maile and the other gals at Paesano made us feel like family and we came back time and time again.  Going back now we don't know any of the staff but service is always consistently good.  When you arrive at Paesano you will be given a nice loaf of freshly baked bread with butter.  The bread at our table disappeared rather quickly.  It is delicious.  We always begin our meal with the Cold Antipasto Salad ($10.90).  In the past this was served with crisp Romaine Lettuce.  They now use a mixture of Romaine and that purple crap that is bitter.  I hate the purple lettuce and wish they would not use it.  The rest of the salad is delicious.  Love the pickled carrots, bell pepper and celery.  That alone makes a great salad.  Then you add the salami, cheese and anchovies along with a great vinaigrette and you have one of my favorite salads in Hawaii.  My daughter ordered the Lasagna with Meat Sauce ($21.90).  This is a large portion of Lasagna that she almost put away all by herself.  She loved the Lasagna.  The Veal and Shrimp Coriander ($29.90) was served with Pasta.  My wife asked for half pasta and half vegetables and the waiter quickly said "yes" for an additional $1.00.  The Shrimp were moist and full of flavor.  My wife loved the dish.  I enjoyed the Veal Scallopini ala Marsala ($20.90 Small Portion).  The "small" portion was huge and I only managed to eat half. The Veal was cooked to perfection and the dish was full of Marsala flavor.  The first few bites seemed a bit too salty but after getting into the pasta, mushrooms and sauce it all came together well.  Loved it.  The family shared the Chocolate Bomb for dessert.  Vanilla Ice Cream covered in chocolate.  Whats not to like about this.  I could eat a dozen of these chocolate balls.  They are awesome.  Still love Paesano in Manoa.  They have been doing it right for twenty years and I hope to be eating here for another twenty!  
TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITE!

PAESANO RISTORANTE ITALIANO

PAESANO IN MANOA IS A "GREAT" FAMILY RESTAURANT
PAESANO IS NOT TOO BIG SO MAKE A RESERVATION
LOVED THIS PAINTING ABOVE OUR TABLE AT PAESANO
RECOMMEND SHARING THE APPETIZERS WITH THE TABLE
PASTA AND CHICKEN DISHES
VEGETABLE OPTONS AND SIDE ORDERS 
PAESANO HOUSE SPECIALTIES
SEAFOOD SELECTIONS 
PAESANO CHEF SPECIALS
VEAL AND STEAK
FRESH BREAD AT PAESANO IS SERVED WARM AND FRESH
COLD ANTIPASTO SALAD IS A FAMILY FAVORITE
VEAL AND SHRIMP CORIANDER WITH LINGUINE AND VEGETABLES
LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE
VEAL SCALLOPINI ALA MARSALA
CHOCOLATE BOMB
CHOCOLATE COVERED VANILLA ICE CREAM 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

PHO VIET THIEN HONG

PHO VIET THIEN HONG
HONOLULU, HAWAII

PHO VIET THIEN HONG
MANOA MARKETPLACE
2756 WOODLAWN DRIVE #6-203
HONOLULU, HI  96822
808-988-8868
HOURS: Daily 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Looks like I have a new favorite Pho restaurant.  Pho Viet Thien Hong in the Manoa Marketplace has surpassed my favorite Pho served at Saigon's in Chinatown.  On a cool rainy day in Manoa we decided to venture upstairs at Manoa Marketplace to try the Pho at Pho Viet Thien Hong.  First off I was surprised at the size of the place.  Fairly large dining area and two stories with a full bar.  They also had a small stage where it looks like they may do some live music here.  The restaurant was a bit empty and there was a consistent bit of take out customers coming and going.  The young waitress brought us our large blue menus filled with plastic covered pages.  I went straight for some Spring Rolls ($6.50).  The Rolls were lighter than most we have had at other Vietnamese restaurants.  While they were good when rolled in lettuce and topped with some Hot Chili Sauce, you could not really taste what was inside the rolls.  I went for the Pho with Round Eye Steak and Fat Brisket ($7.50 Medium).   One spoonful of the broth and I was hooked on this stuff.  Great broth equal great Pho in my book.  It also helped that the Brisket was moist and flavorful too.  I really liked this place and will return to try more of Vietnamese food here.

PHO VIET THIEN HONG

PHO VIET THIEN HONG IS LOCATED UPSTAIRS IN THE MANOA MARKET PLACE
WORTH WALKING UPSTAIRS TO FIND PHO VIET THIEN HONG
LARGE TWO STORY RESTAURANT AND BAR
FULL SERVICE BAR AND LIVE MUSIC ON SELECTED NIGHTS
PHO VIET THIEN HONG MENU
LOTS OF LETTUCE WRAPS
SPRING ROLLS AND APPETIZERS
SALADS
OODLES OF NOODLES
RICE PLATES
EGG NOODLE DISHES 
STIR FRIED NOODLES
PHO MENU
SPECIAL PHO
GOTTA HAVE SOME HOT SAUCE
SPRING ROLLS WITH NOODLES, LETTUCE, MINT, CUCUMBER, CARROTS AND SAUCE
SPRING ROLLS 
LETTUCE, NOODLES, CUCUMBER AND HOT SAUCE
FOLD IT ALL UP AND ENJOY! 
PHO TAI GAU - NOODLE SOUP WITH EYE ROUND STEAK AND FAT BRISKET
PHO TAI BO VIEN - NOODLE SOUP WITH EYE ROUND STEAK AND MEAT BALLS
TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE PHO
PHO SERVED WITH BEAN SPROUTS, BASIL, LEMON AND JALAPENOS
THROW IN THE BEAN SPROUTS, JALAPENO AND BASIL.  ADD SOME HOT SAUCE TOO
NICE PIECES OF BRISKET

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

GRILLED OPAH

 GRILLED OPAH
DINNER AT HOME

Always like to check out Foodland's fresh fish selections.  They usually have some of the best fresh fish in Honolulu.  On this day, they had some great looking Opah for $9.99 per pound.  I bought three pieces for $12.30 total.  Hawaiian Opah has a bright red and orange color.  It is high in fat content and very meaty.  The natural sweet flavor maintains a firm texture through cooking.  I made a sauce using shallots, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, butter, cream and salt and pepper.  The sauce really added flavor to the the fish, potatoes and vegetables.  Tasted great with everything on the plate.  The sauce is simple.  Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and then place chopped shallots and garlic in the oil.  Cook until shallots are translucent.  Deglaze with white wine and reduce.  Add chicken stock and reduce again.  Add three tablespoons of butter and some cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I cooked the Opah on an Indoor Grill Pan for about three minutes on each side.  Finished cooking in a 350 degree oven for just six minutes.  Be careful not to overcook the Opah as it will get tough.  You want a nice pink in the middle when serving.  This was a really delicious dinner for three for well under $20.
Click links below for more Grilled Opah (Moonfish) recipes;
https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2017/04/grilled-opah-with-mushroom-garlic-cream.html
https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2016/09/grilled-opah-with-papaya-salsa_10.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2014/10/grilled-opah-moonfish.html
https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/10/fresh-island-opah-and-mahi-mahi-dinner.html

GRILLED OPAH

FRESH HAWAII OPAH
SALT AND PEPPER FISH AND COOK FOR AROUND 2-3 MINUTES ON BOTH SIDES.
FINISH IN THE OVEN FOR ABOUT 6 MINUTES ON 350 DEGREES.
SERVED WITH SHALLOT, GARLIC, BUTTER AND CREAM SAUCE
OPAH IS A FIRM AND MEATY FISH

Monday, April 7, 2014

GROUND BEEF TACOS

GROUND BEEF TACOS
DINNER AT HOME

O.K. I am a certified Taco Snob.  I eat them whenever possible and would NEVER order a Ground Beef Taco and cannot stand when restaurants serve them.  Never would consider a Ground Beef Taco as Mexican food.    We were at the store and I bought some fresh Opah fish that was pink and fresh.  Fresh fish tonight I told my daughter.  After a week in San Diego eating great Carne Asada and Shredded Beef Tacos my daughter said she wanted a Beef Taco.  That was all she had to say and I bolted over to the meat department.  With no time to make Shredded Beef or Carne Asada Tacos like they should be, I went for the Ground Beef.  Turned the Ground Beef into some pretty good tacos using recipe below.  These Tacos are no substitute for a real Shredded Beef or Carne Asada Tacos but they did hit the spot and satisfy our taco fix.

GROUND BEEF TACOS

FRESH PICO DE GALLO - TOMATO, ONION, CILANTRO, JALAPENO, LIME JUICE, SALT AND PEPPER
SAUTE SMALL ONION AND JALAPENO IN TWO TABLESPOONS OF OIL
TACO SEASONING MIX
ADDED 1.5 POUNDS OF GROUND BEEF TO ONIONS AND JALAPEÑO
ADDED TACO SEASONING MIX.  ADD SMALL AMOUNTS AT A TIME AND TASTE.  ADD MORE
TO SUIT YOUR TASTE
FINISHED GROUND BEEF IS READY FOR TACOS
HEAT VEGETABLE OIL AND THEN ADD CORN TORTILLA.  COOK ON BOTH SIDES
UNTIL FIRM BUT STILL PLYABLE
USING TONGS TURN TORTILLA TO MAKE TACO SHELL.  COOK UNTIL CRUNCHY 
TACO SHELL IS PERFECT.  ADD SALT IF YOU LIKE NOW
FILL TACO SHELL WITH GROUND BEEF 
NICE CRUNCHY BEEF TACO 
NOT A BAD GROUND BEEF TACO