foodie friday
June 16, 2017
Travel Guide: Quick and Dirty Guide to Waikiki
1 & 2 Honolulu Coffee Company | 3., 4 & 5 Tommy Bahamas | 6 & 7 Kona Coffee Purveyors | 8 & 9 Marukame Udon | 10 The Street | 11 Maui Brewing Company | 12 House Without a Key | 13 Island Vintage Coffee | 13 Leonard's Bakery
The husband and I have now traveled enough times to Oahu and stayed in Waikiki to develop our favorite places to eat, drink, and shop. Actually, the husband been more than me, since he traveled to the island for work (I know lucky him!). So we (yes WE) compiled a list of our favorite places in Waikiki for you!
COFFEE
Kona Coffee Purveyors
330 Kalakaua Avenue, Space 160, Kuhio Street Mall Entrance, Honolulu, HI 96815
We found this place on most recent trip. It's at the entrance of the new International Market place on Kuhio avenue. It's a small shop that offers indoor and outdoor seating. This became our go to for morning coffee and pastries.
Heather Recommends: almond pineapple croissant, cold brew
Honolulu Coffee Company
2365 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
This place is just a must when in Waikiki. They a couple of locations (all locations here), but the one we typically go to is located right by the Moana Surf Rider. Sadly, I didn't know they had just opened a roasting center that people can tour. If you are a coffee person like me I would recommend checking it.
Island Vintage Coffee
2201 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
This is the husband's favorite place and it's easy to see why. They not only offer a lengthy list of drinks (including lattes like the Island Latte and none coffee blends like Taro Frappe) but a breakfast and lunch menu. Plus, the shop itself in the Royal Hawaiian Center is super adorable and offers a lot of great gifting options to bring home. They too also have a number of locations, check them out here.
Heather Recommends: Ice Coffee
The Husbands Recommends: Acai Bowl, Drip Coffee
EAT & DRINK
Tommy Bahamas
298 Beach Walk, Honolulu, HI 96815
So little off the hustle and bustle of Kalakaua Ave. you will find a quite calmer street that houses Tommy Bahamas, Hardrock, Bills, and my favorite surf shop HIC Surf. On the first floor you will find the Tommy Bahamas shop then on the second floor is the huge airy dining space with big windows, large bamboo ceiling fans, and beautiful colorfully art work on the walls. There is even a roof deck that looks out onto Kalakaua Ave. and has little beach with fire pits. The food here is amazing and so are the drinks. If you are looking for a more upscale with a relaxed atmosphere, Tommy Bahamas is your place. Or just come for cocktails on the roof.
Heather Recommends: Pina Colada, Coconut Shrimp, don't skip the butter with the bread
The Pig and the Lady
83 N King St, Honolulu, HI 96817
I have yet to go to The Pig and the Lady. This is a hugely popular place, that reservations are a MUST. Actually this place is so popular that the owners opened another smaller place call Piggy Smalls. Anyway, the husband has been here a couple of times and loves it.
The Husbands Recommends: Pho, and any daily specials - plus cocktails!
Yard House
226 Lewers Street, #l148, Honolulu, HI 96815
If you are a beer drinker, Yard House is a MUST. They have an extensive draft list including LOTS of local beers. One of my favorite things about the Yard House is that they let you taste test beers prior to having to actually buy a beer. Also they can help recommend beers to you. Also they have flights of beers which are called the 6-packs. They even have a "local six pack" with a variety of local beers they have on tap. This is always our first stop when we get to the island. I need my island beer fix, plus the food is spot on.
We Recommend: Truffle Burger (sub the regular fries with the truffle fries it's more $ but worth it), Kona Koko Brown
Maui Brewing Company
2300 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
New to us this trip was the Maui Brewing Company bar/restaurant. This place was in the same location as the stuffy Jimmy Buffet's. This place is HUGE and open...and lively. If you are looking for a quite affair you won't find it here. If you are coming for good brews and food then this is your place. They don't have flights yet BUT they do allow for you to try taste test two beers so the husband and I got two each to make a little flight of our own. We also split two apps and one entree (tapas style!). They even have a shuffleboard and foosball table in the back that you can play while you wait for a table or if play if your just boozing.
Heather Recommends: Pineapple Mana, Okinawan Tater Totes (they are taro tater totes!)
The Husband Recommends: Lahaina Town Brown, Fresh Mahi Tacos
House Without a Key
located at the Halekulani Hotel -- 2199 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI 96815
Halekulani Hotel is a five star hotel with beautiful dining and views of the ocean. Hands down, House Without a Key has the best Mai Tais and coconut cake. Whenever we are in Waikiki we go here just for the drinks and coconut cake. Plus, at night they typically have local music and hula dancing on the patio. So you get to enjoy a show, a drink, and the best damn coconut cake.
We Recommend: Going at sunset and getting the coconut cake and mai tai. If you are not dining in and just there for drinks and dessert, do tell them, they have seating on the patio (best view in my opinion) for those not dining in.
Leonard's Bakery
933 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816
Leonard's Bakery is a staple in Honolulu. When on a Oahu you have to stop here and get malasadas. What are malasadas? Malasadas are Portugese doughnuts without a whole. They are light and fluffy covered in sugar! I mean these things are balls of HEAVEN.
The Street
inside the International Marketplace
The Street is a like a fancy cafeteria. It's a great place if you are with someone that wants different things or with a group. They have everything from poke to burgers. We came here twice for lunch first time both the husband and I got food from the International Smoke. I got the wagyu beef, mac and cheese, and potato salad. And of course a Hawaiian role. The mac and cheese and beef were both so good. The salsa they top on the beef along with the salt make the beef flavor pop. Plus, we both got a drink from Kai Poke. We were told it was similar to a Mai Tai and could get any liquor we wanted in it so of course with that we went with a rum...To both of us it was more of a margarita so go with a tequila. Second time we went the husband got Raman and I ordered from Maui Onion Burger. Since this place was still new Maui Onion Burger didn't have regular sized burger buns (they have two sizes regular and massive burger size) I opted for a chicken sandwich. Which was good. And got beers from the beer bar.
We Recommend: International Smoke, the Spam can drink from Kai Poke (with tequila!)
Marukame Udon
2310 Kuhio Ave #124, Honolulu, HI 96815
Another one of the husbands picks. This casual Japanese restaurant specializes in Sanuki-style Udon. You can't go wrong with any of the handmade cool or warm udon dishes. The husband's personal favorite is their Niku Udon: a traditional broth with a light fish and seaweed taste, topped with sweet beef and caramelized onions. Did we mention they're handmade noodles? Daily. Walk down Kuhio Avenue and you'll see the noodle-making process in Marukame's open kitchen. With nearly 6,000 Yelp reviews, you'll often see lines outside - especially around lunch and dinner. It's worth the wait, which usually isn't too long with fast moving lines and plenty of counter seating.
The Husband Recommends: Niku Udon with a soft-boiled egg and tempura
SHOPPING
The Refinery
Lewers Street between Kalakaua Ave & Kalia Road
Another new ones to us was The Refinery. This cute little general store has lots of little gems. Perfect little keepsakes to take home with you or give as souvenirs. This little shop reminded me of Brooklyn but filled with beachy themed items.
Greenroom Hawaii
International Market Place 2330 Kalakaua Ave. #294 Honolulu, HI 96815
If you are looking for different type of souvenirs this is the place. The Greenroom has lots of affordable prints and art work from local artist. The husband and I went home with four prints from artist from Nick Kuchar. Now we have a theme for our bedroom. I can not wait to get frames to hang our pieces.
HIC Surf Hawaii Island Creations
280 Beach Walk #105, Honolulu, HI 96815
My favorite surf shop in Waikiki is HIC. This store has all the surf companies like Hurley, Roxy, Viacom, etc. under one roof. Plus, I have been able to find items in this shop that I can't find in their individual stores. If you are looking for a Hawaiian themed top or some new swim suits come check out this shop first. I've always been able to walk into this shop and leave with something.
Malibu Shirts
2335 Kalakaua Ave
Don't be fooled by the name, Malibu Shirts specializes in vintage Hawaiian designs which offers something different to take home with you. This is a small shop that offers soft vintage tee designs...that even come with a story attached to the tag. I love that with Malibu Shirts you are able to take home a part of Polynesian history with you.
Honolua Surf
Hilton Hawaiian Village
Looking for a Hawaiian surf company? Honolua Surf is your place. They are named after the mystical bay found on the western part of Maui. Their focus is on those who spend their time at the ocean. This is the shop for authentic Hawaiian surf gear.
Honolulu Cookie Company
multiple locations
Yes Honolulu Cookie Company is super touristy...but the cookies are so good! Plus, seriously they make the perfect souvenir to bring back to the office or to your family. This is a must stop for the husband and I. We always buy for our offices and a box for ourselves. My favorite flavors are chocolate coconut and espresso.
January 27, 2017
Fitness Friday: Easy Coffee Protein Smoothies
With the start of the New Year I restarted using MyFitnessPal to not only count calories but to really focus on my macros. This year I'm focusing on more weight training and lifting heavier which means a leaner me...which also means a higher lean protein diet, more veggies, fruit, and natural starches. I'm not exactly cutting out my pleasures of bread and pasta, just trying to eat less of it. Anyway, I began to notice that I wasn't getting enough protein in my diet. I'm not a huge breakfast person or care much for eggs so going without protein in the mornings was lowering my intake. Quick fix. Protein Smoothies. I've been playing with different types of smoothies but I found one that has my all time favorite thing COFFEE. This quick and easy Coffee Protein Smoothie is not be used a meal replacement but something to go along with something like oatmeal and other lighter breakfasts.
EASY COFFE PROTEIN SMOOTHIES
Ingredients:
1 cup of cold coffee (I make coffee the night before and put it int the fridge to chill)1/4 cup of Coconut Almond Milk (vanilla almond milk also works)
1 scoop of Vanilla Protein (I use Isopure Vanilla Creme Protein Powder -- this has ZERO carbs)
1 cup of ice
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass or your blender bottle to go. Enjoy!
This smoothie to me taste like a Vanilla Frapp! It's the perfect way for me to get my caffeine fix and protein in in the mornings. I drink this before leaving for work and once I get there I have my breakfast. It's especially perfect for those mornings where I'm starving, so it holds me over until I get to work.
What are some of your favorite smoothies?
July 8, 2016
Foodie Friday: Quick & Easy Sugar Cookie Trifle
Sometimes mistakes make you have to think on your feet and you end up creating something pretty damn good. My husband and I had this idea of creating sugar cookie strawberry cups using Pillsbury sugar cookie dough. Well not fully thinking this through when I pulled out the muffin tin and let them sit they started to fall apart. I hadn't thought about the consistency of the dough holding up. I already had used a whole roll and a half of dough, so I didn't want to toss it all out and buy new dough and to do a sheet. With some quick thinking on my part, I switched it up to a trifle. Okay more like a "trifle" since we are not fancy and don't actually have a trifle bowl. Either way it worked out PERFECTLY!
This is the perfect quick summer dessert for backyard BBQs or pool parties.
January 29, 2016
Foodie Friday: Hot Chocolate Cookies
Hot Chocolate Cookies
1 and 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
4 packages (or 3/4 cups) hot cocoa mix (I used 4 packs of Swiss Miss hot coco)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 cup Mini Marshmallows (or you can use the mini marshmallows from your hot coco mix)
Step 1. Mix butter, sugar, and brown sugar into a bowl until light and fluffy. Then mix in eggs and vanilla.
Step 2. Slowly mix in your flour in your mixture.
Step 3. Mix in hot coco powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder into the batter. This batter is like a sugar cookie batter so it's pretty crumbly so you might want to use your hands to mix everything together. If doing chocolate chips, mix them into your batter.
Step 4. Refrigerate for about an hour.
Step 5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Step 6. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter and roll into a ball. Place onto cookie sheet and use your thumb to create a thumbprint in the dough. You should be able to fit 2 to 3 mini marshmellows in this space.
Step 7. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until lightly gold brown on the bottom (marshmallows should also have a nice golden toasted color)
Step 8. Enjoy!
These cookies were the perfect little snack while we binge watching Making a Murder. And definitely fulfilled my craving for something s'more like. If you are looking for something super chocolatey I would suggest to use chocolate chips and a richer hot chocolate mix (maybe something like Godiva or Ghiradelli hot chocolate mix). The best part about this recipe is that it's stuff that you most likely have in your pantry already.
January 15, 2016
Foodie Friday: Pesto Pizza
If you don't love pizza...then I don't think we can be friends. Maybe it's because I'm from New York, but pizza is one of those foods that I could live off of. My husband and I have resolute this year to eating better and also cooking in more. This past weekend we successfully did not order out! We made dinner together Saturday evening and on Sunday I took my own little twist on pizza...Pesto Pizza.
I've made a lot of pizza in my day...Never made dough from scratch, though I've used all different sorts of crust: Pillsbury Pizza Crust, Boboli Pizza Crust, etc. But by far the best one that I've used is from Fresh Direct. The husband and I have been ordering from Fresh Direct for a few months now and this was my first time ordering their frozen pizza dough. To be honest I was skeptical about this dough but this...this is legit. They come in packs of four and you can easily do small personal pizzas or a medium size pizza. I've learned that I think next time I would do 2 small personal pizzas for husband and I. This dough is way easier to use then the Pillsbury and comes out like a real thin crust pizza.
PESTO PIZZA
Ingredients:- Pizza Dough
- Pesto Sauce
- Olive Oil
- Mozzarella cheese
- Flour* (depending on what type of dough you use)
***If you are using frozen dough...let the dough refrigerate over night. Then an hour before cooking let it sit out in room temperature***
these steps are for frozen pizza dough modify where needed:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to about 500 degrees.
2. Sprinkle a little flour on the table before rolling out your dough.
3. Roll out dough to desired size. I did a thin crust pizza for two (we got about 4 slices each)
4. Once rolled out to desired size, transfer to baking pan or pizza stone. If using a pizza stone add a little flour on the pizza stone before placing the dough.
5. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil on the crust of the pizza.
6. Add about 1/4 cup of pesto sauce (or to taste) and spread over dough.
7. Evenly spread the bag of mozzarella cheese over the pesto and dough.
8. Place into oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
9. Once edges are crispy, take out of oven and let it sit for about 2 minutes.
10. Slice and enjoy!
This is such a quick and easy little twist on your everyday pizza. Plus, its so simple that you can do it in minutes in stead of ordering out. Plus you can add your own sides, I had my pizza with a side of Caesar Salad.
I think I'm going to try garlic knots next with this dough! Stay tuned for that!
Would you try this twist on pizza?
October 9, 2015
Foodie Friday: Chewy Apple Oatmeal Pie Cookies
There is nothing more delectable in the fall then apple pie, hot lattes, and pumpkin spice everything. The new Laura Geller Delectable eyeshadow palette totally inspired me to get into the kitchen and start baking again. Her new nude eyeshadow palette is the perfect shades to create bronze smokey eyes or a barely there look. These colors are so pretty that you can almost eat them. The shades of nudes reminded me of fall baked goods like apple pies and pumpkin whoopie pies...but I wanted to try something new. So I tried out a Apple Oatmeal Pie Cookie recipe from Amy's Healthy Baking...which I adapted into my own recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup instant oats
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp milk (I used 2%)
1/2 light brown sugar
1 cup finely diced rep apple (or green apple...I used a grannysmith for tart taste)
STEPS:
1. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl
2. In a separate bowl whisk together butter, egg and vanilla. Then add in the light brown sugar and milk. Whisk together.
3. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
4. Fold in the apples
5. Chill for 30 minutes
6. Pre-heat oven at 325 degrees
7. Drop cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto a cookie sheet (use parchment paper or oil spray) and slightly flatten.
8. Bake at 325 degrees for 13-15 minutes.
9. Cool on pan for 10 minutes until transferring on wire rack
10. Enjoy with a latte or spiked apple cider.
These came out nice and chewy but for me they need a little something extra...just an extra bit of sweetness. I added some cinnamon sugar on top (1 tbsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp of sugar mixed together). I'm a huge cinnamon fan so next time I do make these I will add extra cinnamon to the batter but the cinnamon sugar adds the sweetness that I felt like these cookies were missing. My husband and I enjoyed these Saturday night while watching movies and drinking some homemade hot spiked apple cider.
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