Jazz it Up

It's high noon and business people, HPU students, homeless people, and church goers, cruise through Fort Street Mall. People socializing, having coffee, smoking cigarettes, seeking lunch, having discussions, and walking around aimlessly, gather in groups. Every week, these guys jazz it up outside of the Govinda restaurant entertaining all those who pass by the storefront.

A Stroll for Lunch

Coming up with a photo of the day can sometimes be a challenge. When faced with a blank canvass for ideas I sometimes resort to street photography to capture an image for the day. Today, I caught this image of a business woman taking a stroll for lunch. On the top-left corner is the Alexander and Baldwin building, which is one of my favorite buildings architecturally in downtown Honolulu.

A Popular Drive Inn

This is the very first L &L Drive Inn in that was started on Liliha Street. It hasn't been renovated and it retains it's original retro look. Before becoming a nationwide franchise, this was one of the first drive-inn that made plate lunches popular in Honolulu next to Rainbow Drive Inn. Some popular local favorites are that can be found on the menu here are Bbq chicken,  hamburger steaks with gravy and macaroni salad, chicken katsu, lemon chicken, and teriyaki short ribs.

Originally from Haleiwa

Just a local favorite for yummy burgers at the Ward Center in Kakaako. Originally Kua'aina Burger began in Haleiwa.

He'eia Pier in Kaneohe

A handful of people were fishing off of He'eia Pier in Kaneohe waiting for a fresh catch of the day. To the right of this photo is the He'eia general store and Deli. Chef Mark makes delicious loco mocos (burger patty, over easy egg, and brown gravy). A we'ke (veke)/goatfish that was caught off this pier and served to us for lunch. It was perfectly cooked and was surprisingly spiced just right. Click here to see other photos of this wonderful local spot.

Angry Korean Lady

Jars of Kim Chee on the Roof of Mu Ryang Sa

The Ah Lang Korean restaurant in downtown Kakaako district is owned by the "angry Korean lady" (click on the link to see more about Ah-Lang). She is known for having great Korean cuisine with reasonable prices and most of all being pissed off if you don't follow the rules of her shop. Before going there, we visited the Mu Ryang Sa Korean Buddhist Temple in Palolo to see the jars of pickled kim chee cabbage fermenting on building roof top to prepare ourselves for our excursion to Ah Lang. Because the angry Korean lady is a one woman show, she is the cook, the wait help, the bus person, the host, the cashier, the shopper, etc... She has rules in place that you must follow or be subjected to a tongue lashing and maybe refused. Here are some of those rules: You must seat yourself, you must write down your own order, you must choose how spicy your dishes are by using her number system of 0 to 8 (8 being the spiciest), food comes first then water, you must pay in cash if your order is under $50, if you bring alcohol then you must bring some for her or else there is a corkage fee, etc... The wait was long but the food was well worth the wait. We were her last customers of the day and so we conversed with her a bit about her kim chee cabbage before she ran out to buy ingredients for dinner and left us in the shop by ourselves. Apparently she purchases fresh ingredients for every meal and she ferments her own kim chee as she brought out half a head of cabbage to show us and for me to photograph. Click here to see the kim chee that the angry Korean lady brought out. I don't want to ruin her reputation but she turned out to be quite a character and a cool lady. The food is a ten out of ten and I would definitely go back but only with time to wait.

Searching for Poi

Happy Black Friday! Since everyone was at the malls on this first day of Christmas shopping, I was hoping to get a Hawaiian plate with fresh poi at the Waiahole Poi Factory and avoid the mad rush. Unfortunately, the crew was probably at the malls too so I'll have to make another trip there the next Friday that I have off. We ended up at Ono's Hawaiian Foods on Kapahulu to satisfy my palate for some laulau, kalua pig, lomilomi salmon, chicken long rice, pipi kaula, and of course poi.

Murphy's Bar and Grill

I wanted to be the first to wish everyone happy holidays. Today's photo of the day is the follow up for my November 17, 2011 post with the lucky clovers. As mentioned then, I was treated to lunch at Murphy's Bar and Grill on Merchant Street and I thought that for those who have read the post you may be wondering what it looks like. So, here it is.

Lucky Patch of Clovers!

It was an overcast and cool morning, and it would have been nice just to have slept in but work called and took over. Passing this patch of clovers on the way in, I imagined what it would be like to find a four leaf clover. Without really looking I took this quick shot. As the day progressed I counted my lucky charms and as it turned out I scored a free meal from a co-worker who took me to lunch at an Irish Pub called Murphy's Bar and Grill where I was treated to an Irish burger with blue cheese! What a lucky patch of clovers!

Riding Off Into the Sunset and Eating at Dots

Taking care of business today in Central Oahu in Wahiawa I passed by Dots, a local restaurant which has a  1960's - 1970's pulse. It's an old time local favorite restaurant that still serve some of the best plate lunches such as their hamburger steak with sauteed onions. It reminds me of the late King's Bakery or  Liliha Bakery on Kuakini Street. I'm glad that they are still in business since I ate there frequently after rough riding horses at Hoku ranch at Helemano Plantation years ago. It was one of the most exciting and happiest time in my life when I could be carefree and ride off into the sunset, then enjoy a tasty meal with good company at Dots to end the day.

Night Market Hero

One movie that was selected for the 2011 Hawaii International Film Festival was a Taiwanese film about a community of food vendors at 888 Market. The film, Night Market Hero carried a simple plot with a political overtone, a boy meets girl undertone, and food were mere symbols of their relationships. It left me hanging because the food was not the primary subject and I expected to more shots of exotic dishes thus I was inspired to check out Honolulu's very own 888 Market in Chinatown. Click here to see my dish that I had for lunch for $3.50 no tax on facebook.

Korean Style Short Ribs

Korean Kal Bi or marinated short ribs is a local favorite dish. Soaked in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic, a bit of hot sauce, and freshly chopped green onions, this dish is a winner. Served in Korean restaurants as well as plate lunch restaurants, there is a variety of ways to make it but in general it is seasoned to taste a bit salty and a bit sweet.

Horses Graze in Downtown Honolulu

Click here to see the outtake for today on facebook

Starbucks is located at every corner on earth and here they are with their green umbrellas across the way. Aside from grande lattes, venti mochas, and triple iced espresso, there are a couple of horses grazing across the street. Sculptures made by Deborah Butterfield boldly stand in a perfectly manicured lawn in front of the First Hawaiian Bank building. Public art by famous artists are everywhere to be found in downtown Honolulu.

Kahumana Cafe' and Farms in Waianae

Click here to see 9/29/11 outtake photos at Honolulu Photo of the Day on facebook

The Waianae coast has been well preserved over the years and there is very little change in the landscaping and development. Up in the hills of Lualualei, there is a quaint farm that was recently restored. They began growing various vegetables and a tiny restaurant was built called Kahumana Cafe'. The dishes on the menu ranges from butter grilled chicken or shrimps served a farm fresh salad and grass fed natural beef meatloaf served with a side of potatoes and greens. Brittany who came to Hawaii, volunteers her time to help build and run the farm and cafe'. She says that it's a non-profit organization and that all the tips goes back into maintaining the farm. My meatloaf entree' was delicious! The ambiance and the presentation of the food is also ace! Check out the outtake photos on facebook to see the interior of the cafe' and the special of the day, meatloaf.

Taco Tuesdays

Click here to see 9/27/11 outtakes at Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook

Every Tuesday there is a line up of a new generation of lunch wagons in the downtown Kakaako district. It is Taco Tuesday, which is a spin off of a mainland trend. There were a variety of tacos to choose from at several wagons. I ordered the Japanese style taco from Shogun Tacos. It had pork, sprouts, an oriental sauce, and cabbage, wrapped in an 8" tortilla.  Although it had it's own unique flavor I had hoped for something that tasted more interesting and exciting. I did notice that the Korean tacos were sold out, thus it would lead me to believe that the Korean tacos could be their specialty. Also in the line up were a local plate lunch wagon, burger wagons, other taco trucks, and an ice cream wagon. The customers ranged from business people to students from the nearby medical school. It's a must try if you haven't been there already.