Town | Honolulu, Hawaii

Last week Thursday we had a rare and awesome opportunity when Reid (@onokinegrindz) invited us to a going away party for Gypsy (@GypsyRaven) at Town Restaurant in Kaimuki. The food was fantastic and we had a great time catching up with our friends. I really like the way Chef Ed (@edstown) incorporates local produce in his menu, which is why Julie and I stop in for lunch every now and then. We really like the idea of supporting local farmers and we feel like we are contributing toward a more sustainable food source by doing so. Here's a recap of the amazing dinner.

Town Restaurant
3435 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-5900
Website

We started with a little andouille on crostini. The kitchen knew ahead of time that Julie's a vegetarian so her crostini came topped with eggplant.


The bread was served with butter and olives.


The next course was their interpretation of the Insalata Caprese, with fresh mozzarella (made in house), heirloom tomatoes, fennel, and almonds with a white balsamic vinaigrette.


Course #3 was grilled sturgeon accompanied by cucumber and boiled egg.


This was one of the highlights of the evening. It was a baby arugula salad with roasted beet and fried chickpea.


The final "appetizer" was hand cut pasta with zucchini and prosciutto, topped with chili breadcrumbs.


After the pasta, the place got really busy so we caught a little break while the kitchen filled other orders. Then our entrées started appearing and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. Here we have my favorite of the evening: lamb with sausage, white bean, kale, and chard. The lamb was cooked to a perfect medium rare (the only way to enjoy meat, in my humble opinion). The sausage was just spicy enough to balance with the sweetness of the white bean.


Julie was served a special steamed veggie plate with bok choy, fennel, radish, and leek.


Served on the side was roasted Ulu (or breadfruit) and polenta. The polenta was very creamy. Unfortunately, my picture came out blurry so I didn't post it.


These roasted baby corn were also very popular. They were by far the tastiest baby corn I've ever had.


The final dish was opah, served with stewed tomato and fingerling potatoes. By this time, we were all too full to really enjoy the last dish, but it was very good.


Apparently, we missed out on four different desserts because we had to leave early to pick up our son. I was so full, I don't think I would have really enjoyed it. Besides, we had some of Rene's (@surfchik4jesus) Happy Hearts Mochi to take with us.

Pacific Soul | Honolulu, Hawaii

Wow, I just realized that this is my first food post in over two months. I know, I know, I'm slacking. Thing is, we haven't really gone out to eat very much recently and when we do go out, we usually fall back on one of our usual spots. Tonight, however, we were in the mood for something different. We decided to hit up a new restaurant in Kaimuki called Soul. Owner and operator Sean Priester (@pacificsoul) has created quite a buzz recently with his mobile "Soul Patrol" truck and just recently opened this establishment at the corner of Waialae Avenue and St. Louis Heights Drive. The food was tasty and the portions were very generous.

Blogger and Social Media Maven Melissa Chang (@Melissa808) happened to be dining there tonight too. She took some pictures of us and our food. We'll probably pop up in her Urban Mix Plate blog or Metromix.

Pacific Soul
3040 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 735-7585
Website

You have the option of sitting indoors or out. We opted for inside because of the air conditioning and ambiance.


I ordered the fried chicken because of the rave reviews it's been getting. I must say, it is by far the BEST fried chicken I have EVER had. The combination of spices and drizzled honey was absolutely amazing. Everything else on the plate (cornbread, cilantro coleslaw, collard greens, and black eyed peas) was exceptionally good too. The cornbread practically melts in your mouth.


My son ordered the hot dog plate with vegetarian chili. My wife ordered a salad (I forgot to take a picture), but she ended up sharing most of our food in the end because the portions were so huge.

Belladonna | Honolulu, Hawaii

Because we've been eating a lot of Asian food recently (Thai and Vietnamese tend to be the most veggie-friendly), we were in the mood for something a little different. Tucked in a little nook next to Coffee Talk on Waialae Avenue is a new restaurant called Belladonna. The decor is very modern and everything is pretty much brand new. Overall, the food was very good and the service was friendly. We sat at the bar, which gave us a chance to talk a little with the general manager.

I forgot my camera at home, so you're going to have to excuse the poorly image quality. I had to use my iPhone and these pictures really don't do the food any justice.

Belladonna
3605 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 426-3552

As you can see, the place is so new that they don't have permanent menus yet. In speaking with the General Manager, he told us that they are still trying stuff out, trying to get an handle on what people like.


The bread was average. It was served at room temperature with some butter. If it had been warmed up prior to serving, it would have tasted a lot better.


We started with the salad of the day: Mesclun greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and mandarin orange. The dressing was a peppery vinaigrette, which went well with the pungent goat cheese and sweet orange and walnut.


There were no vegetarian entrées listed on the menu. So wifey was just going to order a couple of salads. Our waitress picked up on it and offered that they could do homemade gnocchi or pasta with veggies in either marinara or cream sauce. She went with the pasta and cream sauce. It was a little on the rich side, but we were extremely pleased with the way they had been so accommodating.


This may sound pedestrian to some, especially at a slightly upscale restaurant, but I went with the meatballs and spaghetti. I remember hearing somewhere that they true test of an Italian restaurant is their meatballs and spaghetti and this place did not disappoint. These were probably the BEST meatballs I had ever eaten. They were cooked perfectly and were so moist that they practically melt in your mouth.


Wifey ordered crème brûlée for dessert. I'm not sure why they brought out 3 spoons. I can't really comment on the flavor or texture because I didn't get any :(


I was a little more adventurous with my dessert. I went with their homemade gelato. How is that adventurous? Well it wasn't your run of the mill chocolate ice cream - it was chocolate bleu cheese gelato topped with a balsamic reduction. The manager said they're still working on plating this one so it isn't much to look at, but it was really good.

4 Kings | Honolulu, Hawaii

Our babysitter (aka my mom) has been sick, so last week's "date night" was a family outing to 4 Kings restaurant on Waialae Ave. Those of you familiar with the Kaimuki area would probably remember the space as being previously occupied by Green Papaya. It feels very homey, with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Overall, we enjoyed the food at this family-friendly establishment.

4 Kings
3579 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-8820

In addition to Green Papaya's location, 4 Kings has also retained some of their menu items. You'll find lots of vegetarian-friendly options here, which is a big plus for wifey.


There aren't very many places to sit, but we went early enough that we sat down right away. It began to fill up by the time we left, though.


Our son wasn't very hungry so they made him a special rice-only temaki.


I ordered the "spicy Thai noodle soup," which I'm presuming is their version of Tom Yum. The soup was very flavorful without being overly spicy.


Wifey got vegetable tempura and the veggie roll. Yes, I realize now that I should have turned the veggie roll around before taking the picture.

Hale Vietnam | Honolulu, Hawaii

Last night's date night brought us back to one of our absolute favorite spots, Hale Vietnam in Kaimuki. We've eaten here so many times that we've become quite good friends with the general manager. The food is consistently delicious and keeps bringing us back. There's just something about phở and the way it nourishes both body and soul.

Hale Vietnam
1140 12th Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816-3712
(808) 735-7581

Again, apologies for the junk pictures (I forgot the camera), but here's a picture of the condiments you'll find on the table. Sriracha, the red sauce will kick any dish up several notches. In fact, it has got to be the best hot sauce ever made. EVER. The other is a sweeter hoisin sauce.


Because it's been so hot and humid here lately, wifey really wasn't in the mood for soup, so she opted for some bún instead. It's made with the same rice noodle you will find in phở, but sans broth. She ordered it topped with vegetarian rolls.


If you do end up ordering phở, served on the side is a plate full of bean sprouts, fresh basil, sliced jalapeño, and a lemon wedge.


I usually get phở gà, or chicken, but last night I was in the mood for something slightly different so I went with phở bò tái, rare steak. As you can see from this picture, the phở by itself is rather plain. That's the beauty of this dish: it's so simple, but can become very complex, depending on how you choose to garnish it.


This is how I like my phở: lots of bean sprouts covered with fresh basil. A ring of Sriracha and a drizzle of the brown hoisin sauce. You're right - I'm going need a bigger bowl...

To Thai For + Little Oven | Honolulu, Hawaii

This past Friday, we had our first date night in almost a month, so we had to make it count. The evening consisted of dinner at a relatively new dig called "To Thai For", The Art Song Festival at Hawaii Public Radio, and dessert at Little Oven.

To Thai For
3571 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 734-3443

Little Oven
1467 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96814-2504
(808) 947-6836
Website

One of the great things about this small restaurant is that almost all of their dishes can be made vegetarian by substituting tofu for the meat. The staff was very friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. We started with a green papaya salad. The dressing was amazing and the flavors were balanced perfectly - not too "peanutty" as some places tend to make it.


Wifey opted for the fried rice. The brown jasmine rice was so flavorful. She claims is was the best fried rice she's ever had. I should've asked her if it was even better than mine :\


I went for the seafood version of their house noodle soup. The broth was light and refreshing with just a small bit of heat from some chopped up chili pepper. The only thing missing were chopsticks (they said their shipment was late for the week, so we ate our entire meal with fork, knife, and spoon).


After we enjoyed the music of the Art Song Festival, we made out way over to Little Oven for some dessert. Wifey ordered the Ganache Trifle, but was a little disappointed by the lack of ganache.

This is their take on a Banana Split. A blowtorch is used to caramelize some sugar on the tops of the banana slices, which totally set this dish apart.


A nice hot mug of Irish Coffee was the perfect way to end this great evening.

Himalayan Kitchen + Little Oven | Honolulu, Hawaii

Last night's date brought us to two very different places. We got dinner at the Himalayan Kitchen in Kaimuki then moved on to Little Oven for some dessert.

Himalayan Kitchen
1137 11th Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-1122

Little Oven
1467 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96814-2504
(808) 947-6836
Website

Himalayan Kitchen is a small place that specializes in Nepalese cuisine. There are lots of great vegetarian options for my wife, so it's definitely one of her favorite places to go.

We started with the garlic jalapeño naan. Somehow, the spiciness of this dish sort of crept up on us. About halfway through, out mouths were on fire, but it sure was worth it!
I ordered the mixed Biryani, which is made with bits of lamb, chicken and shrimp cooked with vegetables and basmati rice. The mild was plenty spicy for me (and I'm the kind of guy that loves to put Tobasco on everything).
Wifey got the Malai Kafta. The best description I can come up with is that these are "meatless meatballs."

After dinner, we really needed something to cool our taste buds, so it was off to Little Oven. The first time we went (a few weeks ago), it was pretty empty and last night was a little more crowded, but it still wasn't packed.

I ordered the Peach Cobbler. It was the perfect size, but could have used a scoop of vanilla.

The perfect end to Wifey's dinner was the Ice Milk/Sorbet sampler. It was meticulously put together, but she did miss the mint chip scoop they had in there the last time.