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.

Loving Hut | Honolulu, Hawaii

Yes, that really is the name of this place. And yes, I chuckled to myself when I first read it, thinking at the time, "They named their restaurant what?!" Being that Julie is vegetarian, though, we had to give this quaint little place a fair shot.

Overall, the food isn't bad, but it isn't spectacular either. In my opinion, they try a little too hard pushing the faux meat, instead of focusing on truly amazing vegetarian fare.

Loving Hut
1614 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 373-6465
Website

The first thing we noticed when we walked in was the "Mom and Pop" feel. The two ladies behind the counter were extremely warm and cordial.


We started with the Summer Roll ($3.50). They used yam root as a shrimp substitute, which has a strikingly similar texture to actual shrimp.


I went with their "Fabulous Phở" ($7.95). The broth was oily and light on flavor. It had just about every kind of meat substitute known to mankind. Maybe this is just me, but I'm perfectly happy with Tofu and veggies in my vegetarian phở.


Julie had the Lemon Grass Hawaiiana" ($7.95). She seemed to really enjoy it, saying that it was really tasty.


The lady who took our order talked us into trying the brownie ($5.95) for dessert. It looks pretty, but we'll probably pass on it next time.

Health Care Reform Starts Here

DISCLAIMER: I am a currently employed by a subsidiary of the Hawaii Medical Service Association, but these thoughts are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer or its parent company.

I believe health care, in its current state, is broken and unsustainable. This post, however, has nothing to do with the legislation that President Obama signed in March. In my mind, the only real solution lies within each and every one of us. It's about KULEANA, personal responsibility. Physicians, the government, and even insurance companies can only do so much. To effect real change in this system, we must change ourselves.

The first step would be to take an honest look at your health-related habits and behaviors. Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? Do you exercise enough? When was the last time you had your blood pressure or cholesterol checked? If you happen to be an HMSA member, there's a great tool available to you called Succeed. It is a health risk assessment that assesses your lifestyle and basically gives you a grade when you're done. Click here if you are interested in learning more. If you complete the HRA before October 15 and enter promo code JG494, you could win one of three gift cards: $500 to Costco, $200 to Walmart, or $100 to Foodland.

Secondly, you should get connected with a primary care provider. Why is it important? Check out this video by Emmi Solutions. Basically, it comes down to better coordination, which translates to better care. So who benefits most from a strong physician-patient relationship? YOU DO.

This isn't rocket science, folks. Make it happen!

My AT&T iPhone Upgrade Conspiracy Theory

In Monday's WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs mentioned that anyone who is eligible for an upgrade in 2010 through AT&T can get a new iPhone 4 at launch. Initially, that made me very excited because I would be able to purchase two phones (currently, my wife and I are on alternating contracts so one of us can always have the latest and greatest). The more I thought about it, however, the more I began to wonder... there must be more to this seemingly benevolent offer. After all, the deal seems just a little too good to be true. So, the wheels started turning and I came up with this conspiracy theory: I suspect that Apple is already working on an LTE (4G) iPhone and that phone will be made available to Verizon customers sometime in 2011. It's no secret that Verizon is aggressively rolling out its LTE network over the next several months and that could be in anticipation of a future relationship with Apple. This is probably making AT&T nervous and cause for them to try to get as many customers as possible to lock in to another 2-year agreement with the newly imposed $325 early termination fee. What better way than with a shiny new iPhone? We'll see how it all pans out.
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Incidentally, I came across this cool little trick. If you dial *639# on your phone, AT&T will send you a text message indicating what your eligibility status is. Both of my iPhones are currently displaying this message:

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.