Plumerias are in full bloom...
...as is the bird-of-paradise plant.
Part of the overgrown aloe patch:
Fruits are beginning to ripen, like the strawberry guavas...
...and the bizarre-looking soursop.
Young orchids almost ready to burst open.
Ciao4Now.
This year, only a select 224 completed the challenging & rigorous curriculum to become bona fide superbeings...hats off to all of you!
One of Hawaii's Korean restaurant pioneers, Jin Joo has been serving up the spice to hungry Islanders for over 30 years. Modestly tucked in between an impressive row of eateries at the old Waimalu Shopping Center, its no-frills atmosphere (about seven plain booths & a lunch counter) suggests that your purpose there is solely to chow down without looking up from your plate of food. And that's exactly what we did....
My friend ordered bibimbap, a fairly popular dish consisting of beef and sauteed & pickled vegetables served over a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg. Gochujang, or chili pepper paste, accompanied the entree.
I went with the mandoo (deep-fried pork dumplings)/meat chun (marinated bulkoki beef pan-fried in a light egg batter) combination served with rice, sauteed bean sprouts and greens.
SLAMMIN'...all that great food for under $17 (not including tip)! No alcohol, but huge glasses of ice water (and tea) available, always important with spicy Korean fare. I give it a solid 4 poi bowls out of five!
Our first stop: the Lily Koi Cafe, an establishment fast becoming our neighborhood watering hole. Along with more beer, we ordered garlic fries and furikake chicken (deep-fried chicken bits drizzled with a sweet soy-based sauce, then sprinkled with a seaweed seasoning).
Of course, you gotta have sushi when out & about on the Islands, so off we sojourned to Tadashi. For the most part, the seafood quality and selection here are often equaled, if not surpassed, in finer sushi establishments on the mainland, with possibly the exception of the local tuna. Adhering to the evening's appetizer theme, we only ordered a few pieces, like smoked salmon:
And unagi, or fresh-water eel (and a Asahi Dry lager):
The night's final stop...the Chez Sports Bar & Grill. Nothing 'touristy' about this place - 100% local patronage. While perched at the bar, I noticed this particular spigoted jar of some crazy concoction. As advertised, it was lychee fruit immersed in SKYY vodka. Never one to bypass a new drinking experience, we had to try it...dangerously smooth and tasty, if not careful, this tincture will 'F' you up!
After a shot of that lychee vodka (and even more beer), it was time to wind it down...and nothing caps a night like a hot plate of fried chicken gizzards!
All in all, a fantastic night out...good times & good eats! Almost too much fun as I discovered this snapshot of a spam musubi (a slice of Spam served up sushi-style) between my thighs. I honestly don't recall where it came from!
Ciao4Now.
Best described as a Hawaiian-style Denny's, the Zippy's restaurants have been a part of the local-dining fabric for over 40 years. With 25 locations peppered across O'ahu, anyone who has resided on the island for more than, say, 6 months has eaten here. Serving everything from your standard cheeseburger to the more-uncommon fare, like tripe stew & kalua pig cabbage, Zippy's has got something on the menu for everyone.
Burger combo orders include a side of either potato salad, macaroni salad, soup, french fries, or tossed greens, but my friend ordered his Mushroom Burger (quarter-pound patty topped w/ mushrooms sauteed in garlic butter) a la carte:
Of course, I needed to order something that would look impressive on this blog...behold, the Zip Min! Saimin is kinda like ramen or pho - slightly-doughier noodles served in a fish-based broth. In the case of the Zip Min, it seems like everything but the kitchen sink is added...breaded shrimp, char siu pork, fish cake, pork-filled wonton, egg, Chinese greens, seaweed, and green onions!
It goes without saying, there was no room for dessert. http://www.zippys.com/
Ciao4Now.
