Hawaii Vacation Blog - Hawaii Travel Guide, Hawaii News » Hawaii Regional Cuisine

Don’t Be Wary of the Food on Your Hawaii Vacation

AlohaBruce — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:01:27 +0000

We locals have noticed an interesting phenomenon in Waikiki. After mainland vacationers have arrived and checked into their hotels, they venture out and look around for a place to eat. They inevitably head for a McDonald’s or a Burger King or another recognizable sign.

We presume there’s some trepidation about the enormous variety of restaurants – the number of nationalities represented – in Hawaii. They’ve read or heard about that variety. They may feel they aren’t ready to deal with chopsticks, raw fish, exotic fare from exotic places or servers who speak little English. They feel they might be disdained or even ridiculed by the local restaurant customers as they clumsily try to properly handle the foreign food in front of them.

So they head for something familiar – Big Macs or Whoppers.

Take heart. Yes, there is a huge variety of ethnic restaurants serving dishes you may never have heard of. But – especially in Waikiki – even the ethnic restaurants cater to mainland tastes (and to Japanese tastes because of the number of visitors from that country).

In the mood for a good steak? There’s a bunch of excellent steakhouses. Conventional Italian? Likewise. Seafood that isn’t wiggling? Of course.

If you feel intimidated before setting out to eat, talk to your concierge or one of the desk clerks and say what you’re looking for. You’ll be advised of a number of restaurants that are sure to appeal to you.

Once you’ve become familiar with the island you’re on, by all means try some of the restaurants that come well-recommended or whose fare and ambience sound good to you based on their write-ups in the “what-to-do” books you find in your room. There are several world-class restaurants and chefs in the islands. Hawaii Regional Cuisine and the places that serve fusion entrees are wonderful. And please don’t avoid the ethnic restaurants. They’re authentic and the dishes are delicious, even if they’re new to you. Try one. Thai food, for example, although spicy, is very satisfying. (You probably have a good idea of what to expect in a Chinese or Japanese restaurant.)

Any time you feel the need for the fast food you know and love, be assured it’s easy to find. There are 75 (and counting) McDonald’s alone in Hawaii, and an abundance of their competing ourlets.

A sure thing is to give us a call at 1-800-843-8771, or pick an agent on the Hawaii-Aloha Web site (hawaii-aloha.com). Every one of us knows the territory very well and can steer you to some restaurants you’ll love.

Posted by Jim Winpenny

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Published by Bruce Fisher

Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

Be Sure to Try Dim Sum on Your Hawaii Vacation

AlohaBruce — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:02:50 +0000

You may be familiar with dim sum, or you might think it’s a description of how a poor student does an arithmetic problem. It’s the name for small, translucent-skinned Chinese dumplings with a broad range of light dfillings that include meat, seafood, and vegetables, as well as desserts.

Pervasive in China, plentiful in Hawaii and relatively unknown on the mainland, you surely will find it on several of the menus you peruse while you’re on vacation here in the islands.

There are dim sum restaurants and dim sum stands in Honolulu’s Chinatown, Waikiki and virtually everywhere else on all the islands, and high-end restaurants — especially those that feature fusion cuisine and Hawaii Regional Cuisine — serve it enhanced with sensational sauces. Almost everyone, including children, love it.

Dim Sum is cooked mostly by steaming and deep-frying. The pieces are normally served as three or four in one dish.

The most popular steamed selections (at least with vacationers) are steamed pork spareribs and char siu (steamed buns with roast pork), and har gao (shrimp dumplings). Deep-fried treats include mini spring rolls and wu gok, a type of taro turnover. Chefs like to prepare their own versions, and those always are worth trying.

Here are two of the other more common selections you’ll find at most dim sum restaurants:

Spring Rolls are made with a thin wrapper and are lighter and less filling than egg rolls. They usually consist of dried mushrooms and shredded meat and carrot or bamboo shoots, then seasoned with oyster sauce, shoyu (soy sauce), and sugar.

Egg Custard is steamed with meat or seafood.

If you’d like some suggestions for good dim sum places near where you’re staying in Hawaii, pick an agent from the Hawaii-Aloha Web site home page (hawaii-aloha.com), or call 1-800-843-8771.

Posted by Jim Winpenny

Published by Bruce Fisher

The Only Restaurant Of Its Kind In Hawaii

AlohaBruce — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:12:07 +0000

Here’s a current published description of a relatively-new Honolulu restaurant:

The majestic "Million Dollar" ocean view from The Ka Ikena Restaurant is surpassed only by the gourmet delights found on its menus. Great food at reasonable prices, served in a beautiful atmosphere — that is the Ka Ikena Restaurant.

Sounds like a typical blurb for a pretty typical restaurant, doesn’t it?

But Ka Ikena is, in fact, not typical at all.

Let’s back up a little. You may be aware of what is referred to as “Hawaii Regional Cuisine (HRC).” It’s the island style of cooking that utilizes Hawaii’s freshest ingredients of all varieties and incorporates them into wonderfully creative and beautifully presented dishes at many of the state’s high-end restaurants. Not only has Hawaii Regional Cuisine taken Island dining to the highest possible level, it’s also established Hawaii-grown products as among the finest in the world.

Okay. The Ka Ikena Restaurant is on the campus of Honolulu’s Kapiolani Community College, which happens to contain the state’s pre-eminent cooking school, The Culinary Institute of the Pacific. The Institute has produced many of Hawaii’s top chefs who have become world famous for their HRC artistry. The restaurant’s menu is prepared by students and alumni. Lunch is produced and served by students enrolled in its culinary and pastry arts program, while dinners support work opportunities for both alumni and apprentices of the American Culinary Federation program. What you find on the menu will be creative, well tested, and delicious.

Named in honor of Queen Kapiolani, the college and its culinary arts program maintain her legacy and her motto, “kulia i ka nu`u” (to strive for the highest) in all that we do.

The campus is at the foot of Diamond Head (back side) on Diamond Head Road, and there are zillions of parking spaces in the evening (harder to find at lunchtime, when classes are in session).

It’s — yes — a unique dining experience. Try it out while you’re on Oahu for vacation.

Posted by Jim Winpenny

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Published by Bruce Fisher

AAA 5 Diamond Award Winner – Hawaii’s Chef Marvo

AlohaBruce — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:55:40 +0000

You’ve heard of the enormous variety that’s represented by today Hawaiian cuisine. What with the Asian Fusion, Hawaiian Regional, European, Mediterranean, Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese … there seems to be no limit.

With all the wonderful restaurants to choose from, only one has earned the Triple-A’s Five Diamond award for 2009: Chef Mavro in Honolulu. The award honors the highest level of excellence in every facet of operation.

Owner/chef George Mavrothalassitis was born in Marseilles, surrounded by the passionate calls of fishmongers and the farm-fresh flavors of southern France. His award-winning French-Hawaii cuisine is also rooted in training with numerous masters of contemporary French cuisine and his experience as owner of two superb restaurants in Marseilles in the seaside village of Cassis. A founder of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Chef Mavro also has been recognized with the James Beard award. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it’s considered the top culinary honor in the U.S.

Current influences are from his life in Hawaii and he loves to tell the story of his first morning in Honolulu. “At sunrise I looked out over Waikiki Beach to Diamond Head and I said to myself – That’s it! I’m home!” Ever since that day 1988, Chef Mavro has embraced the multi-ethnic people and foods of Hawaii and become close friends with dozens of boutique farmers and specialty fisherman. On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Chef Mavro restaurant in December 2003, he gathered his longtime purveyors around a Chef’s Table to honor them as the foundation of his success.

Needless to say, make your reservations well in advance. Your Hawaii-Aloha agent can help you do that.

Published by Bruce Fisher