Monarch Poke – a new local favorite

A friend of the HAT Blog, Chef Adam Gilbert, opened Monarch Poke in Pearl City in November 2022. Located in a nondescript strip mall near Pearlridge Shopping Center, the dishes on offer belie the workaday tedium of shoe stores, auto body shops, and plate lunch joints that typify the area. A recent Friday lunchtime visit…

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3 best Honolulu pub crawls

The wind and rain continue to howl and lash here in Honolulu, and throughout most of Hawaii, with no sign of letting up any time soon. It’s fine, though, except perhaps for my wife’s new clutch of doomed houseplants and the Aloha State residents who’ve been inundated by turbid floodwaters or had their property whipped…

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Kealia Trail – a forest foray

I’m scrolling through the photo gallery on my phone, unable to muster the energy to do much of anything. Pictures from a recent hike on the Kealia Trail are calming my nerves, reminding me of the beautiful day on Oahu’s North Shore. We started early, enjoying the peaceful morning. The hike into the lush, whispering…

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Tipping in Hawaii – here’s why

One of the most common concerns we hear from visitors regards tipping in Hawaii. Who should be tipped? When? How much? Food and beverage industry workers should be tipped, certainly. Parking valets, too. Leaving a few bucks for the cleaning staff at your hotel/resort/vacation rental is also a fine way to express your aloha for…

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Vog in Hawaii has returned

Kilauea Volcano is again erupting on Hawaii Island, with a lava lake formed in Halemaumau Crater. Officials say that the lava is likely to remain contained within the crater. As new images and video of the spectacular event at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, something else is spreading from the volcano: vog in Hawaii has returned.…

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Hawaii stargazing 2023 – looking up

We’re a week into the New Year of 2023 and it occurs to us here at the HAT Blog that there is a whole lot of “new” in this Year of the Rabbit. New Governor and Administration. New Legislature. New County Councils. Even a new eruption at Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii Island. We’re hard-pressed to…

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