Fyndhawaii.com is something we contemplated for a while. At first I was doing this as a Hawaii-centric search engine but had troubled tuning it the way I wanted. Then along came Twitter. I wanted to figure out a way…

Big Island Grinds turns us on to a new tapas house in Hilo. Pomai at Tasty Island brings us to Ward Farmers Market for a wacky kind of meaty musubi from Kauai (though served on Oahu. The superb luxe restaurant…

Not the tourist kind. Jon Heckathorn takes you inside the prep work and the symbolism of a full-blown luau. Oh, and the food looks great.…

The roundup and the pitch. Star-Bulletin likes fancy eating in Kailua, Oahu at Formaggio. New Mexican in Lahaina in Maui Time Weekly. Sybarite in Paradise reviews Macky's Kahuku Shrimp Truck. Tasty Island takes a bite of Maui Manju Shortbread Cookies,…

A nice post with a guide to Hawaii's summer fruits from a newish blog, Beat of Hawaii. Some of the information is not correct but it's generally good. A few corrections. Mangoes are available for a month in the summer…

Check it out here at search.hawaiirama.com. Tell us what you think and what can be made better -- or if it totally rocks, tell us that, too. Hint -- this thing is best for detailed searches into Hawaii topics. We…

A lot more stuff is grown in Hawaii than people might realize. Sure, we got papayas and pineapples but other local crops include strawberries, cukes, tomatoes, and melons. And they are onolicious. I was stoked to find this poster put…

"Share Your Table is a splashy Web 2.0-ish site with slide shows, videos, recipes, and columns from Joan Namkoong and Wanda Adams, two of the big names in Hawaii food writing. It's clear they spent a good amount of money…

Shocking news out today. Aloha Air, which had recently shuttered its passenger operations, on April 29 closed down its profitable air cargo operations after no buyer would bite (no surprise -- the Airline Pilots Association had threatened to strike). Aloha…

Belated food roundup. Honolulu Mag goes to Goran Streng's new smart and nicely priced joint, Tango.. Honolulu Weekly goes to Big Island for review of quasi-mex resto Pau (as in Pow!). On my plate does a Wailuku brekkie roundup of…

Another edition of our rarely updated food update. Sorry, folks. Here we go. The Star-Bulletin chews over a chewy, gravy-like version of ramen with chicken broth sauce thickened by chicken bone and cartilage. Um, yum? Not sure I could stomach…

I managed to stop at Leonard's in Kapahulu this weekend for a quick malasada fix and was greeted with a poster proclaiming Feb. 5 as Malasada Day (related to Mardi Gras, of course). We've blogged on these greasy goodie native…

A few weeks ago the New York Times went out and sampled fresh ahi at over a dozen high-end eateries and markets in the Big Apple and tested them for levels of heavy metals. The results? Ahi is loaded with…

Much delayed. Too many projects. Here's some of the latest. Alan, the bloggermind behind M'aona reviewed Chibo Okonomiyaki, an Osaka-style pancake house -- with his auntie from Osaka! Smart read. Tasty Island visits Meg's Drive-In in blue-collar Kalihi on Oahu.…

My good friend Dave Choo has long been a sorta populist food critic in Hawaii (aside from being a talented writer and editor of a business magazine). His straight-shooting reviews are the anti-Frank Bruni of local foodie lit. So I…

I was really looking forward to the first edition of Hawaii's new food magazine, Edible Hawaiian Islands. The line-up looked intriguing. I love food and Hawaii (as you know) so I was really amped to get some mega-coverage of a…

Here's the latest. My first food review in the Honolulu Advertiser (thanks Lesa!) covers Kochi Lounge, a hipper version of Side Street Inn. Restaurateur Dave Stewart, the man behind Indigo, Bar 35 and Du Vin has a new boite on…

Here's the latest batch. Planet Kauai adds yet another paen to Hamura's Saimin, a delish Lihue landmark. Maui Time Weekly eats breakfast at Cafe James in Kihei, the latest eatery by James McDonald (I'o, Pacifico, and Feast at Lele are…

The islands get two of the four pilot solar programs for the progressive Big Box retailer. All the more reason to stop into Costco and stock up on $30 bottles (a bargain) of Maui Ocean Vodka and 5 pound jugs…

Welcome to everyone who has come by for Hurricane Flossie info. Pull up a chair and join us for a virtual meal (bad cliche). Nadine Kam of the Star-Bulletin gives three stars to The Aji House at Xlyoh, an nouveau…

Alan Wong's Restaurant announced what super sous Wade Ueoka would be slinging at the next "Next Generation Dinner" on August 8. These events are killer one-of-a-kind tasting menus with wine pairings that the folks working with Alan whip up to…

This is a typical Hawaii mango tree. It's located in Wailea, Maui. Notice the concentration of fruit. Things are different in Hawaii. :) :) :) Image via Wailea Daily Photo…

And so it goes again. The Honolulu bureau of the Associate Press sent out over the wires yet another version of the "Hawaii Loves Spam" article. It's a nice read and made it all the way into the International Herald…

Now, the food news. Honolulu Weekly writer Kawehi Haug gives a thumbs up to the new second location of the Kalapawai Cafe in downtown Kailua. She raves about Chef Jason Iwane's evening menu. This is an offshoot of the beachy…

Here's the latest. The Star-Bulletin gives the Alan Wong's alumni at Stage Restaurant three stars but its hardly a convincing review. At blog Tasty Island, reviews of locally made Portuguese sausages. Yum, Pomai. Grand Cafe Bakery in Chinatown (Honolulu) has…

Driving around Oahu and seeing the fruit-laden trees, I am hopeful that we are going to have a bumper mango crop this year. Our own little Ma'apulehu tree in the front yard has doubled his fruit count (from one to…

The first time I visited Hawaii (before I moved here) I ate about a can of macadamia nuts per day. It made me feel sick but I couldn't help it. As an East Coaster I had never had any nuts…

Here's the weekly crop of food reviews and news items. Honolulu Weekly says "Molto bene!" to Donato Loperfido's latest, Pasta et Basta located in the Restaurant Row foodie death zone. The Star-Bulletin also loves Pasta Basta (inevitably shortened) as well…

I'll start off the foodie roundup with a mention of Wailua Wheat, a lilikoi-citrus scented wheat bear put out by Kona Brewing Company. This is the company's second limited-release custom brew, following on the heels of its stellar chocolate and…

I blogged a while back about the impact of the impending ban on bottom-fishing techniques used to scoop up a handful of succulent local varieites such as opakapaka and onaga. This presents a problem for Hawaii eateries with signature dishes…

A nasty little bug, the Varroa mite, has decimated bee stocks on the U.S. Mainland. Due to its isolation, Hawaii had remained free of the mite and Hawaiian bee hives had continued to produce amazing honey treats. Now the mite…

Yet another fabulous edition of our statewide foodie roundup featuring all things edible and readable in Hawaii. A hefty and tasty salad bar in Kailua, Oahu. Maui Tacos' Tex-Mex-Hi coming to you soon. Kaimuki Town takes it down with "Downtown",…

Ho, cuz! Barack got some kala! (That's money in Hawaii slang). So now that Barack has raised almost as much money as Hillary Clinton, me thinks he can afford a REAL NICE Hawaiian vacation at this point. Not that I…

More edibles for the masses, courtesy of the roving food monkeys at Hawaiirama. Honolulu Weekly happily sails into the Holokai Grill, the new Tiki's Bar & Grill clone in the also new Waikiki Beachwalk. The word? Order mixed drinks. Lots…

Restaurant Epic, the lastest downtown bistro, shutters only a few weeks after opening to retool poorly-received menu. Honolulu Weekly gets fat at the Yard House, a new edition to the Waikiki Beach Walk with 130-odd beers on tap. Maui Time…

I was having lunch today with one of the state's top chefs, George Mavrothalassitis at his restaurant, Chef Mavro, in Honolulu. It was a wine tasting lunch with is staff, something Mavro does each quarter to allow a democratic vote…

I've never been averse to lifestyle porn so when I first heard about Modern Luxury Hawaii, I thought "Cool!". The new mag by Modern Luxury group chronicles the lush life in the 50th state. They don't put their mag online…

First there was the McTeri Ribs and spam as a breakfast meat. Then we had the taro pie. Now its haupia (coconut cream) pie under the golden arches. Hilarious. And only in Hawaii.…

On Oahu, the Star-Bulletin samples Goldfish (name of restaurant) sushi fare and digs fancy rolls. This comes on the heels of a quick write up of R&P Cafe, an heir apparent to the recently closed palace of plate lunch paralysis,…

Denizens of large metropolises on the mainland love to use OpenTable.com. It's a free online restaurant reservation service that lets you pick a restaurant by cuisine, region, and price range and then tells you which ones have online availability. There's…

Word to this. You simply cannot beat chocolate for inducing an amorous quasi Pavlovian response (hopefully with the proper intention). Hawaii actually has more than its fair share of fab choc options. For starters, its the only place in the…

Have not done one of these in quite a while. Star-Bulletin: Atlantis Seafood & Steak in Waikiki is mediocre, good for dumb visitors Hawaii Business: Dave Choo thinks Kyoto Osho is mediocre, but good for people who eat at buffets…

Hawaii organic chocolate macadamia nut candy foodie gift HOFA organics natural

Sifting through the most recent Honolulu Advertiser Ilima Awards for best restaurants around Hawaii, I was struck by the bizarre choices made by readers for top honors. True, Hawaii is actually a fairly blue-collar state with one of the highest…

Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. where cacao is grown. The tropical climate and bright sunshine allows the finicky cacao plants to thrive. To date, most of the cacao grown in Hawaii has been at one farm on…

I am a serious ice cream snob, jaded from years of seeking out the best ice cream parlors on both coasts and wherever abroad I may have been travelling. Hawaii has great ice cream, with a half-dozen really high-end…

Here's my post on Jaunted.com, a site where I am a contributing editor. I like it. It's a fun site. I write about Maui Tacos in Newark International, where its a total godsend for the long flights back to Hawaii.…

Why is it that poke made outside of Hawaii just isn't poke? It doesn't taste like poke. It doesn't feel like poke. How about if the ingredients come from Hawaii? Hmmm, might work. Elmer Guzman, Poke master and owner of…

A few weekends ago at a friend’s wedding, I was sitting next to some recent mainland transplants who were lamenting the sad state of the produce at one of the major supermarkets. “Have you tried any of the local open…

Mmmmm, strawberries. While everyone associates Hawaii with pineapples, papayas, and other tropicals, in the higher elevations on the Big Island and Maui, local farmers are busily growing ridiculously luscious strawberries. They are pretty hard to find in supermarkets but a…