Hawaii Mom Blog: May 2010

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May 30, 2010

IHOP-Pearl City

When DH and I worked for the airlines, we'd travel to Northern California a lot, and we'd often end up in Emeryville, and just about every morning we'd head over to IHOP for breakfast. We loved going to IHOP--the service was always so quick and friendly, and the food was good and CHEAP!

So when IHOP started opening up in locations around Oahu, I couldn't wait to go!

Unfortunately, a majority of our experiences at IHOP on Oahu have been far from pleasant and even though DH and I thought we'd never go back to a Hawaii IHOP again, we decided to give them another shot.

We went to the IHOP in Pearl City and got there shortly after it opened. We had to wait a while to get seated--it's not that it was crowded, it's just that apparently there was only one person who could seat us and she was busy with someone else who was picking up a to-go order.

And even once we got seated it did take a little while for a server to greet us.

However, once he came and took our orders, it turned out to be a very nice breakfast.

DH ordered the TwoxTwoxTwo--two pancakes, two strips of bacon, and two eggs.

We ordered DS2 the Silver Five. He loves pancakes so we knew we had to get him some. Of course he didn't eat them all, so he was happy to have leftovers for breakfast the next morning!

We ordered DS1 the Funny Face. It's a HUGE chocolate chip pancake. Of course he loved it--he actually tried to just dig out all of the chocolate chips so he could eat them all up! He had leftovers too which he enjoyed the next day.

I ordered one of the specials--the Blueberry Pancake Stackers combo.

The Pancakes Stackers is stuffed with cream cheese. It was very yummy, and very rich. I could barely finish half (since I also ate other items in the combo).

I ordered my Stackers with hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon.

The Pancake Stackers combo was such a great deal--it was cheaper than the TwoxTwoxTwo!

t's honestly because we had such an awesome server that our opinion of IHOP in Hawaii has changed.

The food did take a while to come out, but our server was friendly, polite, and attentive, and I hope the next time we go back we have him again or someone that's just as good as he was.


IHOP: 98-1254 Kaahumanu Street, #B03 Pearl city, HI 96782-3200, 808-486 4467


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May 27, 2010

KCC Farmers' Market

I've heard so many great things about the KCC Farmers' Market, and a couple of Saturdays ago we finally had a chance to go.

We got there at about 9:00am and it was totally packed.

And hot.

We walked around and sampled some of the food, and even though it wasn't lunch time yet, seeing everyone walk around with their plates full of food made us all a bit hungry.

Of course I had to get my favorite farmers' market fare--North Shore Farms Pizza!


DH got Kalua Pork Sliders from one of the booths.

We decided to share the sliders and pizza with the boys since we all weren't that hungry.

Everything was delicious.

But we couldn't leave without getting dessert.

I went to a booth that was selling all kinds of sweets and ended up getting a cake-type bar and a cheesecake type bar.


They were both really yummy.

I did buy some fruit, and hopefully next time I can browse more (it's a little difficult with two fussy boys) and try more goodies!

The KCC Farmers' Market: Saturday - 7:30-11:00 am Kapiolani Community College, Diamond Head Campus, 4303 Diamond Head Road
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May 25, 2010

Jameson's by the Sea

I rarely eat any seafood, but on a recent visit to Jameson's by the Sea, I ate fish for the first time in a loooong time.

We were immediately seated, and our view was gorgeous.


The complimentary bread--which included Taro Rolls and some kind of crispy Sourdough Bread, which DS2 loved.


DH got the Grilled Cajun Style Ahi, which he really enjoyed.

I ordered the Mahi Mahi with Macadamia Nuts (you could also order it with capers instead of macadamia nuts).

The market price for Mahi was REALLY high ($29!), and I thought about ordering some chicken dish instead, but DH insisted that I just get the Mahi since I haven't had it in a long time.

And I'm glad I got it. It was really good.

Since DS1 has been really picky lately, we ordered him the Kids Grilled Cheese with Fries.
He ate the sandwich up very quickly.

Since DS2 likes chicken, we ordered him the Kids Teriyaki Chicken with Fries.
He only ate a few bites since he was overstuffed with the Sourdough Bread, but I gave it a try and it was really tasty--the sauce was delicious!

Then it was time for dessert. We all shared a huge complimentary slice of Macadamia Cream Pie since I was celebrating my birthday.

I've never had Macadamia Cream Pie before, and I thought it was pretty good.

The service was very friendly, the view was beautiful, the food came out really quickly (and I mean REALLY quickly--it was pretty amazing), and we all enjoyed our food.

It was a great birthday dinner and I'm looking forward to going again next year!


Jameson's By The Sea: 62-540 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712, 808.637.6272


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May 21, 2010

Wahiawa Pineapple Festival

On May 8, despite the gloomy weather, we decided to go to the Wahiawa Pineapple Festival.

When we got there it was sprinkling, and a little bit muddy, but we decided to make the most of our time there.

There were lots of booths selling and showcasing all kinds of items--food, crafts, eco-friendly products, and more.

There was also entertainment, such as taiko drummers and hula dancers...

and lots of kiddie rides and bouncers.

Each ride or bouncer was 1-2 tickets each, and it cost $1 per ticket, so we decided to get DS1 a wristband for $10 for unlimited rides.

Initially he refused to go on anything--he seemed pretty scared. But after watching how much fun the other kids were having, he eventually went into the bouncers and on all the rides.

We were so proud of him because it was the first time he ever went on a carnival ride by himself!



Of course my favorite part of any event/festival is the FOOD!

The boys shared pepperoni pizza from Boston's North End Pizza Bakery.
It was really huge--they ended up eating the leftovers for the next several meals.

DH got a bento from Dong Yang Inn.

I ordered a chicken taco plate from a booth that didn't have a name--it just said something like "fresh from the north shore."

It was really good--it came with salad, beans, and pineapple cake. I had a lot of leftovers too!

Despite all of the sprinkles and a pretty heavy downpour that lasted for a few minutes while we were eating lunch (at which time we took cover under the gym), we all had a great time (we were there for almost 3 hours) and were ready to go home and nap (although DS2 couldn't wait til we got home)...
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May 19, 2010

WW: Perfect View at a Perfect Dinner

Photo taken at Jameson's by the Sea in Haleiwa.


Visit Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom for more participants.
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May 17, 2010

Pizza Hut Big Eat $5 Deal

A couple of weeks ago we ordered a Big Eat Pizza from Pizza Hut in Waipahu and it was such an amazing deal (for $5, we got a medium carryout pepperoni pizza that fed our entire family!) that we decided to order it again at the Mililani Pizza Hut along with a few sides (so we could eat the leftovers the next day and I wouldn't need to cook).


The only thing I don't like about the Big Eat Pizza is that it's offered on hand-tossed crust only (I like Pan crust).

Other than that, I really can't complain, because after all, it's just $5!

We also ordered breadsticks.


It was just $1.99 for 5 breadsticks!

And I wanted to eat chicken, so we ordered a 10 piece Garlic Parmesan Boneless Wings for $5.99.


Although the wings were more like "nuggets," they tasted pretty good.

This was such an awesome deal--we paid just over $13.00 for all of that food and it fed our family of 4 for at least 3 meals!

I don't know how long this deal will last, but I hope it continues for a long time!


Pizza Hut: 95-1249 Meheula ParkwaySuite B-20 Mililani, HI 96789, 623-5599


Pizza Hut on Urbanspoon
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May 14, 2010

Outback's Online Ordering

After work one evening DH picked up dinner from Outback Steakhouse in Waipahu after I used their Online Ordering tool on their website.

I was quite impressed with how thorough and detailed their online ordering system is. You can add special instructions, request or decline certain items, and overall the whole ordering process was smooth.

The real test would be to see if our order came out correctly...

The complimentary bread.


The boys ordered the Kookaburra Chicken Fingers.


Of course I had to taste it--and it was really good. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

DH had a Classic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad as one of his sides to his entree, which was...

the Outback Special 8 oz. Steak, Light Style (under 500 calories), and his second side was Fresh Seasonal Veggies.

DH said both the salad and the steak were pretty good!

I had the House Salad with Ranch Dressing, which was a side order to my entree.
The entree I ordered was the Grilled Chicken and Swiss Sandwich.
They put the honey mustard dressing on the side, when I actually requested for my salad's ranch dressing to be on the side, but that was just a minor error--it was no big deal. But what was a slightly bigger error--they forgot the bacon!!! The best part! Although the sandwich was good, and the chicken moist, I was disappointed that they forgot the bacon.

When DH picked up the food, all of the containers were marked appropriately, therefore it was just assumed that what was inside the container was correct. Even if I had picked up the food--I would've just assumed the sandwich had everything that was supposed to be on it, especially since I had no special instructions for the sandwich.

The online ordering process was very easy, our order was ready in time, and the food was pretty good, and if we do order via phone or the website again in the future, we'll make sure to check EVERYTHING before we leave.


Outback Steakhouse: 810 Ukee Street, Waipahu, HI 96797, 808-671-7200


Outback Steak House on Urbanspoon
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May 12, 2010

WW: First Ever Solo Carnival Ride

Photo taken at the Pineapple Fesitval @ Wahiawa.
Visit Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom for more participants.
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May 6, 2010

Shakey's

I've read that Shakey's was in Hawaii a long time ago (but I don't even remember Shakey's at all), so when it opened up in Waipahu, DH and I couldn't wait to try it out.

Most of the staff members were friendly, and everything is pretty much "self-serve"--you simply put in your order, you're given a key to place in a key call (table locator system), then you find a table, and insert your key, and just wait for the food to come!

We ended up getting the Large Classic Family Meal Deal (there were 4 adults, 2 kids) for $37.99 which included a large 1 topping pizza, 8 pieces of chicken, and Mojos (I had no idea what mojos were until @nanigurl told me what they were).

We got a pepperoni pizza.The pizza was good!

The chicken and mojos came on a single platter.
The chicken came in all different sizes, and it was good too. Crispy skin, moist meat. YUM!

The mojos were great--they were DS2's favorite!

Everything was really good, and there were a lot of leftovers.

After dinner, the boys went into the arcade.

One thing we did that we will be sure not to do again the next time we go to Shakey's is sit in a booth where the arcade is in view. Once DS1 saw the arcade he did not want to eat dinner. All he wanted to do was play in the arcade! Although a lot of the games were "out of order," DS1 still had a blast!

I'm sure we'll be back sometime soon for more pizza and more games!

Shakey's: Waipahu Town Center, 94-060 Farrington Highway, Waipahu, Hawaii 96797, 808-677-1919


Shakey's Pizza Parlor on Urbanspoon
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May 4, 2010

California Pizza Kitchen

After we took DS2 to the Pearlridge Fun Factory for the first time, we headed to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch.

The complimentary bread.

DH had the Chipotle Chicken Pizza.


He really liked it, and of course I had to try it.

I didn't think I'd enjoy it because I don't like chipotle sauce, but the sauce was mild and the pizza was really, really good. I could really taste the cilantro (which I love).

DS2 had the Crispy Chicken.

He loved it, and so did I (I snuck a piece...I always have to taste the boys food!).

I've tried a few different pizzas at CPK, and I always tell myself to try new ones each time I go, but the last few times I've been there I kept getting the same thing--the California Club Pizza.


It's like a salad on a pizza--avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, cheese, bacon and more. It's delicious.

We all enjoyed our meals, and the service was wonderful. I've been to many restaurants where most of the staff were friendly, but on this visit to CPK, every single employee was friendly.
I can't wait to go back, and try another pizza (maybe...or we'll see if I stick to the California Club!).


California Pizza Kitchen: 98-1005 Moanalua Rd # 554, Aiea, HI 96701-4718, (808) 487-7741


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