WW: The Next Best Thing to Chocolate Therapy

(They were out of Chocolate Therapy at Ben & Jerry's - Windward Mall so I got Chocolate Fudge Brownie).

For more participants, visit Wordless Wednesday.

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Eat The Street: Black Saturday

Food trucks have been the talk amongst foodies for the past few years, and the trick was always figuring out where they were. For most of us, we work during the week and it's not convenient for us to pay them a visit during our lunch breaks. But now, one Friday evening each month, they congregate in Kakaako on one block, serving up their delicious fare all in one place.

This month's event was held on a rainy and blustery Saturday evening (they changed it to Saturday for this month only since they figured everyone would be busy shopping on Black Friday). It was wet, windy, and cold, but that didn't stop me from attending the event.

For more information in ETS, go to www.streetgrindz.com

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Siam Garden Cafe

Oahu has quite a few Thai restaurants. The hubby and I are not sophisticated eaters when it comes to Thai food. We normally order basic items like the ones pictured below.

We like Siam Garden Cafe because of the quality of the food and service.

Spring Rolls

Pad Thai

Fried Chicken

Siam Garden Cafe

1130 N. Nimitz Hwy

(808) 523-9388

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El Mariachi II Mexican Restaurant

@nanigurl continues her quest to get me to like new Mexican restaurants, so the last time we met for dinner we dined at El Mariachi II Mexican Restaurant in Aiea.

The complimentary chips and salsa.

The salsa was okay, and so were the chips.  The chips did taste a lot better with salt on them (@nanigurl loves to put salt on her chips!).

We requested another basket of chips, and it wasn't until we got our bill that we realized it wasn't free (it was either $1 or $1.50 - the server's handwriting was not very legible).  Regardless, it would've been nice if she had advised us that there's a charge.

@nanigurl ordered the Two Taco Plate - one Steak, the other Chicken. 

I ordered what I usually order at Mexican restaurants - Chicken Chimichanga.

Despite having sauce on it, I thought it was really good!

We finished the meal off with some Fried Ice Cream.

It was good, but I've had better.

The service was okay, and I liked my meal, and overall I thought El Mariachi II is a good Mexican restaurant...but still not my favorite.

The search continues...

El Mariachi II Mexican Restaurant: 99-205 Moanalua Rd, Ste 212, Aiea, HI 96701, (808) 487-8226

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Genki Sushi

I love sushi, but as a general rule, if you want high quality sushi, be ready to pay a pretty penny for it. 

But I love sushi so much that I'm willing to sacrifice quality and pay a lower price so that I can eat it more often instead of just for special occasions. That's why I go to Genki. It's not the best by any means, but it satisfies my craving without busting my bank account.

Genki has locations all over the place, and during peak meal times (lunch and dinner) you'll have to wait for a table. At their Ward Centre location, which I visited last night, there was virtually no wait, and I now see why. It's simply not as good as the others. But don't let my opinion sway you away from trying one of their other locations such as Aina Haina (my favorite) or Ala Moana.

Ward Centre

1200 Ala Moana Blvd

808-591-5600

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Ruby Tuesday - Ala Moana Center

DH and I were never big fans of Ruby Tuesday because of several not-so-good experiences, but we decided to give it another try using an Entertainment Coupon at the Ala Moana Center location (our not-so-good experiences were at other Ruby Tuesday locations).

We started off with the Southwestern Spring Rolls.

It was okay, and not nearly as good as another chain's popular dish that's very similar.

DH had the Smokehouse Burger, which he enjoyed.

DS2 had the Kids Chicken Tenders.

DS1 had the Kids Grilled Cheese.

Compared to other kids grilled cheese meals at other restaurants, the grilled cheese at Ruby Tuesday seemed pretty small.

The Kids Meals comes with dessert - Chocolate Chip Cookies.

They're pretty small, and I'm not sure why we received three - I thought it was either because our server gave an extra one thinking DS3 could eat one, or he gave an extra one because they looked small and a bit odd.

In any case, DS1 and DS2 shared the 3 cookies and enjoyed them.

I had the Chicken BLT, and I thought it was pretty good.

Our server was pretty good, and we all enjoyed our meals, and overall our experience this time around was so much better than our previous experiences!

Ruby Tuesday: 1450 Ala Moana Boulevard Honolulu, HI 96814, (808) 943-2525

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WW: View from Mariner's Ridge Hiking Trail

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Dessert Fantasy - a Fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii

On November 6, 2011, UCPA held its annual Dessert Fantasy fundraiser at Pacific Beach Hotel. Tickets were $25 and entitled you to two hours of unlisted sampling of Oahu's finest desserts. Companies such as Cafe Laufer, Dave and Busters, Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop, Bubbies, Choco le'a, and Hokulani Bakery, just to name a few, participated in this year's event.

I have been attending this event for the past 4 years and this year's event was better than ever. Hope to see you at next year's event!

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Dessert Fantasy - a fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii

On November 6, 2011, UCPA held its annual Dessert Fantasy fundraiser at Pacific Beach Hotel. Tickets were $25 and entitled you to two hours of unlisted sampling of Oahu's finest desserts. Companies such as Cafe Laufer, Dave and Busters, Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop, Bubbies, Choco le'a, and Hokulani Bakery, just to name a few, participated in this year's event.

I have been attending this event for the past 4 years and this year's event was better than ever. Hope to see you at next year's event!

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