Uncle Bo's Pupu Bar & Grill

I recently went to Uncle Bo's Pupu Bar & Grill to meet up with some old high school pals.

Complimentary Bread

 Seafood Ceviche

 Fries

 Grilled Peppered Chicken Pasta

 Thai-Style Steamer Clams

 Cajun Seared Ahi

 Boca-Rota (garlic cheesy-bread, sliced prime-rib, sautéed mushrooms and mozzarella cheese)

 Pizza

 Thai Street-Style Grilled Chicken Wings

 Crispy Crab Cakes

 And I had a drink - Jelly Bellytini

 The food was delicious, and we all had a great time at Uncle Bo's!

Uncle Bo's Pupu Bar & Grill: 559 Kapahulu Avenue  Honolulu, HI 96815; (808) 735-8311

 

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53 By The Sea

53 by the Sea sits where the iconic John Dominis used to be.  Personally, I think the new building is an eye-sore to the area, inside and out, but no one can argue that it's location makes this restaurant one of the best places to go for dining with a view.

The menu features creatures from the land and the sea: from main lobster linguine to grilled black angus filet mignon.  I wasn't impressed by the food, but the service and view were phenomenal.

53 by the Sea

53 Ahui Street

(808) 536-5353

Valet parking only

The view is the best thing about this restaurant.

Complimentary bread

53 Seafood Showcase (portioned for two)

Mixed Field Greens with Seasoned Fried Calamari

Escargot-stuffed Mushrooms

Sauteed Opah in Seafood Stew

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

53 Original Tart with Gelato

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Tango Contemporary Cafe

Our family has been facing some challenges lately, and Nat, sensing all the stress that I've been under, was generous enough to treat me to dinner recently at Tango Contemporary Cafe.

Complimentary Bread

I ordered the“Coque au Vin” -  All Natural Free Range Jidori Chicken Breast with Gratin Potato, Mushrooms and Pearl Onions.  I thought the chicken was a bit on the dry side, but everything else was delicious, especially the mushrooms and the sauce.

 Nat ordered the Asian Style Five Spice Braised Beef, which she loved.

For dessert we shared the Strawberry Mango Crumble with Cinnamon Ice Cream.

I thought it was okay - I expected more of a "crumble" topping on the fruit, and instead the topping was more like a graham cracker topping, but overall it was not bad.

Overall I thought the service was pretty good, and I liked the presentation of the food, but I thought the food was a bit on the pricey side.

The best part of the night was the company!  Thank you, Nat!

Tango Contemporary Cafe: 1288 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI  96814; (808) 593-7288

 Validated parking in the Hokua building for 2 1/2 hours.

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Moke's Bread & Breakfast

I had never heard of Moke's Bread & Breakfast until I saw it on Yelp, and after trying it, I'm sold.  It seems to be lesser known than Boots & Kimo's and Cinnamon's Restaurant, but the food is just as good ... possibly better.

On a Saturday morning, we arrived a little after 7:00 a.m. and had no problem getting a table.  Service was quick and friendly, and our coffee cups were constantly topped off.  The food was amazing and worth the drive from town.

Moke's Bread & Breakfast
27 Hoola'i Street
Kailua Town
(808) 261-5565
Breakfast: 6:30 am - 2:00 pm
Lunch: 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Short stack of the Lilikoi Pancakes.  If you like Lilikoi, you'll love these pancakes.    If you don't like Lilikoi, I would recommend ordering just the plain pancakes or banana pancakes - they known how to make pancakes the right way.

Fluffy and light.  No syrup or butter needed!

Home-made Corned Beef Hash: served with two eggs, hash browns, and toast.     

It resembled a combo of canned and fresh ingredients.  It was perfectly prepared: crispy on the outside, tasty on the inside.

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Kahuku Grill

Every now and then, we like to escape urban Honolulu by heading to the northern side of the island.  Our last escapade landed us at Kahuku Grill, which is located at the old Kahuku Sugar Mill on the North Shore. 

 

 Here's what we ate:

Garlic Lovers Shrimp plate - tender pieces of shrimp cooked with loads of garlic and butter, served on a bed of rice with a salad on the side.  We ate the shrimps and took the rice (which had a lot of garlic on it) home and made garlic fried rice out of it.  I'd say it's almost as good as the shrimp trucks/stands further down the road.

Look at all that garlic!

Kahuku Grill is known for their cheeseburgers, so we had to order one and made it a combo (what is a burger without fries?).  The cheeseburger combo is made with handmade patties and is served with fresh cut fries, and it's only $5.75. 

Cross-section of the cheeseburger.  Highly recommended!

The menu

Kahuku Grill
56-565 Kamehameha Hwy
(808) 852-0040

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Yogur Story

After visiting Yogur Story for the first time during the Dishcrawl Brunch, I was quite impressed with the menu and ambiance, and suggested to my girlfriends that we should have our holiday get-together there, so we recently celebrated the holidays there just a couple of weeks ago (yes, we usually celebrate at the start of the new year since it's so hard for us to all get together during the holidays).

Here are the items we ordered:

 Cranberry Chicken Salad Croissant (the person who ordered this LOVED it).

Dolce de Leche Waffles

Breakfast Croissant (the person who ordered this doesn't care for eggs, so when she requested "no egg," the server said she'd ask to put an extra bacon on the sandwich).

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich (several people ordered this, and they seemed to enjoy this as well).

Cobb Omelette - This is what I ordered.  I really enjoyed it.  The Bleu Cheese added a nice tangy flavor to the omelette.

West Hollywood Waffle

Oreo Cheesecake - I split this with a friend.  It was VERY good!

While there, I had a chance to chat with Brent Paul, the Manager at Yogur Story.  We briefly talked about  such things as the transition from a yogurt shop to a full-service restaurant (a bar now stands where the yogurt machines once were), the popularity of their waffles (most popular is the Red Carpet), and the possibility of opening new locations (yes - it's a possibility!).

The decision to change to a full-service restaurant has proved to be a wise one, as you'll find guests often raving about the dishes, especially the waffles, on social media.

Also, as guests have noted on social media, the service can be a bit slow, just as it was during this visit.  The restaurant was pretty crowded, but there were moments when the wait seemed extra long.

However, our server was very friendly, and overall we had a very nice lunch at Yogur Story, and I can't wait to go back to try the Red Carpet Waffles!

Yogur Story: 815 Keeaumoku St, Honolulu, HI  96814; (808) 942-0505

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Dave & Buster's - Ward Entertainment Center

Prior to the Honolulu City Lights Trolley Ride, we went to Dave & Buster's for dinner.

DS1 had the Kids Mac & Cheese.

I ordered the Legendary Goldfingers Eat & Play Combo ($16.99 for entree + $10 Power Card) for DS2 and I to share.

The dish did not look appetizing at all. The chicken coating was pale and soggy (it looked just as it looks in this photo) and looked nothing like the last time DS2 ordered Goldfingers (you can view a much more appetizing photo here).

The chicken tasted okay; fortunately DS2 ended up eating most of it.

DH ordered the Build Your Own Soft Tacos with Chicken Eat + Play Combo.

He ended up sharing some of his tacos with me since I didn't care for the Goldfingers, and I really enjoyed the tacos.

Our server was friendly, but the overall service was pretty slow.

Fortunately the boys had a blast playing games after dinner, and that more than made up for the average dinner.

Dave & Buster's: 1030 Auahi St Honolulu , HI 96814 808-589-2215

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Forty Niner Restaurant

Whenever we have chilly weather, I always crave saimin, and I was able to satisfy that craving with a trip to Forty Niner Restaurant recently.

When we got there I was *this close* to ordering Garlic Chicken instead, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't get Saimin, and I was very happy that I did indeed order Saimin.  It was delicious!

DH ordered the Forty Niner Omelet with Fried Rice.

We also ordered a full stack of Chocolate Chip Pancakes (we wanted Blueberry, but they were out of Blueberries)...

and a full stack of Banana Pancakes (certain breakfast items are served all day).

The boys all shared the pancakes, and we ended up with a lot leftover to take home, even after DH had half a pancake.

The pancakes were large and fluffy, and the boys loved them.

We also ordered a side of fries - I should've ordered gravy on the side.  I love fries and gravy!

Luckily we got there when we did, because there's only one high chair in the entire restaurant and it was not being used when we arrived.

The service was friendly, the prices were reasonable, and the food was good!

Next time I go back I'll try the Garlic Chicken...maybe...

Forty Niner Restaurant: 98-110 Honomanu Street  Aiea, HI 96701; 808-484-1940

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