Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill Revisited

The boys and I had the day off from school/work on Monday since it was a state holiday, so we decided to have lunch at Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill at the Marine Corp Base Hawaii.

We got to sample a couple of new menu items - the "it's greek to me" salad, a good option for those looking for something healthy, so long as you ask for the dressing on the side.

Another new menu item we got to try was the beef quesadilla burger. Apparently quesadillas are a popular menu item at Kahuna's, so the manager thought it would be fun to try it with a hamburger, instead of the usual chicken. Very innovative!

For my lunch I ordered my usual - Mushroom Swiss burger. It never disappoints.

The twins usually never want to eat the same thing, so one ordered the mac n cheese with mandarin oranges. 

The other one ordered chicken strips with french fries. 

Click HERE to see their current menu!


Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill
Marine Corp Base Hawaii
Building #1629
Phone: 254-7660 & 254-7661

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Dinner at Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38

We celebrated my brother's birthday at Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38 last Sunday evening.

I was starving upon arrival.  Thank goodness for the complimentary focaccia bread with olive oil and balsamic dip - I ate three pieces before the first course arrived. 

My sons liked the mac n cheese off of the kid's menu.  One son in particular said it tasted better than the mac n cheese that we eat at home (i.e. instant mac n cheese). 

Some of us shared the following family-style - best decision ever, as it was so hard to settle on just one thing on the menu....

Brasa Grilled Prawn and Avocado Caesar (special request)

Spanish Grilled Octopus 

Brasa Roasted Eggplant

Prime Rib (20 oz)

Rib Eye Steak

The roasted eggplant appetizer and rib-eye steak were my favorite dishes. I would definitely order those again. 

Be sure to come during the sunset hour, as the view from the dining room is simply amazing.

HARBOR RESTAURANT AT PIER 38

1129 North Nimitz Highway

(808) 550-3740

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The Brilliant Ox

When @WeHeartHawaii suggested that we try The Brilliant Ox for lunch, I was skeptical at first, since a few of my friends gave it unfavorable reviews. However, the food looked so good on social media that I just had to try it.

You need not worry about coming here for lunch without a reservation, because only a couple of tables were occupied at 11:30 am. 

We decided to order family style so that we could try a few dishes on the menu.  

Okinawan Sweet Potato Croquettes - the lap cheong jam is what makes this dish outstanding! 

The Mochiko Chicken Thighs were okay, but nothing special. If you like yuzu, you'll want to get it with the yuzu-black pepper sauce. 

The Brilliant Ox Burger was delicious - two four-ounce burgers with american cheese melted between the two patties. 

It was messy but oh-so-good!

 I would love to return to try the Brilliant Ox Fries and Teriyaki Beef Shortribs. Anyone care to join me? :)

THE BRILLIANT OX
1450 Ala Moana Blvd. (Hookipa Terrace, 3rd Floor)
(808) 377-4803

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Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38

Gem and I decided to meet at Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38 for our last lunch together in 2017.  This restaurant has been open since May 2016, so it's quite surprising that neither of us had made it down here until now.

She ordered the Brasa Grilled Chicken Breast Panini with Parmesan lattice chips, and said her sandwich was good and the chicken was moist!

I ordered the Brasa Grilled Ahi Tuna Melt with a cup of Harbor Chowder. The ahi was cooked perfectly - medium rare as I had requested.

I would not recommend the Harbor Chowder. I actually had to confirm with the server that they gave me the chowder, because it looked like anything but chowder.

For dessert we tried the Warm Chocolate Cobbler, which I thought was misnomer, because it wasn't served warm, and cobblers usually have fruit with some kind of crust on top.

The menu is hit or miss, but overall, it was a nice dining experience and I wouldn't mind coming back for their happy hour (which they call Huki Pau) at the Copper Top Bar.

HARBOR RESTAURANT AT PIER 38

1129 North Nimitz Highway

(808) 550-3740

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Lunch at Fête

My gal pals from high school days and I got together for a mini reunion at Fête, a newish restaurant in Chinatown.  The chef is Robynne Mai‘i, who we knew from her days at our alma mater, and opened this restaurant with her husband Chuck.  They were living and working in NYC for the past 15 years, until coming to Hawaii to open their very own restaurant.  

It's only been open since March, but word has spread quickly and the place is packed during lunch and dinner hours. Since it's a small restaurant, reservations are highly recommended and can be made easily on OpenTable.com.

Here are some of the popular items currently on their lunch menu:

Chaz Burger

Linguine Carbonara

Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich

The downside to coming here during lunch is that they do not have their full dessert menu available - only select ice cream and sorbet. I really wanted to try their lilikoi bombilini but it was not available. Their house made rocky road ice cream that is often talked about was also unavailable. 

Located on the corner of Hotel Street and Nuuanu Avenue

Fête
2 North Hotel Street
(808) 369-1390
M-Th 11AM – 10PM
F 11AM – 11PM
Sat 10AM – 11PM
Sun 10AM – 2PM

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Big City Diner - Ward

I never realized how kid-friendly Big City Diner was until I dined here with my friends, husband, and sons last weekend. Truthfully, we were planning to dine at Buca di Beppo, but the wait for a table was 2 hours long, so we came here instead. But it was a blessing in disguise because I learned that Big City Diner is a great place for families.

The staff was friendly right from the start.  After they escorted us to our table, one of the waiters told us that after we get settled, they'll store our stroller in the back.  It's a great idea, because there are a lot of folks with small kids that dine  here, and if the strollers were parked at each table, it would be almost impossible for the staff to get around.

Right when we got seated, our waitress delivered two small cups with straws for our boys.  I was so impressed at how they delivered cups of water for our boys without us having to ask for it.  

Big City Diner's menu is filled with lots of island favorites.  It's always hard to choose what to order because everything sounds so tempting - fried min, chili nachos, hamburgers, oriental chicken salad, pulehu N.Y. steak, hamburger steak, chili dogs...

They also have a keiki menu that is just as enticing as the regular menu - meatloaf, keiki loco moco, hotdog, cheeseburger...

Entrees come with your choice of starch (add $1.99 for garlic mash) and you can get a cup of soup or small green salad for just $1.99 more.

Big City Diner has 5 locations on Oahu, but this one is my favorite location for its great customer service.

"There's no diner finer than Big City Diner"!

Boneless Korean Kalbi Steak $15.99

Pan-Seared Salmon $16.99

Pacific Islander Fresh Catch 

Grilled Tillamook Cheddar Cheese Sammich (Keiki menu) $6.99

Big City Diner - Ward

1060 Auahi Street #4 (same building as Consolidated Theaters)

(808) 591-8891

Website: http://bigcitydinerhawaii.com/

See what they're saying on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/big-city-diner-honolulu

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KFC's New Zesty Tex Mex and Sweet n' Spicy BBQ Bowls - For a Limited Time Only

Need more spice in your life? KFC's got you covered with their new line of Chicken and Rice Bowls. From April 13 to May 25, head down to participating KFC Hawaii locations to try their "Zesty Tex Mex" or "Sweet n' Spicy BBQ" Chicken and Rice Bowls.  Both bowls are just $6 each and come with your choice of a medium drink and a chocolate chip cookie! 

As a big fan of KFC, I was super excited to receive an invite to the exclusive pre-launch of KFC's new Chicken and Rice Bowls.  I even drove all the way across town during my lunch break to attend this event. I was not going to miss out the opportunity to try their new line of Chicken and Rice bowls before everyone else.

The exclusive tasting event kicked off with samples of the Zesty Tex Mex and Sweet n' Spicy BBQ Bowls.   Here's a closer look at the Sweet n' Spicy BBQ Chicken Bowl:

KFC's signature shredded chicken, topped with chopped green onions, shredded cheese, and a Sweet n' Spicy BBQ sauce, all layered over a bed of fresh rice.

It's a forkful of sweet n' spiciness!

The chicken was so tender it reminded me of southern pulled pork.  What makes this dish is the chicken combined with the melted 3 blend cheese.

Here's an up-close look at the Zesty Tex Mex Bowl:

Popcorn nugget chicken, tomatoes, purple and green onions, shredded cheese, and a top-secret KFC zesty sauce over a bed of of fresh white rice.

I love being able to eat KFC's famous popcorn chicken with a fork so that my hands don't get dirty.  The spicy ranch sauce has a good kick to it - thank god this bowl comes with a medium size drink!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - one is included with your purchase of either the Zesty Tex Mex or Sweet n' Spicy BBQ Bowls

No meal is complete without something sweet at the end - a chocolate chip cookie.  It's all you'll have room for after your Chicken and Rice Bowl.

If you're craving traditional KFC fare, you can still get their time-tested favorites such as their "finger linkin' good" original recipe chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw.

Original Recipe Chicken Thighs, Drumsticks & Biscuits

Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy                                                Cole Slaw 

Desserts: Red Velvet Cake (free with a 10 pc. meal or larger), Chocolate Chip Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies

For more information on KFC Hawaii, visit their website at http://kfchawaii.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KFCHawaii.  Follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KFCHawaii.  Hashtag your KFC experience with #HowDoYouKFC for a chance to be featured on the national website at KFC.com!

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