Cino

I met some friends for dinner at Cino at Ward Village, and we ended up ordering to eat everything family-style. 

Salt Roasted Baby Beet

The beets were refreshing, and I enjoyed the accompanying goat cheese, aged balsamic, mac nuts, and charred oranges, all of which added flavor and textural dimensions to the dish. 

Fritto Misto

I enjoyed the Fritto Misto, which included calamari, shrimp, and various veggies. 

Herb Pappardelle

The Pappardelle was my favorite dish of the night.  The braised short rib was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  The pasta (all pastas are housemade), was perfectly cooked.

Pork Chop

The Pork Chop was another hit of the table.

King Crab Pasta

The King Crab Pasta, with uni, turned out to be the least favorite of the night.

Cino Pinwheel

At $77, we were curious as to what made this award-winning dish, so we decided to give it a try.  Made with European butter, ricotta, and truffles, this dish was indeed rich in more ways than one.  It was so decadent, and full of umami.  

Service was great, and we had a nice time at Cino.

Cino

987 Queen St Ste 100

Honolulu, HI 96814

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Mango Mango x Milk & Mocha Bear Collab

Just in time for summer is the Mango Mango x Milk & Mocha Bear Collab!

For a limited time, you can get your hands on refreshing, sweet treats and exclusive merch!

I was invited to Mango Mango and was fortunate to have received the following:

Blue Lagoon Cove (MangoMango’s signature mango blend + coconut chia, mango, blue coconut jelly strips, and toasted coconut flakes.

Sunny-Coco Burst (coconut water, mango popping bubbles, coconut cream).

Milk & Mocha Tag-Along

Such a cute collab!

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Onkee Dinner Special Set $65 Per Person

I was lucky to attend a media dinner with @melissa808 and @maryandreidhicks to try the Onkee Special Set, which is available for dinner (minimum 2 people).   

The set includes:

Grilling meats (ribeye, hanging tenderloin, marinated short rib, thin skirt steak), Onkee special ssam, banchan, kimchi salad, green onion salad, egg souffle, kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, rice, and vanilla ice cream.

You can order à la carte too, and we also indulged in marinated galbi donburi, bone broth soup, and bingsu.  

If you don't want to or are unsure of how to cook the meats, the staff can grill them for you.

Tip - if you get bingsu, add it to your bowl of ice cream!

It was so much food.  My faves from the set were the soybean paste stew and the marinated short rib.  I really liked being able to make our own ssam too.

Highly recommend adding on the galbi donburi and bingsu!

Onkee Korean Grill House
1000 Auahi St Unit 220

Honolulu, HI 96814

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Happy Hour at Merriman's Honolulu

Merriman's Honolulu offers a daily Happy Hour from 3-530p. They have a pretty extensive menu of food and drink specials for Happy Hour.

Organic Taro Hummus

Fish Tacos

Kalua Pig Quesadilla

Spicy Szechuan Green Beans

My faves were the quesadilla and the fish tacos.

Reservations recommended — it was very busy!

Merriman's Honolulu
1108 Auahi Street

Honolulu, HI 96814

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Holey Grail

If I'm at Ward Village, it's hard for me to resist getting some Holey Grail Donuts.  

Pictured from top L-R

•Black Sabbath

•Original Sin

•Chocolate Crunch

•Strawberry Fields

•Reincarnated

•Hot Single

•Saffron Snickerdoodle

•Hail Mary

•Liliko‘i

These donuts are so good, with a Hawaiian taro base and the incorporation of locally-sourced ingredients to create an amazing, imaginative assortment of flavors. 

My fave, however, is the Hot Single, which @deniset73 told me about.  It's simply local honey and sea salt flakes.  Simple, but so delicious.  

That's what you get when quality ingredients are used.  

Holey Grail Donuts

1001 Queen St #101

Honolulu, HI 96814

 

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Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani

It's been 5 years since my last staycation, and we were overdue for one.  We decided to go back to the Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani since we had such a wonderful time there.

Translated to "House of Welcoming Waters," Halepuna, sister property to the Halekulani hotel, is part of a brand that is synonymous with excellent service.  

We were fortunate to get a media rate for two Ocean View rooms for our family of 5 (because 2 bathrooms are a must!).

One room had a king bed and desk; the other room had 2 double beds.  

The blue tones of the rooms complemented the ocean views.

The views were stunning!

Each room included complimentary water bottles (water filling stations are located throughout the hotel), robes for use, a coffee maker, and mini fridge.

We had a shared foyer vs connecting rooms, which still allowed for privacy since we could shut the external door.

Dining options on property include Halekulani Bakery as well as UMI by Vikram Garg.

On property you will also find the Vitality Pool and Sun Deck with Cabanas, The Garden, where you can relax in tranquility, and a Fitness Studio.   

We were fortunate to get complimentary cabanas, which offered a respite from the sun as we relaxed by the pool.

Throughout the hotel you'll find some exceptional artwork!

I like that the hotel is at one end of Waikiki, so we were not in the midst of the crowds, but a lot of Waikiki spots were still easily accessible.  

The beach is just a short walk across the street, and you're not far from numerous other shops and restaurants.  

The Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani is a boutique hotel that scores big on ambience and service, and it was the ideal location for our staycation.  

We had such a nice getaway - one that was much needed to rejuvenate my soul.  

Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani

2233 Helumoa Rd

Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 921-7272

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Rainbow Drive-In

Because we staycationed in Waikiki for Mother's Day, we hit up our usual spot on the way home - Rainbow Drive-In.

Boneless Chicken with Gravy All Over

I got the Boneless Chicken with Gravy All Over.  It lasted me 3 meals - it was so much food.  

Fried Saimin with BBQ Beef Plate

Mix Plate with Gravy

Shrimp Tempura

BBQ Burger

Fries

And of course we had to get Slush Floats.  It's a must whenever we go to Rainbows.

Slush Float

Rainbows is such an iconic spot for local plate lunches, having been in business for 65 years.  

Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 737-0177

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