Latest posts from our Honolulu expert:
Umeke Market
One of the only health food markets that gives Down to Earth a run for its money is the unsuspecting Umeke Market, located across the street from Kahala Mall. This great little market is full of organic products and healthy lunch items. Similar to Down to Earth, there is a deli and prepared health food area. All items are purchased by weight (in ounces). Also, special bento box lunches are often sold near the front seating area. Towards the back of the market is a frozen health food section and small produce bin. There is also a small annex next door where holistic body products are sold.
All of the products at Umeke Market are higher than normal supermarkets, but the quality is far better than anything at Safeway anyway. Most of the items you will find at Umeke cannot be found anywhere else, so it’s worth a trip just to browse the latest healthy items available in Hawaii.
To get to Umeke:
— From town: Take H-1 eastbound and get off at the Waialae Avenue exit. At the third streetlight, take a left onto Kilauea Avenue. Then, take a right down the alley next to Territorial Savings bank. You will wind around to the parking lot. Park and walk around the corner to your right, where you will find the entrance to the Market.
— From Hawaii Kai: Take Kalanianaole Highway and get off at the Kilauea Street exit. Take an almost immediate right into the parking lot. Park and walk around the corner to your right, where you will find the entrance to the Market.
Umeke Market
4400 Kalanianaole
(808) 739-2990
Web Site
Yogurtland
Driving on University Ave last month, I noticed a new store that took over what used to be Volcano Joe's across the street from the University of Hawaii. There were a TON of people too, and it was around 9 p.m. So I decided to investigate.
The concept is quite simple. You choose two different cup sizes (both are decently big), and then you go to one of the MANY yogurt stations (they look like soft serve ice cream stations) and serve yourself whatever combination of flavors you want.
Take advantage of the free sample cups by the register, so you can taste all the flavors before you commit to one. I happen to like the pistachio, and the green tea tastes like green tea ice cream. The mango yogurt was good as well. The plain yogurt flavor was kind of tart, but was delicious nonetheless.
Once you’ve stocked up on yogurt, head over to the next station, the topping station, where you can find a LOAD of fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc), sprinkles, chocolate, etc., as well as condensed milk and an array of liquid toppings. Finally, you reach the cashier where you weigh your item, and are charged 39 cents per ounce. My 7 ounce yogurt mixture, cost about $2.50.
Pretty much all the flavors are nonfat, and they have a bunch of flavors you wouldn't think would taste good as a frozen yogurt. Some flavors are taro, pistachio, green tea, peanut butter, and New York cheesecake.
This is one of the best places to cool off on a hot day! For more information about Yogurtland, visit their website at http://www.yogurt-land.com/.
Yogurtland
1810 University Ave.
(808) 951-4444
Web Site
Coffee Shops with Free Wifi
Amazingly enough, it is harder and harder to find a good old fashioned coffee shop with free wifi! Many of the café chains like Starbucks have teamed up with wireless phone companies to offer daily or monthly internet service plans that cost money! Below is a short list of some of the nicer, friendlier cafés in Honolulu that offer free wifi. In most of these cases, “free” means that you should buy something from the café and request the wifi pass code to access the internet on your laptop.
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This tiny café at the corner of Puck’s Alley and next door to The Varsity is a great place to have some privacy and flesh out that work that you’ve been putting off.
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Popular with UH kids, yet upscale and trendy, is Glazer’s on King Street, just up the street from Puck’s Alley. This small café has special blend coffee and offers a nice atmosphere for socializing or working.
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A mainstay for over 10 years, Coffee Talk is the hotspot for young professionals and artists. There are lots of artsy events on the weekends, and plenty of space to relax and work. Its homemade pastries and sandwiches are always satisfying, and there’s even a rare smoking section.
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The only decent coffee shop chain on the island is the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, with five locations in Honolulu, The best two shops are in Diamond Head and Manoa Marketplace because they have the most pleasant indoor and outdoor seating. The other three can be found in Market City, at the Ala Moana Shopping Center, and downtown.
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Honolulu Academy of Art
Make a whole day of it! The Honolulu Academy of Art is well worth a fully day's activities and really packs a punch with its world-class art exhibitions -- both permanent and temporary -- as well as its gorgeously built Doris Duke Theater, attached to it on Kinau Street. The best way to enjoy your visit would be to start in the museum, take a lunch break in the popular Pavillion Cafe (which serves some of the best healthy lunches in town), watch a matinee film in the Theater and then, if you plan ahead, pay a visit to Doris Duke's lovely home in Diamond Head.
If you time it right, you can even make a night of it by enjoying an evening of music and dancing at the Academy's "Art After Dark" events, which take place from 6-9 p.m. every last Friday of the month. These are always enjoyable social events that draw big crowds.
Whatever your interests, this museum should not be missed!
Honolulu Academy of Art
900 South Beretania
808-532-8700
Web Site
Waiola's Shave Ice
It’s not a “snow cone” and it’s not called “shaved ice” (as in the adjective) either. It’s “shave ice” to locals, and it’s one of the most delectable desserts or midday snacks anyone can have on a hot day. Admittedly, "shave ice" doesn't make any sense as a term, but it makes perfect sense as local food. For so long, the well-known shave ice shacks have been neighbors on the North Shore of Oahu, with Matsumoto’s being the most famous store — often having an enormous line out the front door. However, for the past ten years, a little store in McCully has been making a name for itself and has recently surpassed the popularity of all the shave ice joints on the North Shore having been named the Honolulu Advertiser's Best of the Best.
Ordering your perfect concoction is not very easy though, so it's important to walk you through the process:
1. Size -- There are small, large, and extra-large cone or cup sizes.
2. Extras -- What do you want inside your cone? You have an option to have a scoop of vanilla ice cream, mochi balls, and/or azuki beans.
3. Flavor -- There are over 25 flavors to choose from. You can order the rainbow assortment or have two free flavor combinations.
4. Toppings -- Unique toppings include lilikoi sauce and condensed milk.
Take it slow or suffer from brain freeze, but enjoy!!!
WAIOLA STORE
2135 Waiola Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
808 949 2269
Typical Plate Lunch Dishes
“Plate lunch” is a special plate of food that locals like to eat for lunch or dinner. In a lot of senses, plate lunch is the Hawaiian version of fast food (like McDonald’s and Burger King), except some dishes can in fact be healthy. The most accessible plate lunch restaurant chain is L&L Drive Inn. Other popular joints are Grace’s Inn or Rainbow Drive-In. These restaurants are also similar to fast food joints because they are typically take-out restaurants where you walk in, order at the counter, and take your food home with you or to a park or the beach to eat.
All plate lunches come with a large scoop of rice and a scoop of “mac salad,” which is the Hawaiian version of coleslaw (just substitute the cabbage for macaroni). Regular sized plate lunch dishes are always filling — especially if you decide to order a combo plate, so if you’re not so hungry it would be wise to order a “mini plate,” which is normally about ¾ the price and ¾ the size of a regular plate.
The following are the typical fares available at a normal plate lunch joint:
BBQ Chicken: At least 2-3 chicken breasts are marinated in delectable barbecue sauce and then grilled.
Chicken Katsu: Small, thin chicken strips are coated in a flour mixture and then fried to make some delicious, boneless fried chicken strips and then served with a tangy katsu sauce (that tastes like a mixture of ketchup and barbecue sauce)
Loco Moco: Beef patties are served with an over-easy egg on top.
Meat Jun: Thin strips of beef are dipped in an egg batter and then fried and often served with a special teriyaki sauce.
Kalbi: Thinly sliced beef ribs are marinated in barbecue sauce and then grilled to make a yummy, beefy meal.
Mahi: Grilled Hawaiian fish filets that are often cooked in a garlic sauce.
Kalua Pig: The Hawaiian version of pulled pork, often served over a bed of steamed cabbage.
Lau Lau: Pork or chicken wrapped in a kind of spinach and ti leaf and steamed to perfection. Unwrap the ti leaf and eat the rest. Yum!
Choose from any of these great meals and enjoy!
The Best Beaches for Chilling Out
As a dedicated south shore surfer, I guess I can be thankful for one thing: not everyone likes to surf. There are plenty of people who are perfectly content chilling out on the beach, which fortunately keeps the crowds at surf breaks tolerable enough for everyone to catch something. If you have a baby or little ones in tow and just looking for a relaxing beach to tan or read a book, head to one of these three fantastic sandy beaches — where soft white sand is plentiful and big waves are not.
Kaimana Beach — Just east of the Nattatorium in Waikiki sits pleasant Kaimana Beach. There is an attentive lifeguard on duty during regular business hours, and the adorable Hala Tree Café right on the beach itself. An underground, freshwater stream feeds the hala tree that makes shade for the café, and feeds straight into the calm ocean.
Magic Island — This is the most centrally-located weekend picnic spot in town, as it is right across the street from Ala Moana Shopping Center. This manmade bay with a protective coral reef straight in front of it makes for a perfect tanning beach. The peninsula to the east is grassy and great for walking around, while the beach itself is all sun and blue water.
Sherwood Beach — Out of town in Waimanalo sits the sleepy, forested beach called Sherwood, which is a lovely stretch of white sand beach for a good mile. Boogie boarders love this spot, with its gently rolling beach breaks, and its pine forested showers and bathroom.