Jump to content

glossyp

participating member
  • Posts

    369
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by glossyp

  1. As regards PakePorkChops experience at the Kahala Mandarin, there is evidence that they are economizing and the let down in standards there is attributed by some to the change in management. Mandarin Oriental Hotels no longer run the property and it is now managed by the Landmark Hotel group. The name has been changed to Kahala Hotel & Resort. There is supposed to be a $20 million renovation and face lift coming for this worn property. The better half maintains the standards have been going downhill ever since it stopped being the Kahala Hilton. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out for the restaurants there. Regarding brunch on Oahu, we have cousins that swear by the Sunday brunch at the Prince Hotel but I have never been. I can heartily endorse Orchids.
  2. Well, at least one of the whoever is Farm Sanctuary. I was doing some research about Farm Sanctuary, whose local respresentative has convinced state representative, Chris Halford of Maui, to introduce legislation banning the production of foie gras in Hawaii. Not surprisingly, there is no one producing foie gras here nor is there anyone planning to do so; the real goal is to ban the sell of foie gras. I spoke with Farm Sanctuary's national campaign director, Meghan Beeby, from her office in their headquarters in upstate New York. I asked her if they promoted a vegetarian lifestyle and she answered, "We promote a vegan lifestyle." So it would appear that converting one and all to veganism is the goal of at least this group. Edited for clarity.
  3. I personally like the food at the Pineapple Room better than Mariposa. And, it really bears no resemblance to the food at Alan Wong's so it's not like a less expensive version of AW food, it's completely different. They do a great riff on Cobb salad called Thai Cobb salad (not sure if they intended a baseball pun??) using green papaya and lemongrass-basil dressing along with some of the usual ingredients. The meatloaf is excellent as well. OT - but whether you decide on Mariposa or Pineapple Room, don't miss a visit to Harry Winston's new jewelry salon there are Ala Moana!
  4. What great memories from seeing the bbeondaeggi! I used to eat it just to startle my Korean friends. We even had a song we sang as an ode to the crunchy snack - four part harmony no less. Yes, pochang macha, hodduk and bbeondaeggi all bring back memories of life in Seoul in the 70's and early 80's.
  5. Nice work nakji! Keep it up as it's been much too long since we've seen day-to-day food and eating in Seoul.
  6. They made their opening date! Hakkei is now open. I've got a full slate of places to get to so please somebody go try it and report back!
  7. I haven't had restaurant-prepared yook hwe since I left Guam where excellent preparations of this dish could be found at any number of Korean restaurants. I have yet to find a Korean restaurant here in Honolulu that I like and/or trust that much so I just replicate the classic recipe at home. The ingredients are easy to find and when combined with a fresh Island egg it's excellent. I haven't tried any variations but the pine nuts sound like a good addition.
  8. The recommendation from Tess to check Reid's site is excellent. Here are a few places to consider as well. Mitch's Sushi Bar is located in an industrial park near the Airport. Reservations are essential as the place is tiny but they are open from late morning until evening. I find that mid-afternoon is a good time to stop by. Bring your own beer. Mitch's Review. South Shore Grill on Monsarrat is bargin dining at its best. South Shore Grill Review. A round up of places worth considering. I especially recommend Bac Nam for Vietnamese. Food 2005.
  9. Digging up this old thread and felt like it was deja vu! We just posted our article on the 2006 Hale Aina's and it's easy to see that things haven't changed much. 2006 Hale Aina Awards - Change in Date, No Significant Change in Results
  10. I love all of my Japanese dishes and find that when I'm serving Japanese food (not as often as I'd like but at least six to eight times per month), one of my favorite things is to select the dishes. What is the season? What chopstick rests will reflect the mood - whimsical cats I found in Bali or the lovely celedon green ones that look like edamame? What color of bowl will accent the particular salad ingredients? It is a real pleasure and something I don't do with same degree of interest or passion when serving other foods.
  11. To the best of my knowledge (I could certainly be wrong and, if I am, hopefully some kind soul will correct me!), there are no eateries here similar to the ones you describe.
  12. Sorry for the delay in posting these photos of the Potato Rosemary Bread. I made this at practically the same time as Elie did his variation which looks so delicious. I did try to emboss the rosemary sprig but without success. It didn't adhere very well but the recepient didn't seem to mind. One thing I did differently from the recipe is that I added the roasted garlic into the mix before kneading. I wanted to get good distribution of the garlic throughout the loaf. It made the dough slightly wetter but it was not a problem. I made a full recipe, creating one boule and nine dinner rolls. The boule was a gift and I did eat one of the rolls before delivering the remainder to another friend. It was very tasty. I can definitely recommend this recipe as one which even a beginner could do well. Biga, flour, mashed potatoes, rosemary and roasted garlic ready to mix Ready for the oven From the oven
  13. I'm happy to say that the weather has cooled off enough to start baking bread again in my kitchen. A hot oven means an unbearably hot house during the summer months here. Temps are now in the high 70's to low 80's finally. Just started the biga for the potato rosemary bread. It's a birthday present for a potato loving fellow eGulleter! I'll post photos. One question. Has anyone embossed the tops of the bread with the fresh rosemary sprig? If so, how did it turn out? I'm trying to decide whether to do it or not.
  14. Could it possibly be true that badly behaved chefs (Gordon Ramsay is cited) are influencing students to choose another course of study? Other factors are mentioned as well but I thought it interesting that the celebrity angle was considered significant. Celebrity chefs to blame? Free registration may be required.
  15. It appears that Kitchen Confidential is back on beginning Nov. 14.
  16. This are my personal observations based on recent meals at the places mentioned and some additional thoughts. Roy's Hawaii Kai is very good. The chef does interesting and tasty dishes - try any of the seafood preparations. It can be hot and it is definitely noisy but dress accordingly. Formal or dressy attire is not required and you see plenty of regulars in shorts. Chef Mavro is excellent. His is the only big-name restaurant in town where the chef is in the kitchen every night cooking. I think his food continues to evolve and I don't consider the dishes to be overwhelmingly "French" but rather more Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Hawaiian Fusion or whatever the current description is for it. Service is stellar and again, no need to dress up. I would eat at the Pineapple Room any day before Alan Wong's - the food is better and it's way cheaper. All of the following are very casual spots where you'll be eating from disposable plates: Nico's at Pier 38 is a must stop for the food and the setting. It's there to serve the workers at the adjacent fish auction house so it's super casual. Very cheap and very good. Check out Kulia Grill in the new medical center. The students of the culinary arts program intern there and the menu changes daily (only open Mon-Fri). See what the next generation of chefs might be cooking. They also serve an awesome cheeseburger with house-made potato chips for right around $6. If you get out of town, stop by Poke Stop in Waipahu and check out whatever Elmer Guzman might be cooking. He's the former executive chef for Sam Choy's Diamond Head and his seafood preparations are better than ever. Outdoor seating only - this is a very tiny spot. For a contemporary plate lunch, visit Wally Ho's Garage & Grill in Aiea. You might find grilled eggplant on taro bun or really good braised short ribs. There's more but I'll stop now!
  17. Can you provide a price range? How many expensive, splurge dinners, if any, and what area/s will you be visiting? I think we can get some good suggestions going if we have a bit more information.
  18. I almost always wear a bib type apron over t-shirt and jeans or jammie pants. Kitchen towel is stuck in there as well. I'd rather launder aprons and kitchen towels than jeans and t-shirts since we don't have a clothes dryer. A single cooking session would require washing my clothes if I didn't wear an apron - with apron I can get at least a couple of wearings.
  19. Another treat from Josie at Latitude 13 If you click on the link you'll see another fun food-related sign and if you scroll down a bit you'll see a most lovely photo of the beach under the entry "freeze" - a little something for any of you who are dreading winter. edited to add info
  20. I have to agree that I was surprised when Mario won but then I remembered he lost the previous battle and heaven forbid that an Iron Chef lose two times in a row. Tamara did a great job; her dishes looked good (tasted good too according to the judges) and I really wanted to try the curry dish presented in the tagine.
  21. This short piece from Media Life Magazine may foretell the fate of the show. The writer of the article likes the show and believes the timeslot is a large part of the problem. "Kitchen Confidential": Eat it up quick?
  22. Here's a fresh one from my friend Josie over at Latitude 13.
  23. I have had this same recipe (Alford-Duguid's) dog-eared for quite some time now but have never gotten aound to it.... In the comments/glossary section in the back of the book they talk about rice flour and decribe two types: rice flour and glutinous rice flour and comment the that they are not interchangeable as glutinous rice flour makes softer and stickier doughs. Mochiko is a glutinous rice flour so this could be why some people have had disasterous results. Look for a regular rice flour. ← Just getting back in so sorry for the delay in replying. The most successful of the recipes was indeed like the one supplied by beccaboo. Torakris is correct in noting that there is a big difference between mochiko flour and regular rice flour. I used regular rice flours in all of my efforts. I was inspired by my first visit to Vietnam and a desire to recreate the wonderful bread. I was assisted by my Vietnamese friend (who, I'm sure, secretly thought I was crazy but kindly said nothing, only raising an eyebrow at some of the results!) who consulted with his mother and various relatives regarding hints or tips that might help. Understanding more about the general chemistry of bread making now (thanks to eGullet and Peter Reinhart's BBA) I can look back on the experience and pinpoint a couple of the problems. One was the overall difference in climate - hot and humid vs. cool and moderately humid. Two was a measurement problem. I rigidly adhered to the measurements and failed to adjust according to what the dough was "telling" me. That's why I'm interested to see how it works for you. I may even have another go at it.
  24. Please do report on your results. I have tried to bake these myself as well with mixed results varying from disastrous to moderately okay. Of course, very few, if any, people in Vietnam bake their own baguettes. They do like the French and purchase them from a bakery or one of the many purveyors who cycle about the city with their fragrant loaves for sale. Now I'm craving a baguette and coffee!
×
×
  • Create New...