Shokudo with Miss Kristen

Miss Kristen and I share a past. Our past extends a decade and involves many adventures including studying, shopping, and lots of laughing. Throw in there a physics final which one aced and another failed (even though we shared notes and studied together all night), baby sitting adventures, and a very compatible sweet tooth. Sounds generic right? To that I'll agree. You'd have to be part of our past to understand just how special it is.

Most importantly there were endless rounds of meals worth memory. Annual dinners at La Mer, Alan Wong's, and Michel's. Afternoon tea at the Halekulani, Kahala Oriental, Tea at 1024, Moana Surfider and far too many to count.

We faced the same dilemma - a love for dressing up and an even greater love for dining out. So we dined out every opportunity possible, always overdressed as far as island codes go. We could not drink, so we had sparkling cider. We wore hats to afternoon tea and slyly winked at all the cute boys.

"Sukiyaki Bibimbap Rice"

Our parents had to drive us everywhere. And when they were too busy, we took the public bus. Kristen and I were both the last within our circle of friends to obtain a driver's license.

We graduated high school. And on that year, she went her way, and I went mine, placing one another on polar ends of the country. Since then, and up until today, we meet back twice a year in Honolulu. And what do we do? We eat of course.

Oddly enough, our meals are no longer as lavish as they were in high school. No tasting menus at La Mer and no endless afternoons basking over tea and all the sweets we desired at the Surfrider. Funny, how we could afford to eat best when we had no income.

"Salmon Rice"

It's not the price of the meal, nor is it the atmosphere, which brings us together. It's the company. We last met over dinner at Du Vin, (which houses some very charming waiters ;). This time we met at Shokudo for honey toast. The savouries were merely (tasty) incidentals. There was a salmon & ikura rice bowl, bibimbap, and drinks to bring about the slightest buzz of the joyful and heady sort.


"Honey Toast"

But it was Honey Toast that brought about the biggest smiles. Two three-inch slices of Japanese bread, hollowed out, cubed and then toasted. The cubes are tossed with honey and tumbled back into the hollowed slices. To finish, two scoops of vanilla ice cream and more honey seeping into every crisped pore of toast. We finished it all - nothing left to waste.

Bread, Ice Cream, and Honey. Simple is best.

We parted ways at the end of dinner. And when we see each other six months down the road, we'll pick up where we left off with carefree ease.

Previous Shokudo Posts:
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Shokudo Japanese
Ala Moana Pacific Center, Ground Floor
1585 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 941-3701