Close The Page If You Want Food. Today Is For Non-Edible Smatterings.

Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i

I've had this song stuck in my head for the last few days. Couldn't figure out the title, couldn't figure out the singer(s). Steph proved utterly useless in her midnight attempts to help, but did pour me a lovely glass of wine. She also fried up some salt and pepper potatoes. So tasty.

Granted, my weepy offerings of "you know, that song? that song with a beat? It goes, baby, baby, don't you ever leave me..." proved less than helpful.

"Oooh, THAT ONE"
"Yeah! you know it?"
"I think you have the lyrics wrong though...isn't it, baby, baby, please don't go without me?"
"really?"

We googled everything to death as Elton John played in the background along with the Slow Loris video on repeat. We were briefly distracted from the song search when Steph suggested we get a Slow Loris for the apartment.

"You think?"
"Yeah! Look how big their eyes are! Why not?"

So now we have that possibility to ponder.

Meanwhile, I had another tab (thank god for tabs, eh? ;) opened to jazz dance shoes, and another to Tin Tin comics on Ebay. We covered a lot of ground last night, including a discussion on the rather provocative shots featured in recent Urban Outfitters' catalogs.

(Shann and Darien, we miss you! :)

This time of the year (aka, tax season) makes you go just a little crazy. Long hours leave me worried that I'll abandon the rest of my personal life for excel documents.

Where's that third glass of wine?

We failed to figure out the song. But the evening closed off at a reasonably sane hour. It felt good to get more than fours hours of sleep.

I still have to put my new camera together.

Anyways. I emailed Shann this morning in regards to the song. She's good with stuff like that. And by "stuff," I mean figuring out sense from my non-sense.

"its a female singer and goes
"Baby, Baby...don't you ever leave me..."
da da dumh
and its like beat-y
steph knows what i mean, but she thinks the lyrics are different"

Shann responds an hour later (in Hawai'i time nonetheless!)

Shann (1:10:19 PM): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzKUoxL11E
Shann(1:10:20 PM): ???

And indeed, it's the Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go?

I have it on repeat. Man, I love this song.

Friday is tomorrow! :D

P.S.
Those in Hawai'i better take advantage of the Punahou Carnival malassadas this weekend!!

Loco Moco / I Hope All This Jumping...

...around between NYC and Hawai'i posts isn't confusing. If I possessed any proper sense of organization I would have finished all my Hawai'i meals before trekking back east. Regardless, I cannot help but move as my whims call :)

Today, we're back for lunch at Jack's in Aina Haina.

Above, the "daily" specials. "Daily" is used quotations because I am fairly sure that the specials board has not changed since my last visit in summer 2008 :)

I like to start off my meals here - whether they be breakfast or lunch (Jack's is closed for dinner) with a hot biscuit and honey butter. For lack of better words, the honey butter is SO GOOD. So Good. We could easily make this at home - whip butter with streams of honey. But as someone who used to slice chunks of salted butter for midday "snacks," I don't trust myself with such a task. There would be no more butter left to slather on biscuits by the time I was done whipping.

They never give enough butter. So I always have to ask for more. And they are always happy to give. Meals at Jack's are always a happy affair.

Mom had the Portuguese sausage fried rice with a fried egg on top...

...while I went with chili-rice. Rainbow's Drive-In and Zippy's makes the best local chili as far as my experiences run. But oh, while we're on the subject of chili, check out this photo Dan posted of Kathyrn's chili. Now that is what I'll be craving on a chilly (no pun intended, haha) day.

The chili proved decent enough to hold my attention...UNTIL...until, until, until...Dad's loco moco came out.

I shoved my plate aside and aimed my fork in the direction of his plate.

Dad knowingly smiled, "what? wish you had ordered something else?" Being the awesome person he is, dad cut me a massive share of his loco moco. Mounds of hot rice, hamburger patty, grilled onions and mushrooms topped with a fried egg. And Then. Gravy. All. Over.

Cholesterol counts do not exist in our universe.

This was supposed to be the loco moco upskirt shot, but everything is doused in brown gravy so it all looks the same in the end. As good as it was, the gravy was severe overkill. Cinnamon's in Kailua portions everything just right. After years of breakfast and lunch visits, it's easy to conclude that breakfast is definitely Jack's stronger suit. While lunch here will never wrong you, it also will never impress. The pancakes though, speak of dreamy wonders.

Post-Jack's we took a trip down to Gecko's in Kaimuki where I proceeded to wiped out of all the used Archie Comics they had in stock. I've been collecting these comic books since 2nd grade, much thanks to my parents for funding this silly habit. Dad was pretty sure I'd grow out of them by the time middle school came around...

...we're still waiting for that day, haha. Gecko's is my go-to source for comic books in Hawai'i. I've been coming here for as long as I can remember, scouring the ratty cardboard boxes for old comics. Sometimes I'll get the new comics - but the stories in those aren't nearly as exciting as the comics from the early 90s. I get my plastic covers here too. And have never seen another female in the shop. Which disturbs me a bit. But. Oh well, as long as I have a steady supply of comics, all is good.

Previous Posts on Jack's:
One

P.S.
Here's wishing Don a happy, happy birthday ^_^

Jack's Restaurant
Aina Haina Shopping Center
830 W Hind Dr
Honolulu, Hawaii 96821

Otto, Thrice in a Weekend...

...not surprising, given that this is the one restaurant I could dine at for every meal of the day, yet crave it for the next. I found myself at Otto for Saturday lunch with Kate, and then hours later, for Saturday dinner. I slept very well that night!

And on Sunday, despite the many lunch options Greg and I pondered, it was Otto that made the most sense. There is comfort in consistency.

Below, a little round-up of the meals. If you'd rather pass on the words for photos, here's my Otto Flickr set.

...I had the same Rigatoni with Sausage, Escarole, and Garlic dish twice. It just might replace the Carbonara as my new favourite (for this week at least, heehee). ^_^

The special pasta of the week: Bucatini alla Pastora.

Sformato di Parmigiano. This dish makes me all warm and happy inside, especially with a quartino of a bold red. Hopefully they'll bring back the Sformato Di Zucca when Autumn swings around once more.

And of course, no proper Otto meal ends without gelato. Above, Meyer Lemon Huckleberry Swirl Gelato, Blood Orange Sorbet, and Creme Fraiche Gelato. I don't recall how long the Creme Fraiche has been on the menu, but Saturday was the first time I've had this flavour and it is absolutely wonderful. After eating more than my share of gelato trios, I think the ideal combination consists of Olive Oil, Salty Caramel, and Creme Fraiche Gelato. The sorbets are in another world of their own, but I'm not the greatest fan of mixing sorbet and gelato in the same cup.

Here we have the Olive Oil with the Meyer Lemon Huckleberry Swirl, and Hazelnut Stracciatella Gelato...

...and finally Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut Stracciatella Gelato, and Blood Orange Sorbet. Yes there are numerous repeats, but can you really blame me? Perhaps I would have more variety to show you if I had gone back for dinner tonight :)

The only gelato flavour they can never get right at Otto is pistachio. So. Pistachio aside, all else is heaven.

Previous Otto posts:
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight

Otto
1 Fifth Avenue
NY, NY 10003
(212) 995-9559