Today we are headed for Aloha Tower Marketplace for a Mix It Up Hawaii Tweetup at Chai’s Island Bistro.Hosted by @NctrnlBst and @Melissa808, this series visits local business to learn about who they are and what they do and introducing people around the world to the things we love here in Hawaii!
The Marketplace was developed and the Tower was extensively renovated in 1994 and now serves as a main attraction for tourists and locals alike in downtown Honolulu.
Aloha Tower Welcomes you!
Chai's Island Bistro
When the Tower first opened on September 11, 1926, after five years of construction, the seven-ton clock was one of the largest in the United States as well as the biggest in the Territory of Hawaii. At 10 stories and 184 feet tall topped with a 40 foot flag pole, for four decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. Serving as a docking area for the Matson Ocean liners of the era, visitors arrived to the Hawaiian Islands in droves to experience the exotic locale as well as hundreds of thousands of immigrants coming to Honolulu to labor on the plantations.
Walking up to Chai’s delightful locale you first see the outdoor dining patio and hear the distinct sounds of the waterfall…you KNOW you are in for a treat. The simply but elegantly appointed open dining room is bright and airy providing a perfect setting to showcase some of the finest food I have had here in Hawaii.@Chef_Chai joined us for a few minutes at the restaurant. We were excited to hear the good news that soon we can enjoy his food on @FlyHawaiian‘s first class international flights! Makes me want to get up and go somewhere just to eat!
Starting off with a tempting array of pupus to get the usual cast of suspects salivating, our intrepid Twitterers had to get the cameras out. We all agree that posing pics of what we are eating is a phenomenon unique to Twitterville, but one that bonds us together as Twits
So lets look at the always perfect shots by @PHOTOlulu and @rickyli99 with sets here and here respectively. These guys are good!
Mission House Tea Parlor is a sweet town side hideaway!
I love working in Honolulu. But come time to eat I get a little sick of concrete and outdoor cafes next to the street with cars belching exhaust on my lunch. And oh how relaxing to grab a coffee with a bazillion people rushing past you yelping into their cell phones or running into lamp posts head down while texting…
Can you believe we are in the city?
So it was delightful to discover the sweet tranquil oasis of the Café Tea Parlor at the Mission House Museum. Nestled on the grounds of the Museum this quaint hide away is a prefect spot for breakfast, lunch and a delightful Saturday High Tea! And you have to love a tea parlor that tweets as @cafeteaparlor !
Tea Time at the Cafe Tea Parlor
Lunch time and Breakfast fare is hearty and priced well. The Lunch menu features paninis, wraps, salads, Teriyaki Chicken & Steak plates, yummy desserts and a variety of drinks. The Hibiscus Iced Tea has no caffeine but I love it anyway! And you can take everything to go and eat back to your desk. (Please do, as that will free up a table for me to enjoy my meal in this piece of paradise in town!)
Scones and Clotted Cream and Lemon Curd
What I love is the afternoon tea on a beautiful Hawaii Saturday. Reservations are required so grab a bunch of friends and relax in style! Yummies are baked fresh every day featuring award-winning soft scones, delicious desserts and tea sandwiches. Be sure to try the variety of premium full leaf loose teas from around the world, encased in silken sachet bags.
They create their own delicious homemade lemon curd, clotted cream, and the scones are soft and delightful! I ♥ scones and these are some of the best in town!
The band of usual suspects got together recently for an Episode of Mix it Up Hawaii from@HawaiiIRL and were treated to the rocking Uke skills of instructor Christoffer Salvador (left) and `Ukulele Hale instructor and owner Jody Kamisato (right).
One of the things we like to do best in Hawaii is eat. A gathering of friends and family, a celebration, a contest… we can find some excuse to go for “Da Ono Kine Grinds”!
A group of Twitterers have banded together, lead by the formidable organizational skills of@HawaiiIRL and @WaikikiBeachwlk, to undertake the daunting task of finding the best Loco Moco in Waikiki.
Hula Grill view in Waikiki. Lucky we live Hawaii!
Jimmy Buffet’s Loco Moco
What is “Loco Moco” you ask? A favorite local dish that originated in Hilo on the Big Island after World War II, it consists of a heap of white rice topped with a hamburger patty and a Sunnyside-up egg, and then smothered in gravy. Down Home Regional comfort food is found all over in every country on earth. Think Chicken Fried Steak, Matzo Ball Soup, Mac & Cheese… we all have our favorites we turn to.
Some friends of mine on the Mainland think it sounds disgusting. But break the egg first then blend the burger, egg, rice, and gravy at each bite and you will know the true meaning of why people don’t care about clogged arteries.
Traditionally this has not been a high-end entrée in finer dining establishments, but rather a quick “Local Style Plate Lunch” often served out of the back of a food wagon as well as whipped up in Auntie’s kitchen for a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner. Recently some designer versions are coming on the scene featuring sirloin steak, Wagyu Beef and other better cuts of meat, good rice and eloquent styles of gravy. I have to admit that I had one Loco Moco years ago when I first came to Hawaii and thought I’d rather eat smothered shoe leather…it was NASTY! So it was with some trepidation I agreed to start on the path to Cholesterol Nirvana in Waikiki. And I’m happy to say I like the Loco Mocos I’ve tried so far; in fact each one gets better!
Plus I am getting a chance to explore really great places to eat I have previously sniffed at, turned my nose up and declared “Hmph! Tourist Trap!” I find myself now eating my words along with really superb food…
So lets cruise to some Waikiki eateries and see what’s “Fo Grindz, Brah!”
We start our adventure at Jimmy Buffet’s at the Beachcomber Hawaii. Located along the main drag of Kalakaua Ave., this funky interior design is not where you would hold an elegant candlelit dinner for two, but you are guaranteed a great time and awesome food at a reasonable price.
Here are some shots from some of the Twitteratzzi in attendance:
Our next stop was the big kick-off event held at the Cheeseburger Beach Walk . This was the “get ready to rumble” competition where some local celeb contestants rose to the challenge of who could eat the most Loco Moco while blindfolded! Hilarity ensued…as well as some yummy snacks for us cheerleaders!
And winning the prize for the poorest photos via the HTC G1 Phone: MOI! All those poor people that have to use the blur tool in Photoshop…I’m a contendah! (Cue “Rocky” theme song here)
Hula Grill brings it ON!
*WHEW* I’m getting full! But it is my duty as a sworn sleuth on the path to Loco Moco Enlightenment that I press on to our third (but not final!) destination: Outrigger Reef Hotel’sHula Grill. The Grill is also an avid Twitterrer so be sure to follow them @hulagrillwaiks.I was pleasantly surprised entering the restaurant; I had never been there before and was expecting the younger crowd rowdiness of their downstairs neighbor. What a great space up above Waikiki Beach, filled with beautiful Hawaiian antique furnishings and old school Waikiki memorabilia!
So here are sets from @PHOTOluluTV online here, And mine are here. I also put up some vids on my Neighbor Hood Crusin’ section of this blog. You will see why I am in Real Estate and not a professional videographer…
Well, I’m stuffed! Need to take some time off to digest all this great food and soak up the fun atmosphere of the restaurants I’ve visited so far. But the quest isn’t over yet! We still have more places to seek out the Holy Grail of Loco Moco over the next few weeks. I’ll be sure to keep y’all up to date.
So, no matter where you live, get out there and find some local home grown favorite dishes that you may normally not even think about tasting, you may be pleasantly surprised! And in the process find some new locales to eat at that you had not tried before. Let’s hear it for Loco Moco!
A group of folks I’ve met through Twitter decided to get together, have lunch and do a PhotoWalk through part of downtown Honolulu. One of the key components to Social Media that many people and companies don’t get is the word “SOCIAL”. Yes, it’s all about interacting both online and IRL. (In Real Life) It’s not about pushing information about how great you, your products and your services are… it’s about back and forth communication. And actually getting out from behind the computer and meeting people, whether you are an individual or business entity, is a great way to take it to the next level.
Downtown Honolulu PhotoWalk Tweetup
So @rickyli99 organized a Twtviteto create a Tweetup. A Twtvite is an online invitation and RSVP site to create IRL events called Tweetups. These events are key to meeting new friends, creating relationships, and exploring fun things to do. People check out the local Twtvites and chose which events they want to attend. Events can be as simple as a few folks getting together for beers or as elaborate as the Kahala Mall Holiday STOMP event.
Arriving at our Tweetup for the Photowalk, I actually had only met two of the attendees in person before. One I had chatted with on Twitter quite a bit and three of them I had never met. From all sorts of different occupations, these are people I never would have met in my ordinary day-to-day Real Estate life.
We came together to enjoy a lunch and explore Merchant Street in Downtown Honolulu on a beautiful Sunday. I’m not Downtown all that much and enjoyed hanging with some guys that knew the area well. After a good lunch at Mini Garden Noodle Housewe headed down Smith Street to Merchant, one of the main drags through the business district.
Slowing down to walk and photograph really makes you aware of little details you just pass by in the hurry and scurry of everyday life. I’ve walked by the Alexander & Baldwin building for twenty years and never looked up to see the gorgeous tiled ceiling at the main entrance!
Part of the fun was strolling and chatting, getting to know a new group of people and especially seeing the photos! Amazing what catches the eye of shutterbugs. Looking at every body else’s pics really shows how differently we all can see the same subjects.
Here’s a list of the usual suspects and a peek at some of the fun we had:
Some people commute. I am a migrant Real Estate worker. Commuting is for amateurs! I schedule my appointments around Oahu based mostly on what time the schools get out, what time the Pearl Harbor workers get out, what time the Govt. workers get out, what time everybody else gets out and in what direction they drive.
That’s enough of a challenge; beyond that it is the other drivers who should not be on the road given their ADHD to actually driving. Put on that mascara, you in the white Lexus! Keep that slobbering lap dog between you and the steering wheel, you blue Honda you! Hey Mister Garbage truck! How about a tarp over all that stuff flying out the back into my windshield! Minivan Mom! Stop backing up into me, hello? Use a rear view mirror much? Oh yea, to put on your makeup…And you! Cell Phone Guy! Quit taking both hands off the steering wheel to gesticulate while you’re talking!
Have no fear; my days of fuming and plotting revenge on the H1 parking lot are over, thanks to a great new site: Zapatag! At Zapatag you can post the bad drivers plate number and boneheaded moves for all to see! And not just for us Hawaii folks; any state is fair game. Well, maybe that’s not revenge in the purest sense, but we Zapataggers know who you are! And now so does the rest of the Internet!
The comments are great, sarcasm is the preferred flavor of the day, and it’s really entertaining reading the posts! For example, HeatherLynn80 posts an Oregon Plate: “ Dear stupid boys, I understand that you feel the need to show off in your super cool ford fusion with the sweet ass Raiders sticker on the back, but please; riding my ass, flashing your ligh…” *sigh* I’ll never know the rest of her thought process. NctrnlBst zapatags a Hawaii plate; “Illegally parked! Stay within the lines… The Lines are our friends!” And I LOVE kilinahe ‘s comment “I know ‘right of way’ is a difficult concept for someone driving a condo on wheels, but there’s a reason why we were all stopped at the crosswalk. Wait your damn turn.”
Of course, the challenge is to Zapatag while driving and retain concentration on the traffic around us, but we Zapataggers are great multi-taskers. Or like me, a delayed zapatagger, I’ll voice record it into my G1 and do it later. Unless I forget…
So relax,commute chill, keep an eye on how you are driving. Somebody might just Zapatag you!
Yea, I know it’s been a while…I’ve been getting the HawaiiRealEstateBiz Neighborhood Crusin’ videos going. The concept is to allow people to view online what they would see if they were sitting in my car with me in my normal day to day commuting around Oahu.
Anyone can see info about a house in numerous locations on the web. But how often can you experience the neighborhood?
Click Neighborhood Crusin’ and hop in the car with me! Just push those papers on the front seat to the floor…do you want a bottle of water?
Quite the wild night up here on the hill last night!
Great view of all the illegal aerials, but by 7PM the smoke was so bad I had to close up the house. Good thing the weather was cool and I have lots of fans to blow the air around. And the cats grew up with Harley Davidsons so they were calm with all the noise for the most part.
I went to bed before midnight and woke up with the final blast going off.
Holy Cow! I have never been eyeball level with such a pyromaniacs heaven!
Wishing all of you health, happiness and prosperity for 2009,
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