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Hey Kids! Go inside and eat! |
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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! |
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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: @PHOTOluluTV always takes great photos! My friend @tweetpea has a great Loco Moco Pic here. Our Pal @HawaiiIRL (one of the evil geniuses behind this “Thang”) has photos galore! And me @biznaz rounding up with my contribution. |
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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! Check out @c_chan808 whose got a great photoset here. @HawaiiIRL has to be a ninja, doing videos and great pics. Once again, @PHOTOluluTV is on top of the edibles with these pics! |
 Loco Moco Challenge 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’s Hula 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! Aloha, Biz |
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Archive for ◊ June, 2010 ◊
Hey Kids! Go outside and play! |
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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. |
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| So @rickyli99 organized a Twtvite to 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 House we 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: @madmarv is a serious contender! @rsuenaga put some photos up … @billso was the only one besides my self with a wimpy camera, but took GREAT PICS! @electric_bamboo has his Photo set up and he does have a creative way of eating noodles! @michael_choy takes some awesome shots! And moi @biznaz following the school of “Quantity, not Quality”… And my vids…have to work on that smooth walking style So get out there from behind the computer and meet the Tweeple! Find a Tweetup or start one yourself. It really puts the “SOCIAL” into “Social Media”! Aloha from the Hawaii Real Estate Biz! |
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So You want to buy a Foreclosure? *BWAHAHAHA!* |
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So you want to buy a Foreclosure because you hear in the Media how great a market is for that property? And how easy it is to fix and flip? And you’ll make a ton of moolah?
*Snort* (Excuse me, that was the sound of me spitting out my coffee…) Do you have a lot of cash, time, patience and a strong stomach? Because at the bare minimum, those are what you are going to need to succeed. |
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| First of all, let me explain the foreclosure process here in Hawaii. Don’t know what it is elsewhere, but this is where my Real Estate license hangs. Talk to a Realtor in your area if you don’t live here.In Hawaii, there are two ways a foreclosure occurs: either a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure process.
The judicial process of foreclosure involves the filing a lawsuit by the holder of the mortgage or deed of trust to obtain a court order to foreclose. This is used when no power of sale is present in the mortgage or deed of trust. The court declares a foreclosure and the property is auctioned off to the highest bidder. You will go to the auction with a cashiers check for 10% of the sale price and have to cough up the balance in cash at the end of the day if you are the highest bidder. These are usually held on the Courthouse Steps and can be called “Sheriff’s Auctions” here in Honolulu. The non-judicial process of foreclosure is used when a power of sale clause exists in a mortgage or deed of trust. This states that the borrower pre-authorizes the sale of property to pay off the balance on a loan in the event of the their default. The lender or their representative, typically referred to as the trustee, may execute the sale. There are all sorts of notices and time frames that have to occur in a non-judicial foreclosure, I’m not going to go into that here. Speak to an Attorney, Grasshopper… Up until three days before the sale, the borrower may stop the sale by paying the lien debt, costs and attorney’s fees. Also, even if your sale goes through and you are the proud owner of a foreclosed property, in Hawaii if the property was sold because of outstanding taxes, the seller has up to one year to get current with the taxes and they get the house back. And YOU, lovely buyer, are out of your money. I have done quite a few “BPO”s (Broker Price Opinions) for banks looking to do a Short Sale (more on that next post) prior to foreclosure of a property. This consists of me personally going out to the house to place an opinion of sale price on the property for the bank. The home may be in pretty good shape at the time I assess it. And then I have gone back to those same properties after the foreclosure and the occupants have been evicted. To say these properties have been trashed would be like saying Katrina was a Spring Shower. Plumbing ripped out, copper wiring ripped out, Appliances removed or destroyed, walls smashed in and bathtubs used as toilets. And those are some of the clean ones! Vindictive former owners will destroy a property as a “Get even” with the evil bank that talked them into a big loan they could not afford. Yep, it’s always the Lender and the Real Estate Agents fault, no personal responsibility there! I will be the first to admit there were quite a few lenders and agents that were crooked and went into a transaction just to make money, but don’t tell me there were not any greedy buyers involved. If you believe that I have a nice Bridge in Brooklyn for sale… I’m not going to outline the process here, if you still want to buy a foreclosure you should probably saddle up with a good Real Estate Attorney. And I’m not going to help you buy a foreclosure. I have more fun things to do like Root Canal Surgery… Aloha from the Hawaii Real Estate Biz! |
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