One night after my wife and I had watched a show at Windward Community College, we were driving around Kaneohe and thinking about getting some dinner.  We saw El Mariachi and decided to give it a try. 

This restaurant has some great authentic Mexican food, just like the sign says!  That night we had chicken burritos and tacos.  They tasted great, along with the home made chips and salsa.

Last month I was looking at homes in Kaneohe with a couple that's planning a move to Hawaii.  I asked if they'd like to get some Mexican food for lunch.  They said yes and we went to El Mariachi.

This time I had the chicken tamale.  It was tasty with a great sauce.  The couple had beef tacos, which they really enjoyed.

El Mariachi is reminiscient of the Mexican…

Town Restaurant, at the corner of Waialae and 9th Avenues is a great place for dinner and drinks in Kaimuki.  This kamaaina owned business serves delicious food and strives to use locally grown produce whenever possible.

The photo above was taken in the morning, before the restaurant opened.  Evening photos do not show the establishment well because it does not have a lighted sign.

Town has indoor and outdoor seating.  Outdoor tables start near the entrance (under the "Town" sign) and proceed to the left, around the corner of the building.  It's great to have dinner outside on a cool night, watching pedestrians and cars pass by.

The menu is American-style food with Italian influence.  Some of our favorite dishes include the gnocchi (dumplings), hand…

Have you eaten at Flamingo Restaurant on Kapiolani Boulevard?  If you haven't, well you're too late!  On October 22nd 2008, the owners announced that the restaurant would close on Sunday, October 26th.  My wife and I went to Flamingo for the last time on Thursday the 23rd.

The restaurant was popular because of its local style food and meals which included a drink and dessert.  For our last dinner at Flamingo Kapiolani, my wife had a breaded chicken cutlet with brown gravy.  I had the Oyako Donburi (chicken, rice and egg with some vegetables).  The chicken cutlet tasted better, but if you're watching your waistline this is a meal best eaten on rare occasions.

According to the newspaper, the owners of Flamingo had a buyer lined up but the landlord and…

A dinner cruise on the Star of Honolulu

We were invited on a dinner cruise with several real estate customers recently.  This was our first time on the Star of Honolulu and we were ready to enjoy the sights, sounds and good food.

The cruise starts and ends at Aloha Tower.  The ship departs at 5:30 p.m. and returns around 8:00 p.m.  Guests check in around 4:30 p.m. and either shop at the Aloha Tower Marketplace or go right on board the ship to have a drink and relax.

We chose the Polynesian Sunset dinner, featuring a Mai Tai starter drink, salad and a great Mahimahi dinner.  I normally do not care for Mahimahi because it tastes a little too "fishy" for me.  This dinner was well prepared and tasted great.  It's probably the first time I ever finished…

The Fat Greek

The Fat Greek has been at 3040 Waialae Avenue since December 2007.  We'd heard good things about their food.  One customer who lives nearby in St. Louis Heights told me he eats lunch at the Fat Greek nearly every day!  There must be something to this place.

We visited the Fat Greek and checked it out.  At this restaurant, customers order and pay for their food at the cash register.  They're given a small fob and take a seat.   When the fob lights up customers pickup their food.  The Fat Greek is BYOB, too.  Parking is the biggest challenge here.  There are approximately six restaurants packed into a small area with perhaps 15 parking spaces total.  If we can't find a space, we park a block or two away in a residential area and walk.  City…

Panya Bistro

This restaurant is on the second floor at Ala Moana Shopping Center.  Panya Bistro is a trendy restaurant with fancy, modern decor and great food.

Walk into Panya and the first thing you'll see is their bakery.  Many Ala Moana customers and employees stop by Panya for a pastry, bread or cake.  Just beyond the bakery is the restaurant seating area and the bar.  A waiter will seat you, then take a look at their interesting menu.

On ths particular evening we started off with a spinach salad, caesar salads with salmon, gyoza and spaghetti.  The salads are delicious and I loved the dressing on the spinach salad.

Panya's spaghetti is not the standard italian style meal.  The meat sauce is a little meatier and less saucy.  It's very good, just…

Nico's Restaurant

Nico's is a casual style restaurant near Honolulu Harbor at Pier 38.

I ate at Nico's today for the first time.  My friends (who are also buying a house) invited me to meet them for lunch and sign their purchase agreement.  I asked what they were having.  The husband was ordering a barbecue chicken plate and the wife was having Garlic Opah (Opah is a mild tasting fish, good stuff!).  I decided to try the Garlic Opah. 

The Garlic Opah plate was great!  I'll be going back to Nico's in the near future.  This restaurant is close to the ocean and gets fresh fish for its plates daily.  They also have regular local style foods (Loco Moco, Chicken Katsu, etc).

Nico's was packed with people at 1 p.m.  The food tastes great and the prices…

Rainbow Drive In

This restaurant has been around since 1961 and it's a favorite in Honolulu. Rainbow Drive In serves "local kine" food, such as boneless chicken with gravy, beef stew, chili hot dog, hamburgers and french fries. 

My favorite meal at Rainbow Drive In is breakfast.  After a morning of running, swimming or surfing, this is a great place to stop by and get some pancakes and eggs, french toast, corned beef hash or fried rice.  This restaurant also has reasonable prices.  Expect to pay about $5 for breakfast, maybe more if you order coffee or a soda.

Note: this is not health food!  Order pancakes or french toast and you will be amazed at the slab of butter they put on your plate.  But oh, it does taste good to melt that butter and eat your…