This one’s for all y’all who monku that my pictures stay too hard. Go straight to Photo #3 and thank me later. LOL! Actually, Photos 1 & 2 are kinda easy too. See, I care. Hehe!
Photo #1
Where In the Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – October 12, 2011
Points for Photo #1…
* Location: 2 points
* General area?: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link?: 2 points
* Funny name for group on stage: 3 points
* Funny name for big headed guy who got in my way: 3 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #2…
* Location: 2 points
* General area?: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link?: 2 points
* Name of dish I usually get here?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Photo #3
Where In the Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – October 12, 2011
Points for Photo #3…
* Location: 2 points
* General area?: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link?: 2 points
* Name of cone?: 2 points
* Funny/Cute name of character on cone?: 3 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
My new blog on the corporate “Time Warner Cable Untangled” site is out. It’s an unboxing video (titled You, Party of Eight) of our latest wireless hotspot device, the IG2. Let me know what you guys think! 🙂
IG2 Unboxing
Please “Like” Our Photo!
Last Thursday, some friends and I participated in Lanakila Pacific’s The Good Table, an island-wide dining event to benefit Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Our restaurant was Ola at the Turtle Bay Resort, where we enjoyed each others’ company (with wine in abundance 8) ) and ate some ono kine grindz prepared by Chef Fred DeAngelo. Some of the photos taken that night (from all participating restaurants) were selected by Lanakila Pacific and entered into a photo contest to win a “staycation” package at the Royal Hawaiian valued at $1,500. Ricky Li’s photo from our time at Ola is currently in the lead with 106 Likes. Please “Like” the photo and help him maintain the lead to win himself a nice little staycation (the contest ends this Friday). Rumor has it that he may turn it into a hotel party with all those in the photo. 😆
Lanakila Pacific The Good Table event – with Rick Nakama, Kelli Nakama, Ricky Li, Shay F, myself, & Jessica Ogihara at Ola at the Turtle Bay Resort. [Photo by Ricky Li]
Have a happy VH07V Wednesday y’all! Don’t forget to post your guesses below k? Shoooots!
Yep, ever since owner Chrissie Kaila Castillo opened the doors in the Market City Shopping Center in Oct of ’07, I’ve been following their progress in the local eating scene. From positive recommendations from family & friends to glowing reviews across the Interwebs, “the CK” (as I like to call it) has been nothing but dope!
So when my buddy Rick Nakama invited me to join his wife Kelli and her friend Sher (@sweetsher17) to eat there during a recent holiday, I was down to pound to get round! (You like that one right? I just made that up! 😛 )
After dropping wifey off at work (poor her!), I headed down to the CK to stand in line. From everything I heard and everything I read, I mentally and physically (hungry tummy) prepared myself to wait in that inevitable line.
Wasn’t too sure if it was because it was a holiday or because I was there fairly early (around 7:30am), but to my surprise (and pleasure), the line was pretty much non-existent. In fact, there were 4 tables still open inside. As I waited outside, one by one, the tables went bye-bye. Finally, with only 2 tables left, I panic-texted Rick and asked him wea he stay. One of the employees must’ve noticed me outside with ants in my pants and asked if I wanted to come in and wait on a table. With the rate of vanishing tables, I thought that would be as good an idea as any.
That good idea quickly turned into another ants in my pants situation. There I sat, all by my lonesome, as the line grew and grew outside. Arrrrgggghhh the guilt! Wea da heck is Ricky Ricardo??? Another several panic-texts later wielded a message from him at 7:53am: “Coming down now. Sweetsher17 is going to meet us too.” Phew!
Although in total, I probably only waited for about half an hour, I swear it seemed like an eternity. 😛 At least I got to be productive and snap an AndHere shot while I waited…
Personally, I’m a “salty breakfast” kinda person, so I went with the Lox and Eggs Scramble, sans the onions. Mmm, mmm, mmm!
Lox and Eggs Scramble – Scrambled eggs and onions with smoked salmon. ($10.50)
Kelli ordered the Breakfast Quesadilla with Turkey Bacon…
Breakfast Quesadilla – Two flour tortillas grilled with cheese, 2 scrambled eggs and meat of choice. Served with salsa. ($9.50) (Photo Courtesy: Rick Nakama)
While Rick went with the popular Belgian Malted Waffle…
Belgian Malted Waffle – a light and crispy waffle dusted with powdered sugar, served with butter and syrup. ($6.95) (Photo Courtesy: Rick Nakama)
With a side of Italian Sausage.
Side order of Italian Sausage. ($3) (Photo Courtesy: Rick Nakama)
Sher got a Jack Johnson-esque order of Banana Pancakes.
Buttermilk Pancakes with Bananas – 3 light and fluffy pancakes dusted with powdered sugar, served with butter and syrup. Served with bananas, blueberries, caramelized apples or strawberries $1.50 each. ($6.95 + $1.50)
I guess they could always add that item in the future, and, oh, I don’t know, name it after me! “Ed’s Corned Beef Hash Surprise” has a nice ring to it after all, right?
Cafe Kaila (@CafeKaila)
Market City Shopping Center
2919 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96826 (Street View)
(808) 732-3330
Open Daily: 7am-3pm
Whenever anybody asks me where my favorite restaurant is, I always say “Tokkuri Tei” without any hesitation. Some will nod in approval because they’ve been, while others are curious because they haven’t. For the latter, I usually like to send them a link to an article I wrote about them several years ago: Tokkuri Tei – The Izaka-ya to Die-ya For because it contains the food “pr0n” that everybody gets excited over.
Recently, I was re-skimming the article and noticed that there were only 8 photos in it and I asked myself “Is that it!? Just 8 photos!?”
I’ve been to both of Tokkuri Tei’s locations dozens of times. Heck a single search for “Tokkuri Tei” on my computer box thing yields 296 items! Almost three hunny, and all I could muster up for that article was 8 measly photos? Must’ve been my rookie food blogging days. LOL!
Needless to say, an update was long overdue… So when co-owner Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi informed me that they would be moving to a new location (their 3rd in almost 22 years), I thought it would be the perfect time to update their story (and my photo count).
On Tuesday, December 21st, I answered Santa san’s call. They needed help moving the “heavy stuff” after spending the entire previous day moving the “small stuff” over (guess he knew about the “gun” show *grin*). The plan was to move the entire Tokkuri Tei operation from their 611 Kapahulu location to their new 449 Kapahulu location and be ready to launch in one week! Whaaaat? One week!? Fo real? No can! Can! Although just 0.2 miles away, moving an entire restaurant, enormous refrigerators and all, is not an easy task as I was about to find out.
I arrived that morning to this:
Dining area inside the old Tokkuri Tei
Kitchen and sushi bar at the old Tokkuri Tei
I gotta admit, I got a little misty. OK, not really, but there were so many memories made there!
Then, it was time to move one of the HUMONGOID refrigerators. Lucky thing this one had wheels!
Moving the refrigerator. Why am I not helping? 😛
With the “heavy stuff” loaded up, we headed over to the new spot (the old Sam Choy’s/Sergio’s/Ranch House above Hee Hing). I’ve honestly never been here since it was Sam Choy’s Restaurant, so I was particularly interested to see what kind of space we were working with.
Partially furnished dining area inside the new Tokkuri Tei
Tokkuri Tei’s other owner Kazu “Kaz” Mitake checks out his kitchen with Santa
As you can see, it’s a fairly large blank canvas for which to paint. Thankfully, some familiar izakaya trimmings were brought in to spruce up the joint.
Japanese lanterns (chochin) waiting to be put up
Santa went right to work putting them up.
Santa putting up the lanterns
Less than a week later (Sunday, the 26th), Santa invited me to their soft-launch party. The guest list was only around 20, but we had a very important role. We were there so that the staff could get their bearings and do a dry run before going live to the public the very next day. Here are some shots from that night.
The sign is up!
Tokkuri-Tei’s new interior
Hilarious display. Great photo opp location!
Most of the shikishi (signed cards) are back up!
The new sushi bar. So colorful!
And then came the food. There was no ordering involved. It was a set menu as decided upon by the kitchen.
Yaki Tori Kushi Yaki (chicken skewers), Geso Kara Age (deep fried squid legs), and the Enoki Bata
Samples of the California Roll, Unagi Cali Roll, and Baked Alaska Roll
Asupara Bata (Butter asparagus)
Shake (salmon) sushi
Chicken Kara Age (fried chicken)
Bintoro Tataki (flash seared albacore tuna)
Ebi (shrimp) sushi
Yaki Nasu (Eggplant)
I gotta be honest. At first, I was a little worried. With a space that much bigger, I wasn’t sure if they would be able to keep the “hole-in-the-wall” izakaya vibe/feel. I also thought that the taste might change. Well, I’m happy to report that neither has occurred. You still feel at home in their new digs and the YUM factor was still alive and well. The true test was when I went home and shmall kine kanak attacked! All pau!
The next day (Monday, the 27th), the Official Grand Re-Opening was set to happen, but it didn’t come without some drama. Santa and crew had to wait for the health inspector to come and deliver their health permit and that didn’t happen until around 2pm, just a few hours before opening! Yikes!
But with that outta the way, Tokkuri Tei was ready for lift off! I invited a bunch of (new and old) friends to join me. Here are some sights from that night.
Well hello again Enoki Bata! 😛
There’s a Spider in Da Poke
(Off the menu) Sugimoto Risotto, er, Seafood Risotto 8)
Note: This is my all-time favorite dish from Tokkuri Tei, hands down (it even took First Place in the “Rice-ipe” Contest – Professional Division, at the Rice Fest this past year). Problem is, it’s not on the regular menu to order. In fact, Santa is the only one who knows how to make it! With that said, I have been petitioning (ok, begging) Santa to rename it from the mundane “Seafood Risotto” to the more catchy, and, dare I say, exciting “Sugimoto Risotto“! Ahahaha! While we’re at it, maybe we can convince him to make it a regular item on the menu. Muhahahaha! A fella can dream right? But fo’ real, I think this one would seriously sell like hotcakes! Or should I say Sugimoto Hotcakes? 😛 Guess that doesn’t have the same ring to it…
Stuffed Portobello
Packed house
Here’s an artsy panoramic video Clayton Wakida shot from his iPhone
Group shot: Jason Kim (@turkeyboy808), Lee Kojima, Leanne Nakamura, Matt Duffy (@Shogunai_Tacos), Mai Sugimoto, me, Santa Miyoshi, Kelli Nakama, Rick Nakama (@RickNakama), Clayton Wakida (@jarofclay73) and Mari Taketa (@NonStopMari)
What an awesome night with great friends and ono eats…
But wait! *screeeeech* You think it’s ova don’tcha? No way Jose! I still get choke photos fo’ share! 🙂
Teriyaki Cream Tofu
Ama Ebi (raw shrimp) with deep fried head
Cajun Ahi Salad
Salmon Skin Salad
Sunagimo Kara Age (Deep Fried Chicken Gizzards)
(Off the menu) Lilipuna Poke
Ika Yaki (Squid Pancake)
Ahi Tempura Poke
Nori-chos (Nori Nachos)
Soft Shell Crab Kara Age
Salmon Dynamite
Hideaki Santa Miyoshi invites you to visit their new location
Wow! 40 photos this time around… Take that 8 photos! 🙂
Tokkuri-Tei Restaurant
449 Kapahulu (the old Sam Choy’s/Sergio’s/Ranch House, above Hee Hing)
Honolulu, HI. 96815 (Street View)
(808) 732-6480 <— NEW Telephone Number!
P.S. Happy New Year Everyone!
P.P.S. Omedetou Santa san!
At precisely 6pm, guests at each participating restaurant got to chow down on some mean off-the-menu specials in the name of charity. Us social media heads even got to upload our photos directly to Lanakila Pacific’s flickr stream and hashtag our tweets using the uber-trending #GoodTable.
Here are the sights – from our perspective – last night at SOUL…
The centerpiece accent from Lanakila Pacific (and Kelli hiding)
Rick and I excited to eat at our Good Table (Photo Credit: Rick Nakama)
(notice Rick showcasing the IntelliGo for us at Oceanic? 8) )
A plantain dish came out first
Kukui Sausage Chorizo and North Shore Farms Black Bean Nachos with Local Sweet Corn & Asiago Cream
Chef/Owner Sean Preister showed us some of the beans he used in our dishes
Chef Mack Maryland Crab Cake with Manoa Pomelo
Haricot Verts Salad with Naked Cow Dairy Feta and Citronette
Group shot (wifey, me, Kelli & Rick)
Seared Olomana farms Tilapia with Jeanne Vana Heirloom Beans & Sweet Potato Hash with Sofrito & Kukui Spicy Portuguese Sausage
Side note: Rick is not much of a cooked fish fan, but this dish was a winnah for him. See how much so below…
Rick is all smiles enjoying his Tilapia
Pork Tenderloin with Lomi Lomi Sweet local Tomatoes, Manchego-Serrano “Mac-n-Cheese” Orzo and Waialua Braised Greens
Kelli and Rick with their Pork Tenderloin (Photo Credit: Kelli Nakama)
Wifey and I with with our Pork Tenderloin (Photo Credit: Rick Nakama)
Dessert: Panna Cotta with Local Sunrise Papaya and Honey (Photo Credit: Rick Nakama)
Kelli enjoying her Panna Cotta
Rick (@RickNakama), Chef Sean Priester (@pacificsoul) and me (@worldwideed)
A big mahalo to Rick and Kelli Nakama for letting us join you for such a scrumptious, and unforgettable dinner. A hearty thank you to Chef Sean Priester (and the SOUL Restaurant staffers) for working overtime, cooking up a storm for us. Thank you also to all of the other participating restaurants and tireless volunteers for helping to put on this wonderful event. Lastly, big ups to Lanakila Pacific and their Meals on Wheels and The Good Table programs. It’s selfless giving from organizations like you who make this world a better place for those in need. Mahalo!
![Lanakila Pacific The Good Table event - with Rick Nakama, Kelli Nakama, Ricky Li, Shay F, myself, & Jessica Ogihara at Ola at the Turtle Bay Resort. [Photo by Ricky Li]](https://i0.wp.com/www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ola.jpg)
World Wide Ed 