Posts Tagged ‘Cafes’

Downtown Honolulu is a delightful place full of underappreciated treasures such as the historic Dillingham Transportation Building, 735 Bishop Street.  Built in 1928 and completed & dedicated in 1929, it is an exquisite example of Italian Renaissance Revival slash Mediterranean architecture as imagined by San Diego architect Lincoln Rogers.  Though a mere four stories tall the building dominates the block at the foot of Bishop Street with majestic grace presenting a face of various colored tan & brown marble & brick.  A splendid use of space a gathering place the ground floor lobby is a congenial place inviting folks to sit a spell and catering to those who do so is the Honolulu Café.

The Honolulu Café advertises itself as a place “Where the World Comes Together In A Cup,” and validates that claim with an awesome array of Espresso Drinks, Smoothies, Tea and Coffee.  Among the Espresso offerings one can find Café Latte, Café Breve, Café Thai, and my favorite Caramel Macchiato.  Honolulu Café’s smoothie are a tropical explosion; Pina Colada, Fireball, Strawberry, Banana-Berry, Guava and Mango, all made to order, proving a cool smooth soothing escape from the cares of the day.

Hot Panini style sandwiches are Honolulu Café’s signature item.  Reuben on Rye, pastrami with Russian Dressing & sauerkraut & Swiss Cheese served with fresh herb potato salad, half for $7.85 or whole for $10.50, is a terrific take on a traditional favorite, while many sing the praises of the Chicken Havarti, marinated chicken served on Focaccia with Havarti Cheese & lettuce & tomato, with a fresh green salad on the side, $7.85 for a half or $10.50 for a whole sandwich.  Vegetarians rejoice with two choices, one item simply described as a Vegetarian Sandwich, a simple description for a delicious blend of marinated grilled eggplant, zucchini, fresh mozzarella, lettuce and tomato, $7.70 for a half sandwich or $10.25 for a whole sandwich.  For $10.25 one can choose a Fire Roasted Veggie Burger served on focaccia with lettuce & tomato, ranch dressing, a fresh green salad on the side.

On a hot day a cold sandwich is quite welcome a cool refreshing treat.  Ranging in price from $7.15 to $10.95, Honolulu Café has a selection of Ham & Swiss, Smoked Turkey Breast, Salami & Provolone, a Vegetarian Wrap and what is perhaps their most popular item, Fresh Tuna Salad on Naan.  All of the sandwiches are served with a side salad.

There are several Salads that are a meal unto themselves.  Citrus Chicken Salad is a delight, with marinated grilled chicken served on a bed of mesclun salad, Mandarin orange, fried chow-mein served with the Honolulu Café’s own citrus dressing; $7.95 or $9.95.  One can order a Caesar Salad with either Chicken or Salmon, or opt for several entirely vegetarian treats, Gorgonzola Salad, Caprese (Spinach) Salad, a Garden Salad, or a Veggie Salad with marinated grilled vegetables; ranging from $6.60 to $11.99.

Daily there is a Hot Entrée Special and each day there is a choice of two delicious soups.  Monday and Friday one can savor Clam Chowder, or Garden Vegetable Soup, on Tuesday Cream of Broccoli or Chicken Noodle, Wednesday is the day for Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Vegetable, Thursday one can savor the simple joy of Tomato & Basil or the more adventuresome Vegetable Muligatawni.  Pau Hana Friday plays host to the aforementioned Chowder as well as Provencal Roast Vegetables.    Other soups one can expect; Minestrone, Ham & Cabbage, Sweet Corn Chowder, Creamy Potato Leak, Cream of Asparagus, and Potage Au Pomme (Potato Soup).  All soups are made fresh daily.

Honolulu Café is a delightful place to dine, with high marbled ceilings, solid substantial chairs, a subdued elegant setting, inviting enticing the senses; one can dine inside or outside in the wonderful Pacific Guardian Courtyard.  Honolulu Café is open from 6;45 AM to 4 PM Monday to Friday, closed on Weekends.  They also serve breakfast items, delicious desserts & bakery items, soft drinks and fresh juice.  They are also excellent caterers ready to whip up a plate a delicacies for your next office shindig or private party.  One can call them via 808-533-1555 ext 6 or faxx via 533-1556, or email them with a catering request via Chefchae@honolulucafe.net.

Hawaii State Archives

Photo courtesy Honolulu Advertiser

Honolulu is a wonderful town in so many ways. Entirely walkable, no Matterhorn style hills, fairly wide sidewalks, plenty of eateries & shops to browse, places to sit a spell watching while the World whirls by. A perfect place to sit downtown just happens to serve up terrific Sushi, an all around win-win.

Though fairly new by certain standards, a little over eight years here in the islands, Ninja Sushi has earned the love of O’ahu residents, having been voted one of Honolulu’s Best in 2008. Friends of mine (yes, I have a few) have testified to Ninja Sushi’s consistent quality and the care with which their chefs prepare Sushi at locations around O’ahu. One can find Ninja Sushi in the Ewa Beach Shopping Center, at Westridge Shopping Center, in Kailua next to Don Quijote, at the Airport Trade Center, in the Mililani Town Center, in the Laniekea Plaza, at Windward Mall, and in the Ko’o’lau Shopping Center.

However, my favorite is downtown at 1150 Bishop Street. That the building has survived into the 21st Century is a miracle unto itself. It is odd-shaped, a ‘mere’ two stories, and most likely its presence frustrates developers who demand a certain conformity, a religious adherence to norms & strictures. All of which is why it is so much fun to order Sushi downstairs, then walk up the narrow crooked staircase to the dining space upstairs.

Dining at the downtown Ninja Sushi is akin to sitting in the bow of a boat. One sits one story above traffic flowing down Bishop Street. Vehicles & people flowing toward the Ocean. Union Mall is on one’s left, thus foot traffic breaks against the brow of the building, much of the foot traffic continuing along the Bishop Street sidewalk, the rest of the traffic flowing into the mall. Vehicles continue to flow along Bishop Street, though a few turn into driveway on into parking garage beneath buildings looming above the odd shaped survivor from the early 20th Century.

People & vehicle watching is wonderful in the small comfortable space, on an average day one can open a window, catch a breeze.  On hot days the staff will crank up the air-conditioner. It is a congenial space, terrific for a leisurely lunch with friends. Adding to one’s comfort is the delicious Sushi.

Three Pieces of Nigiri (hand rolled) Sushi range from a modest $2.75 for Ika, or Ocean Salad, or Tuna Salad, to $4.99 for Hamachi, with an awesome array in between; examples, Salmon, Ebi, Negitoro, Natto, Crab Salad, much more. Local favorites are well represented, such as Spam and Chicken. Plus many which can be called ‘haole-friendly,’ perfect for those out of state visitors who have yet to be exposed to the joy of Sushi; Philly Maki, an excellent example, a mere $6.50, California Temaki, $2.09, or Crab Cucumber for $1.89.

In addition to Sushi one can order Bento or Donburi (rice bowls!), all of which are quite affordable during these troubling economic times. Curry Chicken is a popular favorite, at $6.99, plus a beverage, a ten spot will leave you enough cash to continue shopping. Ninja Sushi has several Salads available, as well as Udon (noodles), once more ranging in price from $5.99 to $7.50. Catering by Ninja Sushi is a great way to please guests, many downtown offices have found their Party Sets to be taste & affordable; a mere $24.00 for a fifty-four piece Maki Set, or a forty-three Samurai Set for $31.99, the priciest is still a great deal, the forty-two piece Deluxe Set for $36.99.

Those wishing to check out Ninja Sushi on the Internet, to scope out the Ninja Sushi closest to their home and their hours, can go to https://www.ninja-sushi.com/Home_Page.php . My favorite Ninja Sushi at 1150 Bishop Street is open Monday thru Friday from 9AM to 6PM, on Saturday from 10AM to 1 PM, closed on Sunday. One can call them via 808-541-9797.

One of the true gems of downtown Honolulu is the courtyard & mezzanine of what has been the Remington College Building for many years at 1111 Bishop Street, right between Hotel Street and Beretania Street. It is a perfect spot not more than fifteen minutes away from most anyplace in the Financial & University & Culture & Arts District in the historic heart of Honolulu Hawai’i.

The designers got this one right. On street level is a Mezzanine lined with shops & eateries allowing an open air courtyard one level down. Downtown this translates into a cool oasis where one has a view more of feet than faces which encourages diners sitting at the comfortable tables to focus on one another or the book/magazine/newspaper or whatever. The custodial staff maintains a clean comfortable environment conducive to lengthy lunches which is fortunate for the food close at hand demands consumption. The Remington College Building is chock full of delightful dining places and so this review will feature three with no slight to any of the other available eateries each of which offer bewitching choices.

On the Mauka side of the courtyard is that Downtown rarity in a disposable World. A purse/bag/strap/etc ‘leather’ repair shop, sometimes closed sometimes open, yet under whatever owner always welcome by the harried business exec who has reasons to keep the ‘same old bag’ and merely wants the old one fixed.

Time to grind! Dim Sum House has anchored the food court for at least a decade. Good local style Chinese food good for fast on the go or take it slow and enjoy the food court. Downtown regulars know they can throw an impromptu birthday bash for eight to twenty with ease in the Remington Courtyard and many have built up a working relationship with the staff at Dim Sum House, calling ahead for the daily specials, having a budget in mind for lunch aware the selections range from $2.18 per basket for Honk Kong Style Dim Sum to $4 to $8 for House Style & Special Dishes. Dim Sum House makes things easy for those impromptu parties with a Party A Menu for $10.95 a person, and a Party B Menu for $12.95. Dim Sum House is open Monday thru Friday 6:30AM to 4:30 PM and Saturday 10:00AM to 4 PM. Their phone # is 808-524-8328.

Right next door is Asian Express a more modern equally robust eatery offering healthy choices for 21st Century folk. Actual quote, “Ho, they got Pho fo’ five fifty and six,” screamed across four lanes of Bishop Street traffic. Mo’ than Pho, Asian Express offers up two Summer Rolls or (there ought to be a drum roll here) Two Tofu Rolls which are addictive as Heck, for $3.95, and deep fried Spring rolls for $3.75. Their Green Papaya Salad is terrific for $5.50, as is their delicious take on Chicken Salad for Five American & a Quarter ($5.25). Asian Express serves Rice Vermicelli Noodles in a variety of ways from $6.25 or $7.25, and steamed rice plates in many ways from $6.25 to $7.95 for Ox Tail Soup – - – Kung Hee Fat Choy, celebrate Year of the Ox 4077. Asian Express is open 8:00AM to 4:00 PM Monday thru Friday, and 10AM To 3 PM Saturday, closed Sunday.  You can call them via 808-469-8353.

Locals know Panya Bakery and now they know that they have a Downtown location Courtyard Level The Remington College Building. Panya Downtown offers an incredible selection of goodies baked fresh locally at the Queen Street bakery. Panya Downtown has an equally impressive selection of lunch treats; specialty sandwiches, salads, Panini, premium burgers, rice & noodle combinations, and specialty drinks. Panya pricing is not ‘cheap’ but the quality justifies the price as well as the friendly staff. Prices range from $4.95 to $9.95, with $8 as an average, do your self a favor, keep life simple, with beverage, plan to spend fifteen per person and go with the flow. That is the Hawai’i Stimulus Package. Panya Downtown is open 7AM to 3PM Monday thru Friday, closed weekends and some major holidays. You can check them out via 808-536-8363. The Panya Catering Hotline is 597-8880.

So plan on slow walks through Honolulu The Year of the Ox 4077 (2009) and unwind by spending time at the many food courts & arcades in The Financial District. Or celebrate for many of these food courts are great for toasting a co-workers success or a blessed event or whatever.

photo courtesy of http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=13400499&PopupView

One of Honolulu’s neglected oft ignored treasures is the Fort Street Mall. Stretching from the waterfront at Ala Mona Boulevard to Beretania Street, it plays host to a variety of restaurants & shops ranging from nationally known Macy’s, which many locals remember as the site of Liberty House — itself an architectural gem — as well as Ross Dress for Less & Payless Shoe Store (where men can find size 14 & 16 dress & casual shoes!) to local favorites such as Local Fever and Fisher Hawai’i and many more.

However, if one needs an excuse to stop at the Fort Street Mall while changing buses, then that would be the Tiki Café at 82 S. Hotel Street. Andrew Lee, one of the owners of Tiki Café, greets you with an easy, ever-present smile when you step through the door of this tiny yet efficiently laid out café. An eclectic mix of tables and chairs decorate the walls in a soothing sky blue.  A pair of fish — each in their own tank — apparently get along well with customers but not with each other!

The downtown crowd raves about breakfast at the Tiki Café, especially their scones & muffins. Tiki offers a tempting array of scones — apricot, blueberry, chocolate chips, coconut butter, cranberry & raisins, guava jam, oatmeal raisin, peach slice, peanut butter, pineapple slice, pumpkin walnut, and strawberry jam — each a bargain at just $1.50. Muffins are similarly priced, and come in banana, blueberry or corn. Ask Andrew if they have Tiki’s special cream cheese blueberry scone, a terrific deal for $2; it is yumelicious!

Tiki has a variety of breakfast favorites including one you are not likely to find at any other café. A banana peanut butter sandwich for $3.25 is a great way to start the day. You can also grind on breakfast bagel or croissant sandwiches.  A healthy egg & cheese is $2.75, or rip your teeth into either bacon or ham with egg & cheese for $3.25. Breakfast burritos are a fave and a bargain for $3.25 — chock full of green pepper, hash browns, egg & cheese with your choice of bacon or ham or Portuguese sausage.

Every day there is a new lunch special or two, usually priced from $5.50 to $7.50. Daily there are a variety of sandwiches on white or wheat bread — either $4.25 or $5.00 depending upon the sandwich, but whatever you choose you will get a delicious side of lettuce, tomato, sprouts, and mayo plus chips.

But what truly sets Tiki ahead of the crowd are the salads. Fresh, crisp, tasty — a wondrous variety ranging from $3 to $5.50. On my most recent trip I ordered a whole Oriental Chicken Salad for $5.50, and it was awesome, a delicious mix of shredded chicken (perfectly cooked and then chilled), green lettuce, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, won ton strips (crisp & firm, not wimpy) served with a delicious homemade Oriental dressing aromatic of crushed peanuts.

Tiki Café resembles those Magical Boxes that seem so tiny and yet more & more wonders tumble from the box. The food is enough to rave about but they also offer beverages that are a equally delicious. Tiki has a variety of flavored iced teas for $2, and we are not merely talking about them popping a can they bought at neighboring Long’s Drugs. Not that I have anything against canned tea, but still what Tiki has to offer is much more or a treat. Not too sweet, nicely blended in a sealed cup, a variety of flavors, my favorite is peach as well as green apple, li-hing mui, peach, lychee, passion fruit, passion-orange, mango and more. Plus flavored milk tea such as honeydew, coconut, taro, and more, for only $2.50.

Then there are bubble drinks, that slightly silly but always tasty treat. Tiki has an incredible array of blended bubble slush flavors for $3.25; almond, lychee, peach, mango, strawberry, are but a few of the tempting tastes. As if that is not enough variety, Tiki also serves smoothies for $3.75

So trek on down to the Tiki Café, open Monday thru Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM.

There are many ways to judge one of those Honolulu restaurants that people talk about. Imagine dropping in at the last possible moment on a hectic Christmas Eve, an afternoon when most of the staff has demanded and received time off, the sole remaining waiter maintaining aplomb in spite of obstacles such as a poorly laid out space & inconveniently positioned kitchen. Despite that the waiter gives good service, maintaining a genuine smile. Most of the specials are exhausted, one orders an unpronounceable, for those of English-German American Heritage, Tacchinio Affumacato, pleasantly described as a ‘Rotisserie roasted turkey breast, sliced and served with Parma Prosciutto, Provolone Cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a pesto aioli.

The Turkey Sandwich, American Translation, arrives and is quite good — especially the two side dishes of red potato salad and coleslaw, plus a pickle slice and a pepper chino. However this writer has a dozen errands yet to accomplish, thus half of the sandwich is packed up to go. In the Christmas rush the sandwich languishes in a bag amidst pile of bags dumped on couch for most of the evening, gets thrown into the depths of the refrigerator where it is ignored for two days. On the third day, adhering to the adage, waste not, writer retrieves sandwich, “Wow,” it tastes incredible, remaining moist, the three seed baguette tasty, not all dried out. That is the mark of a good restaurant.

The downtown crowd raves about Café Che Pasta parked on the Mauka end of Bishop Square, at 1001 Bishop St. Mention snagging lunch or dinner at Che Pasta and eyes will sparkle eyebrows raised, inevitable, “how was it,” spoken with preset notion that it must have been great. Hard core Italian food lovers might quibble but for those wishing to nibble pasta & sauce with various meats & veggies will enjoy the fare at Café Che Pasta, and your wallet will not suffer grievously. Prices are reasonable considering the variety and the care with which food is prepared though be prepared for grandly named dishes that are in fact simple good food. Even my Italian friends admit their language is ‘pretentious’ thus one is confronted with items such as Linguini Con Granchico Piccante, Papparadelle Toscani, Canneloni Bologonesse, and Insalata Con Frutti Di Mare, among other items priced between $8.50 to $12.95.

Che Pasta is popular for its Antipasto selections; Bruschetta, grilled herbed Italian bread topped with Roma tomatoes, basil & dry aged cheeses for $6.50 but by far the most popular choices are Calimari Fritti, seasoned fried calamari with wild greens & julienne vegetables with wasabi cocktail sauce for $9.50, Zuppa Di Vongole, fresh Manila Clams braised with fresh herbs in a light tomato sauce for $10.50, and Carappaccio Di Salmone, naturally cold smoked salmon filet, lemon zest, Italian parsley, red onion, capers, cream cheese and crostini for $10.50.

Friends assure me that the menu is easier to pronounce after a few drinks thus Che Pasta has a full service bar, as well as sodas, ice tea, expresso, Cappucino, and Café Latte. There is an array of delectable deserts; Gelato, Sorbetto Confections, and Cakes & Pastries made in house. Everyone is encouraged to ask about their daily Dessert Specials.

Café Che Pasta is popular for their catering services supplying many a downtown office party with an incentive to stay around (or, at least until the food is pau), one can call them via 808-524-0004 or fax a request via 808-533-0028. Café Che Pasta is open from 11AM To 2 PM for lunch Monday thru Friday, and dinner from 4:30 PM to closing at 8PM.

An important note, though the restaurant is closed on Saturday, but the bar is open as Café Che Pasta hosts Salsa Saturday from 10 PM to 2 PM when “DJ Chavo spins merengue, reggaeton, bachata and salsa, and La Friikiitona’s models display the latest fashions.”