Samuel Adams Sports Grill - revisited

Samuel Adams Sports Grill at Klipper Golf Course at Marine Corp Base Hawaii is celebrating their one year anniversary this month. Back in September 2009, I posted a review of the restaurant.

One year later, Sam Adams continues to please.

Taco Salad - the salad consists of lettuce, diced onions and tomatoes, ground beef, olives, shredded cheese, and jalapenos. It's served in a crispy puffed spinach tortilla bowl - very unique presentation. The portion was very generous and filling.

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Roast Duck Breast - this was one of their weekly specials. The duck breast was served with the skin on (as duck always is), and topped with a tangy sauce. There is room for improvement on the sauce.

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Banana Caramel Cheesecake Xango - cheesecake, real-butter caramel and bananas wrapped in a flaky pastry, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce drizzle. This was really good and we definitely plan to order it again and again.

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Samuel Adams Sports Grill @ Klipper Golf Course
(808) 254-5592
http://www.mccshawaii.com/samuel_adams.htm

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Kuliouou Hiking Trail

People in Hawaii love to hike. I'm not a big fan of the activity, but I'll do it every once in a while. It's a good workout, and the view from the top of the trails are unreal.

We decided to tackle the Kuliouou Hiking Trail, on the south side of the island. Kuliouou is a small neighborhood, sandwiched between Niu Valley and Hawaii Kai. It's a popular and well-known trail on Oahu. If the trail is crowded, you'll have to parking down the street, and it'll feel like a hike just to get from your car to the start of the trail. Lucky for us, our friend dropped us off at the start and went to go park the car down the street. :)

Here's @WeHeartHawaii at the start of the trail

Looks like my DH was taking in the scenery but I think in actuality he was trying to catch his breath.

I was so happy when I saw this sign!

We were able to see as far as the Mokulua Islands, which is in Kailua/Lanikai

View of Koko Head and the Hawaii Kai Marina. Beautiful!

Looks like these two were ascending this part, but they were actually descending ... backwards. :)

The entire hike took us a little over 3 hours. That includes a 5 minute rest at the covered table area about 2/3 of the way up. Not bad considering one of us has arthritis in their feet and two others have knee problems. :) There were a few steep and slippery areas, but no one took any major spills.

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Scoop of Paradise - Haleiwa

After our dinner at Pizza Bob's, we decided to get dessert at Scoop of Paradise.

The boys shared a kiddie scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream. I can't remember the exact name of the ice cream-it had something to do with the north shore or surfing (like Triple Crown Chocolate),
The boys loved it.

I ordered Cookies and Cream.

The ice cream is so rich and creamy--I definitely consider it gourmet ice cream!

Scoop of Paradise was pretty packed when we went, and there was only one person working at the time, but he was really quick and friendly.

The shop also sells all kinds of toys and souvenirs--it's a neat place!

I can't wait to go back down to Haleiwa. It doesn't matter where I end up going for dinner...as long as I end up at Scoop of Paradise for dessert!


Scoop of Paradise: 66-145 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712, (808) 637-3456

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IchiBen

I planned to visit a friend and her baby girl, and I wanted to bring over lunch. Since I was in the Pearl City area prior to visiting her, I ended up picking up lunch at IchiBen.

She ordered Chicken Katsu Curry (I also picked one up for DH).

She said it was good, but the curry sauce was more mild than she usually likes it. She mentioned how she likes another restaurant's curry sauce more.

DH said it was pretty good, and he really liked how they gave the curry sauce separately (since not all places do that)--and they gave a lot of curry.

I ended up getting the Chicken Fried Rice.

It was okay.

IchiBen is a nice little restaurant, and the staff was really friendly as I waited for my food, but next time I'd probably try something else, like the ramen, or maybe even the Chicken Katsu Curry to see how I'd like it...

IchiBen: 98-1258 Kaahumanu St, Suite 106, Pearl City, HI 96782, (808) 488-4200

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American Box Car Racing International

We recently went to a birthday party at American Box Car Racing International. Located in Waipahu (Kunia) across from Walmart in the Kunia Park and Ride, you can imagine how hot it was, but to the kids it didn't matter...they all had fun, especially DS2. He had a BLAST! Kids under 7 must ride with an adult, and since all the kids at the party were under 7, they all rode with an adult...

There are two race tracks, and 3 cars race at a time.

There are several cars to choose from, including a few "sumo" cars that can hold up to 300 pounds.

DS1 rode just once...he was a little more apprehensive about racing than DS2.

I lost count of how many times DS2 went around the track. He absolutely loved it and would cry whenever he had to wait for another group to race!

Everyone had a lot of fun!

Birthday parties are frequently held on premises, and they also have open track racing as well.

They even have RC track racing!

It was a really great party and we (especially DS2) look forward to going again!

American Box Car Racing International: Rear Section Of Kunia Park & Ride; corner of Kupuna Loop & Kupuohi Street, 382-5653 or 947-3393

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Bar-B-Q-Inn

I had to pick things up in Pearl City one morning and I ended up ordering lunch from Bar-B-Q-Inn.

I grew up in Pearl City and have passed by the restaurant many, many, many times, but I never went there until a few weeks ago!

DH ordered the Special Plate, which is supposed to include B-B-Q Ribs, B-B-Q Chicken, B-B-Q- Beef, Meat Juhn, Four Vegetables, Macaroni Salad, and Rice.

The plate ended up with only three vegetables (can't choose your own), but he did get a Shrimp as a substitution.

DH said everything was good!

I ended up ordering the Chicken Cutlet.

It was okay--the gravy was a little thin, and it was mostly on the bottom (it's barely visible in the photo), but the katsu itself was pretty good.

The ladies at the restaurant were all really nice, and I'm sure I'll get food from there again in the future if I'm in the Pearl City area.

Bar-B-Q-Inn: 850 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City, HI 96782, (808) 455-5411

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Samuel Adam's Sports Grill - Breakfast Menu

We usually eat dinner at Samuel Adam's Sports Grill at the Klipper Golf Course at the Marine Base in Kaneohe. This time we went for breakfast, after walking the back 9 at the golf course. I heard they brought back the $1 pancake special that I wasn't able to try the last time around, so I was really looking forward to this breakfast.

John ordered the 3 egg omelette with portuguese sausage, ham, and onions and toast

Sure looks like a lot of eggs. John said the ingredients were overcooked.

Here is the $1 pancake. Look how big it is, and it was big on taste too. I love the big scoop of butter that they put on top. You can add blueberries, chocolate chips, or bananas for only 50 cents more.

I needed to balance the carbs with some protein so I ordered I side order of ham for $2.50 - the side order comes with two thick slices of ham.

The pancake was so good that we're going back this weekend for more. It's the last weekend for the $1 pancake special. I hope they'll bring it back again soon.

Samuel Adams Sports Grill
(808) 254-5592
Open Daily 0600 - 2000

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Kikuya

We stumbled upon Kikuya in Kalihi by chance. We had just gone to a movie at Dole Cannery in Iwilei and wanted to grab some dinner in the area before heading home. It was a Sunday night and not too many places were open in Kalihi. We drove to the Old Saimin House, hoping that they'd be open, but they were closed. But across the parking lot we noticed a restaurant that was open. It was called Kikuya. The name surprised me since there is another Japanese restaurant in Kaneohe with the same name, but judging by the ambiance and decor of both places, I don't think they are owned by the same people.

The agedashi tofu (deep fried tofu) appetizer came with five large cubes of tofu - it was pretty good.

My friend ordered the tempura udon. She really liked the udon. It was chewy and not soggy.

The tempura's batter was light and not too thick.

I ordered the soba. It was so refreshing.

Here's the nabeyaki udon. My husband liked it. He said it was "typical comfort food - soothing for the tummy". If you look at this picture, you'll notice a raw egg in the broth. Don't worry, once you start stirring the egg around, the egg gets cooked by the broth. If I ordered this dish, I would ask for it without the egg. :)

I was quite impressed with Kikuya. It's not the best Japanese restaurant on the island, and not the best in Kalihi, but for the price, it's a good value.

1315 North King Street

(808) 841-7979

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Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill

Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill is located on the Marine Corp Base in Kaneohe, and is open to all E5s and below. It's a popular hang out for the young Marines. It offers food, drinks, pool, darts, dancing, and often shows pay-per-view events such as the UFC fights.

The menu is similar to what you'd find at most other sports bars on the island. Chicken wings, burgers, fries, sandwiches. Every day they have something on special. For example, $3 sloppy joes on Mondays, $2 crispy tacos on Tuesdays, 35 cent wings on Thursdays.

We love fries, and we love garlic, so we could not pass up the "lotsa garlic crispy fries". Unfortunately, it barely had a hint of a garlic flavor, and the fries tasted buttery and a bit oily. It was if they drizzled melted butter on the fries after it came out of the fryer.

The Kahuna wings were very tangy - we would have liked them more if they had used less sauce.

We liked the $2 crispy tacos. The shells are fried in-house and stuffed with a nice portion of ground beef, lettuce, and cheese.

The hamburger sounded really good on the menu, and looked even tastier when it arrived on our table, however, it didn't have much taste at all, even with all that gravy. But the onion rings were ono.

We heard that our comments made its way back to the kitchen, so we'll be back to see if they made any adjustments to their recipes.

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WW: Future Speed Racer

Photo taken at American Box Car Racing International.

Visit Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom for more participants.

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Camellia

We wanted to eat at Kuru Kuru Sushi, but the wait list was really long. We took a walk down the corner and ended up at Camellia - a korean restaurant in Pearl Kai Shopping Center in Aiea. The pictures in the window were very persuasive.

Tofu Soup. We asked for it "mild" since I don't like spicy foods, but it still had a slight kick to it. I don't eat tofu soup often so I'm not sure how it compares to other places.

The mandoo was good, but I like the mandoo at most places. My friend who is Korean thought the pi was a little on the thick side.

Combo - meat jun and bbq chicken. Yum.

The kal bi was my favorite - thinly sliced, not fatty

Chap Jae - this didn't have a lot of flavor.

The service was friendly and the food came out pretty quickly. The side dishes (kim chee, bean sprouts, fish cake, seaweed) were good. There were 4 of us and we still had enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

Camellia
98-199 Kamehameha Hwy
(808) 484-2868

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Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar - Honolulu

The first time I went to Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar was almost 5 years ago, for our girls night Christmas Dinner. It was a really nice dinner--9 girls, all of whom I've been friends with for a long, long time.

I finally went back to Shokudo last month for a baby shower for one of the girls.

It was the same group of friends (minus @incirclepets), and it's amazing how much things changed since our Christmas Dinner. At that time only one of us had a child.

Fast forward a few years and there are now 10 kids with two more on the way (and I'm sure many more will be on the way in the future).

It was so much fun, and that's probably why a lot of the photos are blurry--I think I was laughing too much while shooting in macro mode (but I do need a new camera...).

We decided to order individual lunches versus family style.

Several of us order Combination Lunch Boxes, which came with Miso Soup...

and Salad.


I ordered the Teriyaki Chicken and Chicken Karaage combo.

Everything was really good!

Others ordered Salmon and Teriyaki Chicken...

And yet others ordered Assorted Tempura and Teriyaki Chicken.

A few ordered other items off of the menu, like the Spinach Salad.

Another ordered Balsamic Beef Tataki Sushi...

and this noodle dish (I don't remember what this was).

One of the girls ordered this, but I can't remember what this was either...

Of course we had to get the Honey Toast. The last time we were there, the 9 of us shared 2 Honey Toasts.

This time the 8 of us ordered 4!

We ordered 3 "regular" Honey Toasts and 1 Caramel.

The Honey Toast was just as good as I remembered it...

It was such a great lunch...the food was good, our server was friendly, and it was nice being in the company of such great friends...

Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar: 1585 Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96814, (808) 941-3701

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