Yes, finally.

Da Wife and I finally celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary - almost a month late - and finally ate at the highly recommended DK Steakhouse.

Bear with me as I take you through our day leading up to DK’s. 

Our plan was this.

Wake up early. Take down our recyclables. Buy a weedwacker. Clean da yard (work up an appetite fo’ latah). Wash da dogs. Get ready.  Go to DK’s.

Here’s wat really happened.

Woke up a little later than we (I) wanted. Sorting our recyclables took longer than we expected - had CHOKE cans! We did end up with almost $50 so it was worth it… maybe not storing it but definitely redeeming it. Of course it was blown on buying trash containers for those very same recyclables because after months in plastic bags, being so brittle, the bags broke and out spilled cans everywhere.

Weedwacker. Check. We (I) ended up buying an electric one - cause I nevah like spend money on gas - and it worked out fine. Dis is wat I had to tackle and dis was jus’ da front…

(sorry dat the pics are so huge - I not like Uncle Rodney and know how to do da fancy stuff… yet)

 

 

 

Four hours latah….

 

And wat’s a job without battle scars…

I thought I severed my foot from da weedwackah… don’t ask how… 

 

Wash da dogs. No can - not enough time. So we get ready and head out. We driving up Red Hill and wat do we see?

Wassap Wit Dat!

Da Wife and I was cracking up cause you don’t see dat too often - wicker furniture in the da back seat of one convertible with two ti leaf trees flapping away. Plus, they nevah even tie ‘em down. If you look closely to da right, da wahine stay holding ‘em with one hand.

Yeah, I changed lanes. 

So we finally arrived and yeah, shorts and slippahs was one prerequisite.

 

So on with it! Eh, and no buss’ my olo’s fo’ blurry pictures - I tryin’! 

Dinning at sunset…. what a mood setter!

 

Da Wife had a Hefeweizen

I had da Kona Big Wave Pale Ale… a few of dem.  Was smooooth!

 

Drinks in hand and waiting to order……..

 

Started off with “Black & Blue Ahi Sashimi - ‘dusted with cajun spices, seared RARE, with a HOT & SPICY mustard sauce’”.

Fish was excellent and spices were a bit much but ono nonetheless and no, it wasn’t hot or spicy… fo’ me. 

 

“The ‘Ultimate’ Caesar Salad - crisp romaine lettuce, house made Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan-reggiano”

Bread of course - tasty and creamy herbed butter

 

On to dinner!

Cajun steak fries

The dry spice rub made the steak fries a bit dry and seemed to have been sprinkled “post fried”

 

“Asparagus Milanese - Farm fresh egg, truffle oil, herbs”

If you love herbs, this side is definetly fo’ you

 

Damn. Fo’got da dish name fo’ dis one too but it was a creamy mac and fancy cheese dish. Mac 24/7 bettah send their chefs ovah hea to get their recipe cause dis was most definetly da best mac and cheese I’ve evah had.

 

Da Wife had the “22oz Dry-Aged Bone-In Rib Eye - This steak is the juicest of all and is considered our ‘Premier Steak’… 31 DAY DRY-AGED and served with our house made jus”

 

As reader’s suggested, I had the “‘Paniolo’ Rib Eye Steak - 22oz Rib Eye Steak on the bone House made “Paniolo Style” Dry Rub, with grilled local onions & cream corn”

 

Not fo’ da faint at heart. Da buggah was hugemangeous!

 

Open wide!

 

Compliments of our server, Kelly. A mango/lilikoi thingy… sorry. But was sweet and tangy… and good!

 

Kanack time…… so sleeeeepy.

 

So how do I rate DK Steakhouse?

                                                                                                                

       

Das right! Five Shakas and a Howzit!

Dat dry-aged stuff really makes da difference in da texture and flavah of da meat! Was so frickin’ ono! Broke da mouth in several places!

I could do without da spice rub and da sides not as spectacular - except da mac and cheese thing - but da steak itself… WOW! No can compete. How I going eat steak anywhere else now?! WWD!

One suggestion, no fill up on da bread and sides cause da steak will fill you up. And yes, we did have left ovahs and it was no way the same as having it fresh off da grill. Next time, I going jus’ pound da steak and jus’ take home da sides. 

Da service was excellent! Props goes out to Kelly our server for being so friendly and knowledgeable! We haven’t had service li’dat in choke long. Our table (requested fo’ it at da time of reservations) was terrific! Ambiance fantastic! 

Da Wife and I no eat dat kine fancy places too often but she stay planning fo’ her birthday coming in a few months already… I not going stop her. 

But as several Kwonics have mentioned countless times before, it’s not da food dat makes da meal, it’s da company. And dat’s a huge rogah dat!

Da Wife and I haven’t enjoyed ourselves li’dat in quite some time so it was supah nice. Going broke da bank a little but an evening out with Da Wife and spending some QT with her……. priceless.

 

SHOUT OUT: Much Mahalos goes to Warrior Dave fo’ going out of your way and sending me da DK Steakhouse coupon!

Also a couple sports shout outs to Parker McLachlin for winning his first PGA Tour victory and of course to our fan favorite Colt Brennan - Braddah looked good in his pro debut!

 

Before I begin da “first” WWD! entry, Da Wife and I would like to send out a most heartfelt Mahalo to all da Lanceformers/Kwonics and Lurkahs out dea dat wished us da best - along with your helpful tips in staying married. Thanks eh!

How did we celebrate? By eating L&L and kanack right aftah! We were both so tired from da past weekend our bodies no can handle and needed some down time - we nevah even eat da cake or watch our videos! So sad, too bad. We’ll get to dat tonight - will let you know how it tastes…if I no call in sick tomorrow.

Well for da “first” WWD! contest evah (aftah repeated requests to make one), I got my hands on two movie passes to watch the advance screening of Hellboy II. Each pass admits two so no worries, you can bring your hot date along too.    

And there’s a “trick” to these passes but I no can reveal dem online… if you really like know, shoot me a holla’ offline. 

So hea’s da low down:

The advance screening is set fo’ tomorrow, Wednesday July 9th 7:30pm at Dole. There will be two winnahs (yeah, you gotta win ‘em) and they’ll be picked and posted later tonight. You can pick up da passes either here at The Advertiser in town or to help you save gas, I can drop ‘em off personally (during your lunch hour or aftah work) as long as you not in booney land.

Hea’s da game:

Of course, Da Wife and I wanted to go out to a nice dinner to help celebrate our First. Da problem? No can decide wea. We both not fancy pancy so we no frequent da traditional “sit down” restaurants. We do go to 3660 On The Rise fo’ most of our special occasions but wanted to try something different.

Sooooo, post your suggestions and why and we’ll take a look. We’re looking for a “nice” place, good food, good ambience but no need be black tie affair (I still like go in shorts…but will throw on pants if it calls for it)   If you can also suggest what you like about the place and what specific apps/entrees/desserts you like the most is a plus cause we will try ‘em!

If a restaurant has already been recommended, you can also vote for it too so obviously the restaurant with da most votes will get our consideration too!

Eh, no shame either name any kine place but I shouldn’t have to go to da counter to pick up da food ok?

Top two choices win - Good Luck!

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DA BONUS ROUND: Whoevah’s comment hit # 77 (was supposed to be # 777 but we not da Tsaiko’s), you one automatic winnah…but li’ dat going happen.

Hungry anyone?

Because I gotta say, if you not, waste money if you go to Tsukiji with anything in your opu. My first experience there was a 1st birthday party for Andrew Chao, the son of a long time friend Kara Lee.

Now when you add free and buffet together you no can go wrong even if you’ve never heard of the place like I did. In case you’re wondering where it is? It’s part of the new section in Ala Moana Shopping Center right next to Romano’s Macaroni Grill - you can’t miss it…just look for da long line.

It features a Japanese food buffet ranging from, of course, sushi, tempura and oodles of noodles but also a host of other concoctions such as miso eggplant and blackened sesame green beans. While the lunch selection differs from the dinner (crab and more seafood), the lunch at $18.95 is quite a deal…if you can pound.

If you’re a lightweight, bettah just grab da good stuff cause otherwise waste money Brah!

So wat da verdict?

        

Das right….Five Shakas and a Howzit!

The only thing bad to say was that the line was hella long but if you time it right, not too bad. Just no go at noon - that’s suicide cause you standing in a line that doesn’t seem to move…

Wassap Wit Dat?

Just a word of advice - until they figure out a sensible system, the line always stops at the tempura and noodle section. The table service was excellent and quick and tables aren’t jam packed next to each other leaving enough room to walk to the buffet.

So hea’s da pics cause I know you guys waiting for it…eh, no buss my nuts cause the pics out of focus. I still shame stand in front of food with a camera looking like a kook.

Lunch and dinner pricing

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Lunch items on the left, dinner on the right. Maybe about a half dozen or so difference - mainly crab.

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Sushi bar was pretty extensive with something to please everyone. The maguro (ahi) were nice cuts - not the cheap cartillage stuff. There was even shrimp cocktail and as you can tell, the mob came and went.

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Ah, no can live without da Spicy Tuna!!! Had a different flavor but a good kick…and dat’s coming from a Korean! The serving dish was full…before I took my share then realized to take da pic. Oops.

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Tempura station. It was actually shrimp tempura…not tempura shrimp - if you know what I mean. There was also the vegetable tempura and croquette as well.

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Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3, then I had Round 4 (Udon) and Round 5 (shave ice)

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In all this haste of trying to grind and taking pics, here’s the low down on the other stations.

Noodle Station: Udon, saimin, and soba. Fresh made and boiled right in front of you. The soup stock is ono.

Dessert Station: Minatures of various cakes, mousse and fruits. Also shave ice - or ice shaved for da neighbor islands - not da Aoki’s or Matsumoto’s kine but they have azuki beans and condensed milk for added calories.

Rest of Buffet That I remember: Kal-bi, kim chee, teri-chicken, miso soup and quite a few others.

Needless to say, my ex-coworkers had taken me back to Tsukiji’s two weeks later for my very very belated birthday….. free and buffet - how can you go wrong?

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SHOUT OUT - Happy Birthday Andrew Chao! Thanks for da grinds!

No bu’lai. Dat’s da way he eats…off da mat. Can you say watch out Takeru Kobayashi?

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Here’s wat he really looks like wen he eat normal.

On Sunday Da Wife and I was running errands that we don’t get to do during the week and because of this blog, I’m more consciencious in bringing the camera “just in case”. There were too many times - because of the “pressure” to put out good stuff - that I always would mutter to myself, “sheesh, forgot the camera. That would have been a good blog.”

Can you say compulsive disorder? See what the Kwonics/Lanceformers have turned me into?

Nah, I don’t mind…now. I’ve adapted and now everything is either through a lens or trying to remember what I was going to write about in the first place.

But here’s one - if you haven’t heard or checked it out yet - a new store that opened April 25 (yeah, I’m late) in Waikele in the former CompUSA store called…

In case you haven’t heard about them you can check their website out. Basically, it was two guys fed up with paying jacked up prices for items that we need/buy everyday: clothing and shoes. Here’s an excerpt from their “About Us” section:

Steve & Barry’s® is about change. It’s about changing the way that consumers shop for their clothes and changing the way that retailers cater to them. Steve & Barry’s is about stripping away the gloss and giving consumers something real. The fact is that great clothing doesn’t really have to cost that much. It’s a simple idea, but also a big idea—big enough, that is, to turn the industry on its ear. By delivering on our promise to provide premium apparel at impossibly low prices, Steve & Barry’s is single-handedly changing the retail landscape. We’re busting the model. Steve & Barry’s significantly impacts whole communities, rejiggers shopping patterns, alters local economies, and sometimes even changes lives for the better.

When they say “impossibly low prices” you gotta stop by their store NOW because they have this sale going on and as the ad says, it will end when they want it to end.

Now I gotta tell you, when we stopped by there weren’t much selection in our sizes but for the smaller and larger sizes there were more than enough. It sucks being “average”. But the ones that found their sizes I can guarantee you that the average spent was at least $100. Do the math - that’s at least 10 items or more (there were multiple sales too like 2 shirts for $16)

There’s a kids, men’s and women’s section with clothing ranging from polo’s, t-shirts, pants, jeans, shorts, surf wear, sports - they pretty much got it covered. They also got “name brand” endorsements from NBA star Stephon Marbury and actress Sarah Jessica Parker selling their own shoe and clothing lines. I also saw a Venus Williams shoe.

You could say they are a blend of Gap/Old Navy and their quality is comparable to the two - it ain’t no Swap Meet material but from what I understand their normal pricing is nothing over $20 after the sale ends.

How can you beat that?

So I give it              
Das right! Five Shakas! So you gotta check ‘em out.

Check out the rest of the store, well it’s not the whole store cause I still feel weird taking pictures li’dis.

No mo’ shoes left…at least in my size.

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One of the few “uncroweded” aisles

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TONS of novelty shirts - most original, some we’ve heard before.

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Das wat I say to Da Wife all da time….

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Women’s shoes….wiped out - even the display

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Women are animals when it comes to shoes I tell ya…….

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Oh yeah, had to stand in line fo’ pay…took about twenty minutes.

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Now only if some company would do dis fo’ gas….hmmmm.

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SHOUT OUT: Tomorrow is Kid’s Day so please support our keiki and purchase and a Kid’s Day paper. I’ll be out selling in front of the Advertiser building on the corner of South and Kapiolani from 6ish to 7:00am if you like say Wassap…and of course, buy one paper!

After recent requests for food reviews - as if I go out eat every time - I finally have one, well actually three but will only post one for today since I got the most pics for that. The other not too much pics so I’ll post those two together next week…so that I actually have something to write about.

Da wife and I normally don’t eat out - meaning sitting down in a restaurant with servers - and when we do it’s for some occasion of celebration, mainly birthdays with family or friends. She enjoys cooking healthy, though because of our hectic schedules it’s not as frequent, but when she does it usually is very very tasty. We enjoy more the home coookin’ or potluck bbq eating with friends more than fine dining. Most times when we do pick up something - no time to cook - it’s usually Wendy’s type fast food or L&L type plate lunch. Now who wants a food review of those kinds of places?

I think I’m going to start up a different kind of review, Home Cookin’! We’ll see what Da Wife says. Just last night she made meat (ground lean turkey) loaf and it was very onolicious. Moist, meaty and spicy of course. And to accompany that, some orzo pasta. That’s always good! Sorry, no pics of that - nevah get da ok yet. Ok, ok on to the real restaurant review.

Well like I mentioned before, we don’t eat out much but we had these gift certificates to Tokyo Tokyo in the Kahala Hotel burning a hole in our pocket so we decided to have a “date night“. After several dress changes by Da Wife - and da glaring look I got when I said I wanted to wear shorts (WWD?)- we finally get there.

It is a fine dining establishment so we all know what means…Mickey D’s right after. The restaurant itself is actually not inside the hotel. It’s off to the side next to valet lot as if they just put poles up and slammed a roof on top. It is an open air type atmosphere so I’m sure if the wind is howling or if it’s humid, dining wouldn’t be as enjoyable but I was impressed with the interior. Sorry no pics of that - still learning to carry a camera and “recording” things. It wasn’t intimidating but very comfortable and the table we got was…cushioned. Nevah saw dat before.

Now fine dining is not my thing so at times I just feel weird but it was date night with Da Wife and she deserved it so I sucked it up. Immediately after sitting down we were handed cold towels to wipe our hands. Whoa. I thought they wanted us to wipe the table - jus’ joke. Then the host explains the menu and the waiter comes and takes our drink order,

“Watah please, thanks eh brah!”.

Oops, fine dining.

“Water is fine for now. Thank you.”

As we’re looking through the menu the waiter is waits for his cue. The very moment we put the menu down and look up he was there and ready for our order. Wow, classy. So we place our order:

We started off with a mushroom salad (bottom) and a tempura appetizer with dipping sauce and salts. The miso soy dressing on the salad was ono and the three blend mushrooms were fresh. Tempura was…tempura.
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This was the spicy tuna…although not spicy and not enough tuna
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We also had the jumbo shrimp tempura roll (left) and the soft shell crab roll (right). Both fell apart while we were trying to eat it. Sticky rice not so sticky but the insides were plentiful and tasted good enough.
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The rainbow roll used the same “unsticky rice” but the fish was fresh and soft
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Oh yeah, we did have dinner. Da Wife had the steamed moi. Yup, can’t see it cause it was like a sashimi cut. Sad. And not so tasty but pretty to look at.
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I had the Kobe beef ishi-yaki that I had to cook on a stone table. Yeah yeah. Fine dining and I still gotta cook - but it was fun cooking on that slab. The meat was soft but not enough seasoning. It came with vegetables to cook as well dipping sauces, one which was a light, sweeter shoyu sauce.
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Overall the food was decent but not for what the bill came out to. The staff - OUTSTANDING. Constantly clearing the table so it was always clean and clutter free. Food was brought out timely and not “all at once” giving you time to enjoy what you were eating. I was impressed that they actually switched out the water glass after refilling it a couple of times.

Satisfied?