Since our initial blind "meeting", Val Y. has been begging me to meet him for another dining…read moreexperience. (After our last disastrous outing, I can't believe he would want to do this again!) In order to avoid another potentially embarassing situation for him, and to make him look PLAYA COOL, instead of just YELPER COOL, I thought it would be best if I brought along a small posse with me (Traci H., and Theresa S.) to check out the boneless kalbi plate from Grandma G's at the Merchant Street Market. Val must have been nervous because he was sweating when he met the three of us there. So, go read Val Y.'s review of this same experience, and click "COOL" and send him lots of "HOT STUFF" compliments because TODAY is VAL Y's BIRTHDAY (10/26/11!). WHEN/WHERE: 2nd and 4th TUESDAYS 11am-2pm at the corner of Bishop and Merchant Street, in the Davies Pacific courtyard: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/q9KQKUGDr0hyBYNKQQezQA?select=rDAjazQFrThepxLC3hNIng COME EARLY! I got there at 11:10 exactly, and there were no lines. By 11:12 there were 8 people in line at Grandma G's and 6 at Stacey's Lau Lau. (where did they all come from in 2 minutes? We don't know.) DIVIDE AND CONQUER: Similar to Eat the Street, the more the merrier. Traci stood in line at Grandma G's, Theresa stood in line at Stacy's and I walked over to Chef Sean at Soul to get my fried chicken. We were 3 women on a mission. But where did Val go? He bailed on us and was checking out the healthier alternatives at Honolulu Gourmet Foods. Just a tip for you GUYS....when your women are ordering things with names like Kalbi, buttermilk fried chicken, Dynamite chicken and guava chicken, DO NOT ORDER A SALAD! It will make us feel like complete gluttons. BRING $$: Looks like everyone's price point is around $9-$10 so it's not exactly cheap plate lunches, but you get a ton of food! There are more vendors than this, but we ordered: Grandma G's Boneless Kalbi plate $9 (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! This is absolutely fantastic! And the honey mustard dressing is delicious). You know when you see Justin U. standing in line for this, it's gotta be good: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bk0DlrMggqPZgWQ_sVD2aA?select=BflSgv5hXnaKyzyz9nW_Rw Stacy's Lau Lau Co: Dynamite Chicken/Guava Chicken $9 http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/_jZl9uu6eialCkZ5UBd72w?select=PDYeg_cOeFkKT8ZA5YOWdg Soul: buttermilk fried chicken $3 each (of course, this one ranks up there on my favorite fried chicken list....He even offers a "smothered chicken" but I showed some restraint, and just got it plain, which is anything but): http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/zznyv4BsJ_GKQuNXJznm3A?select=5YQqpKvcQPmGqom9zykTbw Honolulu Gourmet Foods: Grilled steak SALAD w/mini spicy dynamite ahi bowl combo $10.50: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/q9KQKUGDr0hyBYNKQQezQA?select=Qt7H1QQ1k-Lw1LzN7hYVbQ SEATING: Secret rooftop open patio seating at the Davies Pacific Center. Thanks Traci for the tip! Looks like everyone in downtown already knows about this bi-monthly event, but if you are like me and haven't been to it yet, this is a great one-stop place to try a bunch of different local plate lunches.

Sad to say that they discontinued this event that occured every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, so there's now…read moreless eating places in the downtown business area. :( Hopefully they'll bring it back sometime in the near future.

This is what I'm talking about when I got to a truck for a plate! And my man running it is great…read moreguy definetly check it out for that teppanyaki food for a reasonable price with a spot conveniently close to Ala Moana

My sister in-law recommended this place and I thought, Yup! Since we cannot dine in during COVID-19…read moreat many places anyway, To-Go from a food truck should serve my nostalgia itching toward old time meals w/o feeling too much difference. It turned out I was so glad I gave it a try! The signature dish - steak with garlic sauce was phenomenal. It's buttery flavor goes with the brown rice so well. Steak was tepoanyaki-ed to a perfect tenderness with juice! Garlic flavor was not too overpowering; instead, it cancelled out the greasy fat of meat and brought out the sweet smell of the spice! The owners were so friendly and offered to take photos for us with their artistic truck! The chef offered a fire show at the end as a bonus to make the take-out more sizzlingly exhilarating :) We also ordered the calamari steak but maybe I was not too impressed with its sauce, the dish tasted just average to me. Definitely go for the steak on a Friday night to pamper yourself with a street-side, free-spirited Hawaiian dinner! Shaka!! Price: $15 at average Waiting time: 15 minutes, made to order Service: 4 stars **** Taste: 4 stars **** Atmosphere: 3.5 stars ****

This was an interesting little maze of stalls selling wooden tikis, this, jewelry, aloha shirts and…read moredresses, and whatever other Hawaiian souvenirs and tchatkis you might want. It's a bit of a cross between a flea market and a Chinatown. The prices will get lower and some vendors will wheel and deal if you walk away. I bought a carved coconut tiki mug that started out at $25--my hesitation brought the price down to $15. Dog bandanas went from $15 each this $10 each. You get the picture. If it's fun to look around and bargain, but be aware that we saw similar items at the ABC convenience stores (on every corner--like a circle k but much nicer) for, in some cases, a lower price. Still, is kind of fun to go

Ask for the price of the fresh coconut before ordering. It was 35 dollars for me. That's a total…read morerip off.

Today at a food truck event at City Hall I ordered 2 Shaggy Jrs. I gotta say it's the pictures of…read moreyour menu board that sold me - they all looked so 'ono. After ordering - 15 seconds later my name was called. Yes, I thought wow that was super quick! I grabbed the 2 containers and headed back to the office. This was going to be our snack on the way home. When I got back to the office this is what I found. The burgers were $15.00 each and both were extremely papaʻa. We took a bite from the first burger (it tasted how it looked) then opened the second box and it looked worse. How shameful to serve this kind of food that should have been thrown out and not sold. You need to do better, aūe! One star was generous because zero stars was not an option.

First time trying their amazing burgers and I will try to return as much as I can! So tasty and…read morefries weee just the way I like them--skinny cut and super crispy! Well done! I'll bring by my fawn Great Dane!

Always visit Dos Jefes when they come to downtown. Visit their IG and they'll post their schedule…read moreevery week. Go early as they're very busy during lunch time. Dos Jefes is the top taco food truck on the island. Their tacos are delicious and flavorful. My favorite taco is the pork street taco and their pork birria. Service : 5/5 Food : 5/5 Price : 5/5 Can't wait for them to open their own restaurant in town.

My West Coast friends say that the most delicious tacos come from trucks. Dos Jefes schooled me on…read morethis urban legend in the best possible way. Stumbled across this meals-on-wheels phenomena when picnicking with the pup at Triangle Park. We were intrigued by the intense amount of interest this sticker-filled truck brought with it. No sooner had they parked before a line started forming. Since we already had our bentos, we had to wait for another weekend to see what the buzz was about. Lucky for us, they are regularly there on Saturdays (except if they have a catering gig). So we confirmed their location on Insta, packed up our pup and picnic blanket, and joined the line for some street tacos. I love when a place does one thing and does it mind-blowingly well. That's what you can expect from Dos Jefes--tacos that will blow your mind and your taste buds! Hubby ordered the surf and turf birria taco. Juicy shredded beef, succulent shrimp, and crispy cheese sandwiched between a warm, grilled tortilla. Served with a rich dipping sauce--because it is a birria, after all. You get two per order and it was more than enough to satisfy the hubby's appetite. I don't eat meat, so the cauliflower tacos called my name. Since I've had them, they call me in my sleep sometimes beckoning me back to their bright, savory goodness. Seriously, this taco hits ALL the notes in texture and taste. I do eat seafood, so I also tried a shrimp taco with the cauliflower taco sauce because I don't do dairy. I'm a complicated eater, I know. But, Dos Jefes makes each taco to order, so they can adjust to dietary preferences. And since they are making tacos to order, don't expect fast food. This is NOT that restaurant with a bell on it! Its Jefe's slaving over a grill and putting lots of care into the product they are putting out. You can tell from the first bite to the last lick of your fingers. Plus, Triangle Park is usually cool and breezy with lots of shade so it's a great place to wait for your plate. Most customers took their order to go. But we enjoyed our tacos under the monkey pod tree. Triangle Park is a fantastic spot to enjoy some terrific tacos on a Saturday. There's lots of free parking, open space, fresh air, and great trees. Pup especially loved it and even got to taste a bit of birria. She gave it two barks up! When we left, we got a chance to chat with Matt. He owns and runs the truck with 'the other Jefe' Collin. Seems like a stellar dude who's passionate not just about what they are serving but the people who are enjoying their tacos. Dos Jefes - Two dudes, one truck, many happy customers, including us! See you guys at the park again soon! Highly recommend you give them a try. They are also downtown on Thursdays if you're in the area. Check them out @dosjefes808 for their weekly schedule. Because the best tacos come from a truck...

Many local fresh fruits at good prices. Located in Hyatt Waikiki, first floor atrium.read more

Been coming to this farmers market for a few years and have noticed it is getting smaller and…read moresmaller every time. BUT the vendors that show up are excellent! I always get a coconut -- this time of year, there were two options to choose -- small versus large. The large one is from Hawaii and is limited time of year, roughly one month of the year. Delicious! Also, they cut the coconut in half and provide spoons to enjoy the inside meat. Also love the fresh fruit stand with prickly pear fruits, star fruit, mango, and also some homemade items like coconut tapioca pudding, mango with sticky rice, papaya salad. Crafts vendors have beautiful handmade pens, signs, bracelets. I still highly recommend checking out the farmers market -- many unique items and offerings not found in traditional stores around the area!

Attn: No Honolulu Farmer's Market next Wednesday July 22, Honolulu Farmers Market at the Blaisdell…read moreCenter moved over to Kapiolani Blvd side, the former location was on the grassy area in front of the concert hall. I just recently found this out when I visited the Farmer's Market few months ago, I panicked because I thought the are no longer having the market. If I was lived or work close by I would look forward to Wednesdays, the Honolulu Farmer's Market happens once a week from 4-7pm. Free parking , I try to make a stop here if I need veggies, fruits for the midweek. It is out of the way for me come from east side and coming from long work day, I am already exhausted. This Farmer's Market is smaller compared to the one at Kapiolani Community College on Saturdays, less than 20 vendors. Noticed some vendors from the KCC FM, a quick stop to 2 booths for Thai Banana, butter lettuce and chayote fruit. Got what I needed, quick walk to the end to see browse the other vendors. Although the food and drink booth looked great, one day I will make it a Honolulu Farmer's Market night where we go for our walk here, grab goods, enjoy and then walk back home! For this visit, I am happy with my produce, can't wait to prep my salads and cook a dish with the chayote. Love farm fresh veggies!!

This market has definitely seen better days. The Hawaii Farm Bureau has to do something to attract…read moremore vendors. Currently there is only 20 vendors listed on the website. I usually go ever week to grab a pot pie for my wife for dinner. Ho Farms and King's Farm are great places to stop to grab a restock of produce during the middle of the week.

I always look forward to Friday and Saturday nights, not bc of the clubbing hots spots and Ginza,…read morebut bc of the delicious bacon-wrapped hot dogs sold outside of Ginza. Look for the red umbrella! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fCwChMipti7FaUREh4_4LQ?select=d1F2gULQpi4XhAgCyIvQuQ These dogs are cooked to sizzling juicy perfection, and dressed with your choice of condiments. Let the Hot Dog King know how much of which sauces you fancy. Choose from ketchup, mustard, garlic mayo, and Srirracha. Plus, add your own relish at the pseudo relish station: regular pickle relish, jalapeño relish, onions, and a mixed pickle-onion relish. For $5 a dog, how in the heck could you go wrong?! And bacon-wrapped?! Hah, even better. My perfect combo is the bacon-wrapped with mustard, garlic mayo, and Srirracha, topped with a perfectly portioned mini-mound of jalapeños and mixed relish. Trust. It's a match made in Heaven! Which is why I can't just have one; two is the minimum, but I've eaten 3 or 4 in one sitting several times before. (I hope this supposed tapeworm living in me never dies!) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fCwChMipti7FaUREh4_4LQ?userid=U-7EVbeRf1wlSZfHW_gujQ I have yet to try the other two hot dog options on the menu (Beef Hot Dog and Teri Dog). http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fCwChMipti7FaUREh4_4LQ?select=n8YJoHKpYeQjlqq75EsFiQ They look and sound amazing, but I can't break away from the sinfully delicious bacon-wrapped hot dogs! However, in the extreme case of a bacon shortage, I will be forced to try a different dog. The Teri Dog sounds interesting. And for $6, it may be worth a try. I'm cool with regular beef though, with all the right fixings of course. ;) I love that garlic mayo. Yum. FYI - (This is important.) The hot dog guy told me that he only sets up outside Ginza (or various spots on Kona Street near Ginza) on Fridays and Saturdays when the club is hot. So he sets up around midnight or 1am, sometimes a bit later, to catch all the continuing partiers that keep it going til 4am and then some. He stays until after the club closes, which is PERFECT for hungry drunkards looking for some late night grub. Cash only. Yelp 365 - #162/365