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

Stumbled upon this market as it is down a side alley. This isn't really worth the trip off the…read moremain streets. Most of the vendors I noticed were selling the exact same merchandise so I'm really not sure the whole market is owned by the same person or they are separate. Alot of the merchandise was cheap and tacky

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!

I was lucky enough to come across Kettle Corn Hawaii while at a UH volleyball game. It's always a…read moretreat to indulge in such sweet and salty goodness. I tried the li hing flavor that they make now and it was DELICIOUS! So much so that I bought another bag to take home. I paid $7 for the small bag which is packed to the gills and is totally worth it. The owner, Sam, is Mr. Aloha and provided amazing customer service. If y'all happen to be lucky enough to come across Kettle Corn Hawaii definitely check them out! Aloha

Hmmmm. Not sure what I think. We got green popcorn at the UH game. Fun!!! Our bag had lotsa kernels…read more:(. And maybe we shoulda got the regular one, but my hubs wanted to get a festive one. He looked at us with a funny face. Me and my kid's lips, teeth and tongue were super green! So maybe just get the non colored one unless it's for the kids cuz I know they would get a kick out of it and have fun!

Stopped at the Honolulu Farmers Market on a Wednesday evening. It was smaller than I expected, but…read moreit was also filled with great small businesses! Everyone was nice and the market was cozy! A couple places had fresh fruit and vegetables. Lots of places to get great foods! Definitely worth checking out! My only complaint is that we weren't sure where to park.

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

1. Food - I grew up in the Philippines up until I moved here when I was 13-14 years old. Naturally,…read moreI would crave Filipino foods and meals from home. The food is, dare I say, authentic. The options they have, the ingredients they use, the cooking, and the flavor... it's made exactly like how I remember in the Philippines. It kind of does bring me back to my days growing up in the Philippines. We've been ordering platters from 2NO 2NO (pronounced "tono tono" like "pono") for a few years now. I've yet to receive anything that I didn't like. Their platters of food, like pancit and lumpiang shanghai, and their BBQ sticks and Filipino street food offerings are really good. I can eat a whole pan of kwek-kwek all by myself. Not in one sitting though, but spread throughout a few meals and late night "snacks". We've also ordered there big "budol fight" (pronounce "boo-dol" as in "boo" and "toll") meals. It's a traditional Filipino/southeast asian way of sharing a meal with families or large party. I grew up using the term "kamayan". Anyway, it's a feast of your choice of meat, fish, seafood, starch, etc. So far, the two or three times we've done it, it's been real good. 2. Service - Not much. They're not a restaurant. They are essentially a "catering" company. You send your order through text or instagram or some other social media thing, with the date and time of pick up, and pay cash or Venmo or some payment application after you get your order on the day of. I don't know, my wife usually does the ordering. I usually do the pick up. When I do go and pick up our order, most of the time, it's ready or almost ready. They haven't messed up any of my orders yet, which is important because most of the time when we order, it's for events. 3. Ambience - Non. You go to their place and pick your order up. If you want to talk ambience, it's in Kalihi, in one of those tiny streets off of Kalihi St. I do like going there though. The smell of the kitchen reminds me again of home in the Philippines. On a good day, when the sun is out, the skies are blue, and there's no vog covering the island, picking up orders is a pleasant errand. In my book, 2NO 2NO one of the best Filipino food caterers in the island.

The BBQ sticks were so good. Almost melts in your mouth. My favorite was the Lumpia Shanghai. The…read morebest i have every tasted.