Watanabe Bakery
this is called the Honolulu Zoo and for just over $7 you can adopt this bag of bready animals and take them home…
all you have to do is open the bag and take out the bread basket. Do this carefully, as the animals may appear motionless, however animals tend to play dead. its their survival instinct. they cant help it.
this is the bread basket that the animals prefer to sit on. its quite soft and cushiony. i tested it out. no wonder they like it. it also tastes pretty good too.
once you open the bag and situate the bread basket on the plate, all you have to do is wait and the journey begins…
and then before you know it, there they are! happy and smiling and ready to be eaten!
have you ever seen such a cute bunch of baked goods before?
you can also buy the animals individually (tong and tray style) as well as other assorted yummy pastries. the pre-bagged honolulu zoo was sitting on a shelf to the right of the cash register at the beretania store.
now go get your own! there are two Watanabe Bakery locations:
2065 S Beretania StHonolulu, HI 96826 (808) 946-1074 or in the old 99 ranch market space 1151 Mapunapuna St Unit W10
Honolulu, HI 96819
Random Las Vegas Eats
Let’s start off with some dialog….
Mom: Hi Hippo
HHH: Hi Mama Hippo
Mom: Wanna go to Vegas this Friday
HHH: No not really… Yeah I do!
Mom: Ok.
So I went to Vegas thinking I was going to eat the most awesomess food ever, and I did… But I forgot to take pictures most of the time. What and idiot. I was so hungry when we got to those establishments, that I ate either half the burger, and realized I needed to take a picture, or took a picture then was so much into the food, that I forgot to take more pictures.
HA 8 – 10:35pm-7am
On the way to Vegas, my super awesome Aunty Hippo paid for my First Class upgrade…. I was uber excited for the awesome First Class food and Free Alcohol.
When I first got in, they gave the complimentary Sham-pain, as well as the menu for the in-flight meal. As I was going through it, I was utterly disappointed. It had a white bean soup with banana sour cream puree, ham and turkey sandwich, macaroni salad, and some kind of pie. This in comparison to last year, when they had a choice of salad, braised short-ribs, coconut shrimp, variety of cheeses, and a dessert. I was really taken aback by this, and I immediately texted my GF Hippo the tragedy that was about to unfold…. She texted me back that I should look forward to the warmed nuts they sever (macadamia, cashew (my favorite), almonds). That calmed me down, until they passed this out:
Well folks, it’s official. We are definitely in a recession. The warmed nuts on flights going to Vegas have been replaced by prepackaged pretzels. Bad move Hawaiian Air.
Ok, I’m not picky, but seriously… Isn’t this First Class?
Food came, and turns out the banana soup concoction was probably one of the best soups I ever ate… EVER! Here’s the picture taken from my super awesome 3.2 MP camera.
Hawaiian Air First Class Eats – 2 stars (out of 100)
Soup with Banana Puree – 96.3 stars (out of 100)
Saturday.. Aka Day after Flyday:
Lunch time baby! My GF Hippo, who couldn’t come because she was too busy playing doctor, always raves of a so called “Burger Bar,” so I was off to find this magical place of meat.
Well, we found it in the Mandalay Bay Hotel shops, and turns out it’s owned by Hubert Keller.. One of the cooler guys on Top Chef Masters. This place is like “The Counter” or “Burgers on the Edge”, but on Roids… They got all these expensive additions, like Foie Gras and truffles. Here’s a link, in case you want to see the menu and pictures.
http://www.usmenuguide.com/burgerbarmenu.htm
Seems the menu keeps changing because we had the Huber Keller burger, which was buffalo, bleu cheese, spinach, and caramelized onions.
All I can say is OMG… At $22, it was definitely worth it. The burger was moist, and cooked to medium perfection, and the heese coupled with the vegetables added so much flavor and texture to the burger. I want it now. If you’re heading to Vegas, especially from Hawaii, check it out cause there’s nothing like it here.
Sunday Night Buffet at the Bellagio
You know, I had this buffet before, but I don’t remember being satisfied with the selection… This trip redeemed it’s reputation of one of the top buffets in Vegas. Here’s an example of “I remembered to take pictures, but forgot to keep taking pictures.” I had four plates, but took only one. They had so many choices, I can’t recount them… But here is plate #2, the meats. Quail, Kobe Beef, Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb, Duck Leg, Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle Essence. Damn! That right there was worth the $30. Some other memorable items were Steak Tartare and King Crab Legs.
“And that’s all I got to say about that.”
Peace,
HHH_SN
have you ever seen strawberry milkshake creme oreos?!?
whats a nice girl supposed to do?
"limited edition"...it gets me every time...
Anyway, the last time i tried the limited edition oreos, they were the mint creme and they were so delish. i told kelly about them, who shares my love for all things mint, and she was pregnant at the time, and devoured the entire package in one day.
maybe if it was double stuff...
i hear a lot of beeping right now, so i am pretty limited on descriptive words..i guess its ok if you like strawberry milkshakes…but i wish that there was more fantastic taste.
verdict: in this case, i will share.
Pho Bistro 2! Perfection
My wife Phuong and I are always on the lookout for a good bowl of Pho. Our favorite is Bac Nam but I believe we found a new contender for our favorite, and its name is Pho Bistro 2!
They’re located on Kalakaua Avenue (actually more off of Fern Street, more on this later) just Mauka of Kapiolani Blvd. Here’s how you get there, if you’re headed towards Waikiki on Kalakaua Ave, you’d take a left on Fern Street just before Kapiolani Blvd and then you’ll see Pho Bistro on the left along with a small parking lot next to it. Parking!! I love places that have their own parking lot.
Here's the front of the restaurant. Even though their address is 1694-C Kalakaua Avenue, they're actually facing Fern Street. Their phone number is 808-949-2727. Their hours are Mon-Sat 10:30am - 9:30pm and Sun 11am-8pm.
A parking lot next to the restaurant! What luck!!
OH DAMN YOU BLACK CAT!!
The inside is a bit darker than I'd prefer but the place is clean and the server is efficient, friendly, and a bit loud as he calls out orders and greets visitors.
The table has the normal condiments you'd expect
I ordered the Pho Combination. I believe the price was around $8.50. The broth was excellent, the meat was generous, and it was packed with noodles. It was nicely layered in flavors and had a depth that few places achieve.
Here's another photo of Cowcow's Phenomenal pho. Isn't it glorious??
Phuong ordered the Vermicelli with Grilled Pork (Bun Thit Nuong). It was around $8. This was AWESOME! The photo speaks for itself. The grilled pork was full of flavor, the bowl was overflowing, the vegetables along with the sauce were perfect. Loved it!!
Do yourself a flavor (hah hah) and try out Pho Bistro 2. It is oh so good and just writing this post makes me want to go again and again and again and again and again
Yogurt Mama – YO Mama
Kailua has a yogurt shop in town that’s worth visiting! It’s called Yogurt Mama. It is very similar to the slew of other yogurt places that has opened up such as Menchies and Yogurt Land and it is about time Kailua has a place for its own.
The concept is pretty simple – grab a cup, fill up your yogurt from the several different flavors, add toppings galore (chocolate, fruit, candy, cereal, just about anything!), bring it to the counter and weigh it, pay for it, and enjoy.
We visited them soon after they had first opened several weeks ago, the place is beautiful inside and decorated very nicely. They were nice enough to let us take a lot of photos too!
They're located at 43 Oneawa St #101 in Kailua and their phone number is 808-263-3368.
The inside is bright, colorful, and beautiful
Fill It, Top It, Weigh It
So many toppings to choose from!! And it is all up to you, dangerous
Toppings toppings toppings
Here's the fresh fruit and other various toppings. Bananas, blueberries, fruit jelly, lychee, and kiwi just to name a few!
Here’s our creations.
Chocolate Indulgence
More Chocolate Indulgence (my dad and nephew really love chocolate)
And finally my lovely wife Rebecca's creation which I call Becky's Fruit Medley.
Overall everything was great and I wish Yogurt Mama the best of luck in Kailua! So far when we drive by it, it seems to be bustling which is a good sign. Try them out and let us know what you think! It sure beats having to drive all the way to the other side to get your yogurt fix!