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Hawaii Day 5: Kipu Falls / Honolulu

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Kipu Falls

Pina Coladas On Waikiki

After a late night we slept in as long as we could. We checked out, did a little shopping (unfortunately I was just a little too early to enjoy one of the famous puka dogs), and then headed straight to Kipu Falls. The falls are off in the country a ways and they take a short hike through some cane fields to get to but they are popular with tourists and locals alike. And rightfully so. Besides the natural beauty of the falls there is a giant rope swing and cliff jumps here too. In addition, the swimming hole is really large, mellow and glassy.

After a few jumps and a quick swim we rushed off to the airport changing out of our swimsuits on the way. We puddlejump over to Oahu and were in Waikiki in about three hours.

While in Waikiki we stayed at the gorgeous Sheraton Moana Surfrider. We immediately hit Waikiki Beach for a quick dip, pina coladas, and people watching.

For dinner that night we went to a hidden gem for dinner and drinks (When I remember the name of it I’ll put it here. It was an izakaya style restaurant located in a strip mall next to a Papa Johns. It was super friendly, had like a 15 page menu and authentic gyoza. It was a lot of fun and had a great atmosphere to boot. Most of the locals we talked to were surprised and a bit disappointed we found out about this place (probably because they wanted to keep it to themselves). Our check-out guy told us it was one of his favorites. Go there if you can.

Hawaii Day 3: Shave Ice

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JoJo's Shave Ice

Shave Ice

After a long day on the boat and in the ocean, nothing sounded better than some cold sweets. We headed over to JoJo’s shaved ice for some of the best Hawaii has to offer (rumor has it that Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa, Oahu is better and that Shave Ice Paradise is horrible). A lifetime of fairs and carnivals has brought me plenty of opportunities for sno-cones but this was my first proper shave ice. I’m only sorry I have waited this long.

Hawaii Day 1: Go!

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Coral Runway

Hawaii Shoreline

It’s hard to believe that I was in sunning it up on the beaches of Hawaii last week. It all seems like a dream at this point.

We arrived in Honolulu and then caught another flight to Kauai. The Honolulu airport has an outdoor garden that is inside of security and is a great place to sit around for an hour and work on your base tan while waiting for your next flight. Since go! airlines moved into the market a few years ago, inter-island flights have dropped to just $40 (from over $100) making island hopping actually feasible and not just a luxury. We flew Hawaiian Airlines and they were even more competitive, plus each flight comes with a free cup of guava juice. Bonus! But they put one of our bags on the wrong flight. Bonus negative.

After arriving in Kauai we dropped off our bags at our room and headed straight for the beech. When you live in landlocked Colorado, beach time becomes gold and you hoard all of it you can.

After a little bit of swimming and exploration of our resort and beaches we headed out to Roy’s for dinner. Roy’s is something that you only want to do when your in Hawaii. In Hawaii, where the restaurant actually started, they are the actually Roy Yamaguchi’s restaurants. On the mainland they are some sort of conglomeration put together with Outback Steakhouse Restaurants Inc. and are not the same thing. In fact, there used to be a Roy’s in Cherry Creek but it went out of business. Anyway, my meal was delicious and I’d suggest it to anyone who is in Hawaii and is willing to fork out the bucks.

(Paula Dean Is trying To Kill You) Fried Balls Of Butter

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Here is Paula Deen’s recipe for Fried Butter Balls (this is real):
2 sticks butter
2 ounces cream cheese
Salt and pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Peanut oil, for frying

Cream the butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper together with an electric mixer until smooth. Using a very small ice cream scoop, or melon baller, form 1-inch balls of butter mixture and arrange them on a parchment or waxed paper lined sheet pan. Freeze until solid. Coat the frozen balls in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs and freeze again until solid.

When ready to fry, preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Fry balls for 10 to 15 seconds until just light golden. Drain on paper towels before serving.

I’m Not A Jew But I Play One On TV

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Pageantry and ritual are what I enjoy most out of organized religion. Judaism is no slacker religion when it comes to pageantry and ritual. I celebrated my first ever Passover Seder last year. This year me and G decided to step it up a notch and host (really, circumstances as they were, our house worked best in which to host the Seder we were invited to) Passover Seder this year. So on Monday night we had 20 close friends and acquaintances over. The guests brought the food and religious paraphernalia I didn’t own or had never heard of. G simply supplied a couple some snacks. It was just as fun as the last one with lots of singing, laughing, questions & answers (because nearly a third of us were gentiles), discussions, food, and wine. We all had a (matzoh) ball.

It seemed every single part of the meal held some sort of meaning and there are so many little details I was unaware of or just learning about. For example before we all sat down, many of our guests were asking for pillows. I figured our seats were too hard. It turns out it was another ritual: “We lean on a pillow to be comfortable and to remind us that once we were slaves, but now we are free.” See, I dig this stuff. Little secrets messages, ceremony and procedure; not so much the liturgy, sacrament and days of reckoning so often emphasized in organized religion. Speaking of things religiousy, does anyone know where in Denver kosher Coca-cola can be purchased?

Passover Seder at my house

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