Casual Grindz: Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering

Last week was my grandfather’s 82nd birthday! To celebrate we had a casual dinner at my father’s house featuring some catering items from Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering. Yet another stop on our Food Hunt for Charity, Tanioka’s has a reputation for excellent poke, musubi, fish patties, and many other local-style grinds. Everything we ordered was excellent, particularly the spicy inari and the fish patties. So ono! For dinner we picked up the following: Fried... Read More

Casual Grindz: Burgers on the Edge

Summer is coming up quick and one of my favorite summertime foods is the burger: A thick, juicy grilled beef patty on a nice soft bun with all the trimmings. And if I’m really lucky, I’ll find some awesome crunchy bacon to go along with it! This past weekend while driving around to hit spots on the Food Hunt for Charity, I decided to satisfy my burger craving by stopping by Burgers on the Edge. I have long heard about this burger joint from a friend but had never... Read More

Casual Grindz: Taiyo Noodles

A late night dining staple for me and my friends during high school, Taiyo ramen was our dinner stop the other night for a fast meal. Yet another establishment on the Food Hunt for Charity list, Taiyo ramen serves up a variety of ramen and rice dishes. I’ve always enjoyed the rice dishes at Taiyo a little more than their noodles, especially the mabo tofu and kim chee fried rice. For noodles the cold noodle and miso tend to be my favorites. Here’s what we had for... Read More

Casual Grindz: Pho Bistro 2

Yet another stop on the Food Hunt for Charity! My wife and I stopped in to Pho Bistro 2 this past weekend when it was nice and rainy. The weather unfortunately ruined our plans for hiking, but it made for excellent pho eating! Pho Bistro 2 is the one place where I love the pho, but never order it. To date I have never ordered pho for myself. Instead I always cave in to ordering the oxtail soup and stealing some pho from my wife! The oxtail soup at Pho Bistro is one of the... Read More

Casual Grindz: Hakkei

A couple of years back when visiting Japan my family and I made it up to the Hakkei “onsen ryokan” (hot spring inn) in Yubara, Okayama Prefecture. There we enjoyed exceptional local Japanese cuisine along with the refreshing hot springs. Here in Hawaii we can’t drive up into the misty valleys of Yubara for a relaxing soak in natural hot springs, but we can enjoy the food you’ll find there. The owner of the Hakkei hot spring inn expanded her business into... Read More

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Wings

A favorite at parties, these buffalo chicken wings are perfectly moist with a wonderfully crispy exterior. The sauce can be adjusted to suit your preference in spiciness. DO NOT skip placing the breaded wings into the refrigerator! If you do you’ll lose a lot of the crunchy texture! Buffalo Chicken Wings Prep Time: 85 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves: 5-6 20 chicken wings (sometimes sold at supermarkets as “party wings”) 2 teaspoons Garlic powder 1... Read More