Just recently, I had the amazing opportunity to visit my favorite place in the whole, wide world... Hawaii! And while I wasn't as impressed with the awe and beauty of Oahu as compared to the Big Island or the busy lifestyle of the people there and their crazy amounts of traffic, the food surpassed my expectations. We tried everything from local recommendations to tourist traps to food trucks off the beaten path. Most had two things in common: best food ever and slowest service ever. Eating was not something you could accomplish quickly. It was an event that usually took 2 hours, sometimes slightly less. If you plan on vacationing there anytime soon, don't go hungry and be sure to go with someone you like talking to. You'll be spending a lot of time just sitting across from one another waiting. And if the kids are there, have the iPad ready or crayons for them to color with.
My favorite of the restaurants we visited was Harbor Copper Top Bar. We only had drinks there, but I would have loved to try their food if we had just one more day. (We actually got good service here, but again, we just got drinks.) I can't remember ever having a better drink. The bartenders actually set real wood chips on fire to give a glass that smokey aroma. I have no idea what was done to my drink, but I do know, that when it did not come out to the bartender's liking, it was poured out and remade to perfection. Now if only I could recreate that drink at home!
The place we went to with the most Hawaiian feel with fabulous food was Haleiwa Joes Seafood Grill in Kaneohe. There was a little wait to get in, but we were lucky enough to grab a table in the bar area. There were a mix of couples and families, locals and tourists. I got the pork chop while my husband got the steak. We made the right choice, though looking around, everyone in Haleiwa Joes seemed quite pleased with their food.
We stopped at a Food Truck place one day for lunch. There were several food trucks lined up with picnic tables in the middle. We chose Giovanni's. We shared a huge plate of shrimp. I was a little nervous about eating shrimp from a truck, but they were cooked to perfection. The shrimp were a good size and tasty. The only problem was the mess. With nowhere to wash my hands and no handi-wipe, I was left smelling like fish for the rest of the day.
Believe it or not, we had Mexican food on the recommendation of a local. I mean who eats Mexican when they are vacationing in Hawaii! I wanted something Hawaiian. But after some persuading, I agreed, and I'm so glad I did. Buho was delicious. I love how most of the restaurant is outside and it's on a rooftop. I'm not sure what they do when it rains. I guess it must not rain much in Hawaii. I only had a salad and a taste of my husband's mojito cause we had been eating so much throughout our trip. The salad was a nice change from what I might normally get at a Mexican restaurant. It was a delightful fresh, crisp salad that left me feeling not weighed down when I left. And that mojito... don't you just love have everything comes with fresh sliced pineapples!
My husband's favorite place was Moku. He is already planning his return. It's a trendy spot and I'm sure we would be there all the time if we lived in the area. They had an interesting array of drinks, many of which involved foam. Truffle fries were a popular menu item (and who doesn't like fries?). For our entrees, we had a burger and tacos (both delicious), and for dessert, a piece of pie (yum).
The most touristy place we went to was the Top of Waikiki. The restaurant spun around slowly while we ate and a photographer took a very pricey picture of us at the end of our meal. The food was decent, service poor, but it was our first night and I was excited to be in Hawaii and wanted to see the island from above. I'm so glad we went here first cause the meals just got better and it would have been a big disappointment had we gone later in the week when our expectations were higher.
