#CatTravels: Kauai post coming!

By • January 29, 2013 • #CatTravels

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Well, turns out the Internet wasn’t working last night at the hotel — I’m staying at the Aston Islander on the Beach in Kapaa — so I couldn’t get my blog post up before I fell asleep. (I could have stayed up longer had I not booked a massage at 6 p.m.! Oh, and ate a huge pulled pork sandwich from The Feral Pig.)

And this morning, I’m heading out to Hanalei early to hike the Kalalau Trail — which just re-opened on Monday after being closed for more than a month — with Kayak Kauai.

In fact, I better wrap this up soon. It’s about an hour-long drive from Kapaa to Hanalei — and I don’t want to be late!

Check back later for blog posts from yesterday and today!

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#CatTravels: What to bring home

By • January 28, 2013 • #CatTravels

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Every island has its own special food or snack or something worthy of bringing back home.

Oahu has baked manapua (Royal Kitchen) and Cocoa Puffs (Liliha Bakery). The Big Island has strawberry mochi (Two Ladies Kitchen) and frozen Fuji apple pie (Big Island Candies, sold only at KTA Superstores).

It’s custom here to bring back gifts — called omiyage — while on trips to friends and family at home. In fact, the obligation can be quite challenging, especially when you’re lugging extra baggage — now it costs! — and struggling to find something new and unusual to bring home.

IMG_2270I’m heading to Kauai today — yes, first trip of 2013! — and was searching online for unique to bring home. I found a blog post by my gal pal Kim Steutermann Rogers who lists the following omiyage from the Garden Isle:

• Anahola Granola
• Tip Top Cafe cookies
• Hanalei tea
• Island Soap & Candle Works
• Kauai Kookie
• Kauai Coffee
• Aunty Lilikoi’s dressings, mustards, butters, jellies and syrups
• Aloha Spice Co. seasonings
• Maile Organics
• Engineer hat from a.ell designs

Some of these — Anahola Granola and Kauai Kookie — can be found on Oahu. But the others, namely Aloha Spice Co. and Aunty Lilikoi’s slew of products, can’t. I would also add Papa’a Sweet Potato Chips from Hanapepe to that list, too. Granted, only if the shop is open when you get there. (After all, we are talking about Kauai!)

So I’d love to hear your omiyage picks for each island, including Oahu. It’s great to know what I should take to my Neighbor Island friends, too!

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On a diet? Watch these movies instead

By • January 24, 2013 • Food

jiro-dreams

I hate dieting.

In fact, I’m a total failure at it.

I’ll wake up, go to the gym and tell myself, “Today I’m going to eat healthy. Salad for lunch!”

Then not even 20 minutes later, I’m scarfing down a cake donut and a 20-ounce bottle of Diet Coke.

Fail.

It’s just too hard for me to not eat. See food, must inhale. That makes it incredibly difficult to exercise any self-restraint.

But on the days that I’m able to stick to a relatively low-calorie eating schedule, I find solace in watching others eat, namely in movies. (I can’t watch people eat in front of me, not when the food is right there and easily accessible.)

So here’s a list of my go-to movies when I’m suffering hunger pains:

• “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” (2011): This film centers around legendary sushi chef Jiro Ono and his obsession for the craft. It’s a fascinating look into the life of this master and how he has been able to maintain his high level of success for so long. I devoured every glossy, delicious moment of this movie — then went to eat sushi right after.

https://youtu.be/hbV6knbeUFE

• “Julie & Julia” (2009): Blogger Julie Powell chronicled her attempt to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The movie follows the lives of both women — and makes you want to cook bouillabaisse and cassoulet.

https://youtu.be/vjvJHsJD8ic

• “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994): This Taiwanese classic tells the story of a semi-retired and widowed Chinese master chef who’s raising three daughters. It’s funny, it’s poignant, it makes me want to eat.

https://youtu.be/yicBx-okC3k

• “Chocolat” (2000): One of my favorite movies — food-related or not — starring three beloved actors (Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp) and one beloved ingredient (chocolate). The story of a single mom and her daughter moving to rural France and opening a chocolate shop is charming, but it’s the chocolate — and the many ways to prepare and eat it — that steals the show.

• “Waitress” (2007): Remember this gem from 2007? It’s stars Keri Russell as a waitress who makes kick-ass pies. Who cares about that she’s pregnant, stuck in a horrible marriage and hates her life. We just want her “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby” pie.

Got any to add to this list?

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Paying for bags, food and now to board first

By • January 23, 2013 • #CatTravels

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It hasn’t been easy, adjusting — or maybe accepting — the slew of additional fees airlines tack onto your trips these days.

No more free checked bags, no more meals on board. And on some airlines you have to buy a blanket to stay warm.

And now another airlines has come up with yet another way to make a few quick bucks.

Southwest Airlines is offering passengers a chance to board 45 minutes before a flight’s department — for $40, payable by credit card.

That might be worth it for Southwest passengers, who aren’t assigned seats and can, for $40, get first crack at the best seats and overhead bin space.

Sure, this is a huge advantage and one that’s probably worth another $40. But to me, it’s just another way the airlines can boost their profits — and guess who suffers? Yep, you.

feesWe’ve seen this before. Last year Spirit Airlines, which charges $35 for carry-on baggage during online booking ($50 at the airport kiosk) and $30 for the first checked bag ($45 at the airport kiosk), is now bumping that to $100 if you forget to pay in advance.

That’s steep. And for most of us, traveling is already an expensive endeavor. An extra $100 hurts.

The U.S. airline industry pulls down huge profits for these additional fees. In 2001, baggage fees totaled $3.4 billion — yes, that’s with a “b” — or nearly half of the airlines’ profits.

This isn’t chump change.

So what do we do?

Well, we pay. What else can we do?

I’m guessing these fees aren’t going away; they’re way too profitable. So we may as well get used to it. Like taking off your shoes at the security checkpoint and packing liquids into checked luggage — that you now have to pay for — these fees will become part of the traveling experience.

Just remember to keep some extra cash in your carry-on.

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Dish 5: Honolulu lunch spots for gabfests

By • January 22, 2013 • Food

panya

People are always asking me for suggestions.

They want to know the best restaurants for first dates or which coffee shops have great brews and free WiFi.

So I thought I’d post my responses here, too.

The other day a friend of mine had asked about a restaurant in town — meaning, Honolulu — where she and her girlfriends could gab incessantly and not worry about an impatient server pushing them out. Or worse, quieting them down.

I wanted to raise my hand. “Yes, I know! I know!”

Ask any of my girlfriends and we can rattle off a list of restaurants where we tend to patronize not because the food is great, but because we can sit there for hours, catch up and dish about last night’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” (Oh, it was good.)

But there are restaurants where the quality of the food can be just as tantalizing as the conversation.

Here are my Dish 5 of my favorite lunch spots for gabfests, in no particular order:

moena1. Moena Cafe: Easily one of my favorite haunts in Hawaii Kai, Moena Cafe (left) offers tasty breakfast and brunch dishes until 3 p.m. Some favorites include fried rice, signature pancakes (shown) and whatever scones the restaurant is serving that day. The relaxed atmosphere helps, too.Koko Marina Center, 7192 Kalanianaole Highway, (808) 888-7716

2. Cafe Laufer: One of my go-to spots is Cafe Laufer in Kaimuki, where you can nurse a salad for way longer than you should — and still order a Chocolate Gateau St. Honore later. I’m a fan of the Chinese chicken salad and meatloaf sandwich. And don’t get me started on the desserts! 3565 Waialae Ave., (808) 735-7717

3. Panya Bistro: Whenever we need a lunch spot for a meeting — or just a long gabfest — and we need it fast, we head to Panya Bistro at Ala Moana Center. Lots of parking, a great little drink menu, and — believe it or not — a damn good burger and fries. Plus, the restaurant isn’t stuffy, so you can laugh from your gut and no one will tell you to hush. Ala Moana Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., (808) 946-6388

4. YogurStory: I have spent hours and hours here, talking with my girlfriends over red velvet pancakes or the restaurant’s signature Fat Pig Fried Rice. And there’s fantastic coffee drinks and wireless Internet, so you can Google while you gossip. 815 Keeaumoku St., (808) 942-0505

5. Marisposa: I’ve been to more baby and bridal showers, birthday lunches and post-shopping meals at Mariposa in Neiman Marcus than any other restaurant in Honolulu. We are lured by the spacious dining area — with great views of Ala Moana Beach Park — and the never-ending supply of the restaurant’s signature popovers. (It serves monkey bread for dinner.) And we can’t get enough of the corn chowder, lobster club sandwich and Mariposa Burger with a basil-tarragon aioli. Ala Moana Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., (808) 951-8887

Got any to add? I’m always looking for new spots to add to my list!

Starting today I’ll be posting my picks for everything, from margaritas to hikes to glazed donuts. I’m calling it the Dish 5. Check out my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @thedailydish to continue the conversation!

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