Yokohama Bay & Kaena Point

Posted on July 4, 2020 by sandersnm

We took advantage of the long holiday weekend and drove out to Yokohama Bay and Kaena Point. Lucky for us, the beach was empty and the hike wasn’t crowded at all. Highlights from the hike (besides the unreal views) include a Hawaiian Monk Seal swimming up on us as we dangled our feet in the water completely oblivious, the baby albatrosses, spotting a baby needle fish and a sea cucumber. Quite the wildlife adventure! We rewarded ourselves with some fantastic Puerto Rican food!

Empty beach!

Such a stunning view.

Baby albatrosses!

Sea cucumber

Baby needle fish

Yay friends!

Favorite view from the day.

Hawaiian Monk Seal!

Mofongo with garlic shrimp. So good!

Safer-at-Home & A Little Outdoors

Posted on July 3, 2020 by sandersnm

Josh and I spent most of March, April, and May staying inside and distancing ourselves in this crazy world. We finally started getting out a bit more at the end of May and beginning of June with socially distanced hiking and beach days. It’s been kind of nice to explore the island without the crowds! #luckywelivehawaii

Double rainbow from our lanai.

Kailua Beach

Birthday sangria on the beach!

Kualoa Ranch

Kailua Beach

Pu’u Ma’eli’eli Trail

Red Fish Poke

Waioli Kitchen & Bake Shop

Posted on April 7, 2020 by sandersnm

Our last weekend before we decided to stay in, Josh and I had breakfast at Waioli Kitchen & Bake Shop in Manoa Valley. It was a beautiful day and a great last meal out (even though we didn’t know it would be our last meal out)!

Breakfast Sandwich: Scrambled local eggs, cheddar cheese, grilled tomato, homemade croissant

Waioli Breakfast Plate: Two eggs, Bacon, Toast, Butter, Jam

Mochi Waffles with Lilikoi Sauce

Quite the spread!

Supporting BGCH!

Posted on April 6, 2020 by sandersnm

In the beginning of March, we had an event at Mid-Pac Country Club to support the Windward Clubhouse. It was a beautiful night with great music and delicious food from restaurants in Kailua! So thankful for this organization and my amazing friends!

GOEN Dining + Bar

Posted on April 5, 2020 by sandersnm

On my mom’s last night here, we decided on a whim to go to GOEN Dining + Bar. We had all been before and decided the good food and nice outdoor atmosphere were the perfect combo for her last evening. Lucky for us, Chef Roy Yamaguchi was doing a tasting menu (which Josh ordered). We even got to snag a picture with him. The food and service are consistently above average. We’ve been doing a lot of carryout with them during our shelter-in-place time! Will be so thrilled when we can venture back out and eat there in person.

Lychee Martini: Ketel One Vodka, St. Germaine Liqueur, Lime, Lychee

Spicy Tuna Roll: Cucumber | Nori Purée | Green Onion | Fried Garlic | Pepper Aioli

1st Course: Yukari Cured Hamachi Maki Kaiware | Roasted Tofu | Ginger Soy

2nd Course: Dungeness Crab Tamagoyaki Tsukemono | Spinach | Kani Miso Butter

3rd Course: East Meets South Buttermilk Fried & Karaage Chicken | Pickles | Nori Ranch

4th Course: Garlic & Peppercorn Crusted Filet Mignon & Miso Butter Poached Lobster Tail | Creamed Sesame Spinach

5th Course: Yama Yama Sweet Potato Tart | Brown Butter | Honey Kuromitsu | Lappert’s Vanilla Ice Cream

The best dessert ever.. Halo Halo: Buttermilk Panna Cotta | Fruit | Mochi | Shaved Ice | Condensed Milk

Linda & Roy!

PAI Honolulu

Posted on April 4, 2020 by sandersnm

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at PAI Honolulu with friends and my mom as well during her visit. The service and food were great!

Hemingway’s Muse: Koloa White Rum, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Lime, Grapefruit

Risotto: Poached egg, roasted carrots, mushrooms

Shitake Mushroom Lasagna: Kombu mornay, pecorino, white cheddar, gruyere

Curry Bolognese: Handmade pappardelle, curry leaf, madras curry

Sourdough Focaccia with Smoke Salmon Mousse & Ikura

Buttermilk Fried Mushrooms with black pepper créme fraîche

Ricotta Fritters

Ricotta Fritters and assorted gelato and sorbet

Gaslamp

Posted on April 3, 2020 by sandersnm

My mom came to visit back in February and we were able to cross a few of her bucketlist items for Oahu off her list. One of them being a dinner at the Gaslamp speakeasy in Kailua. We had heard mixed reviews on what the experience was like. Happy to say, it blew any expectations we had out of the water. The drinks, food, and service were all incredible. Really excited to go back once our world goes back to normal a bit!

Burrata & Heirloom Salad: Italian mozzarella, baby arugula, balsamic gastric, basil

Fashion Forward: Buffalo trace bourbon, cognac, bonal, orange, cherry, peychauds bitters, angostura bitters

Artisan Cheese & Cured Meat

Exotic Love Affair: Plantation pineapple rum, amaro montenegro, pineapple, guava, rose, koloa float, tiki bitters, tropical foam, nutmeg

Filet Mignon Trio: Prime cut filet mignon sliced atop bolilo baguettes, trio of house béarnaise, cognac peppercorn, and bleu cheese-butter sauces

Such a cozy atmosphere

Road to Morocco: pimms, sloe berry liqueur, aloe eux de vie, strawberry, mint, turmeric, lime, bitters

Jumbo Lobster Risotto: Caribbean lobster, sea asparagus, marscapone, hamakua mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes

Friends With Benefits: botanist gin, amaro montenegro, lillet rouge, rose, raspberry, pineapple, yuzu, cardamon

Josh & Andy Go Gliding

Posted on February 14, 2020 by sandersnm

For Josh and Andy’s birthday this year, Anna had the great idea of getting them a ride together in a glider. We were able to completely surprise them a couple weekends ago with a glider ride on the North Shore with Honolulu Soaring.

My favorite picture from the day!

So excited after their flight!

After gliding, we spent some time on the beach enjoying the view and the waves.

After our time on the North Shore, we were able to surprise them once more with a cake and friends at Paradise Ciders. Successful day!

BGCH friends!

Kaimana Farm Cafe & Deli

Posted on February 12, 2020 by sandersnm

Garden Lox Bagel Sandwich: Local egg, organic baby spinach, onion, tomato, local green, cream cheese.

Lanai: Trip 3

Posted on February 10, 2020 by sandersnm

A few weeks ago, we went to Lanai for long weekend to celebrate birthdays! We stayed at the Four Seasons, which was just an unbelievable experience. We landed on Friday afternoon, checked in, and had a late lunch.

Our beautiful view.

These beautiful birds are rescue birds. They greet you on your way to your room and say “hello” among other things.

Local Fish Sandwich: tomato, onion, arugula, kalamata olive aioli with white rice & black quinoa

After lunch, we relaxed in our room and enjoyed the sunset from our lanai before dinner at Nobu. Neither of us had eaten at a Nobu before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. It absolutely blew us away. Every single thing we ate was delicious and ended up being our best dinner of the weekend.

Cheers!

Grilled Shishito Peppers

Yellowtail Jalapeño

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna

Black Cod Miso in Butter Lettuce

Local Whitefish Tempura

Spicy Tuna Roll

Nobu Lanai FIJI Water Shave Ice: Mango Granita, Red Bean, Tropical Fruit Confit, Locally Grown Tropical Fruits & Fresh Coconut Sorbet

Banana Toban-Yaki: Soy Caramelized Bananas, Pecans, Banana Nut Bread Croutons, Rum Raisin Ice Cream

On Saturday, also Josh’s birthday, we started our morning with a walk to the bay. We were extremely lucky and caught a pod of dolphins entering the bay. After watching them for a bit, we went back to the hotel and had an açai bowl for breakfast. Pretty much the perfect morning.

So, so good.

Such a view!

After breakfast, we left for the Lanai Cat Sanctuary to spend the day with all the cute kitties!

Josh’s cat that he sponsored in place for his birthday.

Kittens who did NOT want to be our friend.

Josh in his element. So happy!

Selfie!

Not so sure about being my friend.

Definitely wanted to be my friend.

After about four hours with the cats, we arrived back at the hotel to a surprise birthday cake for Josh in our room! We enjoyed a couple bites of cake and then got ready for dinner at Lanai City Grille.

So delicious!

House-made chips and crackers with crab dip, pimento cheese dip, and shallot crème fraîche.

Truffle Butternut Squash Bisque

Grilled Mahi Mahi served over local-style fried rice with crispy tempura scallions and sea asparagus in a miso clam broth.

Forcing Josh to love me.

On Sunday, we spent the morning and early afternoon at the beach. We relaxed, read books, snorkeled, and saw a few whales in the distance! Such a completely surreal place to spend the day.

Could spend every day here..no problem…

Doesn’t get much better than this!

Lunch!

After the most relaxing day, we enjoyed dinner at One Forty for our last evening on Lanai. We wanted to try a bunch of items so we ordered smaller plates and shared everything.