Category Archives: Bon Appétit

Cooking, dining out and anything else delicious I come across!

29!

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Today, I turned 29 and I could not have had a better day….I feel so loved! Both Josh and my mom were so thoughtful..from flowers…to gifts…to cards and celebrating. They are incredible :). I could not begin to thank them enough for making me feel so special!

Presents!
From Josh 🙂
BEST BOYFRIEND EVER!
Practicing our smiling.
Still practicing our smiling.
A good one!
Mom and I at my birthday dinner 🙂
Our delicious appetizer!
My mom’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
My French Onion Soup
Josh’s fish and veggies.
Salad!
The pretty centerpiece 🙂
Key Lime Cheesecake dessert!

Mom’s Visit: Part Two

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On Monday after I got off work, we went and hiked Manoa Falls so my mom could see a waterfall. I have done this hike a few times and it is usually muddy..but NOTHING compared to what it was this time. People were going barefoot because it was easier. The mud was pulling my shoes off my feet and it was very easy to fall! However, the hiking through the mud was definitely worth it…the waterfall at the end was amazing. It’s normally just a light trickle of water…but it was flowing beautifully when we got there! After that, we headed home to take a shower and went to have drinks and dinner. We ate pizza at JJ Dolan’s, drank well-earned drinks and had dessert at Du Vin.

Mom and the giant Banyan tree at the beginning of Manoa Falls.
Looking up through the trees.
Standing under the tree arch in the mud.
SO MUDDY!
My mom in the bamboo forest.
Manoa Falls. So beautiful!
Drinks at JJ’s.
Chocolate Soufflé for dessert.

 

Today after work, we ventured out around downtown and wandered through some of the stores. We also stopped at a crêpe place for lunch. For dinner, we had Cuban food (probably my favorite restaurant here) and tried a few new things that Josh and I hadn’t had yet. Everything was wonderful!

Banana, strawberry, nutella crêpe.
Mojitos.
Cuban appetizer sampler: croquetas de jaiba, papa rellena and platanos.
Josh’s dinner: pargo a la cubana
My mom’s dinner: ropa vieja
My dinner: fricase de pollo

Mom’s Visit: Part One

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My mom arrived on Thursday and since then we have been taking her all over the island doing as many things as possible! I picked her up on Thursday and in complete tourist fashion, got her a beautiful lei from Chinatown! We then stopped by the apartment before heading to the Kailua Farmers’ Market where we met Josh for dinner. After that, we headed home and called it a night!

Lei from Chinatown.
So happy she’s here!

 

On Friday, we stopped by Spitting Caves, hiked to Makapuʻu Lighthouse and then headed to Serg’s for fish tacos. It started raining so we headed back to Honolulu and wandered through Chinatown for a bit. For dinner, we were touristy and had dinner at Duke’s in Waikiki. They are famous for their Mai Tais and we decided my mom needed to try one! Dinner was delicious and was a perfect way to end a busy first day!

My mom at Spitting Caves. Super happy to be there!
My mom and I at the top of Makapuʻu Lighthouse trail.
Josh and I at Duke’s.
Crab Wontons…our delicious appetizer!
My mom and I split fish. So good!
Josh had ahi..also amazing!

 

Saturday, we headed to the North Shore for some shrimp, açai bowls and shave ice. Our first stop was Giovanni’s. We had corn and shrimp (so good). After enjoying a fantastic lunch, we headed to Haleiwa for dessert. First, we all split an açai bowl (my mom’s first one) then headed across the street for Matsumoto’s famous shave ice. We all picked one flavor and split (mom: tangerine, Josh: coconut creme, me: cherry). Delicious! After our tour of food, we went off-roading on the trail to Kaena Point. It was an extremely bumpy ride with a beautiful rewards at the end. We wandered around Kaena Point and took pictures of the incredible scenery and the endangered birds (albatrosses and shearwaters). We then made our way back to Honolulu for my mom’s first experience of Shabu Shabu!

Our buddy hanging out with us while we enjoy our açai bowl.
Shave Ice!
Me napping on Josh on our way to Kaena Point. I was tired!
My mom and I and Josh’s car on our way to Kaena Point.
My mom and I at Kaena Point.
Vegetable Shabu Shabu. So good!

 

On Sunday, we hiked Mariner’s Ridge. It was cloudy and rainy but we still had a decent view at the top! After that, we went to Kailua to have lunch at Kalapawai Cafe and then Josh gave my mom a tour of base. We ended the day with dinner at home and some time enjoying the hot tub! First few days of her trip have been a blast :).

Josh and I hiking to the top of Mariner’s Ridge.
Josh at the top of Mariner’s Ridge enjoying the view.
My mom and I at the top of Mariner’s Ridge.

 

Maui: Trip 1 – Day 4

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On our last day in Maui, we finally got to sleep past 6:00 a.m. It was glorious. We got up and had breakfast on our balcony (which was gorgeous) and then headed down to enjoy the resort pool and Kāʻanapali Beach. We swam for a bit, walked on the beach and played some ping pong. The resort had different games set up on the lawn outside our hotel room (ping pong and a few others). It was so fun. We then checked out and headed to downtown Lahaina to wander around and grab lunch before we headed to the airport. Lahaina is an old whaling town and has a lot of character. This was our last stop before heading to the airport. We had SUCH an amazing time and I cannot wait to go back for Laura and Jim’s wedding in July!

Breakfast on the balcony.
Kāʻanapali Beach
The lawn games viewed from our balcony.
Lahaina
Downtown Lahaina.