That Time I Decided to Move to LA

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015Leave a comment

The last few weeks have been, to say the least, a whirlwind. As fate/luck/the forces that be would have it I have found myself in LA where I’ve been offered my dream job!

In any case, it seemed like #Jessicaloha had a short revival and my last week in Hawaii/one week visiting NJ + NYC was a fun time to have several (actually, many) yolo meals and experiences.

Goat cheese chicken and waffles from Bru’s Waffle in LA

Taco plate from Tacos Por Favor

My first taste at Philz Coffee

The best pastrami sandwich I’ve ever had from Mickey’s Deli

When I landed in New Jersey, I came home to a great welcome home committee – including a lobster dinner from my grandma!

My sister brought home my favorite platter from The Halal Guys

I also jam packed a day in NYC to visit some of my favorite places and see some of my favorite people.

Lox breakfast from The Grey Dog

The view inside Chelsea Market

Delicious lychee ice tea from Takumi Taco

My favorite view of the city from my old office

Froyo with one of my childhood friends

Only in NYC

Had dinner at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park

Good crew at the Rooftop Bar

Treated my dad to his favorite pork chop at Emeril’s Chop House

And with my last 3 days back in Hawaii, I ate my heart out at my favorite places in Hawaii.

Ramen bowl from Lucky Belly

The lobster bake from Shokudo

Oreo honey toast from Shokudo

Tuna crispy rice from Shokudo

My last taste at poke

The last mai tai sunset

The last 4-course supper in #Hawaii: North Shore garlic shrimp with local veggies and avocado, Hawaiian boullibaise with Alaskan crab, lobster, & prawn, loco #foiegras moco with qual egg, and the signature coconut creme brulee with toffee crumble.

Holoholo from Kalesa

My favorite bubble tea (taro, almond, coconut black tea) from T Pumps!

And finally wrapped up my last weekend of funemployment at my first California hike and unlimited Korean BBQ.

And because I passed my written exam for the driver’s exam on the first try, I am now officially a California resident! Excited to share food finds, cheap eats recipes, and more as I start my next adventure in the Golden State!

Also, hopefully I can actually make posting a regular thing 😉

Life’s Short, Eat Dessert First.

June 15, 2015June 15, 2015Leave a comment

A quick summary of all that was tasty and delicious over the past few weeks. Including that time we had Bubbie’s ice cream before dinner.

Chili moco from Downbeat Diner

Spicy tuna with uni from Maguro Bros.

Sweet chili chicken chicken from Kaka’ako Kitchen

The “What the Pho?” sandwich from Kaka’ako Kitchen: Wagyu beef brisket, swiss cheese, sriracha aioli, on a taro hoagie with pho dipping sauce: “an ode to the Philly cheesesteak, French dip and pho.

French toast with cinnamon apples from Cafe Kaila

Took a quick hike up Diamond Head – starting with the little hikes per my sprained ankle.

And got the ritual shave ice afterward.

Lemon lime and POG shave ice with condensed milk from Waiola Shave Ice

Stuffed salmon

Steak burrito from Oahu Mexican Grill

And because we had some friends in town, we took them to drinks at House Without a Key

Green spaghetti from Goofy Cafe & Dine

Dim Sum overload at Mei Sum Dim Sum

Beer flight and mac and cheese from Honolulu Beer Works

Crab cakes eggs benedict from Cinnamon’s

Shave ice from Island Snow

The view of Kailua on our way back home

Homemade fried rice stuffed chicken and Asian noodles

What a view from Outback Steakhouse (yes, one of my favorite chains) at Hawaii Kai

Cookie butter macaron from Bubbie’s

Mochi ice cream assortment and “Multiple Orgasm” ice cream cake from Bubbie’s

The crazy delicious dinner from Mud Hen Water: yaki o pa’i’ai, grilled he’e (octopus) in luau leaves, cold ginger rabbit and puffed rice, oxtail risotto, and egg white topped kitchen cocktail.

Mochiko chicken and mochi waffles from The Nook

And with that, I am finally caught up!

Costco Card Meals and Weekend Eats

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015Leave a comment

Costco cards are presumably for the much bigger families out there – which is why we only go about once every 2 weeks or so. And if you’ve got a membership, you know that a salmon meant for two, actually lasts about. . . 6 -8 meals.

Lemon pepper salmon on top of sauteed greens and cheese topped with an egg.

Teriyaki salmon with oyster sauce veggies and brown rice

This week’s Feast Friday we went to Lucky Belly. We went pretty early for lunch, and there was already a wait outside the door.

Lamb lumpia with roasted pepper and kochujang sauce

The Belly Bowl with sausage, belly, & bacon

Later that day, we headed over to Ward and tried out Bellini Bistro since it just opened. I had the raspberry frozen bellini and we shared an order of calamari.

And since I won that gift certificate to Kaka’ako Kitchen last week, we used it on some of the new items on their menu:

New spicy burger with curly fries

Deep fried bao buns – the meat and the buns were both deep fried!

We also stopped by Ward’s Courtyard Brunch today. The courtyard was super cute and was something out of one of my Pinterest boards. The event was very organized, and my best friend would’ve loved the yellow color scheme.

Everyone eats underneath this huge tent, and there’s plenty of places to sit.

Matt and I shared several things with the tickets we were given – Aloha mimosa, duck fried rice with a duck confit spring roll from #Morimoto, breakfast porridge rice soup with seafood, pork, lobster meat balls and egg topped with chicken cracklins from #PigandtheLady, Italian sausage strata from #EatHonolulu, and spicy tempura shrimp with bacon infused waffles from #PokeStop!

We’re off to the Big Island next weekend so my continuous blogging streak will come to an end. After living in Hawaii for over 3 months, I finally get to see my first volcano!

How I Established Feast Friday at Work

May 11, 2015May 11, 2015Leave a comment

Since I’m saving up for a couple of trips this year, I’ve established Friday as a “treat yourself” state of mind AKA creating a google spreadsheet of all the lunch places nearby and seeing how many I can cross off with my co-workers.

The spicy ahi bowl from Mama-ya downtown.

And because you can never turn down any family friend gathering and the buffet that they provide, I had my first taste of the famous coco puffs from Liliha Bakery

Most recently (since it’s been kind of rainy here in Honolulu) we visited Pho to Chau – a super delicious Pho place with the signature, authentic Chinatown experience.

Feast Friday was later followed by half-and-half pizza from JJ Dolan’s and a surprise grand prize raffle win from Civil Beat’s 5th anniversary celebration!

And of course, no weekend is complete with a little bit of staycationing.

One Day, I Will Post Regularly. . . One Day.

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015Leave a comment

Things have been a bit crazy lately, but I am trying to stay committed to updating as often as possible! Since I last blogged, there have been a lot of eatings and events (including deciding to dye my hair again!).

Well, per usual, a lot, a lot of food has been the center of basically everything I take a picture of.

Finally crossed of Marukame Udon from my bucketlist (the onion bomb and the fish cake were pretty delicious)

I also had my first try at some fried rice spam musubi

I also tried out a new zucchini boat recipe. Super easy and yummy, and I drowned it in as much cheese as possible.

The start of feast Fridays at work with this pesto chicken sandwich from OEC Cafe

Matt also had these tickets for a booze cruise that we never went on, so we spent one Saturday afternoon eating, drinking and watching the sunset.

Eh, the view was pretty nice 😉

Crazy delicious lunch at Pho My Lan in downtown Honolulu

Our friend Jason was performing at the Mission Houses Museum and they had pretty delicious, fresh food also. Check out the colors in the fresh beet and taro sides!

2weeks ago we visited Kailua, so of course we had to spend some time at my favorite beach , Lanikai.

Fresh potato gnocchi with

Bacon baked bean pork chops

Shepherd’s pie

Crab cakes

Dessert with Bailey’s affogato and homemade oreo mint ice cream

And since we took the east side way back to town, we also stopped by my favorite shave ice place – Uncle Clay’s Pure House of Aloha

And no weekend in Hawaii is complete without a gorgeous sunset

Because my best friend had friends in town, we shared a massive meal from Side Street Inn – complete with kalbi beef, pan fried island pork chops, spicy chicken, fried rice, “big ass steak,” and yaki soba.

Also got to spend another Feast Friday knocking off another restaurant from my bucketlist – here’s the Cochon de Lait Po’Boy from Scratch Kitchen & Bake Shop – Puerto Rican roasted pork, romaine, pickled trinity, creole mayo, demi baguette, and buttermilk-herb roasted potato salad.

And since it was the last Friday of the month last week, we went to the Filipino-themed Eat the Street! Here’s the pork adobo french fries topped with crispy chicharones.

Bisteak pizza

Oh, and if you were paying attention to the beginning of this post, I actually did dye my hair! Thanks Tabby Magic.

Okay, okay, I promise to update this on a regular basis – just so my mom doesn’t go crazy when she’s trying to figure out what I’m doing with my life from 5,000 miles away 😉

Staycation Weekends.

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015Leave a comment

One day I’ll run out of weekend adventures on this island. . . .nah. 🙂

The Kaiwi Shoreline Trail leading up to the Makapu’u Tidepools

Makapu’u Tidepools

My favorite shave ice place and favorite reward after hiking – Uncle Clay’s Pure House of Aloha

Date night noms – oxtail poutine, lazy luau dip, ahi poke cupcakes, haupia bread pudding, and sweet potato crunch from Off the Wall Craft Kitchen

If you ever find yourself on the last Friday of the month of Honolulu, check out Eat the Street for a bit! Tons of food and lots of options, but get there early to try and avoid as many long lines as possible.

Lobster mac and cheese and spinach and artichoke poppers, avocado toast, sushi sliders, deconstructed musubis, and butter mochi kona coffee sundaes.

Double rainbows over the city

At the end of the Waimano Falls Trail

Rope swing at the end of the Waimano Falls Trail

Sauteed shrimp from Papa Ole‘s on the North Shore

Delicious peanut butter rolls from Papa Ole’s

Sunset Beach

Post-beach chocolate haupia pie from Ted’s Bakery

Saturday mornings at the KCC Farmer’s Market – King Kong Dog for lunch

Lagoon 1 at Ko’Olina

Beach bums

Caramel macadamia nut iand Hawaiian mud pie ice cream from Two Scoops

Easter Brunch from Sweet E’s

I need to keep up with this better, but more eats and exploring to come!

Kailua Weekends and More Hawaii Eats (You Know, the Usual)

March 15, 2015March 15, 2015Leave a comment

I think I’m finally getting into a normal schedule after moving to Hawaii fa month ago. I’ve reinstated treat yourself Fridays (AKA my excuse to only buy lunch on Fridays to save the $$$), and have made sure to take advantage of the Jessicalohakitchen as much as possible (name still pending).

Lunch bentos with an assortment of sushi, poke, and black rice from Ahi Lovers in Downtown.

This past weekend we visited Kailua – just a bus ride away if you’re coming from town. We usual go to Cinnamon’s for their guava chiffon pancakes, but this time we tried somewhere new:

Lilikoi pancakes from Moke’s Bread and Breakfast

After Moke’s, we walked around Kailua for a bit and decided to stop by Island Snow (Obama’s favorite shave ice place) for a quick snack before we visited the beach.

(It was very cold, and we did not go swimming. I just did this for the gram haha).

The Jessicalohakitchen and my eating adventures around the island have been very busy though! I made this “healthy” burrito bowl alternatives (because there is no Chipotle here on the island :() while we watched Chef last Sunday night.

Cauliflower fried rice, soy garlic chicken and beef, lettuce from the Big Island, roasted chick peas, avocado, greek yogurt, and a dash of sriracha mayo.

Speaking of Chef, I immediately had a Cuban sandwich craving afterward, so we went and got Cuban sandwiches during our lunch breaks this week.

And because we didn’t get a chance to use our Groupon for Sarento’s the last time I was here, we used them this past Thursday. A definite must-go if you want some awesome views of the city with some delicious food (you must get the escargot!)

View from the glass elevator at Sarento’s

The delicious cheesy, buttery, escargot

Australian rack of lamb, fig caponata, roasted fennel jus, & cocoa raisin glaze.

Sarento’s signature #ossobuco with braised veal shank, saffron risotto, & citrus gremolata.

And because I saw we had these cans of tuna lying around in our cupboards that I thought we should make edible, I grabbed an egg, breadcrumbs, some shrimp, and cheese and made some tuna and shrimp lettuce burgers with fresh homemade guacamole, greek yogurt, mushrooms, and sriracha mayo with a side of baked zucchini fries.

And, because it’s still Sunday funday here in Honolulu, we grabbed an acai bowl from my favorite place Diamond Head Health Cove Bar before we went to the coffee shop this morning.

#Jessicalohakitchen – Cooking for Two & Everything Else You Can Chew

March 3, 2015March 3, 2015Leave a comment

Let’s get it straight, I am not eating for two (and plan on not eating for two for A WHILE) but I am now cooking for two. Hawaii grocery prices ($5 for a pack of mushrooms, really?) has caused this Trader Joe’s loyalist (uggh, I miss you $1.99 mushrooms) to get creative with the meals I’ve come up with.

Slow cooker beer battered Jack Daniels BBQ wings and stir fried veggies with a fried egg.

Steak night with grilled onions and shrimp with a side of veggies

Loco moco cauliflower fried rice

Italian meatball, shrimp, chicken, veggies pesto zucchini pasta

Filipino adobo with veggies

I’ve also gotten to experience old and new places after living in Hawaii for a month. One of our favorite places to eat (especially when we celebrate liking each other’s company for two years ;)) is Town in Kaimuki. The ingredients are local and the menu changes everyday. I highly recommend this place in case you’re in town for a few days (haha, get it).

Bruschetta, coppa di testa, collard greens, pecorino

Mahi mahi, local veggies, lim, meyer lemon

Bowl o’ polenta

Chicken leg, tatsoi, grapes, pancetta, torn bread, macadamia nuts

We normally get one of their delicious fruit sorbets, but I had picked us up something a little special from Cake Envy. An assortment of creme brulee, salted caramel, lilikoi, blueberry, white chocolate raspberry, and #jackdaniels double chocolate.

Ahi & Vegetable has a really great poke bento combo for whenever I’m treating myself to lunch at work.

Fresh catch of the day and furikake tempura catfish from Kaka’ako Kitchen were really delicious. Huge portions, fresh fish. Maybe 50% of the reason why I moved to Hawaii.

We also live near one of these great cafe/brunch/lunch places called Kaimana Farm Cafe. It was our second time going there and their muffins were fresh out of the oven (the one below is their cinnamon muffin but if they ever have their chocolate ones, you have to eat at least 3 of those!). They also have really delicious iced mochas and they serve them in mason jars — an easy way to win me over.

I think we’re at a good balance of home cooked meals for the work week and treating ourselves on the weekends, but I am still trying to think of tasty, healthy meals to cook during the work week. Any suggestions? =)

Celebrating My First Birthday Away From Home

February 15, 2015February 15, 2015Leave a comment

Despite living away from home for the last six years, NJ was always an hour train ride away whenever I need to see my family for my birthday weekend. However, since I decided to move to Hawaii, this would be my first birthday away from the east coast.

But no avail! The boyfriend truly made my day special as we ate and did some of my favorite things in Hawaii.

Ono Seafood

Diamond Head Hike

Later that evening he took me to a fantastic dinner at 3660 on the Rise in Kaimuki (the first place he tried creme brulee as a kid so I’m going to count it as an extra special place because creme brulee is delicious).

Ahi katsu – sashimi-grade ahi wrapped in nori and deep fried medium rare,â wasabi-ginger sauce

Taro bread

Soy Sake Fillet Of Butterfish – ire roasted bok choy & shiitake mushrooms, hatcho miso dashi nage

Kurobuta Pork Two Ways – crispy garlic scallion pork loin chop and braised pork belly, spinach with garlic and butter, asian flavored pan juices

Pasta with Tillamook Cheddar, Cream & Applewood Smoked Bacon, Truffled Crumb Topping

Symphony of Desserts – warm chocolate souffle cake. creme brulee, & cheesecake

Special Birthday Treat!

Thus completes my first as a 25-year-old. I now round up to 30 and still not sure how I feel about that yet.

Moving is Expensive. My First Week in Hawaii.

February 14, 2015February 14, 2015Leave a comment

Despite living in New York for the last 6 years, I think I took one major thing for granted: Trader Joe’s. Despite living in one of the most expensive (if not THE most expensive) city in the country, I could always rely on one thing that wouldn’t break my wallet: my <$40 grocery bag filled with all of my weekly groceries for that week. One of the first things I learned in Hawaii? TRADER JOE’S DOES NOT EXIST HERE. Aka the price of mushrooms was a surprise I was not ready for.

Even though I blew out a fuse my first night cooking in the new kitchen, I was still able to create a few new meals during my first week (especially now that I am cooking for two!)

Pinterest Gal Salad – a simple trick my old roommate taught me about creating salads for the week in mason jars to save time and keep salads fresh

Chicken and Shrimp Tacos – a combination of the leftovers we had from Shaloha alongside a mixture of spinach, chick peas, shrimp, chicken, and sriracha mayo I was able to salvage after my first night blackout.

Breakfast Taquitos – we had a lot of eggs. And spinach. And basically everything that tastes delicious in an omelette so tossed everything up, heated up some soft taco shells and voila!

Bisteak Filipino – one of my favorite Filipino dishes that I made after our first Costco trip. Thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce and lemon juice topped with fried onions and mushrooms (the mushrooms aren’t that traditional, but because I’m a mushroom freak I added them in anyway). Also, I feel guilty if I don’t eat vegetables with dinner, so I quickly made a corn, sweet onion, and spinach stir fry. Lightly buttered. Vegetables still count even if they’re lightly buttered.

Soy Garlic Fried Chicken with Lemon Garlic Veggies and Brown Rice – An experiment in trying to pan fry chicken, since I’m too scared to try using the oven. Went over pretty well, although not as healthy as I would like them to be. I marinated the chicken overnight in a blend of soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar and then dredged the chicken in egg and flour right before I fried. They were pretty good with the dredge on top, but I may try it without the coating next time to see it the skin will be even more flavorful!