scrivene r.'s Profile

The latest in the wave of fro-yo places in this town is either called Tropic Rush, as it says on the sign above the door, or Tropical Rush, as it says on the printed receipt.  I mention this little discrepancy because details like that often betray a business's inability or unwillingness to pay attention to other details of greater import.  Not the kind of thing that impresses me, I tell you.

Tropic(al) Rush is decent.  In addition to the non-fat and low-fat frozen yogurts offered elsewhere, you can get sherbets, sorbets, frozen custards, crepes, and even fro-yo pies.  Toppings are pretty much the standard fare, but the fruit selection is paltry compared to selections at places like YogurtLand.  On the other hand, if you're into mochi, this might be your place: there must have been five or six different flavors of mochi toppings, including chocolate mochi and strawberry mochi.  

I settled for a chocolate-vanilla frozen custard swirl with a sprinkle of Heath Bar crumbles for a topping.  I don't have to tell you if you've ever been to one of these self-serve fro-yo places that it's easy to get carried away (unless you're @jeffkang, in which case "carried away" is "just getting warmed up"), so I was careful to go easy on that soft-serve handle.  At $.43 per ounce, my order of nine ounces came out to about $4.30, and it was definitely enough.

The fro-cust was pretty good; nice and creamy, and a bit on the sweet side for my tastes (I normally get the tart flavors when I get fro-yo).  

If you want to taste the flavors before you serve yourself, you need to ask one of the workers; apparently, the machines are pretty tricky to work if you're just serving a small one-bite cup.  Because of this, the help was VERY attentive--a bit too attentive for me (no, I don't want to try the mango; just let me think for a second!), but at least everyone was friendly.

There was some guy in there when I went.  He must have been the boyfriend of one of the workers, but he was a pain.  He tried serving himself a sample cup and sort of made a mess ("That's why nobody serves themselves the samples," one worker scolded).  Then, when my order was ready for weighing, I had to reach around him to put my cup on the scale because he was sorta hanging out right in front of it, oblivious to the fact that a paying customer needed to get his custard weighed.  The girl begged him to stop touching stuff but he didn't seem to be very interested in cooperating.  Ladies, tell your boyfriends to wait in their cars outside.  They do nothing to improve the look of the establishment, and seriously: if they don't respect the work you have to do enough to leave you alone to do it, you're probably better off finding a nice college boy.  English majors are nice.

The decor is pleasant, with a few small tables inside and out and a short counter.  A flat-panel television plays surfing video while the in-house stereo seemed to be on some kind of American dream-pop station.

I happen to work in the area, so I'll probably be back, but while I think I might occasionally drive past it on my way to the Orange Tree in Aiea, I doubt I'd drive past Orange Tree to get to Tropic(al) Rush.

The Blue Marlin Harborfront Grill and Bar is one of the few restaurants in the Ma'alaea Harbor Village still in operation, or at least open during lunch hours.  With an open view of Ma'alaea Harbor and pretty waitresses, the scenery is quite nice.

A place like this needs to be judged on its more expensive fare, but my friends and I were in the mood for burgers.  A major thirty-dollar lunch has its time and place; however, we were itching to get to the aquarium and while this was perhaps a great place for it, it was not the time.  So we all had burgers at about ten bucks apiece.

And they were okay.  Served alongside some seasoned fries, the burgers were tasty if slightly dry.  Our water-glasses were never empty and the service was friendly.

Clearly, to give it a fairer review, I'd need to go back and try some of the seafood.

Note:  The address is Wailuku, but don't look for it in Wailuku.  It's in Ma'alaea, next to the Maui Ocean Center.

It's simple, inexpensive, filling fare.  The wait-help is friendly, as is the predominantly local clientele.  You'll probably have to wait a while if you go during lunch hours, but it will be worth the wait.

The "dry noodle" that's been discussed in every review here so far is an eggy wheat noodle of the sort that saimin is made from.  It comes in a bowl (three sizes:  small, large, and double) with chopped green onions, char siu pork, and a few mung bean sprouts.  The noodles are not exactly "dry," as they seem to have been fried in a small amount of oil to get them cooked.  We all ordered the small for just over four bucks.

They are served alongside a small bowl of broth.  Saimin broth is usually a thin, salty, dashi (a simple broth made from sea kelp and bonito).  The idea is to take a few noodles with your chopsticks and dip them into the broth.  My friends and I noticed others pouring their broth over the noodles.  I found the best method to be dipping the noodles half-way into the broth, picking up enough to flavor the noodles a bit but to maintain the dry character of the noodles.  The broth was good enough to drink when I was finished with my noodles, and that's exactly what I did.  I must not be the only one, because the broth comes with a ramen-style Japanese soup spoon.

We also ordered the BBQ meat sticks ($1.20 each), which were lean and tasty.  I thought the meat was a bit too saucy, but I know lots and lots and lots of people who say that's the way they should be.  They were a nice companion to the noodles.

For diners who aren't into noodles and whose companions insist on a visit to Sam Sato's, there are a few traditional plate lunches on the menu, but I didn't see a single person in the restaurant order any, so I can't comment on those.

One thing not mentioned by other reviewers is the larger room across the small waiting-area courtyard.  It seems that with a group of a large-enough size (it looked to me like twelve to fourteen people could be seated), reservations can be made, so if you're with a lot of friends, this might be a cool way to experience Sam Sato's.

One recent reviewer expressed slight disappointment at the dry noodles, so I think I should emphasize that this is not WONDERFUL cuisine and it won't win any awards; however, saimin is such a staple of local dining that it is rare to hear people get excited about it.  The fact that Sam Sato's has saimin worth commenting on by so many people pretty much says it all:  It's quite good, but it's quite good SAIMIN.  Don't go in expecting fireworks, but be pleasantly charmed by the nice view, if that makes any sense!

The Maui Seaside is an old stand-by for Hawaii residents visiting the island of Maui.  I stayed there twenty-seven years ago while on an elementary school trip and again this past week.  It hasn't changed much.

The beds are comfy and clean; the bathrooms spartan but clean.  The TV works fine.  My room came with a counter-top fridge and microwave oven, plus two double beds and a single (nice when you're a guy traveling with two other guys).  The air conditioner was a bit too small for the size of room we were in, but it was adequate.

In fact, "adequate" is the perfect word to describe the Seaside.  You won't be too tempted to stay in all day, but you won't be miserable when you're in.

The hotel has a small pool, popular with kids and sunbathers.  The sunbathers were popular with me, as my room had a nice view of the pool area.  The "seaside" part of the name means the hotel is on a beach, but it's not the kind of beach Hawaii is famous for; this one is a bit on the dingy side, as it fronts a harbor.  However, it seemed perfectly swimmable, not to mention peaceful for long sits or walks.

Located in Kahului, the Seaside is close to just about everything you could need, except touristy locales.  There are several malls nearby, not to mention restaurants, convenience stores, fast-food joints, and all the things that make the island's largest town hum.  It is a five-minute drive from Maui's Kahului Airport.

There is cable but no WiFi; there is a continental breakfast (doughnuts, muffins, pineapple juice, and coffee both mornings I was there) but no restaurant.  The service is friendly and fast.

We paid for the room as part of a package with an online service (air-room-car), so I can't comment on the price, but I'll say that the tour groups that came and went during our stay were composed entirely of seniors from the continental US.

You won't feel pampered as a guest of the Maui Seaside, but neither will you feel neglected or especially poor.  Perfect for when "good enough" is good enough.

On the recommendation of a colleague, my friends and I tried Las PInatas in Kahului on Maui.  I had two chili rejenos and my friends each ordered the chimichanga.  We also ordered a plate of nachos (with grilled pork, beans, lettuce, and sour cream) to share, but we were pretty much too full from our orders to enjoy the nachos.

The food's decent and the prices are pretty good (ten bucks for the two-rejeno plate with beans and rice; eight bucks for the fancied-up nachos).  Extras cost extra (sour cream and guacamole), but there is a pretty nice salsa bar for dressing up your orders.  A very impressive assortment of Mexican beers is available.

When you're on vacation, you can't eat every meal in a fancy restaurant.  For those more casual meals, you could do a lot worse than Las Pinatas.

Okay, if you're like me and the attitude and spirit of a place matter to you, this is a place to check out.  You can tell from every detail in this new cafe on King Street (same building as TCBY, near the Sushi King and Post Office) that the proprietor wants to make this a great place to hang out.  The bathroom is exquisite, the reading rack is loaded with magazines about running coffee shops, the furnishings are comfortable and attractive, and even the espresso machine looks like something that should be in a centerfold.

I asked what he'd recommend, and he suggested I have a latte.  I ordered one skinny, but either he didn't catch that or he didn't know what "skinny" meant, because he gave it to me with whole milk.  This was a well-frothed latte with a nice balance of froth, milk, and coffee.  The coffee was a bit on the earthy side, interesting and tasty.  Oh, and of course there was a cute little heart in my froth.

There are a few pastries, but nothing to get worked up about.  You're not going there for the food; you're going for coffee and ambience.

You get free WiFi with an order, which is nice, but the night I was there, the connection was painfully slow.  I had a book and a friend to help me out during the load times, so I guess it was fine.  I look forward to visiting again to see if the slow WiFi was a fluke.

Definitely worth checking out if you want a place to hang and you're in the area.

I have almost zero experience drinking in bars, not being much of a drinker and shunning crowds most of the time.  However, as a graduate student at HPU, I've had a few occasions to meet classmates at Mercury, and I've really enjoyed my experiences there.

I hate the meat-market mentality of a lot of these places, but Mercury is laid-back and quiet, at least when I've been there.  The bartenders are friendly but (usually) unintrusive, and they don't look at you funny when you order a Newcastle.  Despite its location in the heart of downtown Honolulu, the sleaze element is almost nonexistent; it tends to be a largely college crowd.

It's tough to beat for convenience if you are frequently downtown.  Note that the address is Fort Street Mall, but it is actually down one of the side-alleys that branch off of Fort Street in the Ewa direction (not Pauahi Street -- the other one).

Another of the plethora of L&L look-alikes, Waiakamilo Drive-Inn features all the usual plate-lunch stand-bys.  A few years ago, it had its own rotisserie roaster, and it cranked out some mighty fine bird.  However, it has since abandoned the one thing that set it apart from its ilk.

There is little to complain about with the food, but also little to celebrate.  The mochiko chicken and its cousin, the garlic chicken, are quite good, with meaty pieces and not an excessive amount of breading.  I often grab a garlic chicken pan for picnics and parties, and I'm usually complimented for my contribution.

The service is very friendly, the clientele generally equally so.  The decor is typical tile-and-kitchen-chairs with a too-loud television.  If it's convenient, you could do a lot worse, but it's not the kind of place you go out of your way for.

The food here really rates a 2, but other considerations give it a little ratings boost.  First, though, the food:

It's not very good.  The chili's okay (supposedly a home-made recipe by someone who used to run the kitchen at Rainbows, but I never liked Rainbows either).  The macaroni salad is bland.  The scoops or rice are just a wee bit small.  The boneless chicken is slightly greasy.  The corned beef hash is almost flavorless.

I don't mind the smaller menu:  Too many places are trying to be L&L now, with the same stuff on the menus and too many items, if you ask me.  However, there is almost nothing that makes up for boring food.

Except these three things:
1.
The prices.  You'll pay a dollar or two less than what you'd pay for similar items at other plate lunch places.

2.
The drive-through.  A plate lunch place with a drive-through?  Get out!  But yes, it's true.

3.
The hours.  This joint closes at eleven on weeknights.  Hello.

Those are three things that make Richie's stand up and stand out from among the other places, and I admit, they draw me in every so often.  The boneless chicken (two chicken thighs breaded and covered with bland gravy) is the popular item, but the chili combo (with a hot dog and a medium soft drink for $4.35 or so) is also very popular.

The bathroom is strictly for emergencies, and even then...if you've got wheels, drive to McD's or something, if you can hold out.  The rest of the place is not the cleanest, and if you're getting your food after 9, stick to the drive-through:  The clientele can be shady.

It's edible fare for lower prices and convenience.  I'm game.

The selection is not the greatest; nor are the pastries.  However, the prices are very, very good, and Kamehameha Bakery (on School Street near Houghtailing) is open as early as two in the morning, so for those meetings you remember the night before, where you were the guy who volunteered to bring doughnuts, you can really go to town for a lot less than at other bakeries.  Malassadas go for about thirty-five cents.  You really can't beat that.

The service is friendly, there's plenty of parking (park in the back lot, behind the Ambassador Market, entering from Houghtailing), the prices are great, and you can phone your order in at 2 and have it ready when you get down there.  I've shown up at five or six and placed large orders (between one and two hundred malassadas) with no problem.  You should phone those large orders in, though.

It's really a three-star bakery, but the prices, hours, and convenience bump it up a star.