Stinger Ray's Tropical Bar and Grill - Honolulu, HI

The evening is a brief flight to Kauai, one of few I deeply regret. I didn't love Honolulu the first time, but I gained a new appreciation this time around. There are endless hikes, and the island has a mix of mountains and sea, with all sorts of delectable and affordable eats.

I thought that Kauai would be more of the same, so we didn't linger in Honolulu long. I do deeply regret not taking more time to explore the island, and I feel like I left a lot of poke bowls un-turned. 

The transition does NOT start well. This late lunch/early dinner at Stinger Ray’s is the second most regrettable meal of this trip, and I just can't. 

After so many fresh-out-of-the-water cuts of tuna, it seems Stinger Ray's Ahi Poke is where they dump what's left after it's lost its freshness. The fish tastes fishy, which tuna NEVER should, and even the not-so-spicy layer of sticky soy dressing doesn't disguise this misery.

The Grilled Fish Tacos do not rock. But they are filled with rocks, sold as "blackened mahi" that looks like it barely touched a grill and tastes like it was grilled for days. Sputtering, choke-on-it dry, with a teaspoon of pineapple and chipotle sauce that add nothing, this is NOT a recommended dish. 

We were hungry when we sat down, and we were initially about to order a third dish to share. Something told us to hold off, and a better decision was never made. I don't know what happens between the island and the airport, but I thought I was in a different country. I don't know how the food went from spectacular to shoot-me-now in just a few miles, but next time I'm at the airport, I'd rather starve.

SomiSomi - Honolulu, HI

Ice cream. In a Taiyaki Cone. How do you say no to that?

The cone is crisp but supple, and it tastes like it’s lined with a pliable layer of mochi The tail end has a custard filling to keep it simple, and the thicker pudding jives with a milk and ube ice cream swirl.

Meet my newest obsession, the ice cream flavor UBE! There better be more where that came from because like a taiyaki fish. I'm HOOKED.

Goofy Cafe and Dine - Waikiki, Honolulu, HI

You don’t enter a place named Goofy with a lot of expectations. And on the outside, Goofy’s doesn’t look like much; just a casual, shopping-center cafe.

Sit down inside and you immediately feel at home. It’s a welcoming, cozy, bustling breakfast bar, and there isn’t a single thing I tried that wasn’t absolutely exceptional. 

I’m still full from an incredible dinner buffet so I’m looking for something light and full of fiber. Their Açaí Bowl gets the job done. The açaí itself is incredible, and their fresh local fruits are in a league of their own. The pineapple is so sweet and barely has any acid, and the papaya is silky-smooth. 

There’s more where that came from. More pineapple and papaya crowd around fluffy slices of Big Island Honey French Toast.

The bread is fluffy, eggy with just the right breath of fresh bread. The Dark Chocolate Lava iteration is rich with banana and cocao. 

It gets heavier. The Big Island Beef Loco Moco...wow! It’s the most delicious brick of tender beef and runny egg on rice, and the gravy is divine!

The food doesn’t get any better than this. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and at Goofy’s, it’s the best meal of the day, the week, and maybe even the year. I’m especially impressed at them accommodating our party of nine in a very reasonable amount of time. Plus the service is good, and the food is amazing. When in Hawaii, Goofy’s is a meal you don’t want to miss!

Day 2: Jack's Restaurant - Honolulu, HI

We start the day early, picking up breakfast at Jack’s Restaurant down the street. 

It's casual-cafe style for sure, and I love the homey feel. Their Homemade Corned Beef Hash seals the deal, with pink beef that is all kind of tender mixed up with the potatoes. There's a silky, runny-yolked egg on top that erupts into the entire mix. The side biscuits are not to be overlooked. The soft buttermilk and sweet honey butter are something to be remembered.

Half a Papaya makes another fantastic side, a little fiber on your protein. I usually don't like papaya because it has a propensity to taste a little bit rotten, but this one is as smooth as a ripened cantaloupe. 

The Combo A: Eggs and Sea is one I haven't seen before. It's an unbelievably fresh fish fillet, and the type depends on what's fresh that day. We had an incredible wahoo. The Hawaiian style preparation with local rock salt, garlic powder, and black pepper is a winning combo that makes you say whoo! 

For all that the combo A is light and fresh, the Combo B: Beef and Eggs is a fresh heavy-hitter. There is a tender burger patty topped with a spiral of sweet grilled onion. Gooey eggs mix with rich, savory wavy-gravy, a loco moco that's loco-good. 

Their specials are written on the board every day, and my only regret is that we didn't have time to come here again. I've never had a breakfast this good, and I might go back to Hawaii just for Jack's lamb curry and oxtail stew!

Matcha Stand Maiko - Waikiki, O’ahu

Matcha. Ice cream. Hawaii. All the best words in the very best place. Only the creamiest ice cream comes from this somewhat randomly-placed stand, and it's definitely worth a visit.

To satisfy your snack or dessert craving, you have a few options. You can always keep it simple with a waffle cone and a swirl of matcha and milk, especially if you're taking it to go. The flavors amplify each other for an extra creamy hit. Bonus points if you wear a shirt to match your matcha like Ben.

There's shaved ice too, but this Maiko Special mixed parfait is where it's at. You get the same matcha and vanilla swirl ice cream atop complex layers of varying textures and tastes. They add airy cubes of matcha chiffon cake, sweet and gooey chestnuts, and chewy shiratama mochi.

Be aware: there's very little actual seating so you will literally have to stand for your matcha, but I'll always stand up for what’s right, and Maiko does everything right!

Moku Kitchen - Waikiki, O’ahu

Waikiki may be the only place in the world where you can enter almost any respectable establishment covered in sand and multiple layers of mud. We owe Moku Kitchen for accepting our gifts from Koko Crater and the afternoon of hot humidity and sun we spent in it. They even gave us the choice of inside seating when even I wouldn’t have let me past the patio. 

The cool down continues as we devour the Hapa Poke starter. The ono is an oyes, and its brightness offsets the ahi. Both fish are super fob, and they show you a silky coat of sesame and shoyu. 

Everything is made in the kitchen at Moku Kitchen. Props for making everything in house, even the ketchup. Their iteration does have more body with a heavier tomato tang compared to your garden-variety Heinz, and it cuts through the gloriously-Garlic Truffle Oil Fries. Can’t go wrong with Parmesan and truffle oil, and the pairing of a sharp mustard aioli is smart.

I love the Duck Tacos. The duck is tender, and the chunks show that size matters. Each taco is filled and filling, and that pineapple habanero salsa hurts so good. If you’re weak-sauce for hot sauce like me, get it on the side and control your pain. 

The pizza special is Buffalo Chicken. I’m rarely impressed by this particular pie, but they know what they’re doing. This one tastes like Saturday-night, watch-the-game at a higher-end bar hardly-hot wings on a fold of flatbread, and it makes me want a beer on tap to wash it down.

The Hamakua Wild Mushroom Pizza is a more polished piece, strong on the truffle oil, with an undercurrent of white sauce that runs through it all. The mushrooms are the main event, and no amount of truffle can take away from these juicy wonders.

I am not a fan of Waikiki. It is probably the most controversial place on the island from what my local friends are saying. Full of shops and hot spots, ritz and glitz, these mega-million shopping malls are hardly in keeping with the loving lull of island life. But while I don’t need a designer bag to carry my water during my become-one-with-nature hike, I definitely need to eat, and I would gladly eat at Moku Kitchen again.

Aloha Shaved Ice - Honolulu, HI

Aloha indeed. 

My first Açaí Bowl and every bite of go-for-it indigo lives up to the hype. A foundation of frozen, almost-blueberry mush blends tart with a soft banana and sweetens a sour strawberry. The freeze has the texture of a smoothie paste, dense antioxidizing fruit in all its goodly goopy glory. Granola adds texture and honey drizzles in golden rays. I really didn’t think a bowl could be that good but açaí crushes all competition.

If you got it, flan it. I am all over this Azuki Bean Bowl. Big balls of mochi roll with the sweet spread of all beans red, and condensed milk and custard pudding concentrate in full-sugar glory over icy shavings.

A half n’ half shave offers options, and this earthy scoop of ube ice cream on top is uber good with alternating bites of tropical mango and creamy coconut milk.

Aloha to several new addictions and a couple of food obsessions to boot. The other kind of aloha to burning more calories than we consume. But hey, food is fuel, and we’ll need it for what we’re doing next. 

Day 1 - Hawaii Kai, O’ahu - Nanding's Bakery

Getting up for a 7 AM flight is brutal. The squinting stumble to the Uber is unwilling, as you crawl through the peri-dawn chill. Slog through the TSA as they confiscate your bottle openers and limit your cosmetics for the common good, and fling yourself into your assigned seat so you can pass out promptly. The silver lining to your sleep deprivation is that napping shortens the ride.

Our landing is smooth, and we get the rare bonus of an airport pickup, a car full of friends who immediately understand we’re starving.

We fuel up at Nanding’s Bakery first, basking in the pastry smells and savoring the purple swirls of an Ube Ensaymada. The dough is all air, and the top is dusted with sugar and a summation of sweet potato and sweeter cream cheese.

A veggie Lumpia costs a mere dollar, and it’s a mini spring-roll cave of wonders. Shreds of simply-seasoned cabbage crunch within layers of paper-thin crispy wrapper.

I’m starting to get the swing of the island as we unwrap the third and final Glazed Custard Roll. This one shimmers like a silver dollar, and each bite is a little bath of custard and glaze.

A small back-lot bakery on an island full of back-lots. Even the malasadas weren’t this good. Well, I may not have loved Oahu food the first time around, but something tells me I just need to dig a little deeper this time.