sam's

I know, I know, because I headed back to Japan everyone was ready to go on a diet, right?!

I still have a few more places to blog about so bear with me.

I had this deliciously messy chili cheese dog from Sam's Club.

Oozy cheese, the hot dog was a polish one if I'm not mistaken and the chili had just the right amount of kick.

Best part was that it was US$1.99 + tax....mmm!

nuuanu okazuya

You know, if I walk into your establishment, look over the foods you are selling and a sign catches my eye, namely..."oki-dog".

Don't get all grouchy and give me 'tude because I order it...

If you don't have all the ingredients that day, put a sign over "that sign" ...

But no-o-o, you didn't, so I ordered it!

I'll give you half-props because it was delicious, a little too heavy on the garlic in your chili and oki-dogs usually have okinawan shoyu pork in them, but it was still good.

Instead of ending this post on a bad note, what I will rave about is your sweet beet namasu, super crunchy and more sweet-sour!

I'd definitely come back for this.

Nuuanu Okazuya
1351 Nuuanu Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.533.6169
Mondays-Fridays 5:00-13:00, Saturdays 5:30-14:00, Sundays 7:00-13:00

zippy's

Many foods remind me of home, but one is particular is Zippy's chili.

Their chili is thick and spicy.

I had a craving for this recently so I bought the chili and added my own brown rice and a "no nitrate" hot dog.

Perfect on a drizzly day.

Zippy's
450 Kamehameha Highway
Pearl City, Hawaii
Phone: 808.483.3775

standard bookstore

The last time I ate at Standard Bookstore, I tried their chili dog, which I wrote about here.

Since then, I sometimes hangout here when the Starbucks below is filled and I want to have a cup of coffee.

The other day I tried their Standard Dog...this was topped with lots of sauerkraut, some relish & red onions...yummy! with coffee...780 yen.

The hot dog also came with a salad and their delicious mashed potatoes.

Satoshi chose their épice curry, this also came with a salad and drink...1030 yen

He enjoyed this, but I think the portion was a little too small for him.

Both of our meals came with something a little sweet...I think it was caramel flavored.

I noticed they've added sandwiches to their menu which I wouldn't mind trying...I'll be back.

It's the end of January, how time flies!

curry dog

The other day on Twitter, I was chatting with one of my friends and we got on the topic of hot dogs with curried cabbage.

It seems that curried cabbage on hot dogs is a Kansai (Western Japan) thing.

Since I had that on my mind when I went to the market, I picked up some weiners and cabbage and made my own curried cabbage.

With a handful of cabbage, slice it thinly.

Then in a non-stick pan, throw in your cabbage and let it wilt.

While it is wilting, add a teaspoon or so of curry powder.

When the cabbage is cooked to your liking, take it off the heat. I like it a little "crunchy" so I didn't cook it too long.

To assemble the dog...I used baguette, but you can use a hot dog bun.

Instead of slicing the bun on the side, I sliced it from top to bottom.

Open up the bun and add a layer of curried cabbage, then add your hot dog.

On the sides, slip in your cheese and top with more cabbage.

Toast for about 5 minutes.

Add some chips to your plate and you're ready for lunch.

So easy and delicious.

hawaii re-visits

Yesterday was another errand, so we tried to pick up lunch from one of the places on mom's list...only thing was that they weren't open yet...so..."plan B", another choice off of mom's list...Hank's Haute Dogs.

I've eaten here in the past and loved it.

Mom ordered the Chicken...a grilled chicken sausage topped with lime mustard and mango relish.

She gave me a bite of this and it was tasty.

For my Dad, who likes things simple...we ordered him the Polish.

A grilled polish sausage topped with grilled onions and grainy mustard.

He liked it though the sausage was a bit koge (burnt).

And I ordered the Chicago...after seeing endless posts by Kirk on this, I had to try one.

Those tiny sport peppers sure have some heat! and I liked the neon green relish and other goodies on top too.

Mom was happy that she got to try this place and I'm glad I got to try a Chicago dog.

Hope you have a great weekend!

some "me" time

Friday the weather was beautiful, so I headed to Suigetsu Park after lunch.

The ume has since finished flowering and the Edohigan cherry tree was in full bloom. It was nice to get out and about.

Most days I do have a lot of "me" time, and I'm not complaining, I use the time to try new recipes, go for walks, explore (as well as do chores).

But on Saturday, Satoshi had to work. He also needed to attend a co-worker's funeral in the evening, so he didn't need dinner and I ended up with a "lot" more "me" time than usual.

Since the weather was sunny but hazy (think it is that dust cloud from China that comes around every year, blah!), I threw together a bento and went back to Suigetsu Park for lunch.

A tamagoyaki (rolled omlette) with shiofuki kombu (seasoned dried kelp), horenso goma-ae, rakkyo (pickled scallions), a musubi with ume (pickled apricot) and a musubi with tororo konbu (thinly shaved kelp), a strawberry and some green tea.

It was nice to get out of the house and get close with nature for awhile.

So like I said, Satoshi didn't need dinner. Usually I buy something pre-made, because who wants to cook for one?! This time though, I put together these "gourmet dogs".

I've been seeing the "Japa-dog" around the blogosphere, lately. I don't really care for the name and kind of find it offensive, so I'm calling mine a Japan dog...lettuce, arabiki (coarsely ground) hot dog, some tonkatsu sauce, some kewpie mayo, green onions and shredded nori.　Tonkatsu sauce really matches with weiners, maybe because tonkatsu and weiners are made from pork?!

And since I had some leftover seasoned meat for taco rice, I added it to an arabiki hot dog with some lettuce and salsa for a taco dog. (wish I had had some cheese to sprinkle on top too)

I couldn't find long hot dogs, so there are actually 2 small ones in the bun. I like the hot dogs in Japan, they have a really nice crisp snap when you bite into them, though they aren't as "thick" as the ones you find in the States.

Also a must is toasting the bun before assembling.

I had this with some Minoo Stout...I wonder what Satoshi had for dinner tonight?

What have you been up to?

spicy

The weather is still cold and I'm still craving spicy...I tried McD's chili chicken sandwich.

Their chili is good and spicy. The chicken was fried, nothing really spectacular but this really hit the spot.

And then I saw Kirk's post where he had a spicy hot dog...

So, I "needed" a chili dog for lunch the next day...

It was my first time trying MOS burger's chili dog. It looked a bit skimpy on the chili, but turned out to be just right. Not messy eating at all.

The weiner had a nice snap and the bun was so soft!

At 220 yen (about US$2.20), I'd say it was a good deal. Plus, it satisfied my spicy cravings...for now.

hawaii foodie thursday

Yesterday, I met up with Deb for a tasting of some "haute" dogs.

Before meeting her though, I stopped in at the Moanalua 99 (the old 99Ranch Market), I had heard about a tea shop called Bibbitea Bobbitea Brew. They were listed as selling some Revolution teas, as well as other tea items, so I wanted to see what they had.

They had these individually wrapped 1 infuse (1 bag) types, so I picked up some for Deb to try (Earl Grey Lavender & Honeybush Caramel) and also some for me to try (Honeybush Caramel & Sweet Ginger Peach).

As I headed to the parking lot, I noticed that Imari Bento now sells their bento there. On a previous trip home, I was saddened when I noticed they were gone from their Keeaumoku location. Satoshi and I love their Wa-hamba-gu bento (Japanese style hamburger). Hopefully the next time I'm home I'll be able to try their bento again!

Heading into town, I noticed the Emperor of Japan's plane cruising past me as I waited at a light. (I left a little early because I had heard that they stopped traffic when the entourage passed and didn't want to be late.)

I parked on Auahi Street, they have 2 hour metered parking there. If you find parking in front of the shop, their meters are only an hour.

We ordered the Fat Boy (a hot dog wrapped with bacon then deep fried, topped with mayo, lettuce & tomato...think hot dog blt)US$5.95, Buffalo Brat (a smoky brat made from buffalo meat (I am assuming), brown ale and chipotle, topped with pineapple relish, sauerkraut & guiness mustard US$8.50.

Both of these dogs were good, they had a nice crisp snap to them and were very flavorful.

We also ordered their fries US$2.50, onion rings US$3.75 and lilikoi lime sodas (don't remember the price). The lilikoi lime soda was really refreshing, though Deb thought it had a bit more lilikoi the last time she tried it.

We also got their special dipping sauces...curry ketchup and garlic aioli...the curry ketchup had a nice zing to it and the garlic aioli was creamy with a nice garlic taste.

Earlier that morning, the shop was featured on a local morning show, also, Hank's was recently featured in Bon Apetit magazine. We weren't sure which reason the customers were lining up for, but it was nice to see the line. I myself was a bit leery about trying this place, I mean, paying a lot for a hot dog, it has to be good or else...

After eating, we chatted a bit and of course we talked about dessert too....Hank's has a creme brulee....

Instead, we went into Chinatown to the newly opened Otto Cake. This tiny shop, a couple of doors down from Char Hung Sut, sells cheesecake.

Deb and I had a slice US$5 each, I had lemon and she had banana coconut cream.

I loved the citrusy flavor and it was really creamy, oh and the crust was delicious too.

Deb's banana coconut cream, had a subtle banana flavor with coconut shavings on top.

I also bought two slices to take home for my dad (chocolate chocolate chip) and for my mom (banana coconut cream). (UPDATE: dad loved his and mom did too, except she felt that the banana bits in her cheesecake were kinda green.)

They don't really have tables to sit at to enjoy your cheesecake, so we borrowed their bench to enjoy ours.

All in all, it was pricey but a great foodie day. (Thanks Deb!)

Bibbitea Bobbitea Brew (inside old 99Ranch, near post office)
1151 Mapunapuna Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.834.5323 UPDATE: this shop no longer at this location

Hank's Haute Dogs
324 Coral Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.532.4265

Otto Cake UPDATE: moved to Kaimuki (1127 12th Avenue), phone number the same
1160 Smith Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.834.OTTO (6886)

chili madness

Last night, Satoshi had a business dinner drinking thingy, so it was just me. I like when he has "planned" dinners out (where he can tell me in advance that he doesn't need dinner), that way I don't have to go through the trouble of making anything special and can just buy something pre-made or eat leftovers. I've gotten upset many times after cooking something new and then he e-mails/calls me to say that he'll be going drinking after work and won't need dinner. (aargh!) I guess I should be used to the last minute-ness of his job by now, but it still takes all the inspiration to cook out of me sometimes.

After seeing Ellie's post, I decided to cook up a batch of chili. Making chili is quite easy and doesn't require standing by the stove for too long. I was too lazy to cook up some dried beans, so I put in a can of cannelini beans instead. I also added a half teaspoon of instant espresso, which added a nice layer of flavor.

There are several ways I like to eat chili. Here are my top 3 ways:

Number 3: over pasta. In Hawaii, we call this chili spaghetti. I could be wrong, but I think this was made famous by a local eatery--Zippy's. (If you notice in the background, the avocado survived. It was still a little firm, but the outside was nice and soft and it tasted buttery.)

Number 2: as a chili dog. I love this version especially with chopped onions and cheese on top. I can't remember where it was that I had my first chili dog, but I do remember it had chopped onions and cheese on it. I found these spicy hot dogs at the supermarket. When I first bought hot dogs and buns in Japan, I was surprised. For one thing, there are only 6 buns in a bag. So, you have to look for a package with at least 6 hot dogs in it--this is quite rare, most times there are only 4 long ones to a package or the hot dogs are REALLY short, like an inch or two long, so you need to use 2 for 1 bun.

And the number 1 way: over rice. I've been eating chili this way long before I knew about Zippy's. My mom used to sometimes serve it with cut up hot dogs or sometimes just with rice.

Have you tried chili? Do you like chili (with or without beans)? If so, I'm curious as to how you like to eat it?

cheap eats

If ever you want to have something quick and cheap, COSTCO is the place for you.

For those of you who don't know about COSTCO, it is a HUGE warehouse store. Catering mostly to stores and restaurants, they sell things in bulk and the sizes of items are also HUGE! They actually have a location in Osaka, but I've been too scared to go there because the portions are so large and we don't have the type of storage space as we do in Hawaii!

For $1.50, you can get either a spicy polish sausage or the regular hot dog PLUS a 20 oz. drink--mostly soda or iced tea--not sure if they had juice type drinks.

There is a little condiments area where you can "crank" out your fixings--catsup, deli style mustard, relish and onions. Be careful--they come out in clumps! I miss the sauerkraut that they used to serve!

On Oahu, there are 3 COSTCO locations:
Waipio
94-1231 Ka Uka Blvd.
Waipahu 96797
Phone: 808-678-6103

Iwilei
525 Alakawa Street
Iwilei 96817
Phone: 808-526-6103

Hawaii Kai
333A Keahole Street
Honolulu 96825
Phone: 808-396-5538