Oh the Places You'll Go: Oahu II

The rest of the trip was primarily spent on North Shore beaches - Waimea, Malaekahana and Pupukea. They were practically deserted, extraordinarily beautiful, and exactly what the doctor ordered. Yes that's a real photo to the left. Totally worth the drive from Waikiki.

When traveling, the FG thinks it's important to sample local food (pu pu platters excluded), preferably with a good story behind them. One such item is the malasada, and damn they're good. "Malasadas are made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. Traditional malasadas contain neither holes nor fillings, but some varieties of malasadas are filled with flavored cream or other fillings." The FG doesn't believe in tampering with an original, and stuck with Leonard's Bakery malasadas, cinnamon sugar coated. Also visited Hale'iwa Eats and had delish Thai food.

The Vintner recommended a visit to Alan Wong's, and it was worth it. The customer service was excellent - we were 20 minutes late and were happy to have a cocktail and wait at the bar a few moments for our table, but the entire staff apologized repeatedly for making /us/ wait - and continued through the evening. Choosing the five course tasting menu with wine pairings was a no-brainer. I didn't get the wine details, apologies:

APPETIZER DUO:
“Poki-Pines”
Crispy Won Ton Ahi Poke Balls on Avocado with Wasabi Sauce

Lobster Bisque (two tone, served in a martini glass in a yin-yang symbol), with a foie gras and pork mini grilled sandwich balanced atop a parmesan crisp, balanced atop the martini glass

BUTTER POACHED KONA COLD LOBSTER
Shrimp, Honda Tofu Cake, Jalapeño Tokyo Negi Sauce

MACADAMIA CRUSTED ONAGA
Organically Grown Hamakua Mushrooms and Corn, Miso Sesame Vinaigrette

TWICE COOKED SHORTRIB, SOY BRAISED AND GRILLED “KALBI” STYLE
Gingered Shrimp, Ko Choo Jang Sauce

DESSERT DUET:
Chocolate “Crunch Bars” and Coconut Tapioca

The wine pairings were excellent. I loved the soup appetizer, but the poki-pine was warm, as the poke was deep fried in the wonton, and it was a little like the tuna burgers I remember from summer camp days. Let's be clear that I like tuna burgers, but I also really like poke, and this wasn't that good. The lobster was delicious, and beautifully poached, but the tofu cake was too salty. The Onaga was good, and the shortrib was beautifully cooked, but had a strip mall teriyaki dose of sauce that took away from the amazingly tender texture and smokiness of the meat. The desserts were fine and the muscat that came with them outstanding.

As you might imagine, the trip home was a little less exciting, and landing at ORD with a two hour layover didn't help, but I survived. And yes, I tossed my leis into the sea before I left, so I'm bound to return.