Dining Out Oahu: Chart House, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

 

We chose The Chart House for our 30th Anniversary Meal.  We could not have selected a more perfect restaurant.  

The Chart House was founded in 1968 by legendary surfer Joey Cabell. Situated at 1765 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815, it offers breathtaking views over the Ala Wai Harbor.

As our dining experience progressed, so did the sunset!

We ordered cocktails while we explored the extensive menu!  Lemon Drop Martini for me and a Mai Tai for Sweet Harold!

And here's the menu:

As you can see there's something for everyone.  I'll pause here and brag on our server for the evening, Juju.  She was absolutely the Best.  We couldn't have asked for a better server than her for our Anniversary Dinner.

I decided to order from the Surf Break Menu of three courses.  I selected the Caesar Salad, Scallop and Shrimp Scampi, and Crème Brûlée.

This combination was ideal for me.  I adore Caesar salads and this version was a generous serving with the perfect amount of dressing.

The Scallop and Shrimp Scampi was just what I had hoped for:  perfectly (repeat perfectly!) cooked scallops and shrimp with al dente noodles!  

The sauce was nicely proportioned to the noodles, full of flavor and garlicky goodness, and topped with grated parmesan.

This is one of those dishes that you'll think about in the months ahead.  It was that delicious.

Now I do love a crunchy topped Crème Brûlée and this one cracked just as it should have under the tap of my spoon.

Now we'll move on to what Sweet Harold enjoyed!

He ordered from the regular menu and also selected a Caesar salad.  As you can see from the photo, his portion was about half again as large as mine.

Y'all know how much he loves shrimp.  He ordered the Stuffed Shrimp:  Baked jumbo shrimp stuffed with Dungeness crab and topped with house hollandaise.  He selected garlic mashed potatoes.

Such a beautiful presentation!  Yes, there's haricot verts underneath the shrimp!

To say he was pleased is an understatement.  Not only was it a beautiful plate, it tasted even better.  The shrimp were large and generously stuffed with crab and the hollandaise was rich and creamy.

The potatoes were served hot (yes, that's a thing with us...we don't like tepid potatoes!) and had a subtle garlic flavor.

Now I had a dessert included with my meal, but not to be outdone he ordered a Chart House Waikiki Mud Pie.  Let me prepare you.  This was not a skimpy desert.  It wasn't a subtle desert.  It was an "in your face, you're going to love this" kind of dessert.  It is truly a decadent slice of chocolatey goodness!  

After questioning Juju about the ingredients, here's what I can recall:  

This signature dessert layers rich chocolate fudge with creamy coffee and vanilla ice cream, all sitting on a crunchy chocolate cookie crust. With every bite you taste a dreamy mix of smooth, cool ice cream, deep chocolate flavor, and a satisfying cookie crunch. If you love chocolate and coffee flavors together, this is one sweet treat worth saving room for during your Waikiki visit!  

Now trust me....this was enough.  This meal was perfect on every level.  

And then Juju reappeared at our table.

With this.....

Needless to say, we requested this New York Style Cheesecake to be boxed up for us to carry back to the hotel for another time!  (It WAS delicious!)

As you can tell, the atmosphere ranked A+++, service by Juju A+++, and the food and cocktails A+++.  We will always remember our 30th Anniversary Dinner.

Enjoy some of the other photos I took of the restaurant.

Dining Out Oahu: Barefoot Beach Cafe, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

One of the best things about chatting with your Uber driver (other than getting to your destination safe and sound), is to get tips on places to eat and visit that you might never know about otherwise!

Such was this hidden gem less than a quarter mile from our hotel.  Barefoot Beach Cafe is located right on the beach near the Aquarium.  We walked up the shaded sidewalks to have breakfast before visiting the aquarium.  

Look at this view!

Barefoot Beach Cafe is open breakfast through dinner.  You simply walk up to the window and place your order, grab a seat, and then wait on your name to be called.

Check out all the delicious items on their menu!

Now when you spy this cart full of fresh pineapple waiting outside the kitchen, you know this is going to be great meal.

Sweet Harold decided The Beach Breakfast plate (scrambled eggs with Portuguese Sausage) was the ideal breakfast for this beautiful morning in Waikiki.

Now when in Ireland, you're going to get potatoes with your menu selection whether you order them or not.  When in Hawaii, you're going to get some white rice with your meal as well.  

The eggs were cooked more flat omelet style rather than our more recognizable scrambled variety.

As soon as I saw the Eggs Benedict on the menu, my decision was made.  I opted for no tomato on mine, but knew that the addition of Kalua pork was a must!

Now I have tried Eggs Benedict at dozens of restaurants and have made many myself at home.  But I can say without a second's hesitation that this one was the best I've ever had anywhere.

Served with a lightly dressed salad of fresh mixed greens and a slice of fresh pineapple, this was a breakfast meant to impress both visually and on my taste buds.

The eggs were perfectly poached, the English muffin was nicely toasted, and, as you can see, there is a generous amount of hollandaise sauce.

But the star of the dish?  It most definitely was the Kalua pork.  I can't imagine Kalua pork not elevating anything it's served with or simply being devoured by itself.  Can you tell I'm a fan?

Service was quick, the location was beautiful, and the food was amazing.  Our breakfast time definitely set the mood for the day.  

I wish we had had another opportunity to dine with them again.  Maybe next time!

Dining Out Oahu: Rainbow Drive-In, Kapahulu, Oahu, Hawaii

 

Rainbow Drive-In is an Oahu institution.  It was opened in 1961.

From their website:  Their philosophy was to serve generous portions of hearty, simple food that appealed to working-class people. 

Rainbow Drive-In continues this tradition by serving food that reflects Hawaii’s immigrant culture. It has played a key role in the creation of “plate lunch” culture of Hawaii and their menu items continue to be iconic Hawaii dishes.

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Rainbow Drive-In has remained a family-owned business and is now operated by the 3rd generation of the Ifuku family.
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Rainbow Drive-In continues to serve local comfort food with aloha and takes pride in every plate they serve.

After hiking to the summit of Diamond Head, we were definitely ready for a hearty, authentic, working class meal.  We were not disappointed.  

Since we hadn't walked far enough that day, we strolled the 1.5 miles from the hotel to the Drive-In.

There's nothing fancy here.  If you're looking for fine dining and cloth napkins, you need to go in a different direction.

You walk up to one of three windows to place your order.

Now these ladies don't have time for you to study the menu.  Do you homework online before you go so you can place your order and move along.  They'll call you back up to the window to pick up your food when it's ready.

There's picnic tables on one side of the building and tables/chairs on the other side.

If you decide you need to use the restroom?  You'll need to go back to the window and request the key.  The key?  It's attached to a large metal stirring spoon.  You won't be leaving with the key.

But back to the food.  Sweet Harold DID his research and knew he wanted to try their chili.  When he realized chili fries were an option, they were ordered immediately.

This chili was all that we had hoped it would be.  Full of flavor (and beans!) with a nice little kick of heat.  

Now you may, or may not, be familiar with the iconic "plate lunch" which is so popular in Hawaii.  A plate lunch is a traditional, casual meal consisting of a hot protein entrée paired with two scoops of white rice and a scoop of creamy macaroni salad.

Sweet Harold went big time and ordered the "Mixed Plate" with gravy.  What's on the Mixed Plate with Gravy?  Glad you asked!  There's a piece of boneless chicken (fried) covered in gravy, a piece of fried Mahi Mahi, and a serving of BBQ Beef marinated in their BBQ Sauce (Teriyaki) and then seared on the grill.

The fish was lightly coated and pan fried.  It was well-seasoned and very tender and fresh.

The beef had a tangy flavor from the teriyaki marinade and was thinly sliced and very tender.  The chicken was lightly breaded as well and completely covered in brown gravy.  His plate included the required mac salad and white rice.

Now my lunch!  I went with the BBQ pork because I had to try BBQ pork while in Hawaii, right?

As you can see, this is NOT the typical BBQ pork that we're familiar with here in the South.  It was very thinly sliced and lightly glazed with the same teriyaki sauce as the beef.

I enjoyed this very different version of BBQ pork.  I also had the white rice and mac salad.

Speaking of Hawaiian Mac Salad here's a brief explanation:

Hawaii-Style Mac Salad: Overcooked Pasta: The elbow macaroni is cooked soft and mushy (not al dente) so it absorbs the dressing deeply.

Specific Mayo: Traditionally requires Best Foods or Hellmann's mayonnaise, often thinned with a splash of milk.

Flavor Balance: Uses apple cider vinegar or pickle juice balanced with a touch of sugar, plus grated carrots and onion juice. It typically skips mustard

See how creamy this is?  There's nothing dry or bland here?  I am obsessed with this mac salad.

He loved his lunch and so did I.....so much so that we were sad to learn that they have a daily special and on this particular day it was roast pork!

So what did we do?  We ordered one to carry back to the room to have for dinner!  When Harold went back to the window to order, he asked if we could have three mac salads instead of one mac salad and two rice servings.  He was told that was fine, but there would be an extra charge.  We were FINE with that!

This meal was as delicious as our lunch meal.  If you ever have an opportunity to order a Plate Lunch, please do!