Hawaii 2023: July 26 – August 1: Waimea, Kauai

Our first stop on our vacation to Hawaii was to Kauai. Our time on Kauai is usually slow-paced and laid back, but this week was very busy. We landed in Lihue, rushed to Waimea, and started cooking for a BBQ that night. Caroline and her family were visiting and our time overlapped only by about 6 hours!

On top of that, Aunty Laura and her husband Bill were visiting from St. Charles, IL. Laura’s daughter, Cory, was visiting from Aspen, CO. And her son, Danny, and his family were visiting from Riverside, IL.

If that’s not enough, good family friends Tandy and Chris and their family were visiting from Seattle, WA. And we ran into multiple childhood friends of Dallas’s who just happened to be in town for a few days.

We had a very busy week, but we were very thankful to be able to spend time with so much friends and family!

1. Family BBQ
We ended up being awake for more than 24 hours but it was worth it to see so much family. Especially thankful to meet our new nephew, Luca.


Back: Danny, Caroline, Rory, Niko, Jose, Caroline, Grace, Kathy, Dallas, Makai, Cory, Luca
Front: Bill, John, Laura, Cathy, Dee, George

Makai and Grace were happy to see each other (and started playing video games immediately!)


Niko


Last time we visited Caroline, she was pregnant. Luca was born shortly after. 5 months old.

Dallas happy to meet Luca.

Makai and his dad grilling meat.

Grace had been on Kauai since the end of May – something like 8 weeks! She demands to know who invited all of these annoying boys (John, Rory, Makai). This was also 5 seconds before that ball went over the cliff into the valley.
Aunty Laura and Luca

Makai, John and Rory eating Kathy’s homemade guri-guri.

Dallas and Danny


George, Caroline, Cory, Luca, Caroline

Giant spider!

Danny, Caroline, Rory, and John Hara stayed at The Point at Poipu on Kauai. They were traveling together with Danny’s mom Laura (Fukuda) and her husband Bill Dubois, as well as Danny’s sister, Cory Hara.

It was fun for all of the kids to be able to hang out together. Makai joined Laura, Bill, Rory and John one night at Luau while the rest of us went out to dinner. Makai stayed overnight at the resort and loved swimming with Rory and John in the resort pool. They also all stayed a couple nights in Waimea with Kathy and George.

Aunty Laura (Fukuda) is Grandpa George Crowell’s first cousin!

2. Pooltime at The Point at Poipu
Dallas golfed with his parents and Danny while the rest of us had an all day pool day! Then Makai joined Aunty Laura, Bill, Rory and John for a luau in Kapaa while Dallas and I went to dinner with Danny, Caroline and Cory at Japanese Grandma’s Cafe and drinks at Port Allen Sunset Grill & Bar.

View from Aunty Laura’s room at The Point at Poipu.

First lava flow… and maybe the only one I had!

3. Japanese Grandma’s Cafe

Cory and I both wanted to try the sparkling sake. It was a big bottle – like regular wine size!

Fried wonton taco with poke inside.

Fried rice with tuna on top.

Maki roll.

Hamachi.

Lilikoi gelato.

Dallas, Rachelle, Caroline, Cory, Danny

4. Luau at the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach

While we were at dinner, Makai joined Aunty Laura, Bill, Rory and John at a luau! Then Makai stayed overnight at The Point.

5. Kauai Rooster Hat
 Caroline liked Makai’s hat. I dug out these old photos to show how old it is! Later on she ended up finding it at Kukui’ula and buying one each for John and Rory.

6. Leapin’ Lizards!
Made me jump when I saw it move out of the corner of my eye in the bathroom in Waimea!
7. Swimming at The Point at Poipu
Makai stayed overnight at John and Rory’s and did a lot of morning swimming.

8. Salt Pond Beach
Dallas and I met up with them at Salt Pond Beach Park where we saw endangered Hawaiian monk seals on the beach.

9. Waimea Town
Dallas went home to cook. We then hit Shrimp Station and JoJo’s Shave Ice. Makai and John named all the chickens — the biggest one was named Todd, for some reason!

10. Egret!?I saw this in the yard!

11. Bon Dance at Waimea Higashi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
Later on we went to the bon dance festival. Dallas ran into multiple childhood friends, some of whom he hadn’t seen for decades!

Festival Food: Akule
(got an extra one to bring home for George! Aunty Jane, working the counter, talked me into banana bread and coffee cake too!)


Festival Food: Andagi (Okinawan Donuts)


Festival Foods: Flying Saucer


Festival Food: Pronto Pop (corn dog)



Dallas was surprised to see his childhood friend, Kari. She lives in LA now! Her parents still live in Waimea and her dad told us a lot about the Bon Dance.

We found out Tandy was in town, but Dallas was surprised to see his childhood friend Lad and his sister Rona at the dance too!


Makai and John – John wanted to know when the ninjas were going to jump out!

Bon Dance begins! The leader at the temple came from Japan via Honolulu. This was the first Bon Dance since before covid!

We found out the next day that the woman in white is Janice’s grand daughter, Dana!

12. Family Monopoly Game
Dallas and his mom found their family Monopoly set and figured it is close to 70 years old. The hotels and houses are made of wood.

13. Day at Home
We did laundry. I sat sat on the porch alternating between looking at a book and looking at the ocean. Makai helped grandpa with yard work and running errands. Dallas and Kathy prepped for a party later.

14. Makai, Meet Makai
Makai and I went to get lunch at Porky’s and the guy that took our order was named Makai!

Grilled Cheese with Kalua Pig

Kalua Pig Bowl

15. Friends BBQ
We had a big barbecue with friends and it was great to spend time with people we had not seen for a long time!!!

On one of our past trips, Dallas made chimichurri, which is not a common thing to eat in Hawaii. Aunty Nancy requested he make it again. Janice made homemade pronto pops (corndogs) and the kids loved them. Rory ate 4 in a row! Janice’s grand daughter, Dana, handmade ti leaf and plumeria leis. And funny story, we discovered I’d taken a photo of her the night before dancing at the Bon Dance!

At one point, we realized every one of the kids at the party were hapa haole so we took a photo of them all together.

Dallas invited Ladd and Rona, who we’d run into the night before at the Bon Dance. Kathy was so bummed out she didn’t get to see them because she skipped the dance. She was so shocked and excited to see them at her front door!

Caroline and I, both from Wisconsin, talked with Såfina for a while. She is going to Lakeland University in the fall for Physical Therapy and to play volleyball. I hope we get to see her and her family more since she will only be 2 hours away from Chicago!


Rory running after Janice’s wontons!


Janice’s grand daughter, Dana, hand made these ti leaf and plumeria leis!

Makai, John, Rory

Janice made homemade pronto pops (corn dogs). Rory ate 4 in a row!

Dallas, Ladd, Uncle Bob, Swede, Marissa, Uncle Bob’s brother Warren, Safina, Aunty Nancy

Xavier, Janice, Kathy, Dana (Janice’s grand daughter)

Chris, Kai, Kanoa, Tandy, Rory

Danny, Tandy, Kanoa, Kai, Chris, Safina, Nancy, Caroline, Warren, Marissa, Bob, Dallas, Ladd, Swede, George, George, Linda, Rona

All the hapa kids! Back: Safina, Swede, Kai. Front: Makai, Rory, John, Kanoa

All the hapa kids! Back: Safina, Swede, Kai. Front: Makai, Rory, John, Kanoa

Make a funny face!

Childhood friends reunited: Tandy, Dallas, Rona, Ladd, Marissa


Aunty Nancy, Uncle Bob, Ladd, Rona

Kanoa and Rory

16. Sleepover
John and Rory stayed over 2 nights in Waimea!

17. Mini Golfing 
Kathy took Rory, John and Makai mini golfing at Kukuiolono. Chris, Kai and Kanoa joined them!

18. Shopping at Kukui’ula
With Dallas and Danny golfing with George, and Kathy taking the boys mini golfing, Caroline and I had free time to go shopping!Lappert’s in Hanapepe closed and there was a rumor that the one in Poipu did too, but luckily that was untrue!

Funny sign.

Lunch at Living Foods

19. Red Salt
We went out to eat with Danny and Caroline at Red Salt in the Koa Kea Resort in Poipu. This was our first time to Red Salt. I didn’t love my entree and it was very expensive. Also felt like we were sitting in a hotel lobby. Our view was people getting in and out of the pool. For the price would expect a more luxe setting and exceptional food.



Driving from Poipu to Waimea

20. Waffles
Rory and John stayed overnight. Makai got up early and made everyone waffles.

21. Legos
Makai and John and Rory played Legos with Dallas’s old Legos many of the days of the week!

22. Salt Pond
We met Caroline and Danny at Salt Pond Beach Park. The two Monk Seals were not on the beach any more, but there was one in the water that just kept circling. Every time it came by everyone had to get out of the water!

23. Waimea Town
Afterwards we had lunch at Shrimp Station and Island Taco and JoJo’s again!

24. More swimming!
Makai went to swim at Caroline and Danny’s condo. The kids were tired from a long day!

23. Stevenson’s Library
Dallas and I had dinner at Stevenson’s Library with Tandy, Chris, Kari and Jeff.
Jeff and Kari, Dallas and Rachelle, Tandy and Chris

24. Grandpa’s Pidgin Lesson


Sukiyaki at Asakusa Imahan in Asakusa, Tokyo

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Course 1: A closed box! This was very small, like an amuse-bouche.

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Course 1: Inside the box. We weren’t exactly sure what this was, but it was kind of like two small pieces of inari, topped with two little pieces of fish.

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Dallas eating his first course.

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Course 2: Again, not sure what all these things were, but the plate was just beautiful! Little tastes of things. The yellow was definitely tomago. Inside the tiny bowl were some vegetables and other things. The green was sort of a mochi consistency.

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Course 3: This soup had shrimp, fiddlehead fern, and a square of a gelatin kind of thing that tasted like vegetables.

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Course 4: Pretty sashimi! We know there was hamachi and tuna. Not sure on the other fish. There was a lot of wonder with this meal, which was half of the fun!

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Course 5: Sukiyaki. Out comes a plate of wagyu beef!! Dallas was in love with this. So soft and tender, it literally melted in your mouth. I took this photo after we had already grilled some of it. There was a bit more to begin. A full plate.

asakusa_imahan_course4_main_beef
The hostess came and showed us how to put the sauce on the hot griddle in the middle of our table. Then she put the beef on the griddle to show us the proper way to cook it.

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Then she beat two eggs in two separate bowls and motioned to ask if we wanted egg. We both said yes. I thought she was going to grill the egg. When the beef was done, she put a bowl of raw egg in front of each of us and then put the cooked beef inside. We were kind of like “what the?” and then she motioned for us to eat! I guess you’re supposed to put the beef in the raw egg and eat it that way. I did once, then asked politely for a clean, eggless bowl.

asakusa_imahan_course4_main_sukiyaki
Along with the beef, the hostess started to grill a variety of other things: Noodles, onions, mushrooms, tofu, leeks, cabbage and something that was only identified as “gluten.” We were told the gluten takes the longest to cook.

asakusa_imahan_course4_main_sukiyaki_instructions
We still had a bunch of beef and assorted things to grill, so after the hostess showed us how to do the first batch, she left us to do the rest. She also left this instruction card on how to cook everything.

asakusa_imahan_course4_main_sukiyaki_dallas
Then Dallas took over.

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After the main sukiyaki course, I was surprised that there were a few more courses!! This is Course 6: A small cup of miso soup. There were some enoki mushrooms in here.

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Course 7: A small dish of assorted pickles.

asakusa_imahan_course7_green_tea_mango_sherbet
Course 8: Dessert! Hot green tea and cold mango sherbet. Dallas doesn’t even like mango (long story) and he ate it up!

asakusa_imahan_bill
At the end our hostess gave us this plastic card to bring up to the front and pay the bill.

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After leaving Asakusa Imahan, we walked across the street and looked back. The restaurant’s building is huge!! There are three stories to the restaurant, which dates back to 1895.

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This is the what the restaurant entrance looks like if you’re not looking from across the street to see the big signage. Note the doors. A lot of doors in Japan don’t have handles. You tap the metal strip and the doors slide open automatically.

After spending the morning walking around Senso-ji and Kappabashi Dori, we were getting pretty hungry. Dallas read about a restaurant called Asakusa Imahan that was ranked the best restaurant in Asakusa. All we really knew is that they were ranked high, they specialize in shabu-shabu and sukiyaki and that it wasn’t that far of a walk away. We were seated in the traditional tatami style, where you sit cross legged on pillows at a very low table. You must remove your shoes and if you need to walk around or use the restroom, sandals are provided for you to slip on. We were also served very traditionally by a woman dressed in a kimono and also wearing sandals. I don’t have a photograph of our hostess, but someone at TripAdvisor took this photo of theirs and her dress is very similar.

I put on my sandals and visited the ladies room after we were seated. When I got back Dallas showed me on the lunch menu what he wanted and it looked great, so I agreed. It was the Asakusa Imahan Special Lunch Gozen (Including Sukiyaki/Shabu-Shabu) and was priced at $8,400 yen ($84 USD). In the photograph it looked like a ton of food, so we figured it was enough to feed two. To be sure, we asked our hostess if it was for two, holding up two fingers and pointing and she said “yes, two” and was off.

When we were on about our 3rd course we started to realize our mistake. When we saw the quality of the wagyu beef they brought out and tasted how it literally just melted in your mouth, we knew we were paying $86 PER PERSON, not for two people. YIKES!!! That is an expensive lunch!!!!! But. Let me just say. It was SOO good. And filling. And a great traditional seating and service arrangement. We paid at the cashier stand before leaving and they gave us a goodie bag full of things. A menu for the restaurant, a guide to Asakusa, some coasters, two kites, a patterned towel/cloth. All kinds of things! I guess that’s what you get when you drop almost $200 on LUNCH! Our consolation was that when we looked up the same meal at dinner time, it was $100 dollar per person more! So, let’s just say we got a deal! And we learned a lesson :).

Aside from the surprise cost, we really liked Asakusa Imahan. If you want to get a really high quality meal and splurge a bit, but not pay the dinner costs, definitely head over here for lunch!

Sansei Seafood & Sushi

Dallas and I can never pass up going to Sansei when we are in Honolulu. And this time, especially, since it was right in our hotel! Last year we went to Sansei twice, once on Oahu and once on the Big Island! Awesome. We decided to sit at the sushi bar, which we like to do sometimes. It’s fun to talk to the sushi chefs and lots of times they hook you up with extra dishes. This time was no exception.


Edamame always seems to be comped at the sushi bar!


I started with a fancy martini, while Dallas opted for Orion, an Okinawan beer.


The sushi chef that took care of us at the sushi bar.


Tai Carpaccio: Five pieces of fresh Japanese Tai snapper topped off with cilantro & jalapeno, accompanied with cucumber sunomono, finished off with a Thai basil infused spicy ume ponzu.


Cajun Seared Walu Sashimi: With shaved Maui onion, red jalapeno, cilantro and a Yukke sauce with a little kick!


Banzai Oyster Shooter: Fresh oyster & uni topped with uzura in a spicy citrus soy sauce, finished with tobiko & green onion. Dallas ordered this an I wasn’t really paying attention. When it came out it had both uni (which I don’t love) and uzura, which I found out was a raw quail egg. I pretty much slammed it back before I could think and you know what? If I knew it was coming I’d have time to form things in my mind, but when it just appeared and I ate it? It was fantastic. Probably enjoyed it the most of everything that night.


Hamachi Kama: Tender collar of yellowtail, broiled & served with Nalo greens & ponzu sauce. The first time I ever had hamachi kama was at Sansei, years ago. I love it! We always have to get it whenever it’s available. We scored on this piece. It was the biggest piece of hamachi kama we’ve ever had!


Seared Sea Scallops: House cured Shinsato Farms bacon, red potatoes, Maui onions & apple cider vinegar.


I was trying to decide what to order for my next drink and the waiter suggested this shiso drink. Shiso is an asain herb in the mint family. So, I got the Shi-so Sweet, made with Pau vodka (made on Maui), Malibu rum, fresh lime sour, fresh pineapples and fresh shiso leaves.


Dallas and I decided to have sashimi as our finale. This was head shushi chef Iku’s creation (according to the menu), Rainbow Sashimi Moriawase: An assortment of seven types of fresh sashimi, accompanied with cucumber sunomono, seaweed salad, & yukari furikake rice.


It was like a beautiful diorama! I didn’t want to mess it up by eating it!


Little did we realize that our sushi chef was going to hook us up with one more thing before we left. Hamachi Carpaccio: Served with a yuzu kosho ponzu sauce, topped with jalapenos, shiso, tobiko, drizzled with truffle oil.

As always, a great meal!! Thanks, DK & Sansei!

Birthday Weekend

This weekend has been a pretty good birthday weekend for me, not that it’s over and I’m not still trying to use it as an excuse to get Dallas to do things for me.

Birthday Menu at Spring
Special Birthday Menu at Spring, Wicker Park, Chicago

On Friday my parents sent me flowers and then on Friday night Dallas and I went out to eat at Spring, a restaurant in my old neighborhood that I’ve always wanted to try. Spring on North at Damen so I used to walk past it when I lived by Wicker Park. When I first moved here, though, Spring was a hot spot and you had to plan your reservations well in advance. Now that they’ve been around for 5 years I was able to make a same-day reservation. The chef at Spring is Shawn McClain and last year he won the James Beard award for Best Chef in the Midwest. Last year I also heard this Hungry Magazine interview with him and really was interested in going to one of his restaurants. Chef McClain has 3 restaurants in Chicago – Spring, Green Zebra (vegetarian), & Custom House (steak). Since I was most familiar with Spring, I chose that one for my birthday.

Spring Monkfish Special
Monkfish Special at Spring, Wicker Park, Chicago

Dallas and I split two appetizers at Spring. The Japanese Hamachi & Yellowfin Tuna Poke, which was made with aged soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and sweet chili, and the Scallop & Potato Raviolis with mushroom-black truffle reduction. We also split a Hawaiian Hearts of Palm salad with shaved fennel, shrimp, pickled oranges, & sansho peppercorn dressing. For an entree Dallas had the Pacific Black Cod with Chinese black bean-sake glaze, grilled hearts of palm and yuzu citrus sauce. I had an entree special that was made with monkfish over a reduction and a mixture of chopped potatoes and corn and a piece of pork belly. I commented that the pork belly tasted like bacon, which made Dallas laugh. I guess I never knew that bacon is made from pork belly. For dessert, Dallas had a tasting of 4 different uniquely flavored ice creams. I had the Valrhona Chocolate Baked Mousse Cake with olive oil ice milk and candied kalamata olives. I also had a white wine I really enjoyed. It was a 2006 wine from Wilamette Valley, Oregon called Junehog and made by the Ransom Wine Co.

Chocolate Mousse Cake at Spring
Chocolate Mousse Cake at Spring, Wicker Park, Chicago

Our meal at Spring was pricey, but I would recommend it to anyone celebrating a special occasion. We had a great time there. The food was delicious and all of the staff was very friendly. I think everyone working in the restaurant knew it was my birthday and made sure to say “Happy Birthday” when serving us or coming by the table.

Richard & Amanda
Richard & Amanda, Roscoe Village, Chicago

On Saturday we had all of our friends over for a barbecue. I didn’t realize until the day before that they were shutting Roscoe Street down for a festival on the same day. It caused some confusion with people coming to our house, but turned out ok. One person commented that coming towards our neighborhood they could hear a really loud band playing and thought, “that can’t be Rachelle’s party… ” Dallas and I got lunch at the fest with Jen, Chad and Quinn and then went home to pick up the house and get ready for everyone.


Michaela, Colleen, Christina & Dallas, Roscoe Village, Chicago

A lot of people cram things into these last summer weekends but I was happy that so many people could come over, even if just for a little bit before heading off somewhere else. I think we had a good combination of work friends, family, friends we see a lot, and friends we haven’t seen for quite some time. Thanks to everyone who came by to spend the evening with me and make my birthday happy! For some reason I only took a few photos of the night. I guess it’s a good thing, since that means I was enjoying myself and not really thinking about taking photos. Also thanks to everyone who couldn’t be here but still sent mail, text messages, voicemails & emails! See you guys soon!