Blaisdell Farmers Market (Wednesday evenings)

I went to the Blaisdell Farmers Market specifically for Andrew Le's "The Pig & The Lady" booth (Street inspired Vietnamese cooking) but got distracted but a bunch of other yummy things.

Apple banana bread pudding (can't remember the name of this booth...2 guys who do catering...)

 And their homemade pastrami on homemade foccacia sandwich. Must try this next time.

 Yummy fresh produce...just $1 for this ginormous bunch of green onions!

 Pupus from the Otsuji Farm stand...they sell their own produce but also yummy dishes made from their produce. The poke topped tempura "dino kale" was a winnah.

 Close up:

 Then finally made it to The Pig & The Lady. It was mobbed...a line to order and every seat taken up.

We tried:

"Dau Hu Nhoi Thit Sot Ca Chua" Pork & Shiitake Mushroom stuffed Tofu braised in Tomato sauce

 " Xio Ga " Savory Vietnamese Sticky Rice, steamed chicken, lup cheong, topped with a fried egg

Must go back to try the pho and the vegetarian curry. The Blaisdell Farmers Market is put on by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation every Wednesday from 4 to 7 pm. They have a higher concentration of prepared foods (similar to the KCC farmers market) so it makes a great stop for dinner on the way home, or if you're visiting Hawaii without access to a kitchen to make use of the produce.

Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall Lawn
777 Ward Ave
Honolulu, HI 96814

http://hfbf.org/markets/

First visit: Whole Foods Kailua

I love to browse grocery stores. And think about what I would eat if money and calories were of no concern.

Went with two girlfriends yesterday to Whole Foods Kailua, which opened about a week ago. It's much more spacious than the Kahala Mall location, with high ceilings, but yet still the same familiar Whole Foods feel.

Walking in you are hit by the fresh produce:

 Interestingly, they've moved the bulk dry goods up to the front by the produce, instead of buried in a center aisle:

This is new (or at least I've never seen it in Kahala): sprouted bulk goods. Not entirely sure how you can sprout a dry legume / bean.

 Behind the produce is the fish & poke section...including limu from Paepae o He'eia

 Poke on sale for $12.99 a pound (pretty good given the recent ahi shortage)

And local Waialua Estate chocolate in the bakery.

Next trip: to scope out the entire bakery section...

Deets:

Whole Foods Kailua

629 Kailua Rd
Ste 100
Kailua, HI 96734

(808) 263-6800

2 stellar mediterranean / lebanese meals

I go through phases of only wanting to eat one type of food: hot pot, hawaiian plate, or poke. Recently, it's been mediterranean food. The garlicky-ness of the hummus and baba ganoush, the lemony flavor of the tabbouleh or grape leaves, and the spicy meats in the lamb or chicken shwarma.

Recently, I tried two (new to me) mediterranean restaurants, although I believe they've been around for quite some time.

The Olive Tree Cafe: on the backside of Kahala Mall, right next to Wahoo's Fish Tacos AND their own wine / greek ingredients deli / grocery. Perfect to pick up a bottle, since OTC is BYOB.

 Seating is limited but includes indoor & outdoor options. Tough to get seating unless you get there right when they open at 5 pm.

 We started with the baba ganoush AND the hummus.

 Close up of the hummus...

 ...and the baba ganoush. Both were delish, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the baba ganoush (roasted eggplant mashed with garlic)

 Fresh fish shwarma (lamb or chicken are also options)

Then today we walked downtown with the intent of heading to the Doner Kebab place off of Fort Street Mall, but ended up at "good & healthy" lebanese, which is in the alley off King btw Alakea and Richards St.

The "lebanese veggie platter" ($9): tabbouleh, hummus, a grape leaf, tahini dressing salad, and 2 falafel balls.

 

The deets:

Olive Tree Cafe

Yelp

4614 Kilauea Ave
Ste 107
Honolulu, HI 96816
Neighborhood: Kahala

(808) 737-0303

Good & Healthy Cafe

Yelp

212 Merchant St
Ste 3
Honolulu, HI 96813
Neighborhood: Downtown

(808) 566-6365