Ginger Mojitos at Nico's

We spent this evening at Nico's.
A big draw was their Ginger Mojito.

Their version uses real ginger slices.
Soo refreshing whether virgin or with the Rum.

Another draw was...Penny was welcome not only in the patio area but inside too.

We opted for outdoors because it was a nice evening and the lights were pretty.

Across the way was another favorite - Uncles.
We all opted for the Short Ribs which Nico's does so well, except CL who had fish.

Lucky Penny had short ribs too (don't tell her Vet) from her take home doggie bag.

Having spent all day at puppy day care, she didn't care if I had washed off all the gravy.   Her little aluminum bowl was sparkling clean in no time.
A nice Wednesday ending for her too.

Must stops with CL and Liz

Dracula's castle in the Carpathian Mountains?

Fields of dried grass in the Midwest?

Actually, Haleakala summit and the downslope of Haleakala past Hana visited by Liz, CL and M last weekend.

After lovely Maui,  on to Honolulu and our usual get together spot, House Without a Key.   Good to see Liz and CL again.

A beautiful evening.   Our well done Angus cheeseburgers were  not dried out and the music was relaxing, while we caught up on the latest.

 This evening, another favorite spot - Ginza Bairin, in Waikiki.

The new addition which we had when dining here with Daren and Lauren last month.  Old fashioned cooked rice in a "kama".

Happy diners with our Fillet Katsu .  Never fail tender pork fillet with a light and crispy coating.  The grind your own sesame sauce is delicious too.

We saved our dessert for the ice cream at the corner store down the street.

Mmmm.   Chocolate ice cream and Lilikoi sorbet.

Hurry!!  It's melting!
See you tomorrow for more eating.

KZOO Karaoke Festival

Penny's Post Grooming photo for November.
She always looks so unhappy, even with those pretty leis around her neck.

Today, Sunday was the 35th Annual KZOO Karaoke Festival at the Hawaii Prince Hotel.

Two past Grand Champions from Shimizu Voice posing with Yukie, our friend and contestant on the left.

Besides the talented contestants, there were two pro singers from Japan and even an Elvis Impersonator from a show in Waikiki.

The salmon teriyaki served for lunch was very good.
Wish I had taken more photos of the contestants, especially our fellow students of Shimizu Voice who were just great.

  

After the excitement of the contest,  even if I didn't participate,  it was great to relax with a Martini and  Bruschetta at Panya.
Mmmm.

Liking Rinka

        To  celebrate P's birthday, we went to Rinka, and had a very satisfying and delicious, very Japanese style dinner.  

          

We entered from the
Roger Dunn parking lot.

Pretty entry 

The separate Japanese style
room has a wall display of
kitchen knives.

May and I had the Rin Course, which was beautifully presented
with seasonal dishes

Our appetizer: beef tataki, spinach
and edamame.

R opted for the Hana Course($45)

Our sashimi course had added
scallops.  

P, who didn't order a Course dinner, had abalone croquette and buri shabu shabu (hot pot)

Rin course spinach soup was
delicious, with fish balls
and gold flakes floating
 on the surface.

R's Hana course 's eggplant and pepper dish.

Rin course: persimmon
filled with tofu

Hana course: salad

Hana course: oden

Rin course: tempura eel
and vegetables

Hana course: sashimi on nori and rice

Rin course: shabushabu (hot pot)
King crab and udon

Hana course: beef shabushabu

Quite a meal!
But of course, there is always room for
dessert.

Both courses came with Yuzu sherbet.
So refreshing.

P tried the French Toast with ice cream, which we all shared.

  And I didn't go to the gym today!

The Mixx, Pint and Jigger

Spur of the moment pleasure.
Janie, Isao and her niece were going to The Mixx to see her guitar teachers' group of friends perform on Sunday evening, so we met them there.
Glad we finally got to this sports bar and grill on Piikoi St. that we always pass but had no chance to visit.

It was so satisfying and fun to see and hear a bunch of musicians jamming together - ukulele, guitars, and drums.
George Chun sang Pennies from Heaven and Nando Suan played I'll be Home for Christmas.
Eric Watanabe said he was in the band The Laughing Kahunas  and mentioned playing at the old Oasis Nightclub.

Sandra, a part owner of the Mixx and Janie's niece.
The performers' families and friends were there so it was a very lively and fun atmosphere.

Rolando Sanchez did a stirring "Sway" on his bongos.
He's originally from Nicaragua, the largest country in Central America.
He reminded us that Hawaii and Nicaragua are in the same "Ring of Fire" and we share the same magma.

Today, at the Ala Moana Mall, we were surprised at how pretty the new Ewa wing is becoming.  With Bloomingdale  scheduled to open in a couple of weeks we hope that section will be finished on time.  

Continuing with Pub food,

here we are at Pint and Jigger on S. Beretania St.

If you go early enough (opens at 4:30) it's not that crowded.

Since there was a large selection of beers, R tried something other than his Heineken so the server brought a Belgian blond ale, Leffe, which R thought took a bit of getting used to.

Mushrooms on toast were good.

Their hamburger

Dessert was a chocolate and bacon (the black bits) bread pudding.
The contrasting tastes were interesting.
(Glad I had gone to my Zumba and Yoga classes this morning)