Long lines

My California trip has been slow thus far, as surf has been hampered by weather and toxic water. Today, it apears to have cleaned up significantly, and the nice weather and incoming swell made the surf pretty fun. Man, is the water cold!

Drifting

Tyler 9'6" Riddler- Slipping it out and drifting with no loss of speed.

California Trip- Wetsand Surf Shop

Wetsand Surf Shop (446 E. Main St. Ventura, CA 93001, 800-750-7501) in Ventura, is not necessarily as retro/throwback as it is conscious about the product being sold. Click here for their blog. Almost all surfboards are local SoCal shapers with an emphasis on Ventura, and many of the boards are made using BioFoam. They've got spoons, stubbies, keel fishes, quad fishes, alaias: you know, the board du jour (or any board that Dan Malloy has been spotted on). Folky music is playing in the background, and their are some corporate looking offices in the background behind the farm fence.

Film Noir (I'm on a California Trip Now and it's Raining.)

Chinatown: brooding and sensational. Evocative of a California era that never really was. Watch it in the evening with a glass of cabernet, and delight in a true classic thriller.

Hifumi

Hifumi Restaurant (Chinese Cultural Plaza, 100 North Beretania Street Suite 113
Telephone: 808.536.3035) used to be a small, little hole-in-the-wall in Kalihi with an line waiting to dine inside. Now, after a move to Chinatown, Hifumi is a big hole in the wall in the Chinese Cultural Center with plenty of open tables. Under the new ownership, food can be anywhere from OK, to good, to really great. It just depends on what you order.

With that in mind, we offer the following advice- just get tempura. Don't waste your time with the combinations or specials. Just get the tempura. Make sure you get the "Giant Shrimp Tempura." It's about $12. Bring your own beer, too. These are the things you need to remember.

BYOB is always good, right?

Giant Shrimp Tempura is what they are known for. The panko bread crumbs make the tempura look and taste very crunchy. Check out the giant forearm size of this shrimp tempura.

Here's a Hifumi Chicken Teriyaki-Shrimp Tempura-Sashimi combination. Retails for $18.75. On the far right is the sashimi- I've never found the sashimi to be fresh-tasting here. The chicken teri was okay.

If you dare to care.

The Bowls-Rockpiles-Kaisers-Threes, etc. parking lot at the Yacht Harbor is the subject of dangerous precedence. Parking lots for boat harbors across the island are being considered for paid parking, most likely initially by private contract companies. Public access to surfing is just the tip of the iceberg here. Do your part and show up and testify if you feel parking should remain free!

Fun Sunday

Fun chest/shoulder sets still lingering around. The hull was doing some nice wrappy cutties.

Distortion

Red Table Wine Distortion- what a way to end a great work week.

What a beautiful week of unusual winter South Swell it was. Hana Hou!

Soundtrack#1 to welcome the weekend on a Friday Night: Stan Getz meets Gerry Mulligan- Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi


Soundtrack#2 to welcome the weekend on a Friday Night: Getz and Chet Baker in Stockholm. Baker's vocals and solo gives you the chills.

Sushi Bistro

Sushi Bistro (1914 South King St. Ph: 808-941-1333) has a few advantages when it come to Japanese food:
1) it's open late
2) it has a nice range of food to make everyone happy
3) it does the entire menu well
4) you will usually not have to wait

Sound good? You've come to the right place. Prices are the norm for the fare. Service is good. The menu is as diverse as they come. There are sushi sets, small appetizer dishes, donburi dishes, and all you can eat nabe for $25.

You know us, we only write about restaurants that we're excited about, and we write briefly. So if you wanna read the obligatory Honolulu Advertiser review, then click here. Otherwise, take our word and give it a shot.

Sushi is solid. Pretty fresh all the way around.

Broiled calamari, $8.00.

Tonkatsu Udon- Okay, dont' be deceived- there's nokatsu here, but the broth is made special using their house recipe. Really good for those Hawaii winter nights when the north winds are blowing.

Small Scale South

A small scale South swell mixed with an all-day low tide combined for some zippy rights. Riding a 6'0 Campbell Brothers SB put me on the bottom of the totem pole. Longboarders were tearing up the set waves.

In Between Day

Off season South on the rise. Some head high rights and lefts off the peak. A little warbly without the N wind, but it sure felt a lot warmer.

Sand Patch

Very, very chilly North wind and spotty sunshine made it awfully cold. Split the peak with one other guy the entire session. Saw a curious little sea urchin waiting for somebody's foot dab smack in the middle of the sand patch.

Small at the Bowl- "Girl Break"

Again, some tiny stuff in the water. Trades are back. Tons of girls out today on LBs. It was the best choice given the slow W wrapping peaks coming in. Saw a group of funny dreadlocked white dudes engaged in some ridiculous conversation in the parking lot.

Out Front

Some residual reef swell provided for some small lines in the waist to shoulder high range.

Nico's at Pier 38

Nico's at Pier 38 (1133 N Nimitz Hwy, Iwilei, Honolulu, HI, Ph: 540-1377) is a fun little patio restaurant/grill located off Nimitz Highway. Just across the street from Costco, this place is a no-brainer if you want solid local style grilled seafood for very reasonable prices in a casual atmosphere. The menu is very simple, so it's hard not to get something that won't please you.

It's counter service 100% via styrofoam take out cartons. Just think of Kaka`ako Kitchen at Ward.

Having been here for both breakfast (before 10:30am) and lunch (10:30am to 5pm), you can't go wrong either way. Under $20 will easily feed 2. Alcohol is served here for those interested.

Breakfast time tends to leave plenty of open seating, while lunch brings in the crowds. There is often live entertainment on Saturdays. JP Smoketrain sings the blues for the lunch crowd every other Saturday. Have a cold Red Stripe, a meal, and come here to have a good time.

Read another review here.

Ham and cheese breakfast croissant sandwich- $4.50.

Catch of the day, grilled garlic hebi, with eggs- $6.50. The catch of the day is served during lunch, too, with a cream sauce, tossed salad, and rice.

Young and old come to Nico's at Pier 38.

Alma Mater

Russel Westbrook

#5 UCLA takes on #4 Washington State on Saturday 9:30 HST. Watch and support the school with the most NCAA Basketball championships on record, and the most successful overall NCAA athletic program in the country.

WNW Wrap

Huges waves on the West and North Shores. Perfect conditions with still winds. Everywhere on Oahu was surfable. The beauty of the islands in full form.


It was working well here today. Photo by Dave Brown. We miss you, buddy. Hope you're doing well.

Yardhouse Honolulu at Waikiki Beachwalk.

The "Beachwalk" off of Lewers Street is one of the recent additions to Waikiki strip. One of the flagship restaurants in the Beachwalk is The Yardhouse (201 Beach WalkHonolulu, HI 96815(808) 921-2345), a prominent chain restaurant, which features a diverse array of kegged beers. You won't get a bottle here, only cold drafts available in pint glasses or the ominous and ridiculous looking "half yard." That said, there's over 100 beers on tap: your standard garden variety beers found in grocery stores, some select domestic craft brews (Rogue, North Coast), and some representative imports like Belgians, Brit, and Asian beers. See below for the food- it is standard gastro-pub fare, but it is good. We can tell you that.

Having had every beer on their list during my lifetime, we were still impressed that we could pick from such a large variety of beers at will. We believe that if you haven't, then the sheer selection will be a thrilling prospect. Just don't drive home silly. Be safe!

Onion tower. Yeah, it's a tower.

The Macaroni Squared was pretty good. Lots of cheese, mushroom, bacon and truffle oil.

Avocado burger and fries that taste like Burger King's.

Dirty Ho = 1/2 Lindemann's Framboise + 1/2 Hoegaarten.

Waialua Bakery in Haleiwa Town

When on the North Shore, picking a place to grind after surfing is critical. We like breakfast at Duncan Campbell's place, Cafe Haleiwa, and at Kainoa's Pancake House. But afterwards, we're always craving a smoothie or some baked goodies.

Waialua Bakery, (66-200 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712, (808) 637-9079) next to Malama Market serves up great baked creations, desserts, sandwiches, and smoothies. It's also a great casual alternative to some of the more visible Haleiwa restaurants if you want a quick bite to eat. The counter service is peppy and friendly.

Get there after 2pm, this all that is left.

Sandwiches are fresh here. Make no mistake.

Banana Bread Pudding ($2.00).

Kaimana Sunset

Bogart's Cafe and Espresso Bar on Monsarrat Ave.

We stopped by Bogart's Cafe and Espresso Bar (3045 Monsarrat Ave # 3, Honolulu, HI 96815 , (808) 739-0999) for a post-surf breakfast.

There's nothing like a cup of tasty coffee and some eggy eats after a Diamond Head Cliffs session on the fish, longboard, or hull. Breakfast is very Southern California Coastal inspired. Not a lot of greasy stuff, and not too starchy. Staff is friendly. Coffee and Espresso drinks are good here.

Anyhow, it's always packed here, weekend or weekday. Pretty tasty food for those wanting to get their day started with some good people watching due to the young, fun crowd.

2 rules when eating here:
1) it can be hard to get a table here.
2) food comes out exceptionally slow, so be prepared.

20 minutes can easily lapse before you get your breakfast, so bring your reading. Coffee here is always savory.

Migas with Doritos. Initially, I was turned off by this preparation since I've had this dish here before many times, but I didn't mind after having a few bites. For those interested, the scrambles, waffles & pancakes, and the salads are pretty tasty.

According to The Honolulu Advertiser, Bogart's Cafe has the best breakfast bagel sandwich in Honolulu. I concur. This one is egg, cheese, spinach, and bacon on a toasted wheat bagel.