North Shore

This was Emry's first official full day out. She was 25 days old. We went to the Laie Temple Open House (it took almost two years to re-design the interior and exterior, during which we learned what it's like to be without a temple an hour away). The Laie Temple (5th to be built) is certainly architecturally nice and has a beautiful exterior, but my favorite part has always been the grounds, especially how it sits atop a hillside overlooking a long manicured driveway that ends at a perfect sand beach. I'm also a big fan of the new interior design, which has an unmistakable Hawaii flavor to it, but still is calming enough so as not to distract from the main purpose and focus of going there.

Emry's little body parts hang out of the Baby Bjorn. I look like I could sleep standing up.

Then, we went over to Turtle Bay Resort. Eric took Pearce snorkeling for the first time. He loved it! He even chased a turtle. Later they played whiffle ball on the grass while Emry and I lounged on the beach under a tree enjoying the view and fresh air. It was great to be outside again.

This picture shows the Resort, the Bay and the Golf Course. Turtle Bay has become one of our favorite places to go with the kids because it has something for everyone. A calm swimming bay for the kids, big surf for the adults, good facilities (like groomed grass and parking) for convenience, and gourmet food for the stomach.

Pearce snorkeling.


Pearce and Eric playing whiffle ball.

We ended the evening eating right on the beach as the sun went down at their main restaurant, Olo. It's one of the best restaurants on the Island. Pricey, but worth it. Especially because you can wear a swimsuit and flip flops.

Appetizers.

My favorite entree, the Salmon. It melts in your mouth. If you come to this Island and don't partake of this dish, I promise you, you will forever be burdened with remorse. It's that epic.

Eric's scallops. The best prepared scallops we've ever had. Tender, not chewy. And I'm not even a fan of scallops.

This was a perfect day, which is the case more often than not in Hawaii. How do you beat the weather, food, activities, scenery and attitude. (OK, by living in a place that costs 75% less, probably). But it's been 7 years here and I still love it more than ever!

Halibut Help?

We have 55 pounds of halibut in our freezer from Eric’s Alaska trip, which we haven’t had time to blog about yet. Anyway, I am in desperate need of as many halibut recipes as I can get my hands on. Looking online for recipes has left me only mildly impressed. So, if you have any recipes that you know are awesome, please pass them on!

Foodies

We wanted to try a new restaurant and we wanted noodles, so I checked out the Honolulu restaurant guide. I found a little Japanese restaurant called Matsugen that caught my eye. Their object of desire is Soba. And as restaurants in Japan, Matsugen also grinds its own buckwheat flour, meaning fresh noodles made everyday. Matsugen boasts about pairing seemingly simple noodles with Shingo Shibano crafting steaming hot Soba or Mori Soba, noodles served cold with dashi-mirinshoyu sauce, some wasabi and sliced green onions. The menu also offers Udon and Izakaya dishes, from poke to top-grade meat cooked on a hot rock.

When our Japanese buckwheat noodles were served, Pearce beamed, "I am all for this." Yeah, one more thing to add to his foodies list. Pearce also noticed that when eating hot dishes, a wooden spoon was much better than a metal spoon, "no hot lips" he declared.



Our love affair with Japanese buckwheat noodles ended when our bowls where empty, but we were still hungry. Yes, we admit we have a good old American appetite and these noodles just felt more like an appetizer than dinner. I wish Matsugen served sushi, that would have filled in our hunger hole. Until Matsugen does, this probably will be our first and last time dining with them. Nothings worse than leaving a restaurant hungry.