Punahou Carnival

If I were to leave Hawaii one day, one of the things I will definitely miss is the Punahou Carnival. Despite the crazy kids and the rain, I dare say it is the best carnival in Hawaii mostly because the food is good and cheap. My favorites are the teri burgers (no cheese), gyro, and malasada. The gyro is the best buy because it is only $3.50 when it normally costs $7 or more.

Their malasadas are so ono. With a hint of ginger and fully coated with sugar, every bite is crunchy and sweet. I could eat 10 of these if I didn't have to eat the other stuff.

Portugese bean soup would go on my faves if I don't have to wait 45 minutes for it. Same for the beef nachos which never have enough cheese. This year, I asked for extra cheese and still not enough. I wish they would give me a tub of cheese on the side.

Every year, it would rain and the kids would walk barefoot in the mud. Yeah, kinda disgusting and fun at the same time. This year, the weather was great, so great that it made the news! While we were standing in line for malasadas, we stared into the night at the beautiful moon. Not one of my best pictures but the night was bright.

We ate so much we had to walk around the school to help with digestion. At the children's area, there was a Duckleberry booth where kids catch rubber duckies with a net. I thought the booth name was kinda cute and the rubber duckies needed some celebrity shots before getting caught. Poor duckies.

Food Tasting

Everyone loves great food. When the food is free, that's even better. In the past few weeks, we have been shopping around for a wedding reception site. One of our criteria is, no doubt, great delicious food. The location can have the most breathtaking scenery with super hi-tech equipment in the ballroom. But without good tasting food, sorry, no can do. 

Today, Bryan and I went to a food tasting event at the Koolau Ballrooms. Since the menu is rather pricy, we wanted to make sure the food is really worth our every penny. For cold items, we had the Shrimp and Broccoli Salad, Italian Marinated Mushrooms, and Greek Salad. The Shrimp and Broccoli Salad was light and creamy, broccoli was crunchy, and the shrimp was fresh.

The Italian Marinated Mushrooms were a little on the salty side (says Bryan) but I love mushrooms too much to notice. The Greek Salad had big chunks of feta cheese and "real" olives, which Bryan loved. I like the citrus feel of the salad.

For entrees, we had Pot Roasted Shoulder of Beef, Macademia Nut Breaded Medallions of Chicken, and Mahimahi Local Style. While Bryan thought the beef was not tender enough, I really liked its texture and taste. The beef wasn't too salty, and I could chew it without hurting my sensitive gums. Our second favorite was the chicken. It was juicy, tender, and crunchy. I love the hint of citrus and the nutty-nous. The best dish was the Mahimahi, which was cooked to perfection. The lomi salad adds a local flavor to the dish.

For dessert, we had an Apricot Wedding Cake. After the first bite, Bryan said, "I could eat this the whole day." Honestly, I don't think I could eat that much cake but it was delicious. Overall, we give the food an A+.