Everett Potter's Travel Report

Red Tiki at International Marketplace, Honolulu. Photo by Karen Glenn.

By Tom Passavant

In the 1960s, when I was in high school, my father had a tiki bar in the basement of our suburban Ohio home. It had a thatched roof, bamboo sides, and bottles of rum with colorful labels. Little did I know that the parties he and my mom threw down there were part of a trend that was sweeping the nation. Although tourist tiki had been around since the 1920s, by the 1950s it was a full-blown craze. Remember Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber, mai tais and zombies? Not to mention pupu platters. Tiki was shorthand for the exotic islands of the Pacific, and especially Hawaii, which was quickly becoming accessible to American travelers with the arrival of the jet age.

Fast forward to 2011, and tiki is back. Hipsters across the country are embracing Polynesian-style drinks (albeit made with artisanal ingredients) and new tiki bars are springing up all over the mainland. Web sites like critiki.com and tikicentral.com have appeared to document the trend.

Not surprinsgly, out here in Honolulu, tiki never really went away. And just to be perfectly clear, I’m not talking about the tiki of the ancient Hawaiians. These images of four important Hawaiian gods, Kane, Kanaloa, Ku, and Lono, were created by master wood and stone carvers, and are a part of the Hawaiian spiritual legacy that evokes great respect. Instead, I’m talking about neo-tiki, everything from carvings to cocktail glasses and matchbook covers that signal Paradise in the Pacific.

"Waikik Tiki" by Philip K. Roberts

The first thing a tiki-mad tourist in Honolulu should do is pick up a copy of Philip Roberts’ wonderful new book, Waikiki Tiki (Bess Press; $22.95). The historic photos alone will make you wish you’d been here in the 1950s, and the author offers plenty of places to find tiki on your way to the beach or dinner. The International Marketplace, for example, smack in the middle of Waikiki, still has some colorful tiki carvings that have survived decades of weather and termites. Follow the sound of mallet and chisel tapping against wood over by the International’s food court, and you’ll come upon a handsome young man named Pauli, who along with his father carves new tikis out of a variety of woods, which they sell (and ship) to customers from all over the world.

Pupus at La Mariana Sailing Club.

My favorite Waikiki tiki bar is Tiki’s Grill and Bar, in the Aston Waikiki Beach hotel on Kalakaua Avenue. In addition to tons of great tikis and other memorabilia, there’s good food, good music, and a nice view. But no tiki lover should miss the last original, genuine tiki bar in Honolulu, the La Mariana Sailing Club. Hidden away off Sand Island Road near the airport, La Mariana, which opened in 1957, is the Lourdes of tiki, stuffed to the rafters with wood carvings and panels, chairs, tables, glassware, fishing nets and ceiling lights, and anything else that owner Annette Nahinu (who died two years ago at age 92) could buy up from such classic Honolulu spots as the Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber, and the Sheraton’s Kon Tiki Room.

The food is mostly just okay (the fresh ahi spring rolls are delicious) but the perfectly-made mai tais pack a serious punch. On some nights there’s a blind pianist and a blind ukulele player performing; Thursdays feature hula; and surf rock sometimes breaks out on Saturdays. Mom and dad would love it. You will, too.

Tom Passavant is a former editor-in-chief of Diversion magazine. Now a freelance travel and food writer based in Colorado and Hawaii, his work has appeared in Aspen Magazine, Gourmet, Four Seasons Magazine, Town & Country Travel, ForbesTraveler.com, Ski, Powder, Luxury Living, and many other places. He is the co-author of “Playboy’s Guide to Ultimate Skiing.” A former president of the New York Travel Writers Association, Passavant has won a Lowell Thomas Award for his travel writing and has served as judge for the James Beard Journalism Awards. See more of Tom’s work at TomPassavant.com.

Gogi Taco Truck, Honolulu. Photo by Karen Glenn.

By Tom Passavant

A few weeks ago, Epicurious, the enormously popular food Web site, predicted that Korean cuisine would be one of the top ten food trends for 2011. “Evidence is mounting that smoky, piquant Korean is America’s next big cuisine,” wrote Epicurious editor in chief Tanya Steel. Well, if you want to taste the future right now, hop a plane to Honolulu, where Korean food, and many other aspects of Korean culture, are already an integral part of the multicultural landscape.

Though Koreans have had a significant presence in Hawaii for decades, the recent infusion of all things Korean into Honolulu began in October of 2008, when South Koreans were finally spared the hassles of obtaining visas in order to visit the U.S. Since then, arrivals have quadrupled (though the number is still small compared to Japanese visitors). It hasn’t hurt that Daniel Dae Kim, one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2005 and currently starring in the revival of the Hawaii Five-O television series, is Korean-born and living in Honolulu.

But it’s the Korean food community that’s the most obvious lure for mainland visitors. While casual Korean buffets and fast-food outlets abound all over Oahu, the real dining action is centered on the half-mile stretch of shopping plazas and restaurants along Keeaumoku Street, which is adjacent to the glitzy Ala Moana shopping mall and about a mile or so from Waikiki. Here, on what’s being dubbed Koreamoku street, you’ll find everything from the shiny, brand-new Keeaumoku Supermarket, where much of the inventory will be deeply mysterious to non-Korean speakers, to beauty parlors, tiny kim chee emporiums, and Korean restaurants of every description. The open-all-night Sorabol is hard to miss, but the newer places are causing the most excitement. Orine Sarang Chae (905 Keeaumoku) has outdoor seating in a fenced-off parking lot and tableside grills for cooking meats. A few blocks away, on King Street, is Choon Chun (1269 S. King St.), where Korean-style double-fried chicken is the thing.

Kim chee fries. Photo by Karen Glenn.

Our absolute favorite Korean places are nearby as well. The Gogi Korean BBQ Taco Truck (eatgogi.com for locations) pays homage to the now-legendary Kogi truck empire in Los Angeles. There’s juicy, meaty kalbi tacos for just $2, but the must-order here is the kim chee fries, creamy fried potatoes topped with a pinkish kim chee aioli that you’ll be dreaming about for days.

Ah Lang (The Angry Korean Lady). Photo by Karen Glenn.

Then there’s the four-table restaurant whose sign says Ah Lang but which everyone, including the owner, calls The Angry Korean Lady (725 Kapiolani, angrykoreanlady.com). In truth, owner and chef Won Lam isn’t always angry, though she can be exasperated by diners who don’t know the drill, which includes writing out your own order if she’s busy in the kitchen, and fetching water glasses. (Reserving and ordering ahead are highly recommended). That said, she’s a terrific cook. We loved her kim chee fried rice, her pa-jeon, a plate-sized scallion pancake filled with seafood, and everything else. On the way out, we poked our heads into the kitchen to say thanks, and Won even broke into a big smile.

Tom Passavant is a former editor-in-chief of Diversion magazine. Now a freelance travel and food writer based in Colorado and Hawaii, his work has appeared in Aspen Magazine, Gourmet, Four Seasons Magazine, Town & Country Travel, ForbesTraveler.com, Ski, Powder, Luxury Living, and many other places. He is the co-author of “Playboy’s Guide to Ultimate Skiing.” A former president of the New York Travel Writers Association, Passavant has won a Lowell Thomas Award for his travel writing and has served as judge for the James Beard Journalism Awards. See more of Tom’s work at TomPassavant.com.

Photo by Karen Glenn.

By Tom Passavant

Glimpses of authentic Hawaiian culture have a way of popping up in the most unlikely places here in the islands, none more so than smack in the heart of Tourist Central, aka Waikiki. For example, just a stone’s throw from a vast Cheesecake Factory on bustling Kalakaua Avenue is the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound, a grassy half-circle right on the sand. There, four evenings a week at sunset, you can enjoy a free hour-long performance of Hawaiian music and dance that’s as authentic as anything you’ll see at a backyard baby luau or even the prestigious Merrie Monarch Festival, the Super Bowl of hula held every April on the Big Island.

The lineup of performers at the Kuhio Beach Hula Show rotates throughout the year, but the format on usually consistent: the show begins with the dances called hula kahiko, or ancient hula, accompanied only by chanting and gourds for percussion. Then comes hula auana, or modern hula, in which instruments like guitars and ukuleles are deployed, and many familiar songs are sung. Most nights (and especially on weekends), the performers are members of the island’s top hula halau, or hula schools, which require years of rigorous practice and considerable personal sacrifice to attend. In other words, while it’s a colorful and highly entertaining show, this is the real Hawaiian thing. So don’t expect to see any wild hip-shaking (that’s from Polynesia) or fire dancers (that would be Samoa). And as one of the organizers put it to me, “No coconut shell bras. Ever!”

Photo by Karen Glenn.

One thing we’ve enjoyed over the years is the sense of fun and spontaneity that permeates the performances. One night last year the performers invited a friend from Maui up out of the audience to join the troupe, and even in her street clothes she was a dazzling dancer. Kids as young as three or four, both boys and girls, often perform. And it was at a Kuhio Beach show that we first saw a troupe of men dancing ancient hula, a powerful and deeply moving experience that eventually led my wife and me to attend the three-day Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo.

The Kuhio Beach Hula Show takes place every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday (holidays and weather permitting) near the Duke Kahanamoku statue at 6:30 p.m., and at 6 p.m. during November, December, and January. Hula schools appear on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and other performers on Tuesdays. Everyone is welcome to bring chairs or a mat to sit on, and photography is most definitely encouraged, although shooting at night into the lights is not the easiest of photo assignments. The free show is sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the City and County of Honolulu, and the Waikiki Improvement Association. Performance schedules are available at honolulu.gov/moca. For more information, call 808-843-8002.

Frankie, of Frankie's Nursery, showing the proper way to open a jackfruit. Photo by Karen Glenn.

by Tom Passavant

There are innumerable ways to make your friends jealous when you are in Hawaii and they are not. Especially in winter. They range from the world –famous (the warm sea and flower-scented air, the surfing competitions up on the fabled north shore) to some lesser-known but still memorable only-in-Hawaii attractions. Read the full story

This view for $99 a night via craigslist? Photo by Karen Glenn.

Interested in renting a one-bedroom cottage with a pool in West Palm Beach for $85 per night? Or maybe a two-bedroom apartment in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco for $150 a night? Or perhaps a studio in Rome near the Trevi fountain for 85 euros ($119) per night? They were among the hundreds of vacation rentals posted today on craigslist.

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 The pool at the Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu. Hawaii

   
The Kahala is the very best of Hawaii personified. It opened in 1964
and was expertly refurbished in 2009 to the tune of $52 million. Yet
there are still architectural reminders that are equal parts Rat Pack
and Hawaii Five-0. That's cool. But the clincher is the
location. The Kahala is on the other side of Diamond Head from
Waikiki.The Kahala’s location makes it feel like you’re a long ways
from
downtown Honolulu (which in fact is only a few minutes by car).

Ocean view room.

    
If you’re like me and want your Waikiki scene when you want it, this is
perfect. It’s a lot quieter over here. Supremely beautiful, in fact,
with a line of coconut palms on a grass strip between the hotel’s pool
(small and oval, in the way such pools were in the 60's – is that Sammy
Davis, Jr. behind those Foster Grants?) and one of the nicest beaches
anywhere. There are no private beaches anywhere in Hawaii but this one
feels, well, very private. My daughter expended enormous amounts of
energy running from the pool to the ocean and back again. The amniotic
ocean waters were a wonderfully hypnotic way for our family to begin
the day, with colorful fish swimming at our knees. Blackberry's hummed, unanswered, on the lounge chairs.

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Waikiki Beach, with Diamond Head. Photo by Karen Glenn.

By Tom Passavant

When we walked down to Waikiki beach the morning after arriving at our rented condo in Honolulu, our first thought was "Where did everybody go?" Our second thought, of course, was "Woohoo–we've got Waikiki to ourselves." Early December is not exactly prime time in the islands, and things have already started to pick up as the holidays get closer. And this past week the whole city was bustling due to Sunday's annual Honolulu marathon, which attracted 20,000 runners. We were fascinated to note that over 60% of the competitors were Japanese, but when you consider the everyday popularity of Hawaii with Japanese visitors, not to mention the weather in Tokyo in winter, maybe we should not have been so surprised. (Turns out that 60% is about average; in 1991 70% of the runners were from Japan.)

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