Saturday, December 24, 2011

Kau Kau A Go Go

Welcome to the Kau Kau Hotel blog on the Go.  Gogobot that is.  Gogobot is a new service linking social media with travel.  Easier to use than the Trip Apps I've found so far and less "skeevy" than TripAdvisor.

Hopefully 2012 will bring Google Account integration (a request has been logged) so the blog an my latitude check-ins will seamlessly flow.

Until then, I'll post deep links to review and stories etc.  Have a sneak peek.  I've added 70+ cities and 25+ reviews in less than 2 hours.  If only I could make blogging this easy.

Happy Christmas folks.

http://www.gogobot.com/user/kau_kau_hotel_blog

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Sydney's Good Food

Sydney has some damn good food.  Witness this whole Scotch Roast (Rib Eye) from Urban Food Market in Merrickville.   This is hormone, and other nasty-stuff free beef raised by a river in Tasmania.  I don't know the recipe here but it looks like garlicky deliciousness to me.


Sydney also has some mean markets.   My favorite being the one by my office once per month.  First Saturday.  Everything is organic, the saltbush lamb is the best, the produce is fresh but pricey and truthfully you can get it cheaper elsewhere.  That said, the fruit can be really beautiful when in peak season and worth the cost.





These are the stalls set up in a small park in front of The Star Casino.  Right on the water makes it cool.  There are a few coffee stands to get am refreshment.  


Sunday, April 10, 2011

Hawaii - Big Island - Manta @ Mauna Kea Beach

Mauna Kea - Manta & Pavilion Bar

This is a historic post about two meals I ate over a year ago but I still drool when I think about them, so its never too late to post...Lets go back to February 2010 on my favorite rock in the pacific, Hawaii.

This is one of my favorite hotels on earth and my favorite white sand beach on the Big Island.

I stayed at the Hotel on the last night of my vacation last year, its was a free night from Hotels.com stays so I only paid $30 in taxes for this 5 star resort.  Given that I had "saved" so much money, I immediately went and splurged on food.   I had an amazing solo outdoor diner  @ Mantas and an even better AYCE brunch at same place next AM.  Best meal(s) in years.  Sadly my wife had left for the mainland the day before, so I had to enjoy this majestic place on my own.  Trust me I ate for two both at dinner and brunch the next morning.

I highly recommend, if you are not staying at the Muana Kea Beach Hotel, to go there early one day for the "Beach Brunch."  Get a nice parking spot (best luck b4 10am), go up to the restaurant feast on some ono brunch and then plant yourselves on a primo beach the rest of the day.  That is a perfect foodie vacation day on the Big Island's North Kohala Coast.  Enjoy the food and the post-splurge "Polynesian Paralysis" aka food coma!




I didnt get dessert but if I had to choose from this list, the Portuguese Sweetbread French Toast no doubt.  Altho the Chocolate Beet cake with Corn Ice Cream and Jake & Coke sauce is a strong 2nd.  

View from outdoor table to the beach below.


Brunch buffet of subtropical goodness.


Brunch dim sum w/ sauce


Desserts and Kona Coffee


Open kitchen with a great view.
Looking down towards the buffet tables and past the waffle station.


Manapua, Rib Roast, Eggs cooked to order onion and green bean tempura, and crab legs.  Awesome sauces below with the dim sum decorations.

Manta & Pavilion Wine Bar (Mauna Kea Beach Hotel) on Urbanspoon

Sunday, February 20, 2011

I've come to the Land Down Under

Gentle Readers, Its approaching my third month living in the land down under.  Its time for a great food round-up.  After reading, surf over to Youtube to hear the Thunder and see the Outback.

Best 10 Meals in Australia
01) Rockpool @ The Rocks - Sydney CBD
02) Our Place on Darling @ Balmain - Sydney Inner West
03) Churrasco @ Coogee Beach - Sydney Eastern Suburb
04) Viet Rose @ Fitzoy - Melbourne Suburb
05) Bloodwood @ Newtown - Sydney Inner West
06) Pendolino @ Strand Arcade - Sydney CBD
07) Spice I Am @ Surry Hills/Haymarket - Sydney CBDish
08) Old Thanh Huong @ Merrickville - Sydney Inner (South) Westish
09) Tokonoma @ Surry Hills - Sydney CBDish
10) Bartino @ Pyrmont - Sydney in Pyrmont Village

Best Meals 5 Runner's Up
11) Chat Thai @ Haymarket - Sydney CBD
12) Glenmore Hotel @ The Rocks - Sydney CBD [roofdeck!]
13) BBQ City @ Liverpool Street - Sydney CBD
14) Chinta Ria Temple of Love @ Darling Harbor -Sydney CBD 
15) Hannah’s Pie’s @ Ultimo - Sydney border of Pyrmont/Broadway

Worst 5 Meals in Australia
16) Hurricane's @ Darling Harbor - Sydney Darling Harbor
17) Sauce @ Coogee Beach - Sydney Eastern Suburbs
18) Breakfast @ the Inter-Continental Melbourne  - CBD Melbourne
19) Charlie & Co @ Westfield Mall - Sydney CBD Pitt Street Mall
20) There are more that were less than noteworthy but not nearly "worst"

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Vegas Trip Report



Aria / City Center - Like many I have mixed reviews. I'm definitely glad we stayed there, but if I am going to go Lux I'd much rather go to the Wynn. However, my wife really liked it for its Openness and Modern Design. I have to agree, it is a nice change from the usual Rococo interiors and trimmings of Hotels in Vegas. The room is not as country clubby as the Wynn. It is "high-tech" for American Standards but probably on the low-end for any Japanese Hotel. Not that I know that, yet. Great Art all around is cool. That was a good call. Check this sculpture by Nancy Rubins. Its this amazing burst of color that is gigantic. It also happens to be mostly made out of small water vessels like kayaks and canoes of primary colors and bursts with energy.





Stay at Aria if you like tech or Modern Art vs Italianate Flair . I was always startled by the heavy vanilla scenting of the Lobbies, Casino Floor and especially the Elevator banks. Those banks had very cool purple velvet high-back couches. How high-back? Probably 30 feet. I want a house with 30 foot veltvet highback couches in my man cave. No, thats Vegas talking. And I am digressing.

The Vdara is another hotel along with the Mandarin Oriental. We went to all three. There is an overpriced mall named - wait for it.......Crystals ........for Chrissakes just call it Diamonds






On to the Kau Kau. Sage at Aria, Chef I'd say four and a half stars out of five. The Service, Room, Menu ...including options for Tasting or Signature Menus in addition to a la carte. Really well done. I can see why this place "wowed" the Vegas Food scene this year.
The picture with giant painting in background shows the "best" absinthe bar in America. It was a rolling cart going around the multi-room dining space. The soundtrack was my speed as well with downtempo and deep house muted beats which complimented the low lit, and surprisingly hushed spaced (not quiet or still - but more classic and less rowdy than any other vegas restaurant). They had a very extensive New and Old World wine list. Excellent mid-high options and very good choices but limited selection in low-end of by-glass servings. Beer Pairings. Brilliant. I had a Scrimshaw Pilsner but no one else in my party had an adult beverage.





Julian Serrano is a located open-air to the Aria Lobby, on the way to CRYSTALS! It has a design that is candy-esque and very fun. The food was very well-presented, again bright and fun but also very tasteful and hearty servings for small plates. We only had about 5-6 plates but all were solid. My favorite by far was the beef and cheese. No not an empanada. More like a gourmet open faced tapa sandwich for a giant. I'd def go back for more. They had a beautiful bar. I'll try that next time.



Friday, June 25, 2010

Bev Gannon Restaurants | Maui Catering | Special Events and Weddings in Maui

Bev Gannon Restaurants | Maui Catering | Special Events and Weddings in Maui

Yes its been a while. Its always a good time to start again.

I have yet to go to a Bev Gannon resto but I know I am going to fall in love. The aesthetic and the food choices (on paper) are simply amazing. Most of you who know me, know I love to give recommendations of places to go in my home state of Hawaii.

Here are two great eateries on Maui, in two of my favorite locations: Upcountry and The Beach (Wailea).

If anyone has been to one of these please comment and post pictures. I will update on my next trip. I guess I have to go to Maui, even tho its really my least favorite Island Country (Maui, Molokai, Lana'i). But that's another post.....

Saturday, February 27, 2010

A not so Tasty Tsunami coming Hilo Way ....



Note - This post has some formatting errors. No time to fix, sorry.


Its now 40 minutes after midnight in Hawaii.  The last news update said that there would be a buoy reading a little after midnight, then they reported it would be 12:30.  Now its 12:40 and no channel has any news updates.  I think they are buying time.  

12:44pm - CBS/NBC has finally given a limited update, still claiming there is no reading from the buoy. 
Hilo's 1960 Tsunami, also courtesy of Chile 
http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/sumner/Teaching/GEL116F00/tsunami2.html

Hawaii County Civil Defense Maps of Hilo

http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/cd/tsunami/Map1.pdf
http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/cd/tsunami/Map2.pdf

Warning has been put into effect, just after 1am HST.

The NYTimes.com still has Paterson Story front and center and the 8.8 earthquake "below the fold."

1:28 AM HST - Latest update is that it was a 500KM ridge that gave in Chile, apparently 1/2 the size of the massive Indian Ocean quake not so long ago...

Oh Hawaii News Anchors and their lack of infinite wisdom ... from Keahi Tucker 

See for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5U92bQHoKc

"wide spread tsunami or wide spread destruction?"

No Keahi, its not going to "peter out" and turn into a "ripple" - do you remember junior high science at all? 

Keahi looks dumbfounded after listening to a Geophysicist for more that 30 seconds.

Well, Hawaii Civil Defense Website is DOWN or more likely just overloaded but shouldn't that load-test be part of disaster preparedness -- that your website can sustain a spike in visits due to a CRISIS?  

2:22am Update - the Pacific Disaster Center is now back up (for me) but still ... unacceptable that the disaster website could not handle reasonable pre-crisis traffic.

2:28am Hawaii News Now is on the phone with Coralie Matayoshi from the Red Cross - she just noted that 3 days of food and water is a standard for the Mainland.  If Hawaii harbors are disabled, the islands are so isolated people will need food for at least 5 to 7 days if not more.

In my time around the island over the last few weeks I've heard a certain fact over and over again - the State only has a 4 day supply of food.  Hawaii is so dependent on imported food and supplies that if we were cut off from the mainland by air and sea we would not have enough food to feed the population for even one week.  Astonishing and if this isnt an alarm for self-sustainability I am not sure what will get people to finally realize that Hawaii should be a self-sufficient land (aina).

As of now, the Waves should begin about 11 am and the Warning Sirens will be sounding at 6am HST.

More gems from the news "These are not regular surf waves"  "Boaters are going to do what they are going to do."  So lackadaisical, so lacking in urgency and nearly hazardous reporting behavior that is not "You gotta feel for the homeless families living on the beaches and the campers far from media access."  (More Keahi comments - his coanchor is correcting him by saying "Today" because he keeps talking about the event "Tomorrow" although its now almost 3am day of event")

More soon, although I may take a break for some zzzz's so I can stay up and watch the event from safety tomorrow.

A few last notes before I get some rest in anticipation of a rude Civil Defense Alarm awaking at 6am (3 hours from this post).

1) Friends, Family, fellow internet on-lookers, I am in a safe space on a Hill Top in hilo about 1/2 mile from the shore but over 100 ft in elevation.  I will be just fine during this event and will be able to see most of it unfold.  
2) Hawaii News Now - KGMB - At least they covered non-stop from about 1AM
3) KITV News - Shame on you for running a Stock Trading "Better Trades" Late-night TV Scam with just news crawl about the impending Tsunami - even better they are instructing people to learn Market Timing.
[Side note: Am I in a parallel universe?]
4) Hawaii Digital Disaster Preparedness is preposterous!  http://www.pdc.org/iweb/tsunami_zones.jsp down for a few hours just as news was breaking on TV (TV was directing people to look at the phone book, not the internet by the way.  Hawaii, still stuck in 1987 in so many ways...)
5) CNN and NYTimes rather slow to post not just the Earthquake but the first Pacific Wide Tsunami warning since 1964 - that is bigger news than who Carly Simon was singing about in "Your So Vain" ...aye! the headline battle for real news vs entertainment is astonishing
6) I really wish I pursued my love of plate tectonics as a career, there have been no fewer than 10 smaller earth quakes since I've been on the Big Island from last Friday 2/19/10 until today 2/27/10.  Chile has just had a massive earthquake and tremendous aftershocks as well.  But heck, working and critiquing the media especially TV and Digital media is also a good use of my time.
 7) Hawaii must use this natural disaster  / crisis an impetus to become more self-sufficient in energy and (closer to my heart and "opu") food.
8) Yes, I still love Hawaii - perhaps even more than before.  I'd take this Tsunami and an earthquake (here) plus a hurricane over the 4 feet of snow that just feel in buffalo NY...

I'll leave you with some shots I took today when I trekked up to Saddle Road (btw Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa mountains on the Big Island) and got some shots of downtown Hilo as I picked up some (true to my food blog roots) some Thai food for dinner last night.   

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

24 hours in Paradise


Quick Kau Kau notes:

Wahoo shrimp tacos, spam & egg musubi and exceptionally fresh Thai food.    

Ah....how great it is to be home.   

The 80 degree weather and sunshine feels just fine. 

Now where's my Mai Tai?

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Basil Canteen Review - 1489 Folsom St SF CA




Basil Canteen - is getting the thai street food formula right in a phenom space within the nightclub corridor of Soma, SF.   The restaurant and lounge sits in a big windowed NYC-esque room:  a former brewery with tons of exposed brick as well as architectural iron work, smack on the fascinating corner of Folsom and 11th Street. For a large, open room you can actually hear yourself talk, and the music (nice downtempo stuff) and the tone of others talking.  Its a pleasant audio mix, which is a surprising in a "loft" space.   Its a great place to drink, snack, catch up with people or just people watch.   The staff is usually friendly and attentive and food itself is vibrant, flavorful and well, decadent.  

One of my favorite apps is captured (poorly) below: The Roti is so crispy and sweetly crunchy - I've never had better Roti - but its boardering on pastry-like.  You know what?  I'm ok with that.  Its melt and crunch in your mouth delicious, especially when complimentd by the sweet and spicy green curry replete w tender tiny bits of eggplant and topped with a big basil leaf.  Those white dots that look like marshmallows in picture below, are the eggplant pieces (left - square bowl).   Its amazing curry.  In the middle of the plate below are bits of bbq'd steak, with a nice marinade I might add.  I didnt ask them what it was, but the beef was lean/tender yet really almost herby taste bc of the spicing. The beef looked like the sad third wheel on this plate though, ha.  Wow, is that the best vegetarian appetizer ever?  Meaning it would be if you took out the sad beef.  Or go the other way, and add big pieces of rib-eye with a wee bit bigger bowl of thai green chili to have a heartier meal.  I would order that every time.  



Here is what I had tonight.

Two Snacks:
1) Daily Special ~ Fried pork and crab meatball


2) Kang kiow wan roti
(shown to the left - this stuff is heavently, my poor cell phone pix dont do it any justice.  


1 Rice plate
Kao mok gai
‘all natural’ chicken braised in rice with tumeric and spices


The chicken has not as good as past but the sauce was amazing - a mint and vinegar or something.  Hand to identify ingredients,  and I would have drank it like a small freshly squeezed orange juice if given the chance.  


Canteen is a great place to share dishes and most are substantial enough  that four people can eat and have a sizable portion.  Mostly everything is good on the menu, and clearly I recommend the curry.  The noodles are all great: I think the kee mao talay dish which features manila clams is an awesome seafood noodle execution.  I'll include the pic from their website to show the manila clam kee mao.  The balance of veggies, starch and protein is wonderful and unusual a bit too.  Its surprising in a good way.  It you like seafood, pasta or green leafy vegetables you could eat this and love it.  Even if you never had thai food before in your life.    



The Fried Rice is ok, I wish it had more flavor actually.  But the pickled jalapeƱos on the table are a fine addition to the rice to give it spice. One of the first dishes I tried, and one I love the concept on is this: 


kao moo daeng
crispy house-cured pork belly, roast pork, and egg served with star anise gravy


The roast pork is colored outside with what looks like red #5 - just like chinese char siu.  It reminds me of my childhood favorite foods re-interpreted.  The two types of pork plus sauce and egg (plus rice) is just brilliant.  Its off the savory richter scale, but its a small portion and worth the experience.  I guess I'll have to go again and take better pics this time of this unique dish.  Hopefully this review moves people to go to this great resto, please do - I want it to stay open and thrive!  Check out the big communal table that is in the front.  Also in my pic at the top of post and many on their website.  If you click on the header to the post it should take you to the Basil Canteen website, if not just "google" it.  


Non-traditional but still delicious thai food in a very contemporary yet comfortable setting.  
Check it out, its worth the trip.


Basil Canteen gets 4 "Musubis" ("stars" out of 5) Basil Canteen on Urbanspoon