Jay Eats Worldwide

During my trip to Honolulu for the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival , one of the places I wanted to return to was Prima in Kailua for some modern Italian.  Only open for about a year, Prima is that casual place that has great food. A few of us took a break from the festival food and stopped in for dinner. See What Jay Eats...  While looking over the menu and specials board, we enjoyed the fresh bread. Specials tonight Headcheese Adobo Really good... Sweetbread with Biscuits (another special) A variety of mushrooms Pizza Time! Prosciutto Rucola Tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, parmesan A favorite of mine... We had a few other dishes, including Pappardelle - curry bolognese, fried curry leaves Meatball Pizza Dessert Time! Their famous house made ice creams jasmine, pineapple, lilikoi, and peanut butter. The peanut butter was my favorite Almond cake with figs It was another gre...

One of my favorite restaurants in Honolulu is The Whole Ox in Kaka'ako, headed by   chef / owner Bob McGee .  On my last trip, I was there on the 3rd day of opening and 6 months later, the place is going strong and they now have a dinner menu.   This trip, I'm in town for the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival  and looking forward to meeting food industry folks from around the world.  Arriving in Honolulu earlier that afternoon, I was ready for some great food.   I got invited to an impromptu dinner and wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to dine at the Whole Ox.  @nathankam, @RebeccaPang, and I arrived after the group ordered, so I had no clue what was on tonight's menu.  But I knew that everything would be great, just pass the plates... See What Jay Eats... Chefs Lee Anne Wong and Bob McGee with tonight's main course... We had a few other dishes, prior to the pork shank: Lardo Vegetable Pakora Ma'o plate Ro...

Having missed out on Prima the last time I was on Oahu, it was on my "must do list" on this trip. Prima is a modern Italian restaurant, on the other side of the Pali in Kailua, they use local meats and produce. With my crazy Hawaii schedule, I need to find another assistant, lunch was the only time that I had to visit Prima. One of my friends is a huge fan of Prima's pizzas, so I knew that ordering one was a "must have." Met up with Nathan Kam , always enjoy meeting up with him for good food. Although Chef Ed Kenney was supposed to join us too, that's what happens when you own a restaurant or two. No food went to waste tho, I ate Ed's portions... A Past Food Adventure with Nathan and Ed Click Here Our local Italian lunch at Prima is served... See What Jay Eats... Prosciutto Rucola Pizza tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, parmesan I love wood-fired pizza and this one is Keawe wood! Excellent! ...

Three Days of Aloha! Day One Aloha! Three days of Aloha began with Twitter friend @nathankam extending an invitation to the Los Angeles Magazine event, see Day Two. In the past, I've helped spread the word on the Hawai'i events around town. But tonight, some of the Hawai'i group was set out to explore some eatz of Los Angeles. The Lazy Ox Canteen Downtown Los Angeles Tonight, some of the Hawai'i group wanted to try The Lazy Ox Canteen. Lots of small plates and a great beer selection. Headwater Pale Ale From Victory Brewing Company Downingtown, Pennsylvania Some of my favorite dishes of the evening: * crispy rabbit livers w/radicchio, apple, hearts of palm & anchovy vinaigrette * seared beef tongue w/pickled fennel & semolina * crispy surf claims w/caper & pickle aioli * sweet sugar snap peas w/quinoa & yuzu kosho * monterey bay abalone w/english peas & artichoke barigoule Sorry too dark for pictures... Mahalo for inclu...

"Third Time's a Charm" Night Three begins with an invitation to a very special 25 seat dinner at Roy's Los Angeles. The theme "Hawai'i Cuisine: The Next Chapter" featured the cuisine of Chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Ed Kenney. Roy's Los Angeles As any chef would agree, you can't create great food without great ingredients. For this dinner, not only did they bring ingredients from the local Hawai'i farms and ranch, but they brought the actual farmers and a rancher to share their vision (and stories) for the future of food in the islands. The food adventure is about to begin Our hosts for the evening... Chef Roy Yamaguchi Roy's Restaurant @RoysRoy Chef Ed Kenney Town & Downtown Restaurants @edstown Nathan Kam McNeil Wilson Communication @nathankam Dinner is Served... Cold Charcuterie Platter This is only the beginning... Vegetable Charcuterie Platter Some of the vegetables tonight are from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market Big Island Abal...

Day Two, actually Evening Two, was at "The Island Style Cook-Off" in Santa Monica. Watching two of LA's top chefs competing for a trip to the 1st Hawaii'i Food & Wine Festival in Honolulu later this year. 4 of LA's top chefs created a Hawaii inspired dish. Los Angeles Magazine readers tasted and voted for their favorite dish, the top 2 chef were invited to compete in the Main Event. The 4 participating chefs: Neal Fraser BLD Restaurant "Hawaiian Tuna Poke, Wasabi Tobiko, Sambal Creme Fraiche" Mark Gold Eva Restaurant "Roasted Foie Gras with Sushi Rice, Tea Smoked Plum and Grated Yuzu" Eric Greenspan The Foundry on Melrose "Chili Glazed SPAM with Saffron Pineapple Risotto and Coconut Crusted Shrimp" Brendan Collins Waterloo & City "Seared Foie Gras, Char Siu Tete de SPAM, Caramelized Pineapple Sherbet, and 5 Spice Brioche" FIG Restaurant's Chef Ray Garcia With a 50 lb roasted pig, enough for 500 Carnita Taco ...