ocean vodka online

just a quick update to let those of you who have been patiently waiting to add ocean vodka to your home bar that the maui made organic spirit can now be ordered online via hi-time wine cellars. however, if home is one of the states with prohibition era liquor laws then you are out of luck unless you find yourself visiting the oc (if not, then make a note to smuggle back some hooch the next time you are in hawaii).

of course, islanders can dodge all the subterfuge and stock up on ocean vodka whenever they please at foodland, costco and, yes, even the ever ubiquitous abc store.

fighting eel spring/summer 2007

spring 07 adara + summer 07 paris

spring is getting closer which means more wearable dresses to covet in the new collections from fighting eel. i am loving the empire waist and clean lines of fe's adara dress. of course, if you prefer something slightly more provocative take a peek at what's in store for those sultry summer evenings . . .

no online shopping at fe's website yet however click over to active endeavors, lalala or rafael hawaii to shop to your heart's content.

or, even better, friday brings a one day sale at fe's chinatown headquarters with pieces from past collections marked down to $30, $50 & $70!

details:

• when: fri, mar 2nd - 10a to 6p
• where: fe headquarters - 47 north hotel street
• fyi: cash only!

beach blanket bingo

pretty beach mats!

after spending a day wandering around honolulu furniture stores with my aunty, i can honestly say that pacific home is, hands down, my favorite design shop in hawaii. they are always mixing it up and bringing in new accessories that are really hard to find in the islands (actually it's difficult to find a brick and mortar store stocked with modern beach style like ph even here in so/cal).

there is always something cool happening like the recent meet and greet with rug designer emma gardner, the staff is friendly (hi tara!), and i am happy to report they don't shadow you around the store waiting to pounce which occurred in almost every other shop we visited that day (is it just me or does anyone else find that trying to shake a persistent sales clerk off their tail distracts from the task at hand).

oh, and they adore design*sponge too!

anyhoo, i had a difficult time resisting these oh so pretty beach mats imported into the states by one of the contestants from the amazing race, but since my willpower won out in the end now i have a good reason to stop by the next time i'm home.

nico's at the pier

loco moco nico's style

on this last trip home, we finally made it to nico's pier 38 not just once but twice because the food was so onolicious. i heard about nico's sometime last year and became intrigued by the description of the menu being local style plate lunches with a french twist. ooh la la! 

located on the harbor, you know the fish is as fresh as it gets since every morning chef nico (who cooked at michel's and, at the opposite end of the dining spectrum, the kaka'ako kitchen) goes next door to the honolulu fish auction to stock the restaurant for the day's menu. our first visit was to meet my s-i-l for lunch and by 11:30am the place was packed with worker bees getting some midday sustenance.

alas, i had waited so long to dine at nico's that when our lunch was ready i dove right in and forgot to snap photos of our picks, however our party of three ordered up nico's furikake pan seared ahi, beer battered fish and chips and, from the dessert case, a chocolate mousse cake. i am happy to report that all our food was tasty and delicious.

in fact, everything was so ono that we decided to hit nico's for breakfast with the family that weekend. this time around the loco moco and fried rice were our favorites. the quality of the food for the price can't be beat and the somewhat industrial harbor front is a surprisingly pleasant nosh spot . . . especially on a quiet weekend morning.

the next day the star-bulletin had a nice feature on nico's in the sunday paper with a good tip to sign up for nico's mailing list to receive the day's specials via email.

nico's has invested in a handy dandy banner to point newbies in the right direction so be on the lookout for it (across from the eagle café) when you are on nimitz or just map it!

escape to muumuu heaven

big congratulations to deb & eric of mu'umu'u heaven who opened the doors to their new showroom in kailua last week! from the slideshow posted online, it looks like the charming boutique was created with a lot of love combined with a crafty reuse of recycled goodies found in the streets.

the collection is expanding beyond muumuu heaven's lovely skirts created from vintage muumuus to pretty island style halter & wrap dresses (the latter made of bamboo! it is so nice to see more local designers embracing sustainable fibers in their work). and if you want to accessorize, the shop also stocks handbags from denise tjarks, a fellow muumuu deconstructionist from kauai.

the only downside is that the hangers are currently bare in the online shop so, for the time being, you will have to make your way to kailua (or email) to add a little muumuu heaven to your closet.

click here for store hours & directions.