If you like your meals simple yet satisfying, I have a few suggestions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Of course, you have to explore multi-destinations, to partake of these fun edibles. And no, these meals were spaced over several days, so the truth is, you need to pace the fun, or you’d burst.
For breakfast, I discovered a generous treat only because I ventured into Tanaka Saimin on Nimitz Highway after the noon cut-off for its breakfast specials. This was a Saturday, but also a menu item I never encountered, because of the day and time: A modified waffle with chicken special, available till 2 p.m., was a nice surprise.
Waffles and chicken, at Tanaka Saimin.
The platter came with four individual Belgium waffles (a circular version) and oodles of popcorn chicken on a tray. Eaten fresh, the waffles were delish; ditto, the chicken. I ate two waffles and perhaps a half-dozen of the crispy chicken bites, including skin, so I had a bundle to brown-bag. Only problem: the waffles don’t get crispy in the microwave but were too bulky to fit into the toaster. But it was another breakfast meal, so no complaints.
The cobb salad, at Kona Brewing Company.
For lunch, try the cobb salad at Kona Brewing Company. I had it at the Hawaii Kai branch, and it was a visual feast – the bed of lettuce boasted sliced avocado, boiled eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese – begging for a photo op, so I got out my iPhone and started shooting. I would have had to be rolled out if I consumed the entire serving, so I ate half, with the remainder rescued as a side-salad for dinner.
The Shaghai Fried Udon, at Panya.
For dinner, this is a repeat – it had been quite a while since I had Panya’s Shanghai Fried Udon, a wok-seared medley of udon noodles, cabbage, and chicken tidbits, in a love sauce. If it looks like a whole lot, it is, and I have yet to gulp down every bit of this noodle dish since it became of my regular choices at Panya. Besides, a nuke in the micro refreshes the dish without overcooking, for a dinner hana hou, and who doesn’t an encore?
Roy’s deluxe bread pudding.
Dessert, you wonder? On a recent sunset visit to Roy’s in Hawaii Kai, for an all pupu dinner (instead of entrees) for the four of us, the fare ranged from multi orders of assorted sushi, edamame, grilled Brussel sprouts, a double order of escargot, beef ribs and an item or two I can’t remember, there’s hardly room for dessert. Well, not this crowd. Scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and Kona coffee ice cream were chilled delights, but in my corner, I opted for Roy’s gourmet bread pudding, a confection not like most others, surrounded with fresh fruit and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Amid all the nibbles and drinks, half my bread pudding came home with me, maintaining my customary tradition to have something in the fridge for tomorrow…
Kevin McCollum, Hawaii’s Tony-winning Broadway producer, is at it again. His latest production is “The Notebook”– now playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre — and it’s nominated for three awards this year.
McCollum and Kurt Deutsch are the lead producers of the new show, based on the popular novel, and co-directed by Michael Greif (“Dear Evan Hansen,” “Next to Normal,” “Rent”) and Schele Williams (“The Wiz,” “Aida.”)
Kevin McCollum
While a 2024 “Best New Musical” nomination eluded “The Notebook,” the show earned three noms, for Best Book of a Musical, Leading Actor in a Musical (Dorean Harewood) and Leading Actress in a Musical (Maryann Plunkett).
A number of high profile names – a few expected, several not expected — also are among this season’s producers:
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (“The Outsiders.”)
Hillary Clinton (“Suffs.”)
Eddie Redmayne (“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.”)
Steven Spielberg (“Water for Elephants.”)
LeslieOdom Jr., Alan Alda, Samuel Jackson, Phylicia Rashad (Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch.”)
The Tony Awards will be held June 16, originating from the David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center, and televised on CBS…
A heavenly reunion of Rap and Kawika
Rap Reiplinger
Leesa Clark Stone, widow of comedian Rap Reiplinger, posted a sweet anecdote on my Facebook page, following the death May 2 of David “Kawika” Talisman.
“I sent Rap’s bible to Kawika and we talked a lot about spirituality in recent years after I interviewed him for Rap’s bio,” Stone wrote. “One day Kawika called me to say his cancer had taken a turn for the worse and said, ‘I guess I’ll see Rap before you.’ I’m so happy Kawika was baptized by Kahu (Ken) Makuakane and I know he and Rap are having a great reunion now. I’m also happy he is no longer in pain.”
Can you imagine how zany but productive a Rap/Kawika brainstorming reunion would be? Perhaps a routine about the bible, too?…
Services for Al Waterson, the prolific veteran of Hawaii’s entertainment community who died April 21, will be held June 1 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church at 800 Kaheka St. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m., services from 11 a.m. to noon, Catholic Mass from noon to 1 p.m. and fellowship and refreshments from 1 to 2:15 p.m. …
Hawaii Theatre offers kupuna freebie
“Bird of Paradise” poster
Hawaii Theatre is launching a new monthly film series for kupuna, “Rise & Shine,” with a free screening of “Bird of Paradise,” a 1951 flick partly filmed in Hawaii. A nostalgic gem!
But it’s coming up quickly: at 10 a.m. Tuesday (May 14) and reserved tickets are necessary for admission.
The film stars Debra Paget, Louis Jordan and Jeff Chandler, marque favorites in their time, and I remember seeing it as a youngster at the now-gone Liliha Theatre.
The series is being presented by the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation, in partnership with the Hawaii Theatre, providing Hawaii’s elder community a place to see an oldie in safe environs. A hosted coffee hour is included, and while there is no charge, donations – give what you can – will be accepted to cover costs of hosting the movie.
Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. screening.
If you have kupuna in your household, order seats for them, and order seats for yourself, too, and make it an unusual outing.
Rumors have been flying high and wide in Hawaii Kai– some true, most not – about the fate of area businesses. And Rep Gene Ward (R, House District 18), has taken on the role of taskmeister, sorting out the truth, in an email to constituents.
I’ve heard some of the buzz, but not all. And Ward examines the riff and the raff. But he has not addressed all the concerns in the neighborhood.
Like: Costco Hawaii Kai is not closing. Never heard that it might exit our neighborhood. Nor the chatter that the Hawaii Kai Satellite City Hall was shuttering. Ward indicates that Councilman Tommy Waters’ office revealed that the convenient satellite city hall, tucked behind Roy’s Restaurant, has a lease through Aug. 31, 2031. Good to know.
Rep. Gene Ward
More disclosures:
The Hawaii Kai office of the Honolulu Police Department is staying put; the office “functions solely as an unmanned workspace, which officers may intermittently utilize for writing reports” and is not open to the public, so it would have no impact on staffing levels in East Oahu. That’s comforting news.
Here are some good news and bad news: The abandoned restaurant space at the Hawaii Kai Towne Center, once occupied by Outback Steakhouse and most recently by the failed launch of Scratch Kitchen near Roy’s, will gain a new tenant, but it won’t be an eatery. Bank of Hawaii, which has a small space at Koko Marina Center, will expand again to occupy the Scratch space. (The bank had been a long-time tenant at Koko Marina, across Zippy’s).
I have two questions for Rep. Ward: There’s been buzz that Zippy’s might shut down its take-out counter, which has been operating after Zippy’s closed its dine-in restaurant. That area still is vacant, and folks are wondering: Will Zippy’s reconsider and return to dine-in, too, or might another restaurant move in?
And more queries: What or who might acquire the abandoned Koko Marina multi-plex movie theaters? The front signage has been removed and the building frontage painted; but the rear sign, visible from Lunalilo Home Road, still is there. Why?
One final query: since Ben Franklin left its Koko Marina home years ago, the vacancy remains after a game center failed. There had been earlier rumors that a health-food market might move in, and also an H-Mart store, but the doors are stlll locked, with the UPS store the only surviving merchant on that corridor.
Rep. Ward welcomes queries and concerns about Hawaii Kai businesses. You may reach him via phone at (808) 586-6420 or email repward@capitol.hawaii.gov …
TAG seeks $15,000 to upgrade light and sound
The Actors’ Group (TAG), the fledging theater group located at the Brad Powell Theatre at Dole Cannery, is seeking 15,000 to upgrade its lighting and sound systems.
And it’s off to a great start: $7,900 already has been committed from donors and supporters.
The plans will include acquiring LEDs and updated software to replace antiquated equipment from the theater group’s Yellow Brick Studio facilities in Kaka‘ako.
LEDs are energy-efficient, with longer lifespan, and will reduce on-stage heat for actors. Power speakers will enhance amplification and depth, benefitting theater audiences.
Contributions, large or small, may be made at the theater during performance or at the group’s website, at www.taghawaii.net …
Broadway grosses, for the week ending May 5
While “The Lion King” still lords over the weekly list of Broadway grosses – the lone show in the $2 million club – the arrival of newbies will likely change the rankings in future weeks.
The Top 10:
1–“The Lion King,” $2,035 million.
2—”Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” $1,920 million.
3—”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1,762 million.
David “Kawika” Talisman, a former Honolulu Police Department officer and a badge-carrying Private Investigator, died May 2 at his Waikiki condominium. He was 79.
Kawika, or “Kawiks,” as he often called himself, had a remarkably varied life. He was a scriptwriter, a singer-composer, a lyricist, a videographer, a filmmaker, and website wizard.
Among his cherished show biz credits was his involvement in “The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii,” a four-part CBS special filmed in Waikiki and aired in 1980, which also became a calling card for the former New Jersey native, who fell in love with Hawaii and relocated here.
David “Kawika” Talisman
“He had a strong personality, and he loved to make people laugh,” said his widow Kyoko Talisman. “He brought happiness to many people. Everywhere I go, people tell me, ‘I know your husband.’ Everybody called him Kawika; only me, I call him David.” (Kawika is the Hawaiian equivalent of David).
“He had so much pain,” said Kyoko, who was married to Kawika for 28 years. Kawika had a multitude of health issues, including cancer.
He loved to tool around in his SUV, with its rear lift, for access to his mobile scooter, which gave him independence to drive hither and yon. Even with pain, Kawika had joy, meeting pals for breakfast or lunch.
All that changed, when his health worsened.
Kyoko was Kawika’s primary caregiver over the past few years. “Of course I had to be supportive and (caregiving) was something I had to do,” she said “But we had hospice help, too, and I also hired an aide for homecare every day. At the end, I was very, very tired.
“But he went peacefully. I played new Japanese music, and we liked to do stupid things, like dancing, if no one was there. In the end, with the music on, I realized that he was not breathing. He was gone, but he was smiling,” she said.
Ken Makuakane, a pastor at Kawaiahao Church, baptized Kawika and conducted the last rites at their home.
Kawika Talisman, Kyoko Talisman and Frank DeLima, at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
Kyoko said she met David through mutual friends. Dates were meaningful in their lives, so a Celebration of Life for Kawika will be held on June 30, their wedding anniversary date, at Borthwick Mortuary. A timetable is not yet set.
Kawika was adamant to create his own video that would be shared at the Celebration of Life, but he was too ill to complete the project, but made the decision on what photographs and music would be included in the video.
“He was very good at producing video,” said comedian Frank DeLima, a longtime friend, who hired Kawika to produce “Best of DeLima,” a Betamax release.
Kawika and DeLima customarily celebrated each other’s birthdays over dinners. “He was always fun to be with and we discussed aches and pain often. But toward the end, the pain was horrible,” said DeLima. “Now, he has no pain.”
In the mid-1990s, Kawika joined HPD and donned a police uniform to join the team of HPD Chief Michael Nakamura, headquartered at Ke Kula Makai, a HPD training facility, where Kawika spent four years producing video re-enactions of notable HPD shootings, a model still used now by HPD and also the FBI.
In 2000, Kawika was selected by the FBI Honolulu Division to help launch a chapter of InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and the private sector including private businesses, academic institutions, and state and local law enforcement agencies, to share data and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the U.S.
Kawika re-activated his P.I. credentials in 2009, as an adjunct to his IT operations. That’s when his buddies kidded him, being “Talisman, P.I.,” like in “Magnum, P.I.”
He designed and built complex websites that earned him awards; with more than 13 years of experience as senior engineer for NTTA/Verio Professional Service, he has worked in most web technologies.
In 2015, Kawika received the prestigious FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, bestowed by then FBI Director James. B. Comey in Virginia, for his contributions through services that made a lasting difference in the region.
Kawika was born on Nov. 24, 1944 in New Jersey, but was destined to settle in Hawaii, because he truly had a Hawaiian heart.
Knowing he eventually would pass, he bought an apartment for Kyoko, with no mortgage worries for her, and “large enough for a big dog,” said Kyoko, whose 75-lb. dog now has a place to romp.
The couple earlier owned a home at Hawaii Loa Ridge, relocated to a rental on the Koko Marina in Hawaii Kai, then moved to temporary quarters at a friend’s home in Manoa.
The Talismans bought a condo, where Kyoko now lives with her latest dog companion, a rescue pet from the Humane Society, because her earlier pet, a Labrador named Hanako died.. “I was so sad, I cried, cried, cried,” she revealed.
It took her eight weeks to finally decide on a replacement pet, which was a he, not a she, and he came with a peculiar name, Aladdin. “I changed his name to Hachi, and he was born Nov. 8 and I adopted him Jan. 8,” she said. Eight is a prominent figure in her life (it appears in some of her private codes), so Hachi — named after a famous real-life dog named Hachi, with legendary popularity — was the ideal name, since “hachi” is the number 8 in Japanese.
There’s a possibility that the Talisman name might pop up on a TV screen. Prior to his death, Kawika was co-writing, with a Los Angeles colleague, a one-hour pilot for a proposed season of shows, entitled “Cane Fire.” Their agent, Roger Strull, is shopping the show for a potential pick-up…
