You are here: Home » Catherine Toth

About Catherine Toth

Archive by Author

#FieldTrip: Micronesia Mart on Kalakaua

by on June 19, 2013 in Adventures, Food

IMG_3673

For months and months — dare I say it’s been more than a year — I’ve been waiting for Micronesia Mart on the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard to open.

Why?

Why not!

I mean, how often do you get to wander the aisles of a convenience store that’s stocked with all things familiar in Micronesia — without leaving the Islands?

So when we drove past the other day, I turned to my boss and said, “One of these days we gotta check out this place.”

To which he said, “Let’s go now.” He snapped the steering wheel and, before I knew it, we were walking through the door.

Some background: This is a family-run business and many of the items in the store are purchased from local vendors. The shop does have a fair share of products directly imported from Micronesia and other islands in Polynesia, as well as Japan and Thailand.

The store is the retail outlet of Sarau Distributors, a local wholesaler that exported Hawaii products to Pohnpei. But as the Micronesian community grew here, the company decided to open the market to cater to their needs. There are items like canned mackerel, curry sauce mix flakes and some kind of all-in-one detergent called FOM.

Just walking around and seeing all the different kinds of products the store had was fun in itself. But we also sampled a few, too. Let’s just say I’ve been back twice since that first visit. That says a lot.

So here’s a peek into Micronesia Mart:

Micronesia Mart

Micronesia Mart
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 14

My first impression: this store was clean, bright and well-organized. It made me want to walk up and down the aisles.

Micronesia Mart, 1745 Kalakaua Ave. Hours: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Phone: (808) 840-0878.

Comments { 0 }

New Eats: Arancino at The Kahala Hotel

by on June 17, 2013 in Food

IMG_3711

Today a new upscale restaurant will open at The Kahala Hotel & Resort, and I guarantee it will change the way you look at Italian cuisine.

Arancino, which operates two more casual eateries in Waikiki, will occupy the 3,800-square-foot space vacated by Tokyo Tokyo at the post resort in East Honolulu. It will offer a course-style dining experience with innovative Italian dishes using ingredients both imported from Italy and sourced locally in the Islands.

And when I say innovative, I mean dishes like lightly fried foie gras and white truffle Parmesan risotto balls, fresh housemade tagliolini with uni (sea urchin) sautéed in a sweet garlic wine cream sauce, or a house made Hamakua tomato sorbet with a sweet tomato compote and gelee.

Yeah, I said all that.

Last night the media had a preview of the dinner menu, a five-course prix fixe with a wine pairing for each dish. Cost is $100 for five courses, $85 for four.

Here’s what our meal looked like — and why you should book reservations now:

Arancino

Arancino
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 23

This new Italian restaurant will open today at The Kahala Hotel & Resort. It's the company's third location in Honolulu, this one being more upscale and offering a more fine dining experience.

Arancino, The Kahala Hotel & Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave. Hours: 11:30 a.m. for lunch, 5 to 10:30 p.m. for dinner daily. Phone: (808) 380-4400.

Comments { 4 }

#CatTravels: Eating through Kona’s history

by on June 16, 2013 in Adventures

IMG_3623

The real reason I flew to Kona last week was to bake bread.

Every Thursday the Kona Historical Society demonstrates how Portuguese immigrants baked bread in a large wood-fired stone forno built several years ago on its pasture. Visitors can help roll out the dough and prepare it for baking in the traditional stone oven. The loaves — white, whole wheat and, of course, sweet bread — are sold later that day for $7 each.

Not only do you learn a little bit about the Portuguese heritage in Kona, you get to take home some of the best sweet bread you’re ever going to eat. (See recipe below.)

It got me thinking: There’s a lot to learn about our hometowns, whether you live in Kankakee, Ill. or Kona, Hawaii.

So we drove around and visited a lot of little shops and places that are a part of Kona’s history.

Here’s what my second (and last) day in Kona looked like:

Bread baking today

Bread baking today
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 53

Every Thursday bakers from the Kona Historical Society (Mamalahoa Highway, 808-323-3222) demonstrate how Portuguese immigrants would bake bread — right in a stone oven.

Portuguese Sweet Bread
From the Kona Historical Society

Mix together in a big bowl:
2 cups warm water
4 pkg. dry yeast

Then stir in:
2 cups sugar
2 sticks melted butter
4 eggs

Stir in, one cup at a time:
8 cups bread flour

Stir in up to 2 more cups of flour as needed to make a soft dough. When the dough is too difficult to stir, turn dough out on a floured table and knead in the rest of the flour for about 3-5 minutes. Add more flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to the table. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover it until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour). Punch the dough down and form into 4 equal sized loaves. Pinch off 7 equal pieces of dough from each loaf, roll and place in greased 9-inch round aluminum pans. Let the dough rise again until doubled in size (about 1 hour) and brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 Tbsp. water). Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Recipes makes four loaves.

Special thanks to the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay and the Kona Historical Society for a great staycation in Kona!

Comments { 6 }

#CatTravels: #CatChat with Chef Viktor Schmidt

by on June 14, 2013 in Adventures, Videos

IMG_3467

While in Kona, I had the chance to dine with Chef Viktor Schmidt, executive chef of Rays on the Bay at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay.

It’s not everyday you can eat with the chef at his own restaurant.

And it’s not every chef who, instead of raving about his own menu, talks about everything else, including how Siri knew where the oldest orange tree in Hawaii was planted. (Yes, Siri was part of our dinner conversation.)

So here’s a quick chat with the chef about how he got to Hawaii, what’s cooking at Rays on the Bay, and the weird things he prepared once in Alaska:

Comments { 3 }

#CatTravels: Quick jaunt to Kona

by on June 14, 2013 in Adventures

IMG_3386

Growing up, I wasn’t a huge fan of Kona.

I used to dread the drive from Hilo — yes, I never flew into Kona until I was in college — and when we got there, I didn’t know what to do. It was hot. It was desolate. It was so… touristy.

But when you venture beyond the resorts and Alii Drive, there are vibrant and interesting pockets of communities all over the island’s western coastline. And after years of visiting the coastal town, I’ve grown to really love it.

Maybe not enough to move there, but enough to visit several times a year.

This time, though, I wanted to see things and place I had never been to. That included Kaaloa’s Super Js, Standard Bakery, Punaluu Bake Shop and the new restaurant at the updated Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa.

So here’s what the first day of my quick jaunt to Kona looked like:

Farewell, Oahu

Farewell, Oahu
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 50

I left Oahu on a mid-morning flight on Hawaiian Airlines and was lucky enough to sit by a window with views like this. #luckywelivehawaii

Sorry this post is so late. I’m already back in Honolulu! The Internet service wasn’t fast enough for me to upload entire photo galleries, so it had to wait until I got back home — and to better WiFi. Thanks for understanding!

Comments { 5 }