Inside HILife: Barfly

Trumping with cocktails

Craig T. Kojima / 2009

Whether you enjoy a perfectly shaken and strained martini, a nice glass of wine or even just a bottle of beer with a bucket of ice, it never hurts to have a couple of classy establishments in your back pocket to provide drinking options in a pinch.

This advice especially holds true during the holidays. Got family in town this weekend for Christmas? Need to impress your date on New Year’s Eve? Looking for a nice pau hana spot for you and your co-workers before the end of the year?

They might not be your typical go-to bars, but everyone needs a few picks when first impressions are vital and drink specials aren’t a concern. The new Wai‘olu Lounge at the Trump International Hotel at Waikiki Beach Walk fits nicely into this category.

YES, WE’RE TALKING about a lobby bar — the type of space that’s usually an afterthought for both hotel management and the guests who stay there.

The Trump Waikiki, however, takes a slightly different approach. First, the hotel lobby isn’t located on the ground floor of the property at the corner of Saratoga and Kalia roads. Guests must instead ride a dedicated elevator to the building’s sixth floor; Wai‘olu is located just past a small area that serves as the hotel’s front desk.

Next, we’re talking about a Trump-branded property, so expectations are a bit higher when it comes to the decor. Wai‘olu is impressive in its simplicity, with a corridor-like space that offers both indoor and outdoor seating. Furnishings utilize a lot of wood, accented by splashes of color found in fresh flowers and plants on display.

More than a dozen seats line the bar, but the best drinking experience has to be in one of four small enclaves that are open to the elements. Couches make things comfortable for couples, and nearly every chair affords sweeping views of neighboring Fort DeRussy and the Hale Koa Hotel.

The lounge’s sixth-floor location is also well-removed from street-level vehicular and pedestrian traffic, which makes kicking back with a cocktail even more relaxing when there isn’t any of the hustle and bustle you might expect when in Waikiki. Wai‘olu also provides spectacular sunset views from a vantage point never before seen in the neighborhood.

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Pau Hana Patrol: P.F. Chang’s Waikiki

P.F. Chang’s Waikiki
2201 Kalakaua Ave.
628-6760
www.pfchangs.com

By Carey Reynolds
Special to the Star-Bulletin

P.F. Chang’s is a popular Chinese-American fusion restaurant chain with locations all over the United States. With such a strong presence around the country, it is what you would expect of a corporate experience.

The Waikiki location, located in the Royal Hawaiian Center, opened in March 2008 and is a two-story restaurant that can seat more than 300 guests. The available space makes it a great venue for large parties as well as families. There is also an outdoor dining area where you can watch the diverse crowd passing you by. The atmosphere offers a contemporary Asian feel with a unique local twist.

Happy hour is available on the first floor only, which includes the bar, restaurant seating area and the patio. During happy hour, a vast list of appetizers — including their famous chicken lettuce wraps, dynamite shrimp, and spring rolls — are offered at half-price. With a wide list of available options, there is sure to be an appetizer that suits everyone’s liking.

A long list of cocktails is also available for happy hour, and the draft beer is always cold and served in a very large glass. I tried the Ultimate 1800 Margarita and Fresh Asian Cucumber Martini — both are decent, but not the best I’ve had during happy hour in Waikiki. The margarita tasted like the mix was old and watered down; I recommend sticking with the cold beer or a glass of wine and saving your money for a mixed drink elsewhere.

The service is also good at here. Our waitress was kind and helpful; she did an excellent job keeping up with the very large crowd in the restaurant during my visit.

Overall, P.F. Chang’s is a great deal for your money, especially with the higher prices charged in Waikiki. Happy hour is more like a meal than a snack — and your stomach and wallet will both be full when you leave.

Pau Hana Patrol: Chart House Honolulu

By Carey Reynolds
Special to the Star-Bulletin

When you first walk up to the Chart House in Waikiki, you see an older, charming restaurant with a beautiful view of the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor. While the view outside is gorgeous, the scene from the inside is not as impressive and is in need of general updating.

Once inside, I reached the hostess stand, but was unable to find anyone that could direct me to where happy hour was served. As I waited patiently, I was passed by a few servers, none of whom stopped to direct me to where I could be seated. Read more

Inside HILife: ‘Once-A-Month Punk!’

Punk power

Courtesy Chad Jenkins ‘ONCE-A-MONTH PUNK!’ featuring Cronseedz, False Crack, Mistermeaner, Old Habits Die Hard and Pimpbot » Where: The Waikiki Sandbox, 2260 Kuhio Ave. » When: 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (repeats every third Saturday) » Cost: $10 general admission, $5 with Hawaii ID » Call: 923-3597

Travel the streets of Waikiki on any given day and you’ll see a variety of transportation methods put to use.

Tourists roam the sidewalks and nearby sandy beaches on foot. Automobiles of all shapes and sizes occupy lanes on Kalakaua, Kuhio and every other inch of open pavement between Kapahulu Avenue and Ala Moana Boulevard. Mopeds — both the traditional, two-wheeled variety and newer, three-wheeled car-types — compete with bicycles and other vehicles on the road.

But nowhere will you find a skateboard. The act of standing on one while it rolls is illegal from Ala Wai Boulevard to the ocean. Get caught by Honolulu’s finest, and you’re looking at a $55 citation for the first offense.

To raise awareness about the issue facing Waikiki’s skateboarding community, local promoter Stunt Dog Productions teamed with House of Flys and Volcom to launch “Once-A-Month Punk!,” a punk showcase that aims to provide a meeting location for anyone interested in changing the no-skateboarding law.

“When people think of skateboarding, they think of tricks and the use of any possible city terrain to become a skate spot,” House of Flys co-owner Simon Elbling said earlier this week. “I understand … that’s not cool, but as a transportation use, I think we need to come up with a compromise for those who skate.”

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[VIDEO] Makana opens ‘Curators’ series at Royal Hawaiian

Photos by Jason Genegabus / jason@starbulletin.com

Local slack key guitarist Makana kicked off the new “Curators of Hawaiian Music” concert series at the Royal Hawaiian’s Monarch Room last week, complete with a pre-show press conference at the Waikiki hotel. Read more

HILife Cover Story: Hula’s 35th anniversary

Still swingin’ after all these years

Courtesy Jack Law

‘HULA’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY’ Where: Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand, 134 Kapahulu Ave. When: 7 p.m. Thursday Cost: Free Info: 923-0669 or www.hulas.com

Most big parties have a theme, be it celebrating the season or something complicated like wearing a costume.

Next week the theme for Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand’s 35th anniversary party is “Hula = Dance = Hula’s.” And one of the featured dancers will be Hula’s owner Jack Law.

As Law explained last Friday, it was customary in the early days of Hula’s to play “Hula Lady” by the Sunday Manoa each night at closing. So Law chose the theme and decided that he would join the bar staff this year in dancing hula.

“We’re not gonna tell anybody when it is going to happen, but when the party is going full speed we’re going to have a musical cue and everybody’s going to stop working and go to the dance floor.”

Members of Tau Dance Theatre, Iona Pear and Cherry Blossom Cabaret will also perform during the evening. The “dance” theme will include belly dancing, tango, Tahitian and breakdancing as well.

“It’s going to be a real special night,” Law said.

He has good reason to celebrate. There aren’t many free-standing bars or nightclubs that have lasted as long as Hula’s.

Anna Bannana’s is older but has had several ownership changes, whereas Law has owned Hula’s from the time he opened it in 1974 with his business partner, Eaton “Bob” Magoon Jr. They built the original Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand in “an old broken down house” under a huge banyan on a piece of Magoon Estate property at the corner of Kuhio Avenue and Kalaimoku Street.

At the time, it was one of Hawaii’s first true discotheques and a local nightlife pioneer by running original audio and video content on its in-house TV system. Hula’s was also the best known “gay bar” in town, becoming a Waikiki landmark where people of both genders and all sexual preferences were able to come together and party.

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‘Sunset on the Beach’ returns to Waikiki

Jamm Aquino / 2007

Its time for Sunset on the Beach this Independence Day holiday weekend, bringing free movies and music to the general public at Queens Beach in Waikiki.

Saturdays lineup includes salsa music from Son Caribe starting at 5:30 p.m., followed by the showing of the latest James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig.

In celebration of Japan Airlines Hula Week, Sundays live entertainment includes reggae/oldies band Typical Youth and a JAL hula show, and the new Japanese movie Honokaa Boy. Filmed on location on the Big Islands Hamakua coast and loosely based on Lee Yoshidas novel, the movie is about a love-scorned Japanese college student who travels to Hawaii, becomes a projectionist at the Honokaa Peoples Theater and befriends and grows close to a seamstress who takes him in as a tenant.

Masaki Okada and Jun Hasegawa star in this gentle coming-of-age movie; see the trailer at www.honokaa-boy.jp.

Food booths at Sunset on the Beach will open at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, featuring offerings from Ba-Le Sandwich Shop, Le Crepe Caf, Planet Hollywood and Sumo Bento and Catering. For more info, call 923-1094.

Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon on Oahu this weekend

Photo courtesy Raekwon

After an attempt to book Raekwon at Pipeline Cafe fell through earlier this month, I thought Honolulu had missed its chance to see the Wu-Tang Clan founding member before his new album, “Only Built for Cuban Linx II,” comes out later this summer.

As it turns out, whatever money issues the rapper’s management had with local promoters were squashed. The Chef is now scheduled to make a full weekend of appearances around town. The last time he was here was in 2007.

I’m told Raekwon will be the special guest at “The Peach” tonight at LEVEL4 Nightclub, followed by an appearance at HUSH Boutique Nightclub and Ultralounge on Saturday. On Sunday, he’ll shoot footage for an upcoming music video at EMPIRE Gentleman’s Club in Moilili.

Here are a couple of event fliers I was able to find online:

Hard Rock ‘Battle of the Bands’ returns Friday

Courtesy Lucky 13

Round two of the Hard Rock Cafe’s battle-of-the-bands competition begins again Friday night, with the winner joining last weeks winner, Lucky 13 (pictured), into the finals on May 1.

This weeks qualifying bands consist of Hauna Ahi, Amity Street, The Sidewinders and Stillborn Skies.

After the May 1 final, the overall winning band will go on to be judged by a panel of artists and music industry professionals led by Steve Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteens E Street Band who will choose the finalists from all of the Hard Rock contests.

The final stage of the competition will then be turned over to the fans, who will be able to vote for a favorite at hardrock.com between May 25 and June 6. The winning band will win a spot at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London, running from June 26 through 28.

>> Where: Hard Rock Cafe, 1837 Kapiolani Blvd.
>> When: 9 p.m. Friday
>> Cost: Free
>> Info: 955-7383 or visit www.hardrock.com

Inside HILife: Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow is coming to town without the hoopla that surrounded Journey’s three-night sellout at the Blaisdell, but fans of the nine-time Grammy Award-winner singer-songwriter aren’t complaining.

It’s been almost exactly 10 years since Crow last played here at Andrews Amphitheater, in 1999, and for a much smaller crowd than will fill the Waikiki Shell on Saturday. Back then the song that made many fans’ night was “All I Wanna Do,” her breakthrough pop hit that won two of her first three Grammys in 1994. There’s no doubt the song will be one of the highlights on Saturday, but with another 10 years of work and several more Grammys to her credit there’ll be many other highlight moments for Crow’s core constituency as well.

First and foremost, there are the songs from her current album, “Detours,” which was released a little more than a year ago after her successful battle with cancer. In it Crow addressed a broad spectrum of topics that stretched from deeply personal experiences such as fighting cancer and adopting a child to a list of global issues that includes the threat of environmental catastrophes (“Gasoline”) and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (“Love Is Free”).

Crow wrote on her Web site that the songs were inspired by “how I feel things are going on in the world and what’s happened to me in the last couple of years.”

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IN CONCERT
Sheryl Crow with local openers Friends of Adam
Where: Waikiki Shell
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $35 to $65
Info: (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com

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