Honolulu

I'm back to one of my favorite places in the US and brought a cold with me. :(

Am staying at the Hilton Prince Kuhio, very nice. I had a great view of Waikiki Beach. I think they are in the remodeling stages which explains the somewhat decent room rates. Very nice interior, very bright modern if that makes any sense. After staying at this hotel, it is a nice alternative to the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Doubletree Alana. The Prince Kuhio combines the best of Hilton HV and Doubletree. It isn't pretentious but has a nice resort feel. I like the turndown service - they left a small cupcake - and the executive lounge had an assortment of desserts I have not seen in any other hotel. Chocolate covered strawberries, an assortment of petit fours...awesome. All the new hotels have gone with flat TVs and DirectTV service. Very cool.

Went to Pukadog, www.pukadog.com, on the corner of Kuhio and Naohau(sp?) for lunch. I recall seeing them in the Travel shows on cable TV and decided to forgo my spam musubi quest and try a hot dog. I was pleasantly suprised at the tastiness. If you have a slight sweet tooth, you'll appreciate the dog. The bun is sweet bread and they have exotic relishes/sauces. I also LOVE garlic. All around, very tasty.

Went to Town, on Wailai Road, for dinner. Self titled as an organic American bistro, I must admit it was fantastic. I had an arugula salad with persimmons and hazelnut. Very tasty, there was a balance of flavors that even got me to enjoy the goat cheese in the salad. Wild boar, a trio of cuts - chop, sausage, and braised, followed. Excellent especially with the side of lentils. Again, the dish was very balanced. Of course, I had dessert - an apple banana panini. It hit the spot. My colleague, who is a vegetarian, was very happy with his salad, gnocchi, and sorbet. This will be one of those restaurants that I'll try to go whenever in Honolulu.