Filed under: Hawaii, Honolulu, Media | Tags: flux hawaii, magazine, noble cause
Apparently not everyone is convinced print media is dead in the water. A new magazine is rolling into town: Flux Hawaii. Best I can gather, it is a lifestyle, arts and culture rag. Which I think is a fine and noble cause. I just wonder about the choice of medium. They are allowing prospective readers to choose the first edition cover from five submissions by artists asked to portray “the future of Honolulu”, and have the originals on display over at Borders in Ward Center. I voted for the rather bleak one above, both for the artistry that went into it, and the fact that it most accurately displays the current cultural temperature. I’m a fan of optimism, but let’s be real – this state needs a lot of work.
Filed under: Dining, Hawaii, Honolulu | Tags: character, hawaii nui, kakaako, kona, kua aina, liquor collection
Several weekends ago I found myself in need of a beer to accompany a Kua Aina burger. Being in Kaka’ako, I knew the Liquor Collection, with its formidable selection of world beers, would provide. What could be a more appropriate fit to a Hawaiian burger than a brewed-in-Hawaii ale? I decided to acquaint myself with Hawaii Nui’s Golden Ale and was far from disappointed. Nice and crisp with a fine, upstanding character. Lacking the refinement of the Kona beers with which I am much better acquainted, but definitely worth repeat explorations.
Filed under: Events, Hawaii, Honolulu, Media | Tags: ashton kutcher, Hawaii, Honolulu, ing direct cafe, mufi hannemann, polygon, social media club, twitter
Friday I dropped by the monthly meeting of the Social Media Club Hawaii. The highlight was probably the leadoff presenter, Dan Zelikman. His Twitter insights were not new by any stretch, but he has a very engaging presentation style that made the content come to life. Plus a ton of good examples to back it up.
A couple interesting tidbits from the night:
Mufi Hannemann has nearly 700,000 followers on Twitter (love the poorly executed Photoshop by the way – his head is a polygon!). That’s not quite Ashton Kutcher territory, but getting there.
Big City Diner uses Twitter to broadcast a secret password that gets people discounts and free stuff. So simple, so smart.
One final word about the venue: ING Direct Cafe=marketing genius.
Sometimes we all need a sip of our own koolaid.
Last weekend I was out bobbing on the waves with a friend who works in construction. He’s spent the past year putting the finishing touches on the Trump International Hotel in Waikiki. As is common with many Waikiki “hotels”, some of the units have been sold to private individuals, condo-style. According to the authorities, all available units were sold out by the early afternoon of the day they hit the market.
But now, some of these future owners are up in arms and filing lawsuits over the possibility that they may not be getting full value for their investment. Are they complaining about the quality of the units, or the building materials? No, they are pissed because the developer may not get final clearance to use the Trump name on the building.
I mentioned this story to my construction worker surf pal, and he said he understood how they felt. It would be like buying a Mercedes Benz without the logo. So there you go. Brand is by no means rational. But it certainly is real – especially when it’s convinced you to drop 1.5 million on a condo.
Filed under: Branding, Events, Hawaii, Honolulu, Work | Tags: Branding, pecha kucha, presentation, tightness
I have to say I was pretty happy with how my presentation at PKN Honolulu went down last night. OK, it’s not like I singlehandedly created 200 converts to the church of brand, but I was pleased that I gave exactly the presentation I wanted to – simple, coherent flow, good energy, with visuals that cohered with super-tightness to my narrative. Yeah!
Filed under: Dining, Hawaii, Honolulu | Tags: authentic, Dining, japanese, miyabi
I’m brimming with chagrin over not bringing a camera to Miyabi, a newish izakaya on Kapahulu, very close to Safeway (we parked there, though you can apparently use the Go Bannanas parking). The ambiance was simple, stylish and much more of a wa-fu vibe than the usual Hawaiianese compromise (though dimming the lights and turning down the music a couple notches would be recommended). The food definitely matched the atmosphere. Far and away the best and most authentic Japanese meal I’ve had on the island. We started with a tofu-tomato salad, and the tofu was quality – not the blobby, gelatinous supermarket variety. Nicely textured, and topped with a noteworthy dressing. It helped that the greens were very fresh and truly mixed – often a problem on this island. Around the same time some fried potato for the kids came out. Thick, chunky, well-salted – even though we had ordered them for the kids, I couldn’t help filching a few. Everything else was equally impressive, from the hokke to the sushi. Great sushi, actually. I tried a maguro just to see, and both fish and rice were exquisite. We also had some kind of shrimp/crab roll with a fanciful name that I forget, but I’d rate it up there with some of the better makis I’ve had in Japan. All of this was paired with Tomino Hozan shochu, which I had never tried before. I’m typically a fan of those pungent, earthy imos, but was won over by the subtle balance of this one. The only mild disappointment was the tskune, which seemed a little undercooked – I tend to like it more tightly packed and yakied. Couldn’t really argue with the flavor, though. And the meat was less gristly than you tend to find in Japan. Miyabi is a little pricey, so not likely to be a weekly affair, but the quality is easily worth the hit to the wallet.
Filed under: Events, Hawaii, Honolulu, Work | Tags: brand, eclectic, pecha kucha
I’m going to be giving a presentation entitled “What is Brand?” at the upcoming Honolulu Pecha Kucha Night this coming Friday, the 24th. The event will be held at the Honolulu Academy of Arts from 7:30-9:30, and as usual will feature an eclectic bunch of creative types making presentations on everything from architecture to zydeco, all in the unique PKN presenting format (20×20).
Filed under: Events, Family, Hawaii, Honolulu | Tags: hawaii book & music festival, hype, jake shimabukuro
Color me underwhelmed by the Hawaii Book & Music Festival. After all the hype around it in the local press, the event seemed sadly understaffed and underattended (from 4-6:30 on Saturday, when we were there). Vacant booths and an aura of half-heartedness characterized the experience.
But, well, I guess we were more there for Jake than the festival itself. As always, Jake put on an energetic, surprising and gracious performance. The highlight this time was an amazing rendition of Sakura (for all the Japanese fans in the crowd). As a bonus, we caught a glimpse of Jake up close and personal on his way to the portapotties prior to the show.
For a long time I had been avoiding Teddy’s although I knew they had a reputation for mean burgers. I think it was the sad-looking attempt at 50’s nostalgia with the decor that put me off. It couldn’t have been the location, because we practically lived around the corner from it for nine months. Well, I will no longer avoid the place, because I am here to announce that pound for pound their burgers rate among the best on this island. The special sauce, a kind of honey mustard thing reminiscent of Big Mac sauce (but way better) gives it a unique character, and the fries ain’t too shabby either. Of course, if anyone local happens to read this blog, I’ll just be preaching to the choir. You can’t mention the place without someone gushing with praise.
Filed under: Activities, Events, Family, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kids | Tags: iolani fair, rusting tilt-a-whirls
We were able to escape the human cattle pasture that is Punahou Fair, but with not much happening on a Saturday afternoon, we decided to hit Iolani Fair and find out what these school-sponsored fundraisers were all about. Now that I’ve survived the experience, I can share it with you: rusting tilt-a-whirls, half the inflatable slide/bouncing castles on the island, and raising funds, lots of funds. I guess the kids enjoyed it, but we left considerably lighter of pocket and weary of mind.
