Bryce's 28th - d.k Steak House

Just last week my love/fiance Bryce celebrated his 28th birthday. Per usual (yes that's 2 links for 2 previous Bryce birthday extravaganzas) he went all out and selected that we have his celebratory dinner at d.k Steak House, located in the Waikiki Beach Mariott Hotel.

We were joined by our friends Cassie and Derek and got the dinner started off properly. Cheers to you, Bryce!

Posh Pau Hana

Last week I was lucky enough to attend Posh Pau Hana, the kickoff event of Ala Moana Center's Shop-a-Le`a Celebration! In true pau hana [happy hour] style we were quickly served a signature drink, the "Greyhound" made with grapefruit juice and a sprig of rosemary. If you drink enough of them you're overcome with high speed racing abilities, so I've heard.

Girls Day at Waioli Tea Room

Today's overdue BWB outing was in celebration of girls day! 

In related news also in the overdue category, I'm finally sitting still to write a blog post after an extremely busy month during which I spent 1 week out of commission due to what my doctor said was "just a cold!" My diet consisted of H2O, tea with honey, homemade chicken noodle soup, and acai bowls for 5 days straight and I couldn't even think about real, chew-requiring food, much less blog about it.

The ladies and I met today in the historic and charming Manoa Valley at the Waioli Tea Room.

It's located in a huge, old house that couldn't be more adorable if it were wrapped in a polka dot bow from Target.

Chaslee's Birthday Butter Mochi

Hey y'all! Can you guess what this post is about?

It's Paula Deen's favorite food, y'all - BUTTER!

Here in Hawaii there exists a wonderful dessert called butter mochi. It's made mostly from sweet rice flour and eggs and resembles a baked custard. The flavor is rich, sweet, and heavenly. Butter Mochi's texture is the best part: sticky, super heavy, and slightly crispy on the edges. 

Mom and Dad's Visit - Part II (The Birthdays)

My Mom and I celebrate our birthdays just 6 days (and many years) apart from one another, which is either really convenient or very irritating for my Dad. In 2011 Mom and Dad were here for the occasion and this year we were able to celebrate and enjoy warm weather birthdays again! Shaking up the previously relaxing visit to Hawaii, we went out on the town for Mom's birthday.

We began Carol's extravaganza with pau hana (happy hour) drinks at a downtown Honolulu favorite of mine: Brasserie Du Vin. It's an adorable little French restaurant with the most picturesque outdoor seating area. Their baked brie is so good it should be illegal! We didn't indulge in any food during our visit, just many drinks and a few creative photo opportunities. Cheers! 

Great job on the photo, Darren! - in the mirror at Du Vin