Umami on the Prowl: Mix Cafe

Trish had a gift certificate for Mix Cafe and wanted to try the pasta at the Beretania Street location, so that was the plan for a mini lunch adventure.   There is another location on Alakea Street, but that one doesn't have pastas (or, at least, it didn't last time Umami was there).

The sandwiches, however, are basically the same.  They come on an excellent crusty toasted bread, with a zippy little tossed salad.  This happens to be the roasted veggie sandwich, full of bite sized cubes of vegetables with melted cheese.   At $7, some might feel this is a little pricey for lunch.  Umami thinks the price is just fine for a more . . . refined lunch.  And it's still cheaper than Downtown@HiSAM!

Why?  Because we were there for pasta of course!  This is the penne with creamy mushroom sauce ($7.50).  The penne was perfectly al dente.  The mushrooms were tender and tasty without being overpowering.  The cream sauce was very light, not cloying.  It settled to the bottom of the bowl, but would stick to the penne when scooped it up.  Umami also likes that the cheese is not completely melted on the dish, it tastes better that way, with a better nose.

All in all, a very satisfying lunch.  Be warned:  the restaurant has very limited seating, so if you want to dine in, go early.  Or late!

Mix Cafe

35 South Beretania Street

(808) 537-1191

Open for lunch M-F

Umami Goes Vegas (2010): Day 2: Aloha Specialties

It was back to Aloha Specialties for breakfast the next day; specifically, the "Aloha Breakfast."  Basically, you're saying "Aloha" (means "good-bye" in this case) to any pretense of a healthy breakfast,  because you're eating three eggs, white rice, a potpourri of breakfast meats and sweet bread toast.

Umami loves this kind of breakfast and would have had no trouble putting it away himself.  However, cooler heads prevailed, and the decision was made to split it two ways.

Sooo, clockwise from the eggs, we have three over easy eggs, a slice of spam, three pieces of Portuguese sausage, a very charred slice of luncheon meat, a pile of white rice, and a thick slice of sweet bread french toast.  For Islanders, the only unusual aspect of this breakfast is the luncheon meat . . . it's been many, many years since Umami's had any and he honestly doesn't really miss it.  But he does miss eating spam and Portuguese sausage and so lingered over each bit of his share, savoring the salty-nitrate-y goodness of it all.  Umami does wonder why there's no bacon on this plate, since it's got just about everything else.  Perhaps it's not "local" enough?  

The eggs we ate by breaking the yolks over the rice and pouring shoyu (yes, more salt) over it, then mushing it up so the yolks mix with the rice.

Umami liked the sweet bread toast, but still is not used to seeing it slices like this.  Still think it should be in round puffy loaves.

It's an unabashedly hearty breakfast and a decent value at $6.50.  Just be sure to drink lots of water afterwards!

Aloha Specialties
California Hotel (Mezzanine, 2nd floor, near the sports book.)

12 E Ogden Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 382-0338

Secret Menu Project: Starbucks "Short" Drinks

As described in the Secret Menu Project, a Starbucks Short Drink is "smaller than a tall with a lower price." Okay, not the most exciting secret . . . !

Dr. Sher reports:

"Hey! I went to Starbucks today and had a secret menu item. I had a short skinny vanilla latte -- decaf, extra hot. It's cheaper, yes. It's smaller, yes. That's about all there is to say about it. It's not that big a secret. A guy in front of me ordered a short drink too. The big revelation for me was what skinny means. I assumed it meant nonfat (it does) but it also means no sugar. OK, sign me up! They failed on the "extra hot" part of my order. Oh well, my friend gave me half of her giant Starbucks cookie (which she had warmed up - like gooey cookies right out of the oven)."

Umami Goes Vegas (2010): The Concerts

August 14, 2010, ninety plus degrees at nine o'clock at night.  The Freemont Street Experience is crowded with the usual crowd plus aging metal heads waiting for a free concert by Blue Oyster Cult.  The audience is packed with guys wearing fifteen year old black metal band tour t-shirts.  Umami is standing next Mike from Kansas, and his wife, who is, unfortunately, claustrophobic, short and surrounded by people a good foot taller than she is.  Mike is psyched, though, to see BOC, and so is Umami.  How cool is it to catch BOC for free?  Figure a nice, tight, hour and a half set, get to hear "Godzilla," "Burning for You," "Don't Fear the Reaper."  Heck, even "Joan Crawford" would be cool!

But BOC apparently thinks they're headlining an arena show for adoring fanatics.  They dip back into their catalog, back to their first album for "Before the Kiss" and "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll."  Seriously?  Do they really think this crowd's here for that?  They play "Burning for You" and Umami hopes that maybe they'll start the hit parade . . . 

No such luck.  A rambling introduction about a song about a deal in the desert to buy "illegal substances" (oooh, naughty!) leads into "Then Came the Last Days of May" from, you guessed it, their first album.  It's still ninety plus degrees and now Mike's wife wants to go and Mike doesn't put up too much of a fight.  Even the guys with greying mullets and Scorpions World Tour shirts are saying they're going to walk around a little bit and will be back.  

Umami decides to walk around a bit, but not come back.  Here's video of "Don't Fear the Reaper" from that show . . . Umami's thinking maybe he made the right decision.  Could have been great, didn't work out that way.

August 17, 2010 in the climate controlled theater of the Paris Hotel, Umami is seventh row for Sgt. Pepper Live featuring Cheap Trick!   On his left is a cute Cheap Trick fan from Austin (wearing Lisa Loeb glasses!), on his right is a Beatles fan who doesn't know too much about Cheap Trick . . . she's cool anyway.  In back of Umami, however, are a half dozen drunk Real Housewives of No Class who are hooting and hollering about every stupid thing they can think of (it's a lot of hooting and hollering).  During the show, they will talk loudly and rudely while Robin Zander sings "She's Leaving Home."  The cute CT fan from Austin will call them on it, and they will respond by shouting, "we're just happy!" "we're celebrating!" and "it's Vegas!" and throwing gum at her hair.  What are they celebrating?  One of them had an adoption approved.  Apparently, this was her last chance to play the fool.  Pitiful.

But Cheap Trick is loud and awesome, and the crowd around us stands through a lot of the concert, so the Loud B1tche$ don't completely ruin the show.

Here's the set list:

I Am The Walrus - Sgt. Pepper Orchestra
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Getting Better
Fixing a Hole
She's Leaving Home
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Within You Without You - Indian Ensemble featuring Tom Petersson
When I'm Sixty Four
Lovely Rita
Good Morning Good Morning
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
A Day in the Life
Stop This Game/The Flame/Gonna Raise Hell - Sgt. Pepper Orchestra
Dream Police
Smile
World's Greatest Lover
I Want You to Want Me
Surrender
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
All You Need is Love

Cheap Trick rocked these songs, not trying to replicate the studio heavy sound of the album, but instead just opening up the amps.  They dropped Rick Nielsen's guitar solos into "Fixing a Hole" and "Lovely Rita!"  "A Day in the Life" is a phenomenal song (Rolling Stone named it the greatest Beatles Song of All Time!) and Umami was very pleasantly surprised at how well it translated in concert.

Cheap Trick's own songs held up very well, especially "Dream Police" and "Surrender."   The Abbey Road sequence of "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" is among Umami's  favorites!

Like the "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," there were at least three endings to the show:

• "Surrender's" refrain of "We're All Alright!  We're All Alright!"
• "The End's" benediction of "And, in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."

But, honestly, in the end,  the concert, got it right with "All You Need is Love."  Lots of Pink Tissue Paper Hearts flutter down from the ceiling.  Imagine!

Umami Goes Vegas (2010): Day 3: Noodles

The Great-Las-Vegas-2010-Noodle-Search continued on Day 3, as Umama called Umami's sister, Dr. Sher, for restaurant recommendations in Las Vegas and Noodles came up.  Not the dish, the restaurant in the Bellagio, and, specifically, their roast duck noodle.  Dr. Sher is a huge fan!  Umami thought it was basically going to be expensive saimin (Noodles is in the Bellagio, after all), but we happened to be in Bellagio and if Umama wants to try it . . . !

So, we go to Noodles, and Umama engages the waitress in a discussion about whether the "Roast Duck Noodle" is, in fact,  arp tui mein.  Now, arp tui mein, to a Hawaii diner, is essentially Chinese noodle soup with a duck hindquarter that's been more stewed rather than roasted.  The soup picks up some of the flavor of the duck, and the meat gets to be falling-off-the-bone tender.  It's a different preparation from just placing some roast duck in noodle soup.   Umami likes the version at Ken Fong's in Honolulu Chinatown (will now have to go there for lunch just to get a pic . . . Umami's a dedicated journalist that way).

But now Umama is asking the waitress specifically for the arp tui mein and the waitress is nodding yes and patting her thigh, indicating that the dish includes a duck leg.  Umama is reassured, the waitress is from China, after all.  Still, China-Chinese food is different from Hong Kong-Chinese food which in turn is a little different from Hawaii-Chinese food, and there were almost certainly shades of meaning and dialect between Umama and our waitress, so Umami tried to tell Umama not to get her hopes up.  And this is what we got:

This is not an arp tui mein.  Rather, this is a very nice roast duck noodle!  It appears the waitress interpreted Umama as wanting the duck leg pieces of the roast duck.  It's also a rather petite bowl of duck noodle (pic on the right gives you a little better sense of scale), but the serving of duck was generous enough and there's actually a good amount of noodles in the bowl.  The soup was very good, more . . . nuanced than, say, Aloha Specialties saimin.  

Here's the thing, though.  This is a $14 bowl of duck noodle.  Times two, with a large beer, plus tax, gave a total tab of around $45.  Now, nothing against the food which is good, but it's not so good that Umami views this as the best way to spend $45, when a little more gets him into Joe's for some stone crab claws and hashbrowns . . . !

So, Umami can't say that it's a "must try," but if you want a good roast duck noodle, Noodles is a great choice.

Noodles
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 693-7223
bellagio.com/restaurants/noodles.aspx

Umami Goes Vegas (2010): Day 1: Aloha Specialties

It makes no sense to Umami, to fly six hours to Las Vegas, be surrounded by tons of different food places, and then choose local style saimin for the first thing to eat.  It makes no sense to Umami, but it made perfect sense to Umama, which is why they were in Aloha Specialties mere hours after landing in Sin City.


It's not that the food is bad, far from it, it's very well done local fare.  The problem is that it's local fare that any Hawaii resident would have no trouble finding, or even cooking, at home.  But if that's what you're looking in for, then Aloha Specialties is for you.


Oh, and be advised that there are plenty of other people who will wait in line for half an hour plus for the privilege of eating here.  We waited about twenty minutes to place an order.  The food does come out fast, though, and the staff is very competent and friendly.

All that being said, the food is good.  Umami opted for the Chicken Tofu Saimin; his thinking being that a mashup of Chicken Tofu and Saimin would be kind of interesting.  Maybe a little sweeter than a typical saimin?  Maybe with some long cut green onion and bamboo shoots?


Nope.  It's a standard saimin, with slices chicken cutlet and cubes of tofu.  Very good (albeit standard) saimin broth, noodles with good texture.  Chicken was fine, tofu was . . . tofu.  What can you say?  Make some S&S at home, put some chicken and tofu in it, and you'd have this dish.


In sum, good if this is what you want.

Aloha Specialties
California Hotel (Mezzanine, 2nd floor, near the sports book.)

12 E Ogden Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 382-0338

Umami Goes Vegas (2010): Day 3: Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Day 3 Dinner was at Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab in the Caesar's Palace Forum Shops (Las Vegas Boulevard End, Street Level, at the base of the spiral escalator).   Joe's Stone Crab opened in Miami in 1913 and in Las Vegas in 2004.  The restaurant serves steaks and fish, but is famous for stone crab.  So that's what Umami has!

But first, a salad . . . This is the Vegetable Chopped Salad, with Farmer's Cheese & Joe's Vinaigrette.  It's cool and crisp, with hearts of palm, celery, and radish adding some texture and and a little bite.  The cheese is unobtrusive and the vinaigrette subtle.  It's a really good salad ($9.95).

Next, seven medium stone crab claws ($34.95) and an order of hashbrowns ($7.95).  Joe's used to do a lunch special of three stone crab claws, hashbrowns, coleslaw, and key lime pie for $29.95 (I think), but no more.  They do, however, do a special of five jonah crab claws, hashed brown, sweet corn, and key lime pie for $21.95.  And a $21.95 Filet Mignon lunch special as well, both of which are options for another day.

But these are the stone crab claws.  They come cracked with a delicate horseradish mustard sauce.  The meat is firm and sweet, and doesn't really need the sauce.  Umami really likes the mustard and, therefore, uses it.

The hashbrowns are incredibly good, with a crunchy crust and decent amount of salt.  In fact, while Umami might bypass the stone crab in order to try other items, he's not compromising on the hash browns!

Here's a shelled claw.  It's funny that these pics have come out so dark, because the seating area is actually just outside the restaurant proper, in a "patio" that's basically a small section of the mall.

It's okay to sit outside, but inside is probably better, since it's got a steak-house-dark-wood" vibe that's more appropriate to the fare.

Finally, this is the key lime pie ($6.95), which was served very chilled to the point of being practically frozen, which was rather disappointing.  Umami thinks they don't really pay enough attention to the pie, just kind of cutting it, casually plating it (isn't it a little off center?), and storing it too cold.  Too bad, too, because the flavor of the pie itself is refreshing, especially after the crab and potatoes.

In sum, a fun option for lunch (because you get to eat with your hands!), with solid food, in a convenient spot to sit down after a morning of running around Caesar's.



Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Forum Shops @ Caesars (Las Vegas Blvd End, Street Level)
3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 792-9222

JoesLVCS@leye.com

www.joes.net/las-vegas

Umami Goes Vegas (2010):

Umami is back from Vegas, poorer and fatter!  The food was, as usual, fun.  A list of the restaurants is below.


The problem, though, was that there were waay too few "Big Wins" like this one:

Okay, that a penny machine, but $90 is $90!  It's also a fun machine to play:  When Bruce Lee appears as a wild, the picture is a torso shot, that expands to fill the column to make stacked wilds, and then he kicks, all accompanied by appropriate sound effects.  It's hilarious (and, obviously, super cool!)  Here's link if you want to see what it looks like (it's not Umami's video, he just found it on YouTube):  WopPAH!


Anyway, here's the list of restaurants and concerts from the trip.  Umami is still getting photos organized, doing laundry, getting reoriented to humidity . . . but will start blogging these soon!


Day 1
Aloha Specialties (California Hotel)
Bouchon (The Venetian)
Blue Oyster Cult (Fremont Street Experience)


Day 2
Aloha Specialties (California Hotel)
Triple Seven Brew Pub (Main Street Station)
Pasta Pirate (California Hotel)


Day 3
Carson Street Cafe (Golden Nugget)
Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab (Caesar's Palace)


Day 4
Bouchon (The Venetian)
Serendipity 3 (Caesar's Palace)
Cheap Trick (Paris)


Day 5
Mon Ami Gabi (Paris)


Post-Trip Random Thoughts
On Omiyage
On iPad

Lake Shore Drive

Umami had an absolutely brutal Tuesday, meetings with multiple clients with obscured personal agendas all talking at cross purposes, creating issues that they don't have to deal with, perceiving the urgency of only their own universe.  Umami's neck and shoulders seized up around lunch time and never really let up.  Which is to say, Tuesday was a day pretty much like Monday was, and like Wednesday will be.

It's funny what the mind goes to, randomly, at times like this.  For today, it's back to a song he heard on the radio in college, never before, and never since.  "Lake Shore Drive," by Aliotta-Haynes-Jeremiah, was a regional hit in the Chicago area, which is understandable, since it's about the expressway through Chicago.  It always seemed to be a slightly hippie-ish pop-country-rock tune, as if it was already nostalgic for the passing of the '60's, but thinking that the optimism of the era could still be recaptured.  Perhaps that's why Umami still likes it today.

With that as a soundtrack, Umami is not caring about healthy diets at the moment.  On days like today, he goes for the easy (because he doesn't want to cook) comfort food.  So this is a Tombstone Pizza (Supreme).  Oh, and a Rolling Rock!


And even this goes back to college.  The dorm area only had one place you can get anything to eat late, and the menu was only Tombstone pizzas.  Umami recalls sharing a pizza one night with his friend Patti and feeling pretty happy about the whole thing.  Not necessarily a fun night, but a happy one, and there is a difference.  Obviously was  still a student and not yet in the Real World!  Lol, should never have taken the Red Pill!  So, here the value of the food is not in the food itself . . . Umami thinks that must be more true than not. 


So it's not great food, it's not a great beer, it's not a great song.  (Umami takes that back, it is a great song!)  But they all serve their purpose . . .  Umami's chilled out, and thinking, like the song says,

"And the sunshine's fine

in the morning time

And tomorrow is another day."

Amen to that . . . Peace.

Umami Say: "C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough For Me!"

Let's be honest. Can we talk? Did anyone really model their eating habits after Cookie Monster ("Cookie," to his friends)? Of course, not!  So Umami is appalled that Sesame Street is turning the OCD (Obsessive Cookie Disorder) muppet into some kind of healthy eating icon that eats "meat" and "fish" and "veg-a-ta-balls." (And "bicycle" and "fire hydrant!") Cookie is supposed to eat Cookies! Not "meat" or "fish" and certainly not "veg-a-ta-balls!"  Yeah, Poison Ivy is cute and all, and we still love the NOM NOM NOM even when he's eating crumbs, but it just can't compare to Classic Cookie . . . !

Like Cookie says:  "C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me!"  And good enough for Umami, too!

Umami on the Prowl: Downtown @ the HiSAM

Umami had an unusual lunch at Downtown @ the HiSAM the other day.  Downtown is the cafe in the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM) and is owned by Ed Kenney, who also owns Town in Kaimuki.   Both restaurants emphasize local, organic food and are normally very reliable for good food and service.  On this particular occasion, Umami made reservations for lunch at 12, which is admittedly a busy hour.  We were on a tight schedule (only an hour) and mentioned this to the server, who assured us we had plenty of time.

However, half an hour later and still no food and, when we commented about it when it did arrive our server could only say that, well, if we were in a hurry we should have come at 11 or 1.  Which, I suppose, is true, but why say it that way?

Compounding this, the food was oddly colorless and unappetizing in appearance.  This basically pork, with cabbage and smashed potatoes.  Now, it was perfectly prepared and flavorful.  But, honestly, look at this plate . . . doesn't seem completely washed out?  Almost feel as though an element is missing from the plate.

Umami's just puzzled.  He likes Downtown, but can't account for the rather lackluster service and food on this day.  It may be that the restaurant is simply so understaffed that attention to detail is slipping.   Will have to keep tabs on the situation.

Downtown at HiSAM 
250 S Hotel St (in the Hawaii State Art Museum Building)
Honolulu, HI 96813

(808) 536-5900

Umami Surfs the Net: "The Appetizing Art of Food Photography"

Once is a while, we come across something that says we have to step up our game.  For Umami, perhaps it will be this post by  Claire O'Neill for National Public Radio:  "The Appetizing Art of Food Photography."  Umami's not really much of a photographer, he doesn't understand half the settings on his camera phone and his choices of subject can be somewhat random.  So it's inspirational to see the work (and it is work) of people who take their food and photography seriously.  Like La Tartine Gourmande and smitten kitchen.    Something to shoot for!


(Oh, by the way, the pic above is the Strawberry Shortcake from Panya Bakery.  Like all of their desserts, it's absurdly light cake and absurdly light cream.  Very delicate strawberry flavor.  Like all of Umami's pics, it's composed on the fly and weirdly cropped, haha!)


Panya

1111 Bishop Street (Remington College Building, Downstairs)Honolulu, HI 96813-2811(808) 536-8363

panyabakery.com

Umami on the Prowl: Himalayan Kitchen

This is what Trish texted when Umami confirmed reservations for Himalayan Kitchen:

  "EXCELLENT.  :*) See you there!"

Umami doesn't really know what ":*)" means, but is reassured that it's at least a smiley!    >=]

They had really enjoyed the first visit, and always wanted to go back to try different things (there are a lot of things to try!) and were finally getting around to going.

Himalayan Kitchen is on the second floor of a building at (roughly) the corner of 11th and Waialae in Kaimuki, across 11th from Kaimuki Community Park.  The ground floor has a BBQ place, an Italian Restaurant and a little boutique.  Himalayan Kitchen has a good chunk of the second floor.  In the photo, they have a decent sized room to the left and the main dining room and patio (overlooks the park) is through the unpretentious doorway.

The food is "Himalayan" which is a mix Northern Indian, Nepalese and Chinese influences.  But, honestly, it's hard to see any Chinese influence (well, maybe some sweet and sour type items) and Umami doesn't really have a feel for Nepalese cuisine.  Suffice to say that if you like Indian food, you should be very comfortable here.

Trish loves Indian breads and, especially, Paneer.  Umami's not a Paneer fan, but is a good sport, so we started with Paneer Kulcha, which is a naan with a paneer and onion filling.  It arrived nice and warm and in appearance and flavor it was a breadier version of a quesadilla.  There was a cilantro-based dipping sauce (you might even call it a green salsa . . . ).  Trish was very happy.

We followed up with the Lamb Bhuna, which is described as "shredded lamb simply sauteed with a creamy garlic sauce with green onions."  The sauce is indeed very rich and creamy, with more than a little curry flavor.  It was like a lamb curry stroganoff.  It was absolutely killer on the Paneer Kulcha (Trish was very, very happy with that combination).  The lamb is actually cubed, not shredded.  Umami points that out because he thinks the dish is more successful that way, as if the cubed meat has more gravitas.

It was also absolutely killer on the basmati rice.  :-) To clarify, all entrees come with rice, but Umami noticed that Nepali style mash potato could be substituted.

So, with the Mix Tandoori Grill, we ordered the mashed potatoes.

This was a chunky style mashed potato, with a noticeable curry color and flavor.  It's a very . . . sincere dish that would make an excellent simple one course meal.

It would not work at all with the bhuna, and we didn't even try it that way.  Maybe we should have.  Next time . . .

The Mix Tandoori Grill had six pieces of Chicken Tikka (the pinkish pieces that look like salmon), shrimp, a sekh kabob (minced meat with spices prepared on a skewer) and lamb seakwa.  This was okay, but only okay, as it seemed a little dry.  And it was definitely suffering in comparison to the bhuna.  It did, however, have some actual greens as a side.  Anyway, it was a way to try a variety of meats and, having done so, no real need to order them again, especially given that there are many more interesting things on the menu.

Finally, this is the Mango Lassi.  In the interest of full disclosure, it does not actually glow like this.  Rather, it happened to be getting the last of the sun, and Umami had the wrong white setting on his camera.  So a fortunate accident.

Overall, it was a fun (and filling!) dinner.  Trish reported that she "plopped down on the rocking chair as soon as I got home, & haven't moved!  :o  Not watching tv, just sitting. :*)"  Lol, a fine night! >=)





Himalayan Kitchen 

1137 11th Ave (2nd Floor)
Honolulu, HI 96816

(808) 735-1122

www.himalayankitchen.net

Umami on the Prowl: Catania Ristorante Italiano

One would suppose, with such a grand name, that Catania Ristorante Italiano could be a fussy, pretentious eatery.  Fortunately for Umami, it's the diametric opposite.  Catania is a small, mostly take-out operation in the Remington College Building, the same place that houses Fooda Deli and Aloha Island Grill (among other restaurants).


They do a nice Italian food lunch for around $7-10.  It's not cheap, but it is competitive with other options in the area considering the quality of the food.


This, however, is the mini salad for $5.  Basically, there are always seven or so varying salad choices, like Tomato/Tofu, Couscous, Corn, Beets (Ms. D really likes the beets), Pasta, etc.  For $7.50 or so, you can get the large salad with any combination of the salads.  But $5 for the small is a good lunch.


In this case, Umami opted for the Chicken Curry Salad and the Pea Salad.  The Chicken Curry has a nice curry flavor without being overpowering, with diced chicken, carrots, and raisins (which give a shot of sweetness to the salad).  It would actually make a great sandwich, so an interesting lunch option might be to get an order of the salad, bring a loaf of bread, and just make sandwiches.  If you go Wednesday, they usually have a good tuna salad, so one could have a sandwich buffet!  But Umami digresses . . . 


A further digression . . . Umami doesn't really care for peas, so it says something that he opted for the Pea Salad over others (such as the Pasta Salad would make a pretty substantial lunch paired with the Chicken Curry Salad).  But Umami felt the need for some greens and the Pea Salad is nice and crunchy, not squishy, and, let's admit it . . . there's bacon in the salad!  Umami can forgive a lot of peas for the occasional bacon bit!


Overall, a good option if Umami wants to be good and eat a salad (but not too good!).


Catania Ristorante Italiano

1111 Bishop Street (Remington College Building Promenade)Honolulu, HI 96813-2875(808) 528-4588

Mango Show: No Luck

Sometimes a painting just doesn't work out and this might be one of them.  I think the composition issues of the mango being too close to the center may have been too much.  It's a little wet right now, though, and the paint will change as it dries, so maybe it will do something interesting tonight and look better tomorrow.

Regardless, we'll keep our commitments and submit it tomorrow anyway.  I hope it least has the virtue of looking unlike anything else.

So for now, no pic, it needs to dry and then needs a frame slapped on it.  It will be interesting to see it hanging and in the context of the show.  Will definitely take pics of that! 

Mango Show Update 4

Tomorrow is work-turn-in day for the Mango Show and Umami is still woefully not ready.  Did finally get the mango in place, but the whole concept of some oranges and yellows on the left was not working out, resulting in the large dark blue blotch on that side.  There is still some of the color under there, but very much submerged now.   The compositional issue now is that the left side is not really there and needs to brought out, probably with washes of whites and blues.  Running out of time, though, so we'll see what happens . . . regardless, it will have to be done tomorrow.