sweet nothings - take three

1 - once a year, big island candies bakes up heart shaped versions of their yummy chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookies. 

2 - flowers are a valentine's standby so mix it up and send your sweetie an organic bouquet this year. upcountry protea specializes in the prehistoric bloom grown the way mother nature intended (fyi - valentine order deadline is mon, feb 11th. pick up the phone to score a 10% kama'aina discount).

3 - island grown chocolate is the secret ingredient of sweet paradise chocolatier. indulge your love with a sweet offering of mango mojito and kona cafe mocha truffles and discover why the big island chocolate maker won a blue ribbon at the 2007 kona chocolate festival.

4 - sometimes a simple message says it best à la joie studio's letterpress love note (fyi - these have been selling out so you may need to convo tina to place an order).

the art of lunch

warm goat cheese & nalo green salad * filet mignon sandwich

a museum may not be the first place that pops into your mind when lunchtime rolls around, but the ambiance cannot be beat and more often than not good eats are on the menu. my fella and i stopped by the pavilion café at the academy of arts after wandering through the ossipoff exhibit to sample the contemporary mediterranean menu, and were delighted to find a lovely open air setting overlooking a courtyard with a very zen-like wall of water.

the menu focuses on locally grown ingredients and we eventually settled on the very generous big island goat cheese & nalo green salad (plated with homemade focaccia) and the filet mignon sandwich (which my fella declared to be one of his favorite meals). to top it off, our waiter recommended the chocolate pot de creme, said to be a favorite of café patrons. to sum it up in a few words: dense spoonfuls of chocolatey goodness. yum! and the little artful cup that accompanied dessert was, in all its rustic handmade glory, a lesson in presentation.

dreamy pot de creme

although reservations are recommended, my fella and i were seated without a problem even though the museum was packed with people enjoying the arts during bank of hawaii sunday. since the café is only open for lunch tue through sat (11:30a to 1:30p), it's possible not too many people realize the cafe is open on the third sunday of the month.

and, fyi, the entrance fee is waived for café patrons stopping by to do lunch only.

take a peek at the menu before you go.

farmstand fusion

this last trip home gave me the opportunity to do almost all of my xmas shopping in the islands (no packing up and hauling boxes to the post office or a hefty postage bill - yay for me!). on the flip side, the refrain made most often by my peeps is how difficult it can be to find anything good to gift in hawaii so i was on a mission to prove them wrong and hit the local shopping scene for a little indie gifting in 2007.

one of my favorite things to gift are gourmet treats which are in abundant supply in the islands yet something many folks never splurge on for themselves. the first booth that caught my eye at the honolulu gift fair was maui upcountry jams & jellies with their exotic mix of sweet and savory concoctions that proved hard to resist. the company originally started out as a way to make use of all the fruits growing on their family farm, and, after receiving raves from their 'ohana, other local farmers began approaching the family to turn their harvest into a bounty of breakfast spreads.

the farm fresh offerings have expanded over the years beyond jams and jellies to include syrups, mustards, and chutneys featuring island standards like mango and lilikoi to intriguing nectars made from kula black raspberries, loquats (japanese plums), and poha berries. there's even a li hing mango jam to give your morning toast an old school wake up call (sans the cock-a-doodle-doo of country roosters).

the online shop is stocked with their entire maui made product line, or click over to ali'i kula lavender who partnered with maui upcountry to whip up some of the culinary goodies infused with lavender grown on akl's farm.

petite sweets

fair warning to those who have resolved to eat healthy in the new year: consider yourself advised to skip this post which has the potential to sabotage your plans ever so sweetly. cari from miemiko had tipped me off on the latest cupcakerie to hit the islands last summer, and i am happy to report that i finally had a chance to sample the offerings at cake couture cupcakes during my latest visit home.

pastry chef carmen emerson-bass, known for her elaborate wedding cake designs, is the confectionery mixologist behind the charming aina haina spot where delightful cupcakes are whipped up six days a week in flavors ranging from the traditional (chocolate & vanilla) to the unexpected (chai spice & orange creamsicle).

red velvet * egg nog * peanut butter

the case was almost bare when i stopped by in the late afternoon so plan on arriving earlier in the day if you have your heart set on a particular flavor fix. cupcakes start at $2.50 a pop and an even more gourmet selection (think decadent chocolate ganache, lemon curd filling, etc) will attempt to woo you from the adjoining case.

take a peek at the rotating menu before you go and remember custom cupcake orders are also welcome.

sumo sized fun

if you grew up in hawaii, chances are you caught one of the many sumo tournaments broadcast from the blaisdell to televisions across the islands. i thought of my fella when i first spotted the sumo match salt & pepper set which has a belly magnet that keeps the shakers attached when not in use. the design just makes me giggle.

and, if that's a bit too kitsch, you can still add a little sumo love to your holiday with pop ink papers' chop sumo gift wrap (individual sheets can be found here).