Breakfast at Longhi’s

I’ve been feeling better and have a little more energy these days. To indulge my craving for waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream this past weekend, Hubby and I headed out to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Longhi’s.

I ended up ordering French Toast with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. (Oops, I have my blood sugar test coming up this week. So guilty, but so good…)

And Hubby ordered a Mushroom, Swiss and Sausage Omelette served with toasted baguette.

Plus a side order of Home Fries with Mozzarella Cheese on top.

Honolulu was blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather over the Memorial Day weekend and the open air dining room with its gorgeous views made Longhi’s the perfect place to start off our day. They’re also one of the few places that serves REAL whipped cream and REAL maple syrup with their pancakes and waffles. Important details that make all the difference!

MENU: View the menu on their website.

Longhi’s Ala Moana
Ala Moana Shopping Center, Makai side of Banana Republic
1450 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 3001
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.947.9899

Breakfast: Mon-Fri 8:00a-10:45a, Sat & Sun 7:45a
Lunch: 11:00a-5:00p
Dinner: 5:00-10:00p

Today’s Breakfast

My favorite egg+bread combination in the whole wide world: sunny side toast. Simply create a border around the edge of the bread with mayonnaise (it has to be Japanese mayo in a tube so you can squeeze out the border), crack an egg, salt and pepper, and pop in the toaster oven or oven for 10-15 minutes.

I’m off to the airport now to pick up my mom and her sister who are flying in from Japan for a week long visit. So excited!

Maui Eats – Gannon’s Restaurant

Hubby and I flew to Maui this past weekend to spend the day with my father-in-law (FIL). We took an early morning flight and kicked off our day with an early birthday breakfast for FIL at Gannon’s Restaurant in Wailea. Gannon’s is the namesake and one of three restaurants owned by acclaimed chef Bev Gannon, one of the founders of Hawaii regional cuisine. Located inside hillside Wailea Golf Club, the restaurant has million dollar views of Molokini and Kahoolawe across the ocean. The gorgeous views from the open air terrace immediately put us in vacation mode for the day.

FIL ordered a Greek Omelette ($11.00) filled with spinach, feta cheese and kalamata olives and comes with roasted potatoes and choice of toast.

Gannon's - Greek Omelette ($11.00)

I ordered the Crab Cakes Egg Benedict ($14.00) and shared it half half with FIL’s omelette.

Gannon's - Crab Benedict ($14.00)

Hubby had the Loco Moco ($12.50) but got his eggs scrambled instead of sunny side up.

Gannon's - Loco Moco ($12.50)

The food for breakfast is pretty standard stuff, but the prices are reasonable and the view is so luxurious that I would recommend it for anyone vacationing on Maui. With a big beautiful full bar, they’re also open for lunch and dinner and FIL says that their happy hour deals are awesome.

MENU: Click here to view the menu on their website.

Gannon’s
100 Wailea Golf Club Drive
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808.875.8080
Mon-Fri: Breakfast & Lunch 10:00a-3:00p
Sat & Sun: Breakfast 8:00a-3:00p, Lunch 10:00a-3:00p
Daily: Happy Hour 3:00-7:00p, Dinner 5:30-9:30p

Brunch at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse

Did you know they serve brunch at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse? I met up with some friends this morning for a very filling Sunday brunch. They also have their regular lunch menu too but the brunch menu is reasonably priced and filled with classic brunch favorites with a steakhouse twist like oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, eggs benedict with filet mignon, waffles, mimosas, and bellinis.  

Here’s the bread basket and my portion of the Tropical Summer Salad ($12.95) from the summer special menu, filled with colorful pieces of strawberry and mango. 

 

Wolfgang's - Tropical Salad ($12.95)

Wolfgang’s version of Eggs Benedict ($12.00) with filet mignon instead of Canadian bacon. By the way, all brunch items are served with a side of German potatoes. 

Wolfgang's - Eggs Benedict ($12.00)

Rigatoni Bolognese ($16.00) with a super chunky meat sauce and big scoop of ricotta cheese. 

Wolfgang's - Rigatoni ($16.00)

Dry Aged Sirloin Steak and Eggs ($24.00). 

Wolfgang's - Steak and Eggs ($24.00)

Such a decadent way to start off my Sunday. After a meal like this, there’s only one thing to do: take a nap… Zzz… 

MENU: Read about happy hour at Wolfgang’s on a previous post here and view the menu on my original post here. 

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
(Located on the third level of Royal Hawaiian Center)
Level 3, Building C
2201 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
808.922.3600
Currently 3 hrs free parking with dining validation 

Sun-Thu 11:00a-10:30p
Fri-Sat 11:00a-11:30p

Today’s Breakfast

Strawberries, a little smoked Gouda cheese, and delicious butter croissants from Ba-le Bakery.

Sunday Morning …

I treated myself to breakfast from McDonald’s. They now have a Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes ($4.99) which includes hash brown, biscuit, eggs, sausage, and hot cakes. I had mine with a small decaf coffee ($1.29).

McDonald's - Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes ($4.99) and Small Coffee ($1.29)

Although I don’t blog about it, McDonald’s is probably the restaurant I go to the most in terms of frequency. I love their french fries, soft serve ice cream cone, and sausage McMuffins. They just do it right, all the time. When my husband and I are in the mood for a treat, our little indulgence is 2 ice cream cones at the drive through at night. Sometimes we splurge and add on 2 apple pies…

Hotel Breakfast

As mentioned, we spent our anniversary weekend in Waikiki, at the Waikiki Parc Hotel. It’s a fairly compact, “urban” hotel with no restaurants (Nobu is located inside the hotel, but is operated independently), but they do offer 24-hour room service and Parc AM, a nice breakfast service utilizing the dining room of Nobu.

We enjoyed breakfast both mornings at Parc AM.

Breakfast starts off with fresh fruit, yogurt, and a yummy Kona coffee muffin.

Scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage and breakfast potatoes for my husband…

… and Eggs Florentine: poached eggs on top of sauteed spinach, tomato and grilled pineapple with hollandaise sauce for me. I LOVE hollandaise sauce. Have you ever tried making it at home? The recipe calls for butter, butter, and more butter - no wonder it’s so good.

Whenever I travel, I’m a big fan of hotels that offer complimentary breakfast, or breakfast-inclusive packages. That way, you don’t have to rush to get ready and out the door in the mornings. There’s something very relaxing about taking a short elevator ride down to breakfast. Most hotels nowadays also offer complimentary coffee in to-go cups (as does the Waikiki Parc), which saves you a trip to Starbucks!

Breakfast at Big City Diner

This week we received the joyful news that my girlfriend gave birth to her first baby girl! The girls and I quickly scheduled a visit to the hospital to meet the little one. But since visiting hours at the hospital started at 11:00am, we decided to head to breakfast at Big City Diner first.

I like to come here for breakfast for one thing only: Grandma’s Kimchee Fried Rice with Eggs ($8.99). I was disappointed to see they scaled back on the portion size (it used to be twice this size – no kidding), but it’s still the same great flavor, filled with more “stuff” than rice, and topped off with a little kimchee. I think they use some brown rice too, which adds a nice texture.

Big City Diner - Kimchee Fried Rice ($8.99)

But I was also in the mood for some pancakes, so I ordered the Big Pancake Sandwich ($7.99) and split this and the kimchee fried rice with my friend. 2 Large pancakes are served with 2 eggs, 2 sausage, and 2 bacon.

Big City Diner - Pancake Sandwich ($7.99)

My other friend had the same thing too, but with scrambled eggs instead.

Big City Diner - Pancake Sandwich ($7.99)

All in all, the food is good, but this is not my top choice for breakfast for several reasons. One, the pancakes are not as good as Wailana’s. Two, for the price, they offer nothing out of the ordinary. If I’m paying $8-9 for breakfast, I’d rather go to IHOP where they have all kinds of pancakes, crepes and stuffed french toasts. So I guess to summarize, here are my top breakfast choices broken out by price range:

• Under $5: McDonald’s!
• Under $6: Wailana’s
• $7-10: IHOP
• Over $10: Somewhere with a view like Plumeria Beach House,  Orchids, or Longhi’s.

But, for that occasional craving for kimchee fried rice, only Big City Diner will do. Good thing it’s available during lunch and dinner too. The restaurant is also very family friendly, with large comfortable dining booths and a special keiki menu.  

By the way, we “aunties” had a blast visiting our friend’s new baby. Born on July 4th, she entered the world with a firework show in her honor. Congratulations to the new mommy and daddy!

OVERALL: OK
PRICE RANGE: $6.99-$10.99. Visit their website here to view the entire menu.
MY BILL: $14.00
RETURNING?: Probably

Big City Diner
(5 Locations on Oahu including):
Ward Entertainment Center
1060 Auahi Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.591.8891
Sun-Thu 7:00a-10:00p
Fri&Sat 7:00a-12:00a

Breakfast for One

On a regular day, I’m usually in such a hurry to get out the door in the morning that breakfast is usually a cheese sandwich at my desk at work. That’s why I really appreciate being able to take time to enjoy a good breakfast on my day off. I use this time to plan out my day.

On my plate this morning is a toasted English muffin with a poached egg and arabiki sausage, tomato salad with homegrown arugula (with my homemade garlic basil vinaigrette), and fresh blueberries.

What a beautiful day! Now I’m off to do laundry and run errands…

Best Deals – Breakfast at Wailana Coffee House

Did I mention how much I love breakfast? Some of my favorite breakfast places include IHOP, McDonald’s, Longhi’s, Orchids at Halekulani, Plumeria Beach House at the Kahala Resort, and Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, depending on my mood. But the best breakfast  deal in town can be found at Wailana Coffee House.

The Breakfast Special includes All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes, 2 Eggs and 2 Strips of Bacon for just $5.75! And you can order it 24 hours a day.

The pancakes are so buttery and yummy and are served with Traditional, Coconut, and Boysenberry Syrups (or Sugar Free for me). They come in stacks of 2 and you can have as many as you want.

 

I take my eggs over easy and I like to pop the entire yolk in my mouth.

Wailana's - Breakfast Special ($5.75)

I only come here for breakfast, but there are other items on the menu (your typical local coffee house/diner eats like burgers and saimin at average prices) and as I was studying the menu I spied $3.25 Mai Tais and $5.50 Strawberry Daiquiris – possibly the best cocktail deals in Waikiki.

OVERALL: GOOD for breakfast
PRICE RANGE: $5.75 and up for breakfast, $6.95-$9.10 for burgers and sandwiches, $9.50-$13.95 for hot entrees
MY BILL: $16.98 for two
RETURNING?: Yes

Wailana Coffee House and Lounge
(Located on the corner of Ala Moana Blvd. and Kalia Road, across from Hilton Hawaiian Village)
1860 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96815
808.955.1764
7 Days a week, 24 hrs a day