Stroll on Over to Kaimuki
3660 on the Rise
3660 on the Rise anchors one end of Kaimuki’s Waialae Avenue, both literally and figuratively. Open for almost 20 years, it's an institution among Honolulu’s fine dining restaurants. Their signature dish, Ahi Katsu, is wrapped in nori and quickly deep-fried for a crispy shell and rare ahi.
3660 on the Rise
3660 on the Rise anchors one end of Kaimuki’s Waialae Avenue, both literally and figuratively. Open for almost 20 years, it's an institution among Honolulu’s fine dining restaurants. Their signature dish, Ahi Katsu, is wrapped in nori and quickly deep-fried for a crispy shell and rare ahi.
Crack Seed Store
This store is one of Kaimuki’s oldest businesses, open for over 60 years. Old Hawaii is captured in the glass jars cramming every shelf. While talking story in this little shop, we get a slice of the neighborhood: high school students let out from school to young professionals slipping out of the office for a snack to old ladies taking a stroll around the block, all stopping by for a treat.
We spend quite a bit of time hemming and hawing over our decisions. Sweet, sour, salty or baby li hing? Pickled mango, dry mango or wet li hing mango? We get samples of them all, but it just makes the final decision harder.
12th Ave Grill
12th Ave Grill serves up contemporary American food, which includes luxuries like Crispy Skin Kona Kampachi with a Tomato-Fennel Ragout alongside comfort foods like Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Locally sourced ingredients like Big Island beef find their way into the ever popular Kim Chee Steak (above), which is lightly marinated in Korean spices and served with baby bok choy and pickled cucumbers and bell peppers. The menu changes frequently, based on what's available in the markets, so if our favorites aren't always available, we're sure to find new ones.
Ka Lei Marketplace
Ka Lei is the place to get fresh island eggs, in various sizes from Jumbo to Peewee (barely the size of one's thumb and especially good for deviled egg pupus). An egg run sometimes turns into a trip down memory lane, back to the days of KC Drive Inn, when the waffle iron at Ka Lei is fired up and the smell of KC Original Waffle Hot Dogs permeates the air.
Cafe Laufer
Cafe Laufer serves soups, salads and sandwiches, but the desserts paired with some of the best coffee in town are the main draw here. Airy cream puffs filled with pastry cream and fresh whipped cream tilt their tops rakishly, daring us to resist.
Cafe Laufer is known for their European-style desserts with Asian sensibilities, which often means less sweet and less heavy desserts. Their peach cake is a classic example: fluffy, moist cake is layered with whipped cream, peaches and a light, smooth custard.
But that doesn't mean Cafe Laufer doesn't do decadence. This caramelized almond chocolate tart combines a rich caramel with dark chocolate on a buttery crust.
Tamura's Fine Wine & Liquors
Everyone in the neighborhood knows to come to Tamura's for their excellent wine selection. But unique, only-in-Hawaii specialty foods are also scattered throughout the refrigerated cases. Fresh local produce such as Nalo greens and Ho Farms tomatoes sit on shelves next to Taro Delight's smoked taro dips and Pacifikool's Hawaiian Ginger Syrup.
With six-packs in hand, many customers head to the poke counter in the back for the perfect beer pairing. Ahi poke, made with fresh ahi and prepared daily, is mixed with various seasonings and ingredients such as limu, jalapenos, inamona (roasted and ground kukui nut) or a spicy mayo sauce.
Tamura's tako poke is also popular, as evidenced by the pounds of octopus employees find themselves chopping throughout the day.
JJ Bistro and French Pastry
JJ's signature chocolate pyramid even comes in a "souvenir" size—a tiny pyramid the size of quarter. Most people, though, indulge in the regular-sized version while sitting in JJ's cheerfully colored environs. It's only after dessert, that they then dig into JJ's French-Laotion fare.
Town
This little patch of green on Waialae Avenue is town restaurant's herb garden. Thyme, rosemary and basil give way to squash flowers, cardoons (a bitter plant that tastes of celery and artichoke when braised) and even a small fig tree. As one might expect of a restaurant with a herb garden (and worm compost bin in the back), town emphasizes local and sustainably raised ingredients, a philosophy echoed in its motto: "Local first, organic whenever possible, and with Aloha always."
