Tag Archive | Italian Food

Universal Studios Florida

Only one day at Universal but that’s all I really needed, just wanted to check out Harry Potter there. Walt Disney required masking indoors but Universal didn’t require masks ANYWHERE. Yeah. I kept my mask on the whole time yet again. Better be safe than sorry!

Louie’s Italian Restaurant Jumbo Supreme Slice | $13.49
mozzarella, italian sausage, pepperoni, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, herbs, house made dough

Surprisingly really good. And it had a bit of a kick to it too so even better. Yes, pricey for one slice of pizza but I love supreme pizza. Also, when is Costco gonna bring back their combo pizza?!

Louie’s Italian Restaurant Spaghetti & Meatballs | $9.99

This was good, not great but not bad. It just hit the spot and I love meatballs. Was satisfying enough.

Frozen Butterbeer | $7.99
a non-alcoholic sweet drink reminiscent of shortbread and butterscotch

Always gotta get this drink when you’re here. To me it’s like a frozen root beer, not really my thing. I tried the hot version in Japan when it was cold weather and that was nice to sip on.

The train ride from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade is pretty cool! The windows are all covered by video scenes so you feel like you’re riding your way to Hogwarts, complete with dementors! Super cool.

Angelo Pietro – Honolulu, HI

I had a hankering for some fusion pasta this week so you know where you gotta go, Angelo Pietro! I made my reservation pretty early in the week and then realized it was on the Saturday of graduation weekend. Good thing I made it early, I think they were pretty booked solid that night. I don’t come here often but boy was service…fast. I don’t mean that in a good way this time. The waiter couldn’t be bothered with us (it was only two of us). They have a happy hour special from 4-6pm for their appetizers, $6! The way it’s listed on the menu, it says, “Raw Potato Salad, Mozzarella Sticks, Calamari Rings” – all in a single line! Makes it look like you get all three. No, it’s $6 each. This is on their temporary paper menu, I think the way they show it on their regular menu is much more clear. Anyway, when I tried to order it (the number 6), the waiter cuts me off and says they don’t have that. Umm…I’m pointing at the menu and look perplexed. He sees what I’m pointing at and says oh, okay yes we have that. Okay like, guys, no other menu items have numbers on it so I don’t know what they don’t have.

Anyway, we got the raw potato salad within 5 minutes of ordering. The pastas we ordered came out 5 minutes after that. We literally got all our food 10 minutes after sitting. Fast is usually good but this was a bit too fast…we barely even ate our salad. Anyway, our waiter was kind of curt in his responses which did not make me want to stay anyway. So how was the food?

Raw Potato Salad | $6.00 (HH Price), $8.95 (Regular)

We picked sesame miso as the dressing. It was very hard to mix the oil into the dressing in those small little containers. I think I should have ordered something fried like the calamari (always with the regrets)

Takana & Bacon Pasta | $17.95
pickled mustard cabbage and bacon in a shoyu sauce topped with nori

Not my dish but I was intrigued by this dish too since I really like pickled mustard cabbage. Not that this dish was junk but it just wasn’t what was expected. The diner expected more of a sweet and sour taste to the takana but it didn’t offer that. The bacon is also not cooked crispy so that was a lowlight in the dish too.

Pork Eryngii Spicy Cream Sauce | $19.95
eryngii mushroom, onions and spicy pork in a garlic cream sauce topped with fried onions & garlic chips

This is my go to past dish here. It’s really good and is actually kind of spicy so that’s my warning to you. It was good! I always enjoy it and it certainly hit the spot for me. Is it worth $20…hard for me to say. Since it’s so delicious and the portion is good, I would say yes!

Romano’s Macaroni Grill – Honolulu, HI

Remember the scathing Olive Garden post I wrote a few weeks back? Well, I am back to write on Romano’s Macaroni Grill which I believe is the superior choice if you find yourself at Ala Moana with a hankering for pasta. If you find yourself standing in front of Olive Garden, turn yourself around and head towards Macaroni Grill.

Mom’s Ricotta Meatballs + Spaghetti | $21.00 (Bolognese Sauce)
house-made beef, veal, pork + ricotta meatballs, romano, spaghetti

Pollo Caprese | $20.00
grilled chicken breast, fresh mozzarella, imported pomodorina, pasta

I’ve discussed this little health journey I’m on and while I still go out and eat…I do try to be a little more healthful in my choices (though you will be seeing my dessert picture very soon). I was intrigued by this dish because the description sounds pretty dang good to me and came in only at 448 calories (compared to the 1000 plus for other pasta dishes). Can I just say something? It was delicious! I didn’t know it would come with this nice little arugula salad on the side and I chomped that right up which actually filled me up so I could take home a lot of the chicken and pasta. The chicken breast was nice and tender (thankfully not dry) and the pasta was flavorful…it was like an angel hair pasta. Delicious!

New York Style Cheesecake | $8.95
shortbread crust, fresh strawberries

Lemon Passion | $7.95
citrus cake, lemon curd, fresh whipped cream

Yeah, I ate the healthier pasta and then ended with dessert. Live your best life okay. Haha, I think I’ve talked about this dessert before. It’s just a super moist lemon cake…and gosh I just love lemon desserts. Sometimes, lemon desserts can be almost acidic to the point of a metallic-y taste. I don’t like that. I like this, just a nice smooth lemon taste. The cake is like practically sopping wet from being so moist. If you like lemon, you’d like this dessert!

Olive Garden – Honolulu, HI

Yes, Hawaii finally got their own Olive Garden and I don’t know what the big whoop is. Never have. I’ve tried Olive Garden on a few trips in the mainland and just never understood the appeal. I don’t know how the lines are now, but if you know Hawaii…Olive Garden is located in Ala Moana where the old Bubba Gump’s was. Now if you can imagine that, imagine the line going from the restaurant all the way down to Macy’s. It was that busy when they first opened! In a pandemic no less.

Anyway, we decided to do a take-out order which they actually made pretty easy to do. They have a separate door/entrance for take-out orders specifically. No online ordering so I just went in to order, they are so busy that they can hardly answer the phones anyway. I placed my order and was told the food would be ready in 30 minutes. Great, I knew it would take a bit of time so I headed over to Target for some browsing.

So how was the food? To me? Blah and overpriced! The amount they charged for a regular fettucine alfredo is outrageous. But…I have a few family members who have never tried Olive Garden before so we had to give it at least one go. Here goes…

Calamari | $12.99
lightly breaded and fried. served with marinara and spicy ranch

Calamari was good, hard to screw up this dish. Would I order this again? Yes.

Fettuccine Alfredo | $17.99 (!)
our signature sauce is made every morning. served over fettuccine

Ugh, I can’t bear to look at that price. Can you believe a dish of plain fettucine alfredo costs that much? I mean, alfredo is actually so easy to make at home too! We actually decided to get this cheaper dish and cook up some steak to top it at home. Thumbs down.

Lasagna Classico | $20.99 (!)
layers of pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, pecorino romano and our homemade meat sauce

That piece of lasagna before your eyes is $21. Is it worth it? Well, I just went Sam’s Club last night and bought a family sized pan for $15 so I say no.

Chicken Alfredo | $22.99
sliced grilled chicken and our signature alfredo sauce over fettuccine

Okay at least this dish has a bit more stuff to it. But $4 bucks for some grilled chicken breast on top? You’re killing me smalls. It was enjoyed so I guess that counts for something.

Shrimp Scampi | $22.99
shrimp sautéed in a garlic sauce, tossed with asparagus, tomatoes and angel hair

Okay this was my dish, I wanted to go just a bit healthier even though it’s pasta. I like when menus tell you the calorie count with the items. Yes, I have become one of those people. Was it good? Sure, it was! The portion is a bit puny and I don’t know if you can tell but get a few of those asparagus thick stalks (the ones you supposed to snap off and throw out).

So each entrée does come with either a soup or salad. The salad I think is a better deal, the soup was just alright. They are also supposed to give you free breadsticks. I don’t know how you are with take-out orders but I always try to check everything before I leave because they often times mess up. Well this time, they forgot one our soups so I asked for it. They brought it out and also brought out the breadsticks. So…they forgot the soup and the breadsticks! It’s alright, I got all my food in the end and paid a hefty price tag for it. Would I return? Probably not anytime soon. I would suggest Romano Macaroni Grill across the way if you are at the mall and hankering for some Italian.

Mixed Plate

Gotta have posts like this here and there, I don’t always fully capture my meal so you will have to get it in bits and pieces. 🙂

Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Mama’s Trio | $25.95
chicken parmesan, lasagna bolognese, fettuccine alfredo

Is Mama trying to kill you? Yes, I think so. This wasn’t my dish but look at this…hefty portions of hefty dishes. It was not finished, had to be packed up to take home. No waste!

Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Shrimp Scampi | $24.95
sauteed jumbo shrimp, capellini, garlic, rosemary butter, roma tomatoes

Yeah, I had the shrimp scampi again. So wot? Like fight? Nah, getting it a second time means it was good ah? Was good.

Little Sheep Hot Pot
Half & Half Pot | Original & Spicy

I can’t say I was super impressed when they first opened, I was still a huge fan of Sweet Home Cafe. Well sorry to say, well not really sorry, but I basically only go to Little Sheep now. Love their sauce bar and now they have all you can eat deals for lunch and dinner. Service is hit or miss (you better be willing to flag anyone and everyone down to help you). Delish!

Ja Gal Chi Restaurant
Bossam | $30.99
steamed pork with oysters

Gosh, can anyone help me? There used to be the most bomb bossam restaurant by Ala Moana, it was located where Dowon Chinese Restaurant is now. They specialized in Bossam and it was soo good but alas, like most businesses, the owners decided to retire and they closed for good.

Anyway, I don’t think a lot of Korean restaurants offer this but Ja Gal Chi does and boy oh boy was it a treat. I mean look at it, of course it was a treat. They give you kimchee and the little salted shrimp sauce too. It’s just heaven.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Honolulu, HI

My first visit to Romano’s Macaroni Grill was years ago when they were a fairly new restaurant. I didn’t have a great experience so I haven’t returned for all these years. Well, I had a recent visit and was pleasantly surprised by my experience. Maybe it’s because I’m older now but I enjoyed the food and thought their menu was of pretty good value! I’m looking forward to my next visit.

White Peach Sangria | $9.75
romano’s bianco white wine, peach puree, sparkling white wine

Good drink! Not great but not bad, worth another order!

Spicy Ricotta Meatballs | $10.00
house-made beef, veal, pork + ricotta meatballs, caramelized onions, red chile, arrabbiata.

One of my few complaints? No complimentary bread! You can order bread but shoot, why would I want to do that?? Man some nice crusty bread would have been great with these meatballs, they were delish!

Lobster Ravioli | $24.95
lobster-filled fresh pasta, roma tomatoes, asparagus, lemon butter, shrimp
Shrimp Scampi | $24.95
sauteed jumbo shrimp, capellini, garlic, rosemary butter, roma tomatoes

Can’t comment too much on the lobster ravioli since this shrimp scampi was mine. How was it? How can you go wrong with copious amounts of garlic, butter, cheese and shrimp? It was delicious. Very rich. I don’t do so hot with rich foods anymore but am willing to risk it!

New York Style Cheesecake | $8.95
shortbread crust, fresh strawberries
Lemon Passion | $7.95
citrus cake, lemon curd, whipped cream

My dessert! I loved this dish. Looks super rich but the citrus really cuts through the richness. And when they say citrus cake, they mean it. The cake is like sopping wet, lol. It’s okay, I don’t mind an (extremely) moist cake. Love lemon curd, love the caramel sauce surrounding the cake. I would definitely order this again!

Arancino at the Kahala – Kahala, HI

I got treated to a wonderful lunch course at Arancino for my birthday. A belated birthday celebration and it was very nice, a bit awkward when they brought out the birthday dessert (my birthday was in August, lol) but it was nice that they asked if we were celebrating anything! I think the lunch course is a pretty good deal, I heard dinner is pretty pricey. Well, you are paying for their rent at a high end hotel! If you want to try them for dinner, you should try their other locations. Let’s take a look at their lunch course though!

Fresco Hawaiiano | $6.00
hawaiian pineapple juice, blood orange, soda

What a wonderful and refreshing drink. I don’t care much for alcohol in general so I appreciate a good variety in non-alcoholic drinks.

Complimentary Bread

Rosemary bread! Isn’t it the cutest? They serve you olive oil with the bread but you can ask for balsamic vinegar and even butter, free of charge!

Bagna Cauda | $17.00
fresh vegetable crudites, warm anchovy garlic dip

Well, doesn’t this look…appetizing? LOL, where do I begin? The anchovy garlic dip is warmed by a tea light candle. The veggies are delicious, anything dipped in garlic is good. So the “soil” is not edible, I don’t know why I was hoping it was like sauteed mushrooms or something. It’s just…rocks.

Tartare di Mare | $21.00
fresh ahi, kona kampachi, avocado tartare, tobiko

Okay, I’m a little silly. We had a wonderful server by the way, he was very nice and respectful and attentive! I had to giggle to myself when he described the dish…at the avocado tartare part. I mean, I guess to me avocado is always tartare. This was a delicious appetizer! I would get it again.

Spaghetti con Tobiko e Calamari | $22.00
flying fish roe, calamari, garlic olive oil sauce

They are known for their uni pasta and I actually usually get it. Unfortunately, uni pasta can be quite rich and my tummy can’t take it well anymore. If you get the uni pasta as part of the three course meal, you have to add $8.00.

So how was this dish? It was good! The calamari was nice and soft and I loved crunching on the black tobiko. I enjoyed it!

Pizza Funghi e Tartufo | $27.00
eryngii, shimeji, maitake, mozzarella, gorgonzola, marscapone, parmigiano reggiano, white truffle oil

Okay, I know I should have enjoyed this. This is a seasonal pizza and includes so much mushrooms and cheeses! For me, it was lacking a little something. Possibly spice? Just very bland to me and I could hardly taste the truffle oil. They do offer red pepper flakes if you want it…

Bonet | $12.00
chocolate & amaretti custard, caramel, amaretto disaronno, house made whipped cream

Isn’t this dessert beautiful? Well it tasted great too! Sinfully rich and chocolate-ly, you can’t go wrong. I would recommend this dessert!

Complimentary Birthday Dessert

The secret’s out, my name really is Jenny, not just maybe. Ah well, I’ll keep this domain anyway. Isn’t this the cutest? Thankfully they bring it out but don’t make all their staff members sing to you. Whew. I didn’t realize they sprinkle silver flakes all over the plate and I went a little overzealous blowing out the candle. My apologies for the mess.

I don’t know the name of this dessert but it was a very nice meringue/baked baked alaskan pie type dessert. There was a nice chocolate cake within the meringue. Delish!

Do you see all the prices with the dishes? That’s ala carte prices, these dishes are actually included as part of a three course special lunch (appetizer, entree, dessert) for $43 each person. That’s a good deal considering the prices of these dishes individually!

Yellow Cab Pizza Co. – Kalihi, HI

Funny story time! Sort of. Don’t get your hopes too high. Okay so Yellow Cab Pizza Co. is located in the Costco Iwilei parking lot and we know how nuts Costco is…all the time. So Labor Day comes along and Costco is closed, yes! I decided this was the perfect chance to drive to Yellow Cab and see if they are open…gonna have choke parking.

I was right. Well first of all, everyone stopped knowing how to use their phones because so many cars are zooming in and out because they don’t know Costco is closed. So anyway, I parked my car near Yellow Cab and noticed staffers and the lights on inside. Then I see from my car that their open/closed sign says closed! Oh no! We go to the door and they have a paper sign that shares their Labor Day hours, they were open! Mind you, they were “open” from 10:30 am and I was there at about 2:30 pm (yes, late lunch). So I open the door and walk to the front counter and ask the young worker, are you folks open? He says yes and I told him, your sign says closed. He is completely surprised and runs out immediately to turn the sign around.

Let’s think about this a little bit. It took them 4 hours to realize their sign said closed, and yes I was the only customer in there. I just think about how many customers they lost that day because get plenty people driving through the lot seeing the closed sign along with a closed Costco and just driving away! *facepalm* Anyway, after I order and am waiting for my food, a huge group of tourists come in to order. I don’t want to say I’m a hero, but I’m just gonna say not all heroes wear capes. Okay haha, let’s check out the food!

10″ Manhattan Meatlovers Pizza | $11.95
italian sausage, ham, pepperoni, bacon, ground beef, and salami

Wasn’t my meal but man if you like meat, what meat is missing from this pizza? You would love it!! It was gobbled up.

Charlie Chan Chicken Pasta | $8.95
tender chicken strips, shiitake mushrooms and roasted peanuts sauteed in a spicy oriental sauce garnished with spring onions…uniquely our own!

First off, offended by the name of the pasta. Weren’t the films portrayed by a Caucasian actor? Okay, let’s not go down a rabbit hole. This pasta is very good, I enjoyed it. I should have asked for no peanuts. There were too many nuts. You see a bunch here but there was a whole bunch throughout the pasta too!

Shrimp Alfredo | $10.95
shrimp, black olives, and pasta tossed in a made-to-order creamy alfredo sauce

Not my dish, it was once again enjoyed by the diner. I don’t think it’s worth it for $11, they have a chicken version for $8.95, probably more worth the money.

Garlic Parmesan Wings | $6.95

Oooh, these chicken wings are good! You know, looking at chicken wings on other menus…they are pricey yeah?? I thought this was a pretty good price compared to the other wings places. And it’s delicious! Could really taste the garlic and parmesan seasoning.

Now we turn to the “this stuff can only happen to me” news segment, remember how I told you that the parking lot is EMPTY because Costco is closed? And remember how I told you a big group of tourists came in after us? Check out this picture.

You can’t make this stuff up. My car is the blue one. THEY PARKED THEIR BIG VAN RIGHT NEXT TO MY CAR. IN AN EMPTY LOT. YES, I KNOW THERE IS A CAR A FEW SPOTS DOWN BUT THAT CAR WASN’T THERE EARLIER EITHER. SO WHY OH WHY OF ALL STALLS, DID THIS BIG VAN HAVE TO PARK RIGHT NEXT TO ME.

Okay, sorry for the yelling. I laugh now about it but boy was I peeved when I first saw it! They could have at least left one spot in between us! Plenty people had to jump out of this van!!! Okay guys, have a good Monday, lol.

Mixed Plate

Just a random post with various eats that won’t make a whole post on it’s own. First off, Whole Foods Market, when Jalna shared about the 2/$5 deal! Thanks so much! Now I check my amazon app all the to check the deals. The pizza was pretty good, the garlic and spinach one was mine. Plenty garlic so I liked it a lot!

Ninja Crispy Chicken Bento | $12.49

Chi Chop is located in the Ala Moana Food Court, not great. The fried chicken is seasoned with quite a bit of five spice powder if that’s your thing. I also think it was quite pricey for $13!

Two Combo Plate (Spicy BBQ Chicken & Fish Jun) | $16.50

Korean Hibiscus BBQ! Oh boy, what a deal. A cute and sweet couple run this shop and the portions are generous! The taste was great and do you see? Two pieces of fried mandoo too! I do have to say, MSG galore, I was thirsty all night!

Angelo Pietro – Kaimuki, HI

Angelo Pietro moved to Kaimuki and while they are in a smaller space, the food remains the same! They sell their salad dressings in stores but my friend noticed they no longer sell the ume salad dressing in stores but they still serve it with their salads in the restaurants…so if you’re into ume, give them a visit!

Plantation Iced Tea

Meh, not sweet enough but they do allow you one free refill. Guess which Chinese person took advantage of that?

Pietro Rainbow Salad

This is a great salad, comes with greens, bell peppers, carrots, raw daikon, and raw potato strings. It comes with all four Angelo Pietro dressings!

Spaghetti Sukiyaki Style

Not my dish but I got a taste and it was nice! Definitely tasted like sukiyaki but with a slight buttery finish. Very good!

Pork and Eryngii Spicy Cream Sauce

This is my dish and I love it! I love the deep fried garlic on top..it adds a nice taste and crunch to the dish. My absolute favorite.