Aloha, everyone!
We’ll be performing at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki poolside tonight. It’ll be a first for both the hotel and us and the start of what could turn out to be another viable venue for live entertainment in Waikiki. I applaud Hyatt for their efforts, but this will be no easy task – it will require long-term commitments in both time and expense, precious commodities in this tough economy. Kani Ka Pila Grille @ the Outrigger Reef is a shining example of what can happen if done right, having built a solid reputation as a place for great island entertainment 7 days a week. It probably took them a couple of years, but with solid management support it’s now one of the premier entertainment spots in Waikiki. The Ilikai Bar & Grill is another up and coming venue that is trying to have that same consistency. I hope they all succeed because we need more live entertainment venues like back in the old days …
We were invited to the KZOO satellite station located in Shirokiya on the mall level of the Ala Moana Center to do an interview yesterday afternoon. The studio is completely enclosed in glass so people can stop and watch what’s going on … I now know what an animal in a pet store feels like as people stared, pointed, whispered, and took photos. The only thing missing was the window tag listing our species and price! Hahaha!  Anyway, it was so nice to see the KZOO staff again and I want to thank them all for being so supportive of ManoaDNA and IOLANI … mahalo, ladies!
And wouldn’t you know it .. I finally had to put my beloved Apple 3G cell phone to sleep permanently yesterday. It had been acting weird lately, especially after I dropped it (again!) a couple of months ago and it sort of fell apart. Started doing some really weird stuff and would suddenly go into Restore mode right in the middle of a call or app. So after we finished our radio interview, I walked over to the Apple store and upgraded my phone (especially since it was cheaper to buy a new one than trying to repair the old one!). I was hoping to hold out for the new 5 series which is supposed to come out next year, but my old phone was really on its last legs … so now I’m the proud owner of a new white Apple 4S! Now, if I can only keep from dropping it …
Stopped off at Curry House in the Food Court to pick up some dinner before heading home – a couple of chicken katsu curry plates and one with shrimp & mahi tempura – and boy, was it a big mistake! Although the sauce & rice were ok (it’s hard to mess that stuff up) the chicken filets and shrimp were small and heavily breaded. But worst of all was the so-called “mahi”. The consistency was that of a pork sausage patty … the fish (I think) was mashed up, formed into a patty, and deep-fried. Really gross stuff!! Oh well, that’s one more restaurant to take off my list of favorite places to eat …
Aloha, “D”
Mahalo MDNA for your continued support of Kani Ka Pila at Outrigger Reef. You are one of our charter entertainers and helped us establish a live Hawn music venue in Waikiki. Waikiki never sounded so good!
It is we who should be thanking you guys for giving us the opportunity to play at this great venue! You, Luana, and the rest of the Outrigger team have done an awesome job of making KKPG a great success! I’m only sorry that our crazy travel schedule has prevented us from appearing there on a more consistent basis, but things should start settling down in 2012 (I hope!).