Hawaii Wedding

Affordable Hawaii Weddings | Unmatched expertise performing Weddings in Hawaii since 1978. View Our Wedding Photo Album Celebrating Our 27th Year Hawaiis Premier Wedding Planner Since 1978 Dreams can come true on any budget! Call toll free: Reservations: 1-800-942-4554 Wedding Coordinators: 1-800-552-5675 It is currently 5:02 a.m. HST (Hawaii Standard Time). Weddings of Hawaii CELEBRATING 27 YEARS... HAWAIIS PRIEMER WEDDING PLANNER SINCE 1978. With all your heart you choose your mate. With all of ours, well help you plan the wedding. Stunning locations, state of the art digital photo and video, assuring keepsakes that will be treasured for a lifetime. With over a quarter of a century of experience, Weddings of Hawaii (family owned & operated) can assist with all your plans. Dreams can come true on any budget. Weddings are joyous celebrations, but planning on your own can be stressful. Our family assisting your family will add that expert touch to make your celebration a success. We ARE experts in planning. Helping you select the perfect location, flowers, photographer, videographer, limos, wedding attire, cakes, catering, receptions- large or small, hair and make up, even couples massage. WE ARRANGE EVERYTHING. We are proud to announce our new Weddings of Hawaii Concierge. We can now assist you with ALL your plans. Air, Car, Hotel, Activities, at the best prices possible. No longer do you have to waste a minute of time in paradise, as you can now have your plans in place even before you arrive. Affordable Weddings of Hawaii CALL Toll Free: Reservations: 1-800-942-4554 Wedding Coordinators: 1-800-552-5675 In Hawaii Call: 808-923-4876 Fax: 808-396-0959 7192 Kalanianaole Highway Suite G231 Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 P.O. Box 26475 Honolulu, Oahu, HI 96825 http://www.wedhawaii.com Office Directions | Services | Reputation | Packages | Locations | Flowers | Requirements | Reservation Form | Registry | Contact Us | Links | © 1999-2005 Affordable Weddings of Hawaii & Brad Edwards Designs All rights reserved. This Website designed and maintained by Brad Edwards Designs - Simple Solutions for Your Growing Business SM

Maui snorkeling trip on

Mahana Nai'a Sailing Catamaran Maui Snorkeling Trip Reservation Form Mahana Nai'a Reservations To make a reservation for a Maui snorkeling trip on the Mahana Nai'a Sailing Catamaran, please complete our secure online reservation form below and press the submit button. Reservations received through our online reservation form will receive an emailed confirmation within 48 hours. If you prefer, you may phone in your reservation using our toll free phone number, 866-871-MAUI (866-871-6284). Or, you may print out and complete the form below, then fax it to us at (808) 872-5687 . Please Note our Cancellation Policy* ! Reservation Request Form Name of Party Making Reservation: Daytime Phone Number: Best Time for Us to Call You: 8am-9am 9am-10am 10am-11am 11am-12pm 12am-1pm 1pm-2pm 2pm-3pm 3pm-4pm 4pm-5pm 5pm-6pm 6pm-7pm 7pm-8pm Your Time Zone: EST CST MST PST HST (Hawaii) Home Street Address: Home City: Home State/Province (US and Canada only) : Non US/Canadian Address Alabama (US) Alaska (US) Alberta (Canada) Arizona (US) Arkansas (US) British Columbia (Canada) California (US) Colorado (US) Connecticut (US) Delaware (US) District of Columbia (US) Florida (US) Georgia (US) Hawaii (US) Idaho (US) Illinois (US) Indiana (US) Iowa (US) Kansas (US) Kentucky (US) Louisiana (US) Maine (US) Manitoba (Canada) Maryland (US) Massachusetts (US) Michigan (US) Minnesota (US) Mississippi (US) Missouri (US) Montana (US) Nebraska (US) Nevada (US) New Brunswick (Canada) New Hampshire (US) New Jersey (US) New Mexico (US) New York (US) Newfoundland (Canada) North Carolina (US) North Dakota (US) Northwest Territories (Canada) Nova Scotia (Canada) Nunavut (Canada) Ohio (US) Oklahoma (US) Oregon (US) Ontario (Canada) Pennsylvania (US) Prince Edward Island (Canada) Quebec (Canada) Rhode Island (US) Saskatchewan (Canada) South Carolina (US) South Dakota (US) Tennessee (US) Texas (US) Utah (US) Vermont (US) Virginia (US) Washington (US) West Virginia (US) Wisconsin (US) Wyoming (US) Yukon Territory (Canada) Home Zip Code: Home Country: Email Address: Number of Adult Sailing Guests: @ $84.95 plus tax each Number of Child (age 4-12) Sailing Guests: @ $59.95 plus tax each Number of Child (3 and under) Sailing Guests: No Charge for children 3 and under Information About Your Stay on Maui: Hotel/Condo Name: Date of Maui Hotel Arrival: Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Year: 2005 2006 2007 2008 Date of Maui Hotel Departure: Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Year: 2005 2006 2007 2008 Credit Card Information: Billing Name (as appears on Credit Card): Credit Card Number: Credit Card Expiration Date: Type of Card: Visa Master Charge Expiration Month: Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Expiration Year: 2005 2006 2007 2008 I have read and understand the cancellation policy*: Checked box indicates your agreement *Cancellation Policy: 8 Persons or Less: 72 Hours for Full Refund. Larger Groups: Please Call 866-871-MAUI (866-871-6284) for Cancellation Policy. Press the Submit Reservation Button to Reserve Your Maui Snorkeling Adventures! Privacy Information: Any information you submit through our web site will only be used by South Shore Charters - Mahana Nai'a for the purposes of reserving your Maui snorkeling trip and answering your questions. We DO NOT sell or share your information with anyone! Close Window

Hawaiian Cruise

Hawaii Cruise 1 2-Day Hawaiian Cruise October 3-15, 2005 Aloha Everyone! Hawaii is absolutely beautiful! Our itinerary was as follows: 10/3 Honolulu - Boarded Carnival Spirit 10/4 Honolulu - Departed at 6PM 10/5 Arrive Nawiliwili, Kauai 10/6 Arrive Kahalui, Maui 10/7 Arrive Lahaina, Maui 10/8 Arrive Kona, Hawaii 10/9 Arrive Hilo, Hawaii We were at sea from 10/10 to our arrival at Ensenda, Mexico on 10/15. We then boarded busses to San Diego or Los Angeles for our trip home. One of things to do when visiting Hawaii is to tour the islands. The scenery is breathtaking. The mountains, the craters, the flowers, the clouds. Words cannot describe Hawaii. One must see it for themselves. Seeing pictures of the Arizona Memorial is one thing, but to see it in person is a very moving experience. After the Arizona, we toured the submarine USS Bowfin and then on to our sister ship USS Missouri. Some of us toured the engine room of the Missouri. Our thanks to Dick Hamann and his friend Stan Nicholls for arranging these tours for us. For this cruise we all wore yellow t-shirts, compliments of the Cruise Connection. Of course, we took a group photo , compliments of our Wisconsin Association. Our cocktail party was hosted by Carnival Cruise Lines. Thanks to Claire and Dick Hamann for another great cruise! Looking forward to our next one in 2007. 1 Approaching Oahu 2 3 4 You can see Pearl Harbor from this vantage point. 5 Some of us climbed to the summit of 763' of Diamond Head Crater. 6 It started out with the sun and ended with heavy rain 7 8 9 This was taken just below the summit of Diamond Head 10 The famous Diamond Head as seen from Waikiki Beach 11 Underwater photos taken from Atlantis submarine 12 13 14 15 16 17 On our way to the Polynesian Cultural Center 18 Great Show!! 19 Sorry for the out of focus pictures. We could not use flash. 20 21 22 23 Views from our hotel room 24 25 26 Oktoberfest at the hotel 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 First Day aboard the spirit 34 35 Carol & Marty Sippel 36 Brenda & Cal Miller 37 Our first dinner with our yellow shirts 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 On line for our tour of the Arizona 50 51 52 Pearl Harbor survivor 53 Photo by Mike Rigdon 54 USS Missouri BB-63 55 56 Arizona Memorial Wall 57 USS Bowfin SS-287 58 59 60 61 62 63 John Protivnak and Dom Menta taking a break 64 Part of our group that toured the Arizona Memorial 65 66 Aboard the BB-63 67 68 69 70 World War II Memorial Plaque 71 Frank Perry & Frank Romantowski reliving the past 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 A walk down Maui streets 82 83 Leaving Maui 84 Carnival Spirit 85 Rainbow Falls in Hilo 86 Orchid Nurseries 87 88 89 Next 3 photos Kilauea Caldera, crater in Hilo 90 91 92 Walking on Lava 93 94 Kilauea Iki Crater 95 Kilauea Iki Crater 96 97 Peg & Bob Simpson 98 Claire & Dick Hamann 99 Carol & Marty Sippel 100 Dom & Lil Menta 101 Bill & Ellen Humienny. Bill is our adopted BB-61 crewmember 102 Leona & Gerry Myers 103 Millie & Roger Gaumont 104 Anne & Russ Texter 105 Nancy & Gordon Zaagmar 106 107 108 2 supervisors in the upper left making sure the ladies do their work correctly. 109 Captain Roberto Volpe with Cal & Brenda Miller 110 Our cocktail Party 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 On the right is Leroy and Mary Wilson 118 Clem, Susan McClure, Mike Rigdon, Cal and Brenda Miller 119 Mike and Mimi Visconti, Don and Joan Smith 120 121 Photo by Bill Humienny(BB-61) L to R: Bernie Johnson, Eugene Gingrich, Andy Murphy and Helen Gingrich 122 The greatest captain we ever had on any of our cruises. Captain Roberto Volpe 123 Dick presenting our Tee-shirt to the Captain. 124 Guess What? He wore it for the whole cocktail hour. 125 126 Dempsey (Clem) Clemons & Cal Miller our oldest and youngest crewmembers on this cruise. 127 Our Association 2nd VP Ed Gavin introducing himself 128 Four of our 1940's crewmembers Bernie Johnson Michael Visconti Don Smith Leroy Wilson 129 Lil and the Captain 130 Dick, Captain & Claire 131 Ed, Captain & Bob Pennell 132 Dom, Captain & Dick 133 Kristine, Don & Captain 134 Marty leading us in song 135 Brenda & Cal celebrating 2nd anniversary 136 137 The group singing Anchors Aweigh at the Karaoke Party. I think we all got thrown out after this one. 138 Photo by Bill Humienny(BB-61) Karaoke Party. We heard that Mike Visconti brought the house down with his singing 139 140 141 Photo by Bob Simpson of Aaron Bowen being transferred to the Haddock. 142 143 Group photo The following forty pictures were sent in by five other cruisers. Thanks for sharing your photos with us. To those that supplied captions, THANKS, you made it easier for me. 144 Following 6 photos were submitted by, Bill Humienny. Cocktail Party, next 3 145 146 147 Dick & Claire, dressed up for the Captains cocktail party. 148 Marty, Carol, Dom and Lil 149 W aiters entertainment during the evening meal. 150 Following 6 photos were submitted by, Bob Simpson. Peg Simpson, Carol & Marty Sippel. 151 Nice painting of the USS Arizona BB-39, at the Arizona Memorial. 152 Taking a rest before our visit to the USS Missouri 153 Diamond Head in the background. 154 Standing in front of Kilauea Caldera Crater. 155 Carol, Marty and Peg (by the van), heading to see another crater. 156 Following 7 photos were submitted by, Ruth Protivnak. Hawaii National flower, yellow hibiscus. 157 Lava Rock. 158 Rabbit Island. 159 Pali Outlook 160 Ruth & John Protivnak and the USS Missouri BB-63 161 Lions head Rock. 162 Waikiki Beach. 163 Following 8 photos were submitted by, Joan Romatowski Frank Romatowski and Lovely Hawaiian Wahine. 164 Waimea Canyon on Kauai. 165 Frank and Joan 166 Rainbow over Maui. 167 Frank & Frank Perry, "M" Division buddies. 168 Joan & Frank celebrating their 48th anniversary. 169 "M" Division at our cocktail party. Joe & Judy Determan, Gretchen & Fred Thibeault, Frank & Janice Perry and Frank Romatowski. 170 "M" Division with Captain, Roberto Volpe. Frank Perry, Frank Romatowski, Fred Thibeault and Joe Determan. 171 Following13 photos were submitted by, Mike Rigdon. Hawaiian Coastline 172 National Cemetery of the Pacific 173 View down the steps of Cemetery 174 Walls of Honor with names of 20,000 MIAs from WW II 175 Downtown Honolulu from Punchbowl 176 USS Missouri BB-63 WW II Memorial Plaque. 177 Arizona Memorial from motor launch 178 Roger Gaumont, Dick & Claire Hamann. 179 Memorial to Subs Lost in WW II 180 First site of Kauai from Spirit 181 Waimea Canyon on Kauai 182 John, Ruth, Susan, and Mike at Waimea Canyon 183 Susan McClure, Ruth & John at Halemaumau Crater Top of Page Please fill out our Site Survey! Send E-mail to Dom Menta with questions or comments about this web-site. The information contained in this web-site is 1998/200 5 to the USS Wisconsin Association. If you desire to use graphics or other info from this web-site - please E-mail Dom Menta This page was last updated on 11/26/05 .

Hawaiian Clothes

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business — ADVERTISEMENT — Sunday, October 17, 2004 DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Yoshi Takahashi amuses his friends Kimi Toi and Michi Ogino with a wetsuit that's a little too small at the Xcel store in the Ward Village Shops. Hey! Big spenders New research shows just where tourists drop their money during stays in Hawaii By Allison Schaefers aschaefers@starbulletin.com ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRYANT FUKUTOMI / BFUKUTOMI@STARBULLETIN.COM China / South Korea travelers » More than 50 percent of these Asian visitors are first-timers and about a quarter of them come as part of a package tour. » Most come to visit friends or family (more than 28 percent), on business, or as part of a stopover, as stringent Visa requirements and a lack of flights has made Hawaii a difficult vacation destination. » In terms of activities, they are statistically similar to Americans, but plan to spend more money. » Most plan to attend a luau and 30 percent intend to play golf, the most of any other group surveyed. United States travelers » American travelers plan to stay longer and spend the least amount of money on retail and souvenirs. » They are most likely to engage in sports like running, scuba or going to the gym, but have the smallest percentage of people who planned to swim or sunbathe. » Americans are more likely to attend a luau, go to a Hawaiian history or cultural event and buy Hawaiian clothing and souvenirs than Japan or other Asian travelers. » They enjoy shopping at convenience stores, malls or hotel stores. They are also the most likely to go to a museum or art gallery or eat in high-end restaurants. Japan travelers » More than 60 percent of Japan travelers come to Hawaii as part of a package group. » These visitors plan to stay the least amount of time and spend the most money. » They are most likely to come to Hawaii to celebrate a wedding or honeymoon than any other group. » They are most interested in going to the beach and shopping while in Hawaii, but few plan to do any activities or eat in high-end restaurants. » They enjoy shopping across the board from outlet and discount stores to designer boutiques. While tourists from Japan and the mainland still pump plenty of money into Hawaii's retail stores, a more global mix of visitors is at the heart of Hawaii's improved tourism outlook, and their preferences are worlds apart. A new cross-cultural study from the University of Hawaii is available to help retailers take stock of what tourists buy, so local stores can match merchandise with spending habits. University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears randomly surveyed more than 1,000 Waikiki tourists to determine cultural differences regarding their reasons for coming to Hawaii, their desire to shop and what purchases they planned to make during their stay. "Not all tourists are alike," Rosenbaum said. "Your target market should greatly impact how you merchandise and what products you stock." Hawaii's retail history gives businesses strong reasons to diversify their customer base, said retail analyst Stephany Sofos. "In the 1980s, the Japanese people came fast and furious and those who didn't cater to them were left out. Now it's changing, and as visitor groups change, retailers are having to figure out what their market is from one day to the next," Sofos said. The University of Hawaii study can help tourist-dependent businesses identify how to best keep their customers happy and how to increase spending from other visitor groups, Spears said. Their research showed that Japanese tourists plan to spend $1,400 on gifts and souvenirs during their stay in Hawaii, which is substantially more than all other visitor groups. According to the study, Chinese and Koreans spend about $750 on retail items and Americans spend around $600. They also found differences when it came to purchasing local foods, clothing and engaging in outdoor activities as well as differences in why these tourists groups were coming to Hawaii. For example, Americans and Japanese came to Hawaii primarily to vacation, while the Chinese and South Korean visitors were in Hawaii primarily to visit family members. Chinese visitors can only travel for leisure to a few designations, which does not include Hawaii. "Most Japanese will spend their vacation shopping at both high-end and discount retailers," Rosenbaum said, adding that data also confirmed the love-affair Japanese have with designer items. Nearly 60 percent of the Japanese visitors surveyed planned to visit Hawaii's designer boutiques; in contrast, only 35 percent of Americans planned to do so. However, the number of Japan travelers who plan to purchase products made in Hawaii, such as coffee, food and clothing, is lower than other groups. "The Japanese are the answer to our luxury business - not our economy," Rosenbaum said, adding that purchases of locally made products create more jobs and ultimately bring more benefit to the state. Visitors, who spend about $3 billion annually on retail goods in Hawaii, make up about 15 percent of the state's $19 billion retail market, said Carol Pregill, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii. The islands drew 6.4 million visitors last year, about two-thirds of them from the mainland. "Shopping is the third largest expenditure, next to food and lodging, for visitors," Pregill said, adding that about 20 percent of visitor expenditures can be attributed to shopping. "That's huge when you consider that shopping is a discretionary expense," Pregill said, and is an important part of a visitor's experience. But to make Hawaii shopping attractive to visitors it has to be distinctive, said Frank Haas, marketing director for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "You can shop in Hong Kong and Las Vegas; what we need to know is what's distinctive about shopping in Hawaii," Haas said. As Oahu's visitor market stays strong, many retailers are going to take advantage of more visitor-based opportunities, said Jeffrey Hall, senior director of research at CB Richard Ellis. "There's huge amount of interest in redoing resort retail, especially in Waikiki," Hall said. According to market reports, Waikiki has a high number of retail vacancies, but in three to four years the sector will be more bullish as Waikiki renovation projects come to fruition, Hall forecasts. "The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is rapidly changing. The Beach Walk and the International Market Place projects are just getting under way," Hall said. "Expect that in a few years Waikiki will be an entirely different place." Any shift in visitor demographics changes the way businesses advertise their products. "It's important to know who is coming and what you need for inventory," Pregill said. "Inventory is a huge expense and no one wants to be stuck with goods that no one want to buy." That's where the Rosenbaum and Spears study comes in, said Anne Murata, marketing director of the Festival Cos., which manages the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Murata said she purchased the study because it's the first retail survey in Hawaii that breaks data into small categories such as visitors' reasons for traveling to Hawaii, ability to spend and where they spend their money. Retailers are especially interested on the data about Chinese and South Korean visitors, she said. While Chinese and Korean visitors have more in common with Americans in terms of overall spending, their spending habits are very similar to the Japanese visitor market when it was new, Murata said. In the 1990s, when the Japanese tourism boom to Hawaii was growing, the state's largest industry went to great lengths to cater to their needs. Japanese signs ruled Waikiki marketing; but then the bubble burst and retailers had to regroup to stay in business. "We've been trained to think only in terms of U.S. westbound and Japan travelers," she said. "But our retail market is becoming increasingly global and we're starting to see more travelers from China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the U.S. East." Japanese visitor arrivals to Hawaii, which peaked at 2.2 million in 1997, fell to 1.3 million last year in response to a weakened Japanese economy and geopolitical troubles. Retailers say the market has rebounded, but it's time for those eyeing Hawaii's improved market to use the isles' changing tourist patterns to help determine what's in store. Although the China travel market to Hawaii is small, representing less than 1 percent of Hawaii's total visitors in 2002, state officials have identified it as a market with enormous potential. New research shows that Chinese tourists are now the biggest spenders in the Asia-Pacific region by average credit card transaction size, according to a study released by Visa. The report, published last week in the Financial Times, said Chinese cardholders on average spent $253 per transaction while traveling. The World Tourism Organization has also estimated that China will produce 100 million outbound tourists by 2020 and members of Hawaii's public and private sector want their share. "Just like we geared retail to the Japan market in its heyday, someday I expect we'll see retail signs in Chinese and Korean, too," Murata said. According to the Rosenbaum and Spears survey, the Chinese, enjoy participating in new activities, but look for familiarity in restaurants - characteristics similar to Japanese visitors before Hawaii became a common destination, "They only want to eat in Chinese restaurants," Rosenbaum said. But, more important for retailers is that the Chinese also appear to have a taste for luxury goods. "The Chinese, like the Japanese, also want to purchase luxury goods as gifts to take home," Spears said. While retailers need accurate data to capture their audience, there is one sure plan that works across cultures, Murata said. "One thing you can always sell them is the aloha spirit - that's an approach that works with visitors from China to Lithuania," Murata said. BACK TO TOP | The Hawaii experience A new University of Hawaii study of tourist spending habits raised some interesting questions. For instance, do Japan travelers, who planned to spend $1,400 on gifts and souvenirs during their stay in Hawaii, really contribute the most money to Hawaii's economy? While Americans, who planned to spend about $600 on retail, and Chinese/ Koreans, who planned to spend about $750, lagged behind in overall spending, the data showed that these groups spent significantly more on made-in-Hawaii products. The percentage of visitors planning to buy each product: Items USA / Canada Japan China / South Korea Hawaiian coffee 53.1 38.4 70.8 Macadamia nuts 66.8 52.2 75.5 Pineapples 37.4 7.3 30.2 Hawaiian candies 35.7 12.3 35.8 Hawaiian clothing 47.3 21.7 43.4 Hawaiian souvenirs 60.9 41.1 58.5 Source: University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears Where it all goes Percentage of visitors doing the following activities: Activities U.S. Japan China/Korea Honeymoon/wedding 6.8 18.2 4.7 Visit family/friends 13.4 3.8 28.3 Part of Packaged tour 15.8 61.3 25.5 Buying designer clothes 29.2 34.9 37.7 Golf 16.0 5.6 30.2 Tour bus 30.9 25.2 37.7 Beach 77.4 78.3 84.0 Fine dining 58.2 8.5 49.1 Culture/History 64.2 27.3 43.4 Luau 59.7 16.1 62.3 Designer boutiques 35.1 59.2 41.5 Mall 65.4 74.5 75.5 Characteristics of visitors' stays: Visit U.S. Japan China/Korea Planned Expenditures $644 $1,416 $745 Length of Stay in Hawaii 12 days 7 days 11 days Source: University of Hawaii marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum and travel industry management professor Dan Spears — ADVERTISEMENTS — — ADVERTISEMENTS — | | | PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION E-mail to Business Editor BACK TO TOP Text Site Directory: [News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!] [Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor] [Feedback] © 2004 Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- http://starbulletin.com -Advertisement-

Hawaiian Barbecue

Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Ono Hawaiian BBQ at Epinions.com Join Epinions | Help | Sign In Restaurants Restaurants & Gourmet All Categories Advanced Search Home > Restaurants & Gourmet > Restaurants Ono Hawaiian BBQ Overall rating: Reviewed by 1 Epinions user Food and Presentation: Ambiance and Decor: Quality of Service: Write a Review Compare Prices View Details Read Reviews Subscribe to reviews on this product Read Review of Ono Hawaiian BBQ Review Summary About the Author Terrific alternative to Burgers. Sep 05 '03 Author's Product Rating Food and Presentation: Ambiance and Decor: Quality of Service: Pros Tasty. Low cost. High value. Clean. Cons Parking. Only one in LA. The Bottom Line Terrific alternative to burgers and pizzas, the BBQ meat is healthier because it is less oily, too! Full Review Tired of burgers, pizzas and Gyros? Find Yoshinoya annoying? Eating at the Ono Then it’s time for ONO’s HAWAIIAN BBQ! Located in a ubiquitous two storey strip mall on the corner of Santa Monica and Bundy on the boundary between West LA and Santa Monica, this year old fast food is quickly becoming a magnet food outlet drawing both the multitude of students, professionals, and families who live nearby. My family drives from Pasadena (20 miles east) to get out BBQ from here. While chatting with some of the other patrons, I found a couple who drove from Long Beach (15 miles south) to get the food. Ono is Hawaiian for delicious. And that only starts to describe this wonderful food. This is a fast food restaurant, so the walk up counter and food ordering procedure is exactly the same as a KFC or Carl’s Jr. The menu is displayed on a neon lit board behind the cashier. The kitchen can be seen through the opening where the food passes. What’s to Eat? The food choices are simple: BBQ or rice bowls. But it is in the combination of the BBQ’s and rice dishes that this restaurant really amazes. The restaurant specializes in “plate lunches”. This is a classic Hawaiian meal made up of Asian and Island dishes, including Kalbi short ribs (Korean), Mahi Mahi (Hawaiian fish), BBQ Chicken (Chinese style), Chicken Katsu (deep fried breaded Japanese style chicken), accompanied by macaroni salad and steamed rice. The restaurant’s menu proclaims this to be “the de facto meal of choice in Hawaii and the best representation of the blend of cuisine and multi-cultures found in Hawaii. The meal takes a little while to get there because the meat is barbequed after you order, so everything is freshly cooked and not reheated in a microwave. But is it worth the wait! The Kalbi short ribs still had that smoky carmelization on the bones. At the time of this writing, this combination costs $6.69. And the portions are huge. The lunch plate fed me and my six year old and two year old, and had enough left over to share with my wife, who had ordered a more modest dish of Maui Pineapple Chicken. We’ve never made it to Hawaii, but if this is what they eat there every day, it’s no wonder that the Hawaiians dominate the Japanese Sumo championships. There are other dishes, including a curry chicken over rice, Salmon, Hamburgers, Caesar salad, Seafood Noodle Soup, the ever present Teriyaki Chicken bowl, and an appetizer intriguingly called Spam Musubi. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even con my one year old daughter into trying THAT one. “C’mon honey, it’s made with your favorite: pork!” She just turned away and started running for her mother. So I will have to update you on this one after I’ve starved myself enough to want to try it. The Restaurant and the Service The restaurant has a nice high ceiling, cafeteria seating, and is well lighted, and not that full. It is very clean. Most of the people sitting around were waiting for their take out. We took about 20 minutes to eat, but there must have been at least 20 take away orders during that same period. The Korean counter girls were nice enough and even substituted the rice for macaroni (for my kids), but they definitely looked over worked. They are one of the few Asian fast food places that take credit cards. And the county health inspection report is a proudly displayed “A”. What’s Not to Like Well, the parking can be difficult. The forecourt of the strip mall features only 10 minute surface parking and the narrowest and smallest basement parking ramp in LA. Not recommended if you are driving anything larger than a Chrysler Neon. It would also be nice if they had a few more of these around the city, perhaps with a drive through window. You know, for those of us who are too Hawaiian to get out of our cars. Recommended Yes Kid Friendliness: Yes Vegetarian Friendly: No Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Get the Lunch Plates: 3 BBQ meats with sides of macaroni and rice. Try the Salmon. Email me about the Spam Musubi or Spam Moco. Best Suited For: Kids and Families Comments on this Review Read all comments (9) Write your own comment Epinions.com ID: dhandforth Member: Dean Handforth Location: Pasadena, CA Reviews written: 103 Trusted by: 41 members "Those who would trade liberty for security will have neither..." James Madison View all reviews by dhandforth View dhandforth's profile Return to top Back to all reviews Featured Resources Additional information on Ono Hawaiian BBQ or other products. All the Outdoor Grills All the Outdoor Grills & BBQ's Smart Grill Shoppers Start Here BBQ.Grills.AlltheBrands.com Bbq Huge selection of Bbq. Low prices, cheap shipping, secure. www.MonsterMarketplace.com Free BBQ pit plans BBQ pits that are easy to build How to build bbq pit--free plans www.buildyourownbbqpit.com Hawaiian Restaurants 2005 Restaurant and dining guidebook covering all tastes and budgets www.hawaiirestaurantguide.com Hawaii gas Find Hawaii gas here. Hawaii's online local search. hawaii.local.com Help | Member Center | Message Boards | Site Rules | User Agreement | Privacy Policy | Site Index About Epinions | Careers | Contact Epinions | Advertising Epinions | DealTime USA | DealTime UK | PriceTool | Shopping.com | Rent.com © 1999-2006 Epinions, Inc. Trademark Notice Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.