1 comments about 101 Great Tropical Drinks: Cocktails, Coolers, Coffees and Virgin Drinks.

1. This book deals almost exclusively with tropical drinks offered by various Hawaiian resorts and restaurants. I had purchased the book for a Caribbean client and was disappointed that it did not address drinks or fruits of the Caribbean region at all. While the book is very nice, well-illustrated, etc. for Hawaii, I wish I had more carefully researched the contents of this book and not purchased it.

3 comments about Hawaiian Cookbook.

1. This book was really easy to use and didn't have a lot ofterminology or technique's that we're too "foreign" for usregular people. I have made at least a half a dozen different recipies out of this book so far. They have all turned out pretty well and had a lot of flavor. I am not a master chef by any means so I recommend this book to the simple cook!



2. This cookbook written by the mainland-american manager of the now-defunct Hawaii Kai restaurant in New York City represents the epitome of fine Tiki Restaurant Dining in the 1970s.
   
   This style of cooking is perhaps best characterized as take-out Chinese food served with a slice of pineapple in a hollowed-out pineapple-shell used as a container, eaten in a restaurant decorated with carved wooden tikis, bamboo struts and thatched huts.
   
   Half of this book is dedicated to this genre, where the actual recipes are very similar or even identical (soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic) but the presentations are elaborately different with an emphasis on outlandish (flambee recipes etc). Since the average reader scarcely have time to cook dinner, the advice on food presentation hardly seems relevant.
   
   In the time since this book was written, the chinese tiki restaurant cuisine has evolved to Modern French or American cuisine with Asian ingredients, and these are the books that you can buy from the likes of Sam Choy et al, and these are the dishes that you will encounter in the fine dining hawaiian restaurants today.
   
   Yet, what has always appealed to me about Hawaiian Cooking, is the more humble homecooking (today known as "plate lunches") that evolved from the simple traditional dishes that the plantation laborers from Asia and their Hawaiian polynesian spouses would make. This included grilled meats with asian marinade, japanese style fried cutlets, some chinese style noodle soups, and sadly only a small number of "real" polynesian dishes like laulau, kahlua pig, lomi salmon, haupia, and poi (perhaps less than a dozen of such traditional unadulterated polynesian recipes have survived).
   
   Half of this book does try to address this wealth of simple but authentic home cooked dishes. But that is clearly not the strength or emphasis of this book, and in fact I'm not aware of ANY hawaiian cookbooks that seem to do these dishes any justice, and your best bet at the moment is to search for recipes on the internet.
   
   I think that in emphasizing the "new" and "high class" restaurant style cooking be it from the 70s or today's contemporary cuisine, the cookbook authors have missed out on the true wealth of home cooked hawaiian cuisine that people in Hawaii eat everyday and perhaps take for granted, but for the rest of us living outside of Hawaii, it would be a priviledge to learn those recipes.



3. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this cookbook is. I am having a big luau in a few weeks and this book has been a huge help! Not only are the recipes easy to follow but most of them can be prepared ahead and frozen, with all the details included at the bottom of the recipe. I prepared many of them ahead, and of course had to sample each! The Bali Bali meatballs with sauce, excellent. The stuffed mushrooms Lelani, awesome and my kitchen smelled wonderful! I can't wait to make the Hawaiian Banana Pie and the Tahitian Chicken, not to mention the Baked Clams!! Too many to mention. If your planning a Luau and need some great easy to follow recipes, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it! Oh, and don't forget to try the Beef with Peanut Sauce and the BBQ'd Pork!!!

5 comments about Tony's Five Perfect Recipes.

1. These recipes are fabulous! I've already used two of them for entertaining our friends for dinner and they couldn't stop talking about how wonderful the meal was. The appetizer was the best-so simple to make and so delicious. I looked like a gourmet cook without the fuss and my company says they will be back for more!



2. I've been using Tony's excellent Pecan Pie recipe for years and can't wait to try out the rest. A great value!



3. The recipes are fabulous, clear, and easy to prepare. I love the brisket so much, that I'm willing to forego my normal diet of chicken and fish just to enjoy it. By the time I'm done with this book, I'll weigh 300 lbs!



4. My favorite kind of recipes. Easy to prepare and guaranteed to get applause! This collection is a winner and one you'll turn to whenever company comes.
   Highly recommended. Can't wait for more from this clever chef.



5. These are the best! The chicken is moist and flavorful. The pecan pie is indescribable. The best is the mouth-watering brisket. So easy to prepare. My whole family enjoyed it so much they wanted me to make it again the very next night. Can't wait for the next installment

No comments about Don the Beachcomber's Little Hawaiian Tropical Drink Cookbook.

2 comments about Tasting Paradise III: Restaurants & Recipes of the Hawaiian Islands, Third Edition.

1. Just got back from Hawaii and had to have an Hawaiian cookbook.
   We had eaten at several of the restaurants that provided recipes for the book while there and wanted to extend our island visit with island food at home. Great addtion to my cookbook collection and the eating is pure enjoyment.



2. The recipes seemed easy enough to follow(can't wait to make more of them) and the book is quite beautiful..also, everything sounds delicious and takes me back to the Islands!

3 comments about Sam Choy's Little Hawaiian Poke Cookbook.

1. I hosted a wedding shower with a Hawaiian theme and gave these books as gifts. They were a big hit.



2. We so enjoyed the food dish poke and its many variations on Kauai that we truly missed it when we came home. With this book, we were able to savory our favorite recipes for poke and also try so many new ones. This is a complete book that will have you turning the page and trying a new style everyday.



3. Some of the best poke recipe's anywhere. I've been looking for Sam's Fried A'u poke recipe ever since he closed his restuarant in Kaloko, and the grill at the Kona Bowl. These take me back to happier times before I had to leave Kona.

1 comments about Japanese Cooking Hawai'i Style.

1. My mother gave me this book a year ago when I wanted to make some Japanese food for my girlfriend (non-Asian). I liked it because the recipes were easy to follow, worked well, and had Japanese flavor and Hawaii flavor. I also like it as a Japanese-American cookbook, and being Japanese American, I don't see them too often. While it might not be the most "authentic" Japanese food (it's close), it is authentic Japanese Hawaii food and well worth the price.

4 comments about D.K.'s Sushi Chronicles from Hawaii: Recipes from Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.

1. Loved the ease of instruction in making sushi. Not hard to follow, well done. Also like the homespun family history. It is a great guide to not only sushi but everthing else in his style. A lot of fun.



2. For beginners, there's a nice introduction to different basic japanese foods and rolling techniques with pictures. There are recipes for sushi, and small and large entrees. I've been to one of the two Sansei restaurants on Maui and the recipes from this book definately cover some of the best things on their menu. The only minor change I could see to make it better is more information about using pre-made grocery store sauces instead of making everything from scratch.



3. I've been to his restaurant in Maui and the food was fabulous. So good in fact that I bought this book. While I could use more examples of fish to swap for things only a Hawaiian can get I find the recipes so easy a beginner can use them to make some fantastic food. I highly recommend this book.



4. We purchased this book after eating at Sansei in Maui and Oahu our first time to Hawaii and love the book. If you have never eaten at Sansei you are really missing out. Chef DK has created an amazing menu. Everything is delicious. If you are heading to Maui or Oahu, make sure you put Sansei down as a "to-do" while you are there. On Sunday and Monday night they open at 5PM and everything on the menu is 50% off for one hour. You have to get their by 4PM or so in order to get in, but it is well worth the wait.
   
   Chef Kodama and Bonnie Friedman share all of Chef Kodama's secrets and do a great job illustrating how to create traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine. They explain how and why each ingredient is used and translate ingredients throughout the book so you don't have to keep looking up terms when trying a new recipe. The book is simple enough for beginners to follow, yet offers some contemporary (and slightly more complex) dishes for the advanced chef.
   
   If you love sushi and want to start making it at home, by this book.

1 comments about By Request: The Search for Hawaii's Greatest Recipes.

1. Brings back many great recipes we enjoyed growing up in Hawai'i nei. A top of the line resource for any kitchen.

3 comments about Retro Luau: Planning the Perfect Polynesian Party (Retro Series).

1. The premise of Retro Luau is appealing: here's recipes and other information for putting togeher a luau, with the spirit of the old, simpler days. Aha, I thought: I've wanted a collection of Polynesian recipes, and this one is pretty darned inexpensive.
   
   Alas, I'm disappointed in what the book delivers. I had expected it to be a hoot, especially since I was initially recommended the book because I'd purchased and enjoyed The Gallery Of Regrettable Food. Instead, Retro Luau really does feel like a 1950s cookbook (with "retro" illustrations to match), with recipes including macadamia cheese puffs, upside-down pineapple cake, and teriyaki beef skewers.
   
   None of the recipes are *bad*, mind you (though they're heavy on mayonnaise in a 1950s sort of way). The next time I need to take a covered dish to a buffet party I'm sure I'll look through Retro Luau for inspiration, if not bring along the sweet-and-sour meatball recipe. If you want food like Mom used to make, and don't want to expend a lot of effort, this may be a good choice for you.
   
   But you should be aware that this is definitely a cookbook for creating a luau, complete with instructions for roasting a whole pig and how to make a lei. It is emphatically not a collection of Polynesian recipes that you might whip out for a different Sunday dinner. The book description says this, of course, but I hadn't expected nearly everything to be finger-food and munchies to serve 8-10 at a minimum. (Happy Ham Salad serves 20-25 people.)
   
   I may pull out this cookbook occasionally (especially since a close friend has a yearly luau-inspired party), but I don't expect any of its pages to get dog-earred.



2. What a great book!
   
   Unlike a previous reviewer, I read all about this book before I bought it, and knew what I was getting. And I love it.
   
   Full of fun party ideas and MEALS. Ok, recipes which can be turned into meals. Ingredients are accessible, and fairly easy to make. We're planning a luau for the summer, and this book will be our guide!



3. I'll probably never make any of the recipes nor use any of the party ideas but it was still a fun read.