Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations “Hawaii”

Hawaii… never been, but it’s on my list of places to go. Watching this episode of No Reservations just made it that much more interesting to me too. Tony as usual, picks the best place to visit, eat and play.

The episode of No Reservations in Hawaii started with Tony having to get the typical.. or in this case, the untypical Aloha shirt. Tony said he wants to blend. Instead of just picking out a standard Aloha shirt he heads to Baileys Aloha Shirts and meets the owner David Bailey. David gives Tony a history of the shirts and shows him some vintage shirts worn by all types of celebrities. Tony ends up picking out a $3000 vintage design.

With his $3K shirt on, he heads to Puka Dog with his friends Bruno Stemple. Tony and Bruno are shown how the Puka dogs are made, with the bun wrapping all the way around. The fillings are squirted down in the bun and then the dog slides into the bun. Good idea and looks like a great variation from the typical hotdog.

Next stop is Ono Hawaiian Foods with Colin Nishida, owner of Side Street Inn. Colin says Ono is the place for true Hawaiian food. They sample a big variety of traditional Hawaiian dishes including lau lau with pork, poi, kaluha pig, poke and coconut jello.

During the sampling at Ono, Colin explains how all of the local chefs visit his restaurant after hours. Colin and Tony meet up at the Side Street Inn for drinking, food and discussion with all of the local chefs including Alan Wong, local farmers, and staff from the kitchen. A few of the dishes Tony enjoys with his guests are Big Island smoked pork, Ahi Sashimi, Shoyu Limu and Ahi Poke Combo.

Next is some surfing history when Tony spends a day at the North Shore on the island of Oahu. There he meets up with legendary surfers Darrick Doerner and Peter Cole. Darrick takes Tony to some of the most famous surf spots via jet ski, including Pipeline, Waimea and Sunset beaches. Later they meet up with big-wave surfer Peter Cole for a barbecue at his home on Sunset Derik Dormor.

After a meal with the surfers Tony heads to the Uptown Fountain and meets up with local food columnist David Chu for an explanation of the Hawaiian fascination with SPAM. David arranges a sampling of many different SPAM dishes, all of which Tony seems to enjoy.

Next stop is La Mariana Sailing Club where Tony meets up with Lloyd Kandell, tiki expert and member of the Hawaii musical group Don Tiki. Tony and Lloyd sample several drinks including the zombie and the scorpion.

After a cookout with some locals, Tony heads to Mt Kilauea to check out the volcano and lava flows, along with a local that still lives there running a bed and breakfast right in the middle of it all.

Tony’s last stop is right where he said he didn’t want to be. In the middle of the typical tourist type of laua. The Paradise Cove Luau is a traditional Hawaiian luau with entertainment, a giant buffet, hula dancers and all types of umbrella drinks. Tony didn’t think he would enjoy it, but after he has a few drinks he really gets into it.