A Taste of Ward Village

Last night I attended Ward Village's Auahi Street Dine-Around event, during which members of the media dined at some of the restaurants along Auahi Street.

It was a fantastic evening full of great food and drink!

Our first stop was Mexico Cantina (Mexico Cantina is actually one of my top 10 favorite Mexican restaurants on Oahu), a sister restaurant to Mexico Restaurant and Mexico Lindo.  We started off with Margaritas and Table-Side Fresh Guacamole.  

Guacamole made table-side

Margarita, Chips, Salsa, and Table-Side Fresh Guacamole

I love guacamole, and to watch it being made fresh was quite a treat.  I could've eaten just the guacamole and chips the entire night!

Our second stop was Ginza Sushi, where I've tried the Chicken Katsu before, but I was eager to try new things.

Hot Sake

Tonkatsu and Salmon

Alaskan Maki Ginza Special - Shrimp Tempura Maki topped with Firecracker Poke

Calamari

Ginza Triple Combo Bento A - Tempura, Beef Teriyaki, Sashimi

My favorites were the Salmon and Tonkatsu.  There was so much food, but so little time, as we had to move on to our next stop, Bellini Bistro & Bar.

Bellini Bistro & Bar, a restaurant that recently opened that serves locally-inspired Italian dishes, is one that I've been wanting to try.

Peach Bellinis

Fresh Bread

Prosciutto and Melon

Oxtail Osso Bucco with Linguine

The Prosciutto and Melon was a delicious combination of sweet and salty, and the Oxtail Osso Bucco was tender and flavorful.

Next we walked over to Agu, another restaurant that had recently opened at Ward Village.  I've been wanting to try Agu for a while as well, and I'm so glad it was a stop on the Dine-Around.  It turned out to be my favorite stop of the evening.

Karaage Chicken and Tan Tan Tonkotsu Ramen

Karaage Chicken is one of their best selling small plates, and it was indeed delicious.  The chicken was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and the accompanying ponzu sauce gave it a nice flavor.

The ramen was especially good.  The rich, creamy broth had a little bit of kick, and the thick noodles and toppings made for a hearty meal.

Our next stop was Pa`ina Cafe.  Although I've been to the Ward Warehouse location, I've been wanting to try the Ward Center location.  Why?  Because they serve gelato!

Spicy Tuna Crunch Bowl

Coffee Gelato and Lychee Sorbet

So many flavors!

The Poke Crunch Bowls are very popular, and the gelati and sorbets, made by La Gelateria are quite popular too.  I tasted the Lychee Sorbet, which was very good!

Our last stop of the evening was Kaka`ako Kitchen.  Kaka`ako Kitchen offers a lot of dishes using fresh, local ingredients (my fave has always been the Sweet Chili Chicken), and they make great desserts too.

Champagne

Dark Chocolate Dipped Raspberries and Double Choco Brownie 'Bon Bons'

Strawberry Sorbet Vacherin

The desserts (my personal fave was the Strawberry Sorbet Vacherin - so yummy and refreshing) were a perfect way to end such an amazing dining experience!

I had such a wonderful time during the dine-around.  I had a chance to revisit some restaurants and try new things, and I got to try a couple of restaurants that I've been eager to dine at since they opened.

It was also great to meet the people behind these dining establishments and see how passionate they are about what they do.

Thank you to the gracious Ward Village team and Ward Village Shops restaurants for their hospitality!