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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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Hezekiah Kapuaala

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @Hezekiah_Kapuaala, who runs for the shot like he’s playing the game.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot

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Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Since it opened more than 60 years ago, the Pagoda Hotel, known for its koi ponds, floating restaurant, pagoda-style lanterns and Japanese-inspired garden, has long been a destination for local families.

Originally built for and still aiming to cater to kama‘āina guests, the hotel has recently unveiled a new, property-wide refresh.

"The Pagoda has been around in the community since 1964 and generations have passed through this hotel, so it's really important that we continue to honor that legacy while also respecting the cultures and traditions ahead with brining in the new, modern, fresh concepts," Aly Wee, asset manager for the Pagoda, representing the ownership group, told Aloha State Daily Wednesday during a preview of the recent revamp. "But again, [we] still want it to be a place where people can meet, where people can come together and where people can continue to create memories."

Now, according to a recent announcement, visitors to the 199-room, 12-story hotel on Rycroft Street in Honolulu's Ala Moana neighborhood, will find:

, a bakery and cafe that originated in South Korea, and a CU Hawai‘i convenience store are planned for the future, the announcement notes. Meanwhile, Rainbow Drive-In will takeover the Pagoda's iconic floating restaurant.

"We didn't start as hotel guys," Owner Robert Kurisu, son of local real estate investor Duane Kurisu, told ASD. "We started as [food and beverage] restaurant operators. We're real estate guys kind of at our core, but our history with the property started with the restaurant, so we know ... the significance of this property to local people. And people have a lot of memories of the restaurant and the koi pond growing up here."

The hotel is focused on kama‘āina, including those from Neighbor Island communities.

"That's really why we did it, with ourselves and our friends and family in mind — what is a place that you will want to come to and what is a place you're comfortable in staying," he said. "When we took it over, it wasn't at that place yet. We took a lot of feedback and commentary from people about what they thought about the property, what their memories were."

Wee says she hopes people who come in now will have a different perception of the Pagoda.

"I think in recent years, Pagoda has become known as that budget hotel," she says. "But with this transformation, [we are] really hoping that they see the work that we put in, the love that we share for this hotel and the support that we have really for the community to better this area of town."

[{"type":"text","text":"Highgate manages the Pagoda."}]

"We started this journey four years ago, reimagining what the possibility of the hotel could be," Kelly Sanders, group president of Highgate Hawai‘i, told ASD. "It's amazing to stand here today and see just the amazing transformation. We never wanted to be ultra high-end, but we wanted to be a place still for kama‘āina to come and stay. It's always been a hotel for locals and we wanted to elevate the property so that whether you're coming to go shopping or you need to go to Queen's hospital, you have a clean, safe, beautiful place to stay."

, the Pagoda opened in May 1964. According to the announcement, Hayashi aimed to create a "centrally located, uniquely Hawai‘i venue designed for kamaʻāina rather than visitors alone. At a time when Waikīkī’s beachfront hotels catered primarily to tourism, the Pagoda offered something different – a welcoming, residential-style retreat where local families, friends and communities could gather."

The property-wide updates were led by The Vanguard Theory and Albert C. Kobayashi Inc.

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Pagoda room 041526

<title>New updates unveiled at Pagoda Hotel</title>

New updates unveiled at Pagoda Hotel

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

When the University of Hawai‘i football program's coaches decided to shelf returning starting quarterback Micah Alejado for the vast majority of the team's 

, that meant the signal-callers behind him were about to receive a windfall of live reps during practice sessions. 

Following the departures of Luke Weaver and Dermaricus Davis via the 

 following the 2025 season, only two quarterbacks other than Alejado were on the UH roster this spring following movement in the transfer portal, and both were new to campus in January. Bjorn Jurgensen joined the Rainbow Warriors after redshirting at the University of Virginia in the fall, while O‘ahu native 

 enrolled early after graduating from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. 

In his first year as UH's quarterbacks coach, Chad Kapanui built a room full of rapport, where the four players in the position group became close friends and spent ample time with each other off the field. With Alejado the lone returner in the group, the spring semester figured to be a time where Jurgensen and Eugenio would compete with each other on the field while building a bond off it. 

Though they're both freshmen competing for the same spot, both Eugenio and Jurgensen spoke respectfully of each other throughout the spring and offered each other pointers on the field. It turns out the two go back a much longer way than converging on the UH-Mānoa campus in January. 

"It's funny. We've known each other for a while and it's just a pretty cool, full circle moment, just to be here with him and compete with him," Jurgensen told Aloha State Daily of Eugenio. "We're both getting each other better, and it's been really fun."

Says Eugenio of Jurgensen: "We actually met each other in the sixth grade at a competition. I love seeing him out here. He's a good dude. Love competing with him, love throwing with him, love doing drills with him. It's just great. We both get each other better every day, and I'm just blessed."

In the summer of 2018, the Jurgensen and Eugenio families were among the many across the country to make the trip to Fayetteville, Ga. for The Duel, a national competition put on by NFA Quarterback Academy, which attracts the nation's best QBs across a bevy of age groups. 

The two-day competition was measured by an intricate point system that was out of 100. A 10-year-old Eugenio wowed onlookers with 50-yard throws and won the sixth grade division with 94 points. He was the event's highest finisher, surpassing the point totals of all the high schoolers at the event. Not far behind was Jurgensen, the runner-up in the division. The top three finishers posed for a photo afterwards. 

Eight years later, the paths of Eugenio and Jurgensen brought each of them to UH, where they'll both vie to be Alejado's backup for the 2026 season. That competition has carried over from spring ball to 

The Rainbow Warriors are unlikely to release a depth chart until the week of their 2026 opener at Stanford on Aug. 29, but Kapanui says each present plenty to like. 

"When you're looking for a quarterback in the recruiting process, you got to look for someone that has everything from a high IQ, could throw the ball well and the ball jumps out of their hands. Both of those guys are guys that can throw it and sling it," Kapanui says of Eugenio and Jurgensen. 

"Those guys want to learn. When you recruit a quarterback and they're willing to learn, to come into the meeting room and always want to sit down and ask questions, that's so important for this offense. They're doing a great job, they're coming in trying to learn the offense, and it's been good the whole time working with them."

Maika Eugenio Bjorn Jurgensen 041526

<title>Former competitors Maika Eugenio and Bjorn Jurgensen now Hawai‘i teammates</title>

After meeting at a youth camp in Georgia in 2018, the two freshmen quarterbacks have reunited as Rainbow Warriors.

Former competitors Maika Eugenio and Bjorn Jurgensen now Hawai‘i teammates

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

ako steakhouse is re-opening this Thursday.

 — is reopening this Thursday. The eatery was closed for about two months for back-of-the-house renovations. It also has a new chef and a new menu; its chef is now Rodhel Ibay, who previously worked at Fresco Italian Restaurant at Hilton Hawaiian Village and Formaggio Grill.

[{"type":"text","text":"The menu includes different appetizers, entrees and housemade pastas."}]

New appetizers include bruschetta ($16), beef tartare ($22) and tuna tartare ($21). The bruschetta features Ho Farms marinated tomatoes with basil, burrata and housemade focaccia. The fresh, creamy mozzarella comes from Kaka

The tuna tartare features petite chunks of feta cheese and salsa rossa sauce, which is made with capers and garlic. The green sauce base is chive-infused olive oil; the tartare is served with crunchy, housemade crostini.

Both salads on the menu — kale ($19) and Caesar ($17) — are also new. The kale salad is a vibrant medley of goat cheese, cucumbers, dried cranberries and prosciutto. It features a flavorful lemon chive oregano dressing. The kale wasn’t bitter, and the salad boasted a welcome crunch from the prosciutto and cucumbers.

Instead of traditional Caesar dressing, the Caesar salad features a homemade Parmesan white wine vinaigrette and is topped with Parmesan shavings.

The new pastas are a must-try. The hand-folded ravioli ($38) is filled with four different mushrooms, is topped with freshly shaven truffles and is served in a parmesan cream foam sauce.

The mushroom medley features cremini, Aliʻi, champion and shimeji mushrooms; they’re cooked in a reduction sauce with mozzarella and parmigiano. The mushrooms boasted a nice chew and the ravioli was perfectly cooked. The dish boasts and distinctly cheesy flavor from the Parmesan, and the truffle was subtle — it didn’t overpower the dish.

The crab spaghetti ($34) features housemade pasta with Dungeness crab, butter sauce, peppers and tobiko. The pasta is filled with lump crab chunks and features a slight spice, thanks to the peppers.

New entrees include black cod ($43), whole grilled branzino ($44), braised short rib ($46), duck confit ($55) and lamb chops ($57). The braised short rib and duck confit came highly recommended.

The braised short rib is served with potato puree, broccolini and soy sake demi. It’s topped with crispy garlic. The truffle mashed potatoes are gloriously fluffy, serving as the perfect complement to the fork-tender, meaty short rib.

The steaks aren’t new; options range from prime New York strip ($67) and prime rib-eye steak ($76) to bone-in porterhouse ($167) — which is designed to serve one to two people — and prime bone-in tomahawk ($225), designed to serve two to three people. Since we can’t visit a steakhouse without ordering steak, we opt for the 32-day dry-aged premium Australian wagyu rib-eye ($109).

It features that bold, beefy flavor that’s characteristic of dry-aged steaks; this version also has a black peppercorn crust.

Side dishes are served a la carte. Popular options include panko-crusted asparagus ($16), creamed spinach ($15), truffle fries ($16) and potato puree ($14). The panko-crusted asparagus, which features a crispy, tempura-like exterior, comes highly recommended. We especially enjoyed the indulgently creamy spinach and buttery mashed potatoes. 

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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