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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Top 10 most dramatic husky screams..."}]

Smile 26 1 22

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, January 22, 2026</title>

Top 10 most dramatic husky screams...

Daily Smile: Thursday, January 22, 2026

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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

A new takoyaki trailer recently opened in Kaka

 soft opened last month; its trailer can be found in front of Up Roll Café Kaka

ako. The new business specializes in authentic, Osaka-style takoyaki. The popular street food is known for its slightly crispy exterior and gooey interior. The snack features batter with octopus (tako), tempura bits and green onions, and is cooked in a special pan to achieve its round, bite-sized shape.

All takoyaki are made to order. All orders include eight pieces, and each contains a generous portion of tako.

Customers can order in person or online. The business recently launched its new 

While the original takoyaki ($10) is the most popular flavor — topped with mayo, bonito flakes and seaweed — other combos include barbecue and mayo ($12), green onion and ponzu ($12), and spicy cod roe, mayo and cheese ($12).

Other combos are a playful nod to “tacos,” with toppings like cheese and salsa with Sriracha ($14), and cheese and guacamole with Sriracha mayo and crushed tortilla chips ($14).

The takoyaki are best enjoyed immediately, but consume with caution — they’re served piping hot.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Coco Balls takoyaki 011326

<title>New takoyaki trailer opens in Kakaʻako</title>

Coco Balls specializes in traditional, Osaka-style takoyaki. You can find the recently opened trailer by Up Roll Café Kakaʻako.

New takoyaki trailer opens in Kakaʻako

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Lawmakers and citizens alike gathered at the State Capitol Building Wednesday to inaugurate the opening day of the 2026 legislative session.

The session — the second year of the 33

 Legislature — began with speeches by Senate President Ronald Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura.

 that included Gov. Josh Green, U.S. senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and all four county mayors that last year’s legislative priorities remain the same this year.

He ran down a list of the issues facing the state — high energy costs, unlivable housing costs, insufficient local agricultural development and more — and highlighted the senators spearheading the committees addressing those issues.

Kouchi concluded by saying the state has “continued to show fiscal restraint” despite the state’s troubles over the last few years.

“While we have been criticized at times for not using more of the Rainy Day Fund, it’s really rained on us a lot,” Kouchi said, mentioning Covid-19, the destructive eruption of Kīlauea in 2018 and unspecified “events in Washington D.C.”

“And yet, we remain on what is solid fiscal ground and we are able to continue to keep our eye forward to protect the most vulnerable in our community,” Kouchi finished.

In the other chamber, Nakamura’s speech struck similar chords, although she 

 by commending state Attorney General Anne Lopez’s announcement that her office will investigate an alleged 

“The special investigation and prosecution division created and funded by the state legislature … is well-positioned to handle this matter with the independence and rigor it requires,” Nakamura said. “And I trust it will take appropriate actions in a timely manner.”

Nakamura wasn’t the only person to mention the $35,000 payment. Brenton Awa, Kāne‘ohe senator and Senate Minority Leader, began his remarks by saying he had received $35,000 — “but it wasn’t in a brown paper bag.”

Awa appealed to Native Hawaiians in the audience, lamenting that the state has become so unaffordable for locals and urging all Native Hawaiians in the chamber to stand up. While only a handful of attendees did so, Awa’s speech concluded with an enthusiastic chorus of cheers and chee-hoos.

House Minority Leader and Mililani Rep. Lauren Matsumoto told the assembly that the Minority Caucus will push for measures this year to address the cost of living crisis such as tax cuts for residents and a more efficient process for Department of Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries to secure mortgages, for example.

Matsumoto also highlighted residents’ concerns about safety and said her caucus will introduce a measure increasing penalties for crimes against kūpuna and another that creates a specific criminal offense for “organized retail theft.”

As for actual legislative actions on Wednesday, both chambers introduced and waived through on first reading a 

This legislative session is set to adjourn May 8; a full schedule can be found 

DSC06123 16x9

<title>Lawmakers ring in new legislative session</title>

Hundreds gathered at the Capitol Wednesday to celebrate the start of the 2026 session

Lawmakers ring in new legislative session

 was not on chef/owner Jon Matsubara’s mind. He recalls preparing to open 

 — which opened in Waikīkī last year — when the opportunity came up at 

, the food hall at The Park on Keʻeaumoku.

“The landlord invited us to come in; we weren’t really looking (for another location) but they said, ‘We want you here,’” he says. 

FEAST's location at Midtown Eats features a different menu from the one at its original Mānoa eatery. You can still find its signature lobster roll ($32) — comprising buttery lobster chunks in umami sauce, served with fries on the side — along with several exclusive dishes.

The business’s Hawaiian salt crusted prime rib ($30), fresh catch of the day ($22), fresh ‘ahi poke bowl ($20) and Aloha loco moco ($17) are all exclusive to FEAST’s Midtown Eats location.

The prime rib comes with horseradish sauce, rice and potato mac salad. Meanwhile, the fresh catch of the day ($22) — during our visit, it was ‘ahi — features a ginger scallion topping with local vegetables and rice.

“We’re going to feature fresh fish, different types of fresh fish over here,” Matsubara says. “We have a poke bowl, too; that’s something we haven’t really run in Mānoa.”

Besides its signature lobster roll, the business’s Aloha loco moco ($17) — comprising a wagyu hamburger steak topped with mushroom gravy and a farm egg over rice — has been one of its bestsellers.

“We figured we’d offer things that are approachable and something we could do on volume,” Matsubara says. “We wanted to put out a menu that would have something for everyone — fish, burgers, prime rib — and then we go from there.

“This is a very central place for a lot of people,” he adds. “We’re getting a lot of people that wanted to try us, but never got to go to Mānoa.”

Other menu items include hamburger steak plates ($16), garlic chicken plates ($16) and the FEAST burger ($17); the latter features a signature wagyu burger served with fries.

FEAST’s location within Midtown Eats is currently open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays.

“This spot reminds me of the farmers market,” Matsubara says. “All these people that are here, they’re not coming here for FEAST, they’re coming here to eat. It’s like a buffet — they check everything out and come back and choose whatever they want. We’re lucky we’re here, and it’s been really busy so far.”

Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays

FEAST Midtown Eats Jon Matsubara 012026

<title>New spot for lobster rolls in Honolulu</title>

Mānoa-based FEAST by Jon Matsubara — popular for its signature lobster rolls — recently opened in Midtown Eats food hall at The Park on Keʻeaumoku. This location has several exclusive dishes, including prime rib, poke bowls and a bestselling loco moco.

New spot for lobster rolls in Honolulu

 — which stands for ube before anything else — added a new dessert to its menu during the holiday season.

UBAE’s new soft serve fruit bowls ($11.75) come with your choice of soft serve, along with a drizzle and four toppings.

Soft serve flavors include ube, pandan or a swirl of both. The business’s soft serve is dairy-free and features a coconut base. Seasonal flavors are also available.

Bowls include a drizzle — choose from honey, chocolate, coconut syrup, ube puree or Cookie Butter (additional $1) — and up to four toppings. Options for toppings include strawberries, banana slices, granola, coconut flakes, rainbow sprinkles, ube crinkle cookie crumbs and graham cracker crumbs.

[{"type":"text","text":"Additional toppings cost 75 cents each."}]

Customers can build their own bowls, or choose from two pre-set options. The Classic includes a choice of soft serve, strawberries, banana slices, blueberries, 

If you want a more refreshing treat, go for the ube-pandan swirl. The fresh fruits pair nicely with the creamy soft serve.

Ube enthusiasts will love the UBAE special ($11.75), which is characterized by its distinctive purple hue. It features ube soft serve and is topped with ube cookie crumbs, and ube crinkle cookie and ube puree on top.

Open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays

Daily Smile: Thursday, January 22, 2026

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