ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Trying to get snacks without waking your dog..."}]

Smile 26 11 4

<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026</title>

Trying to get snacks without waking your dog...

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

 Trying to get snacks without waking your dog...

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Arts & Entertainment

 is coming Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The festival will be held at Makiki District Park (1527 Ke

The event is free and is open to the public. Kimchi Day Festival Hawaiʻi strives to bring the community together for a day dedicated to Korean food, traditions and culture, according to David Suh, president of The United Korean Association of Hawai

"The Kimchi Day Festival is the perfect excuse to gather your friends, try some amazing dishes, and capture memories that look just as good as they taste", says Suh. "I can't wait to see all of you out there bringing your appetites and celebrating with us.”

The annual festival, hosted by The United Korean Association of Hawai

i, highlights Korea’s rich culinary heritage and showcases the cultural connections between Hawaiʻi and Korea.

The festival is centered around kimchi, Korea’s iconic fermented dish that has become popular in Hawaii. Kimchi is usually made with salted vegetables — like Napa cabbage — along with garlic, ginger and chili pepper. Gov. Josh Green signed House Bill 1950 into law in 2023, and officially designated Nov. 22 as Kimchi Day in Hawai

At this year’s festival, attendees can look forward to a won bok toss tournament, best homemade kimchi contest, a kimchi-making demo, kimchi jeon eating contest, and a K-pop dance competition. There will also be live performances, featuring Korean drumming and other cultural presentations.

For more information, visit the Kimchi Day Festival’s 

Kimchi Day Festival 2026 kimchi packs 102826

<title>4th annual Kimchi Day Festival Hawaiʻi is coming Nov. 14</title>

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Makiki District Park; it’s open to the public and free to attend. Attendees can look forward to live music, cultural performances, a kimchi-making demonstration and K-Pop dance contest.

4th annual Kimchi Day Festival Hawaiʻi is coming Nov. 14

 just opened in Kalihi, in the former space of Guieb Cafe’s Kalihi location.

The business has been open in Mānoa for about 17 years, according to chef Sergio Arellano. The biz has another location within the 

While business owner/chef Sergio Arellano says he wasn’t necessarily looking for another location, he thought the opportunity to open in Kalihi would be beneficial for customers.

“I’m excited to bring our delicious food to this side of town,” he says. “Plenty of people always say, ‘It’s hard to drive out to Mānoa,’ so I figured, maybe Kalihi will be more central for a lot more people. That’s what really pushed me to come to Kalihi.”

He says the Kalihi store came together in about one and a half months; the Kalihi location celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 1.

The menu is the same at all three locations, according to Arellano, who says his restaurant features family recipes and describes his cuisine as “Mexico City-style.” The restaurant offers a variety of tacos, burritos and sopes, along with house specialties like its famous flautas ($16.95) and enchiladas ($16.95-$17.95).

“The flautas are our signature dish; it’s a traditional dish from where my family’s from, Mexico City,” Arellano says. “It’s a popular dish in Mexico City; the flautas are our homemade flour tortillas. We stuff them with your choice of meat and we fry it to a golden brown, then top it off with our fresh-made avocado salsa, sour cream, queso fresco, cilantro and onions. We serve it with rice and beans.”

Sopes ($16.95), meanwhile, feature masa (corn) cakes with a choice of meat. They’re topped with beans, sour cream, queso fresco, cilantro and onions.

“Sopes is a very traditional Mexican dish,” Arellano says. “We fry these — they’re very delicate — to a golden brown. We top it off with homemade beans; sopes come with any meat you want. Customers can mix it up as well, and get one steak, one chicken and one chorizo.

“These are all family recipes,” he adds. “There are some I created myself, but for the most part, it’s my grandma’s, mom’s and dad’s recipes.”

Arellano says the eatery’s garlic shrimp plate ($18.95) — available in traditional garlic, garlic cilantro-lime or chipotle garlic — and chimichanga ($16.95-$17.95) are customer favorites. The latter features a 12-inch deep-fried flour tortilla stuffed with beans and rice, along with a choice of chicken or steak, pork carnitas, al pastor or sauteed veggies. It’s topped with sour cream, and served with guacamole or pico de gallo.

The business’s Mexico City-style tacos ($5.50-$6.50 each) and burritos ($16.95-$17.95) include a choice of protein, ranging from chorizo, pork carnitas and grilled chicken to grilled steak, al pastor and sauteed veggies. Tacos are usually served on grilled, 6-inch corn tortillas, and are topped with cilantro and onions. Burritos are stuffed with guacamole and pico de gallo, and come with beans and rice.

“Pork carnitas and steak are popular, but al pastor or carnitas would probably be our top two (proteins),” Arellano says.

Customers can also choose from housemade salsas, available in mild, medium, hot and super hot levels.

On the weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Serg’s Mexican Kitchen serves Mexican breakfast. The breakfast menu includes dishes like huevos rancheros ($13.95), breakfast burritos ($13.95-$16.95), omelets ($11.95-$13.95), menudo, or traditional Mexican tripe soup ($13.95) and machaca, or scrambled eggs with shredded beef ($13.95).

“Anything you try on the menu, you will not be disappointed,” Arellano says.

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Sergs Mexican Kitchen Sergio 102926

<title>Serg’s Mexican Kitchen just opened in Kalihi</title>

The business, which has been open in Mānoa for about 17 years, just opened its third location in Kalihi. The biz celebrated its grand opening yesterday; the menu is the same at all three locations, according to chef Sergio Arellano, who says the eatery’s enchiladas, birria tacos and chimichangas are especially popular.

Serg’s Mexican Kitchen just opened in Kalihi

Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday, Nov. 26. Whether you’re dining out or looking for an at-home feast, check out the following options:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"100 Sails Restaurant & Bar"}]

: The Thanksgiving dinner buffet costs $109 per adult ($54.50 per child ages 6 to 10 years old). Highlights include kiawe-smoked prime rib that’s carved to order, kiawe smoked brisket, ‘ahi poke, assorted sashimi, snow crab legs, salt and pepper shrimp, caramelized mushroom linguini, roasted turkey leg and turkey breast, holiday stuffing, temaki sushi, Prince bread pudding, pumpkin crunch haupia crunch pie and more.

The brunch buffet costs $111 per adult ($55.50 per child ages 6 to 10 years old). It includes many of the featured dinner buffet offerings — including kiawe-smoked prime rib, kiawe smoked brisket, roasted turkey leg and turkey breast — but also includes breakfast offerings like Prince fried rice, a waffle station and an omelet station.

: Dinner buffet 5 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 26-29; brunch buffet 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"53 By the Sea"}]

: 53 By the Sea’s Thanksgiving take home packages are available for pre-order online and via phone.

The standard Thanksgiving dinner set ($250) is designed to feed four people and includes:

The deluxe Thanksgiving dinner set ($750) is designed to feed eight people and includes:

: In-person pick-ups from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"C4 Table by Colin Hazama"}]

: fishcake Honolulu, 307C Kamani St., Honolulu 

: C4 Table’s Thanksgiving holiday menu ($370) is designed to serve four to six people. It includes:

: Pick-up from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 at fishcake Honolulu 

: Email pre-order with name (first and last), telephone contact number, number of meals/additional sides, and preferred pick-up time slot to 

: Chart House Waikīkī’s traditional turkey dinner ($65) includes butter and sage roasted turkey, savory cornbread stuffing, mashed or baked sweet potato with rum butter, pan gravy, creamed spinach and cranberry relish. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hy’s Steak House"}]

: This Thanksgiving ‘ohana feast to-go ($585) is designed to serve eight to 10 people. It includes:

: This special Thanksgiving dinner ($40) includes butter herb roasted turkey, homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, green bean casserole, candied yams with toasted marshmallow, grilled corn on the cob and a dinner roll. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Merriman’s Honolulu"}]

: This Thanksgiving prix fixe menu costs $140 per person ($45 for children ages 12 years and younger). It includes:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MW Restaurant"}]

: This Thanksgiving family feast ($725) is designed to feed six to eight people. It includes:

Pre-orders must be placed by Tuesday, Nov. 24.

: Pick-up from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Plumeria Beach House"}]

: The all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffets will include a carving station, chef specialties and a variety of desserts. They cost $145 per adult ($55 per child ages 6 to 12 years). 

: Nov. 26, brunch buffet 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; dinner buffet 3 to 8 p.m. 

: This Thanksgiving package ($285.95) is designed to feed four to six people. It includes sliced roast turkey, turkey gravy, housemade stuffing, pineapple-glazed ham, garlic mashed potatoes, spicy ‘ahi on sushi rice, fresh cranberry sauce, and pumpkin crunch squares.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Buffet at Hyatt"}]

: Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa, 

: This Island-inspired Thanksgiving buffet costs $110 per person (50% off for children ages 6 to 12 years, $5.99 for children ages 5 years and under).

[{"type":"text","text":"Buffet highlights include:"}]

discount is not valid for holiday menus. 

The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waik

: This Thanksgiving takeout feast ($595) is designed to serve eight to 10 people.

: Pick-up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 26.

Upon arrival, guests should pull into The Royal Hawaiian porte cochere (valet) and check in with the team; staff members will bring your Thanksgiving feast directly to you. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Umi by Vikram Garg"}]

: Halepuna Waikīkī by Halekūlani, 2233 Helumoa Road, Honolulu 

: This special Thanksgiving dinner features a three-course ($110 per person) or four-course ($150 per person) menu.

The three-course menu features a soup or pasta (premium upgrade optional), main course and dessert; an optional wine pairing ($50) is available. The four-course menu includes an appetizer (premium upgrade available), soup or pasta (premium upgrade available), main course and dessert; an optional wine pairing ($70) is available.

[{"type":"text","text":"Featured dishes include:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Zippy’s Restaurants"}]

: Zippy’s is offering a variety of Thanksgiving packages to choose from:

[{"type":"text","text":"Whole turkey package, $214.95; serves eight to 10 people"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Half turkey package, $124.95; serves four people"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Whole turkey only, $95.95; serves eight to 10 people"}]

: Pick-up Wednesday Nov. 25 or Thursday, Nov. 26

Thanskgiving 2026 Zippys 102826

<title>Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 1</title>

Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 1

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Within the next six months, Jed Gaines expects to take Read Aloud America’s family literacy program global, after two decades of trialing it across the Islands.

“We’re working with some great people overseas who helped build this Toolkit, which has taken over a year,” 

he told Aloha State Daily. “We’ve actually had the first draft edited and finalized, so it’s just fine-tuning everything and getting it together.”

Gaines said that The Read Aloud Program Toolkit will first be implemented in a local school to run as a pilot program. “And once they test it, then we could determine what needs to be changed, added or deleted,” he noted. “I see schools running it on their own. We’ll be there as a support system.”

The overall goal remains the same: to focus on family, and the communication and bonding that occurs through reading aloud.

He added that the Toolkit will include tips for family connection. “If you can get parents to shut down screens during dinner, so that families can talk, get to know each other and share love together, then we’re going to have a different society,” Gaines said. “Until we change the home, you’re never going to change our schools, communities, our nation or world. You’ve really got to get families to talk story, and the key is the parents.”

The Read Aloud Program offers immersive reading sessions for public school students and their families, as well as opportunities to enjoy entertainment, games and food. The program first launched in 1999 at Barber’s Point Elementary School serving 200 people. Attendance increases and a state grant in 2006 helped boost the program.

“Up until Covid-19, we had reached more than 350,000 adults and children. So why were they coming to these programs at such numbers? It

’s because they were having fun, and if you have fun, you’re going to learn.”

As gatherings ceased during the pandemic, Read Aloud America continued sharing it reading resources and lists, while pivoting to what's next.

For Gaines, the most rewarding part of this work is engaging with the families and seeing the impact. He shared the sentiment of a parent who had attended every session in a series and told him, “Jed, this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my family.”

Gaines admits he didn’t learn to read until 7th grade. He says school was difficult for him, being dyslectic, though he we went on to attend college and grew fond of the hobby while in the U.S. Navy.

“The carrier had a library. I became a reader on my own and self-educated myself, basically,” he said. “I’m an avid reader today. That’s my escape.”

In the early ’70s, he moved from New York to Hawai’i and began cleaning apartments professionally, running the business Apartment Appearance for over 25 years. During that time, in 1995, Gaines created nonprofit Read Aloud America, whose mission is: “Through the fun of reading and being read to, parents can promote literacy, bond families, and build communities of lifetime readers and learners.”

He has passed the gift of reading to his children and grandchildren. When asked what he’s currently reading, Gaines said, “Strangers in Time” by 

David Baldacci; “The Widow” by John Grisham; “

 by Clare Leslie Hall; and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls.

For kids' book authors, he recommends Jerry Spinell

Read Aloud America 003

<title>Read Aloud America readies for next chapter</title>

Founder and president Jed Gaines reflects on the Honolulu-based organization’s past and shares what’s ahead.  

Read Aloud America readies for next chapter

 was in April 2023. Back then, it was Duckine, an Asian fusion restaurant that featured dishes like assorted bao, garlic chow mein, fried chicken wings and tofu stew.

Duckine had only been open for about 10 months when the Lahaina fires happened. When the restaurant closed after the August 2023 fires, chef Alvin Savella talked with his team about rebranding the restaurant.

“Did we want to come back as Duckine, or did we want to be something else?” he says. “We decided as a group that we wanted to be something more family friendly and approachable; a place for the community to hang out. It’s what we felt Lahaina needed at the time.”

Coco Deck Lahaina’s sister restaurant, Māla Ocean Tavern, was the first restaurant to reopen on Front Street after the Lahaina fires, according to Savella.

“We weren’t able to open from August 2023 to February 2024,” he says. "February was when they cleared the water and sewage for this area; that was after six to seven months of being closed. There were guard shacks here; the whole area was kind of fenced down, we couldn’t get in. There was no electricity down here.”

When Māla reopened, Savella and Rob Farrell — the general manager at Coco Deck — stepped in as interim chef and general manager of Māla. They did that for about three months, then started talking about bringing back Duckine — or another concept in its place.

“Māla was the first restaurant to reopen — we reopened on Feb. 1 last year,” Savella says. “We were like the only place open at the time, and we were getting crushed; it was crazy busy. We were the only ones down here, and gradually — throughout April and May — there were restaurants along the strip that all started opening as well. We opened Coco Deck here in September, and every month has been better and better.”  

While Duckine was slightly more upscale with a mix of Hawaiian and Chinese flavors, Coco Deck Lahaina features new American street food, according to Savella.

“We do a play on Latin flavors and local Asian flavors — it’s a little bit of everything,” he says. 

One of Coco Deck’s most popular dishes is its poke donut ($17.25). And no — this version doesn’t feature a lot of rice.

“We do a spicy tuna and form it into a donut, and I dip it into a beer batter,” Savella explains. “After I pull it out of the fryer, I top it with more fresh poke, some spicy mayo. There’s two different textures — there’s some cooked ‘ahi in the donut, and fresh tuna on the outside as well.”

Other popular dishes include fish tacos ($24.50) — comprising grilled mahi topped with cabbage, pineapple relish, cheese, citrus crema and salsa — and fish & chips ($26.50), served with artichokes, pickled malt mayo and the eatery’s funky fries, which are a mix of four different fries — sweet potato, waffle cut, twister and shoestring, according to Savella.

“That’s our standard mix; we wanted to make it more fun,” he says. “I remember I was in Asia two years ago. They set down a plate of fries and it was mixed; I thought, ‘Why does nobody else do this?’ I liked this idea and brought it here.”

Savella also recommends the birria ramen ($26.50) — a hearty mix of beef birria, noodles, onions, cilantro and lime — and the Coco toast ($15.50) for dessert. The latter features crispy Hawaiian sweet bread with coconut jam, almonds and coffee ice cream, and it’s a tribute to a customer favorite from Duckine.

“One of the things we were known for at Duckine was our dessert, our kaya toast,” Savella says. “We brought it back — it’s a little bit modified, but it’s the Coco toast in this restaurant. It’s pretty much almost the same dessert, but everybody loved it so much that we were like, we have to bring that back. There’s a little bit of nostalgia — it’s a little bit of who we were and who we are now.”

[{"text":"Savella recalls how choosing the name Coco Deck did not come easily.","type":"text"}]

“It was the hardest thing,” he says. “For two months, every Thursday, five of us would brainstorm. One day, I was sitting on the lanai and was thinking, ‘What does this place make me feel?’ I looked into the distance there and saw coconut trees. Granted, the fires happened but the coconut trees are still here. I was sitting on the deck and was like, ‘This is the Coco Deck.’ That’s the vibe I got.”

Besides its regular restaurant hours, Coco Deck Lahaina features a Wednesday supper club with Savella. The dinner series features a four-course tasting menu that showcases innovative, bold flavors; the theme for each dinner always changes, according to Savella.

“Two weeks ago, it (the theme) was ‘Eat like you’re on death row,’ so it was dishes that people would think of if they were on death row,” he says. “I’m doing a kamayan one (a communal-style Filipino feast) in the future; I did a Duckine throwback menu one night. It’s a different experience; a little bit of education around different cuisines and styles of service.”

[{"text":"Savella says customers can expect more fun events to come at Coco Deck.","type":"text"}]

“We always try to push the boundaries and try to make things fun,” he says. “I told my business partners, ‘We’re starting to feel the life breathe into Lahaina again.’ It’s nice to see familiar faces, the people of Lahaina coming back, the housing starting to come back up.

“It seemed like, just looking down the street, as the months go on, more and more people are starting to come around,” he adds. “Everybody is trying to find a place to make a comeback.”

Open 2-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026

Daily Smile: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

Daily Smile: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 30, 2026

Most read

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026

Daily Smile: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

Daily Smile: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 30, 2026

Most read