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[{"type":"text","text":"The excitement when they see their best friend..."}]

Smile 26 11 9

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, Nov. 9, 2026</title>

The excitement when they see their best friend...

Daily Smile: Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

 The excitement when they see their best friend...

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

Plumeria Beach House, located at The Kāhala Hotel & Resort, now has a new Sunday brunch buffet.

The resort’s popular Sunday brunch buffet moved from upstairs — in the former Hoku’s Kāhala space, current Alan Wong’s location — to downstairs at Plumeria Beach House.

Brunch is now every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to The Kāhala Hotel & Resort executive chef Joe Almoguera, who says the change happened in September. The buffet costs $97 per adult ($49 for children ages 6 to 12 years); 

can take advantage of a 20% discount until Nov. 25.

discount right before Thanksgiving,” Almoguera confirms. “It’s 20% off the entire bill; the discount used to have a limit (of around six people), but now it will count toward your whole party.”

Almoguera explains that Plumeria Beach House has a breakfast buffet until 10:30 a.m., then sets up the buffet for its brunch offerings.

The brunch buffet still has many of the same elements diners will remember from Hoku’s Sunday brunch. The raw bar still includes crab legs, oysters, sashimi, spicy poke, shrimp cocktail and more (lobster tails and the poke musubis are no longer part of the buffet).

The carving station features prime rib and Mountain View Farms suckling pig, in addition to new options like baked oysters and roasted tako (octopus).

“The past two Sundays, we’ve been putting octopus as part of the carving station,” Almoguera says. “We’ll probably rotate it and see how popular it is.”

New options, like dim sum, have been added to the hot foods section. Almoguera notes that there’s also a featured eggs Benedict of the day, like Korean barbecue pork with a pickled ginger beurre blanc served on crispy cake noodles instead of the traditional English muffin.

“We kept a lot of the breakfast items, and then added onto it,” Almoguera says. “Every Sunday, the eggs Benedict always rotates. We have a classic one, and a smoked salmon version.”

Other breakfast specialties include Kāhala thin pancakes with maple butter, mochiko chicken, misoyaki butterfish, seasonal breakfast potatoes, and a create-your-own-omelet station. 

The dessert station still features the signature chocolate fountain — with strawberries, churros, and marshmallows for dipping — along with the Kāhala signature bread pudding with crème anglaise and coconut cake.

The eatery’s Kahalasadas — its version of a malasada — has been popular so far among customers.

Complimentary valet or self-parking is available when dining at Plumeria Beach House.

kahalaresort.com/dining/plumeria-beach-house

Plumeria Beach House desserts 110226

<title>Plumeria Beach House has a new Sunday brunch buffet</title>

The Kāhala Hotel & Resort’s Sunday brunch buffet moved from upstairs (in the former Hoku’s Kāhala) to the resort’s Plumeria Beach House downstairs. Brunch is every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; kamaʻāina can take advantage of a 20% discount until Nov. 25.

Plumeria Beach House has a new Sunday brunch buffet

Thanksgiving is coming up on Nov. 26. Peruse part 1 

. Check out the following dine-in and takeout options:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Aliʻi Fish Market"}]

i Fish Market’s Thanksgiving menu ($395) is designed to feed six to eight people. Each box’s contents are designed to take home, cook and re-heat.

[{"type":"text","text":"Boxes include:"}]

: Basalt Waikīkī’s turkey to-go packs costs $250 and are designed to feed a family of four.

[{"type":"text","text":"The turkey to-go meals include:"}]

The food will be chilled with heating instructions included. Pre-orders must be made by Nov. 19.

[{"type":"text","text":"The restaurant will also feature Thanksgiving Day specials."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Brunch specials (7 a.m. to 1 p.m.):"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Dinner specials (4 to 9 p.m.):"}]

: This Thanksgiving feast costs $155 per adult ($75 per child ages 12 years and under). Highlights include chilled crab, sushi, and fresh Pacific oysters; carving station with roasted Thanksgiving turkey, prime rib and whole suckling pig; locally caught steamed fish; Kona lobster pasta; and a variety of decadent desserts. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Big City Diner"}]

: Various locations (Kailua, Pearlridge, Waipio)

: This Thanksgiving big meal to-go costs $159.99. All items are ready to re-heat.

[{"type":"text","text":"The to-go meal includes:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chef Chai"}]

: Chef Chai’s Wiki Wiki Thanksgiving boxes ($175 small, $320 large) feature a Thanksgiving feast designed for two or four people.

: Pick-up Nov. 26, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the restaurant will be closed for dine-in service on Thanksgiving Day 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"DECK."}]

: DECK.’s Thanksgiving specials will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. The Thanksgiving plate ($42) includes turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing and roasted vegetables.

Desserts are served a la carte and include pumpkin bread pudding ($12) with whipped cream, caramel and cinnamon; basque cheesecake ($14) with lime zest and caramelized banana; and pecan tarts ($13) with whipped cream, salted caramel and praline pecans.

The eatery’s regular menu will also be available all day. 

Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi – Waik

: International Market Place, 2330 Kalākaua Ave. Ste. 322, Honolulu

: This special holiday dinner costs $70 per person. It includes:

Limited items on the eatery’s regular dinner menu will also be available. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Empire Steak House"}]

: This four-course menu costs $140 per person. It includes:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Et al."}]

: et al.’s Thanksgiving special ($45) is available for both dine-in and takeout.

The meal includes garlic and herb butter roast turkey, HI Steaks smoked meat and sage stuffing, Sweet Land Farm chevre and chive potato puree, pan roasted brussels sprouts with ‘Ōhi‘a Honey verjus, prune mui cranberry sauce, turkey jus and basque pumpkin caramel cheesecake. 

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

: Foodland features a variety of Thanksgiving options.

Premium turkey dinner ($129.99), serves eight to 10 people; order by Nov. 18

[{"type":"text","text":"Turkey breast dinner ($89.99), serves up to five people; order by Nov. 18"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Prime rib dinner ($149.99), serves four to six people; order by Nov. 18"}]

Dinner from our chefs ($199.99), serves eight to 10 people; order by Nov. 18

: Pick-up during store hours, Nov. 25 to 27

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Haliʻa by Side Street Inn"}]

a by Side Street Inn will feature a family-style meal ($185) designed to feed four to five people.

It includes kalua turkey with gravy, lilikoʻi and pineapple glazed ham, mushroom and Portuguese sausage stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mixed greens, green beans with macadamia nuts and fresh cranberry sauce. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hau Tree"}]

: This four-course family-style Thanksgiving dinner costs $135 per adult ($55 per child ages 12 years and under).

It includes ‘ahi tartare, creamy truffle mushroom soup, delicata squash salad, glazed turkey breast with brown butter and thyme, leg and thigh meat confit with maple mustard, black truffle gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry compote, roasted brussels sprouts, Hawaiian rolls, pumpkin crunch, and hojicha kūlolo tart. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hard Rock Cafe"}]

: Hard Rock Cafe’s Thanksgiving menu includes traditional slow-roasted turkey, buttermilk stuffing, creamy sweet potato mash, green bean casserole and sticky toffee bread pudding for dessert. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hideout at The Laylow"}]

: Hideout at The Laylow’s holiday menu features local flavors through dishes like kabocha ravioli, Portuguese sausage-infused turkey and pumpkin spice crème brulee. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Jolene’s Hawaiʻi"}]

: Various locations (Honolulu, ‘Ewa Beach and Bayview)

i is offering Thanksgiving packs for pick-up. Choose from:

Each pack is designed to feed six to eight people; food should be consumed within four hours of pick-up.

Pre-orders must be made by Monday, Nov. 23. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Kukui’s (Kauaʻi)"}]

: The Thanksgiving morning buffet costs $95 per person. Highlights include a chef’s omelet station, cranberry-roasted turkey carving station, made-to-order crepes and waffles, coconut shrimp, Hawaiian-style miso mahi mahi, roasted pumpkin and vegetable Wellington, pumpkin cheesecake bars and more.

The Thanksgiving prix fixe dinner costs $85 per person. It includes herb-roasted turkey with cranberry-orange compote, Hawaiian Alaea salt prime prime rib, misoyaki butterfish with passion fruit glaze, pumpkin soup, pecan pie and more. 

: Morning buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Little Sparrow Honolulu"}]

: Little Sparrow’s Thanksgiving take-away feast costs $89 per person.

Each dish comes with re-heating instructions. Pre-orders are open thru Nov. 22. 

: Pick-up from 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 25; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 26 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pitch Sports Bar"}]

: Pitch Sports Bar’s Thanksgiving packages come in small ($110, feeds two to three people) or large ($220, feeds five to six people) sizes.

Packages include oven-roasted turkey with a turkey leg, honey-glazed ham with traditional turkey gravy, homemade stuffing with water chestnuts, bacon parm brussels sprouts, Asian chicken salad and garlic mashed potatoes.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Side Street Inn"}]

: Side Street Inn’s dine-in prix fixe special costs $185 and is designed to serve four to five people.

It includes smoked kalua turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, Portuguese sausage stuffing, turkey gravy, potato mac salad, cranberry sauce and farmer’s salad. Dine-in seatings will be limited to two hours; the restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The eatery will also offer a Thanksgiving to-go special; pre-orders are recommended. The local-style kalua turkey plate ($40) includes smoked kalua turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, Portuguese sausage stuffing, potato mac salad, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce.

: Nov. 26; pick-up for Thanksgiving to-go from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

: International Market Place, 2330 Kalākaua Ave. Ste. 330, Honolulu 

: Stripsteak’s Thanksgiving feast features a three-course menu for $129 per person. It includes:

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

: Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa, 

: Swim Restaurant & Bar will serve a special Thanksgiving menu for the holiday. The roast turkey dinner ($35) includes stuffing, mashed potatoes, maple glazed brussels sprouts, giblet gravy and a slice of pumpkin pie. Extra pumpkin pie slices ($6 each) will be available. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Lookout"}]

: The Lookout’s Thanksgiving buffet costs $85 per adult ($39 for children ages 5 to 11 years). The buffet includes butternut squash soup, macadamia nut green beans, candied yams, mashed potatoes, Portuguese sausage and mushroom stuffing, pineapple glazed ham, roasted turkey with gravy, kalua turkey, togarashi glazed salmon, prime rib station with au jus and horseradish sour cream, warm bread pudding, pumpkin crunch, self-serve vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and more. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tiki’s Grill & Bar"}]

: Tiki’s Grill & Bar is featuring a special Thanksgiving plate. Plates include brined, roasted Tom turkey with all the fixings, including sausage apple and Hawaiian ‘ulu stuffing; Yukon Gold potato and tarragon gratin; Molokai sweet potato puree; sage chardonnay pan gravy; fresh cranberry and star anise orange relish; and a side of bacon, macadamia nut and pineapple brussels sprouts.

Pumpkin tres leches topped with spiced crème and dulce de leche will be for dessert.

Thanksgiving 2026 Stripsteak 110326

<title>Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 2</title>

Whether you want to celebrate with a buffet or a cozy meal at home, we’ve got your Thanksgiving plans covered.

Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 2

Cheryl Tsutsumi

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Columnists

Arts & Entertainment

By the time she was in her teens, Zita Cup Choy had visited historic icons such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Alamo and Independence Hall, thanks to her dad’s career as an Air Force mechanic, which stationed him in France and all over the U.S. continent. But ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian didn’t know much about Hawai‘i as a child, even though her Island roots trace back centuries.

Her Hawaiian Chinese paternal great-grandmother was married to Cup Choy Chun, who immigrated to Maui in 1880 from Sanzao Dao island, off the southern coast of Guangdong Province, to cut cane for Huelo Plantation. Everyone knew him as Cup Choy, so he adopted that as his family name. While fulfilling his seven-year plantation contract, he apprenticed at a butcher shop in Wailuku, where he became proficient in English.

That job ended in 1888, and he returned to China. Two years later, he was back on Maui, working as a butcher, store clerk and interpreter for Haʻikū Sugar Company’s plantation in Hāmākuapoko. By 1894, he had earned enough money to own and operate his first business, a restaurant and coffee shop in Hāmākuapoko, and in 1909, he was able to buy land and open a butcher shop in Kokomo, a community in Haʻikū.

One of 13 children, Zita Cup Choy’s paternal grandfather landed a job with Libby, McNeil & Libby’s sugar plantation on Molokai. Her dad was raised there before joining the Air Force.

In 1970, he was assigned to Hickam Air Force Base. “That was before my senior year in high school; I’m a Kaimukī Bulldog,” Cup Choy said. “My mom, younger sister and brother, and I spent our first summer in Hawai‘i with our ‘ohana on Molokai. 

My grandparents knew just about everyone, so it was always talk-story time when we were out and about. My grandfather taught me how to drive in the pineapple fields with a surplus World War II jeep.”

Cup Choy went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Church College of Hawai‘i, now Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i. She taught on Guam for two years before returning to O‘ahu in 1976, where she held a variety of jobs, including short stints as a preschool and elementary school teacher. Joining the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club at the urging of one of her mom’s friends set her on a new career path.

The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace had been founded on June 7, 1966, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to oversee the restoration and preservation of what had been the official home of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani, his sister and successor, who were Hawai‘i’s last reigning ali‘i. Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, the palace served as the headquarters for the provisional, republic, territory and state of Hawai‘i governments until the present Capitol opened on March 15, 1969.

Over the decades, the stately building had fallen into a sad state of disrepair, and the Friends immediately began work on what turned out to be a nine-year project. By 1977, the major renovations had been completed, and the group was negotiating a contract with the state to operate the palace as a museum. They reached out to the community, including the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, asking for volunteers to train as docents. Cup Choy signed up, and when the palace, a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public on May 3, 1978, she was among its first docents.

“There are many fascinating stories about people who visited the palace,” Cup Choy said. “The more reading I’ve done over the years, the more I’m convinced that the chamberlain was keeping an eye on the lists of passengers who were arriving on steamers. If there was someone Kalākaua wanted to meet, he or she would get an invitation. They weren’t necessarily dignitaries. For example, because the king was interested in yacht racing, he hosted a man who was associated with the 1876 America’s Cup.”

Recovering original palace furnishings is a key part of the Friends’ mission — difficult largely because many items deemed inappropriate for government use were sold, and no records were kept about the buyers.

Serendipity has come into play. Cup Choy recalled a visitor from Oklahoma City who saw a photo of a small wooden table in the king’s bedroom when she was on a tour in 1980. The table looked exactly like one she had purchased from her florist to use as a flower stand. The florist had bought it from a Christian Science Reading Room in Oklahoma City to use in a display at her shop. Someone from Illinois had donated the table to the Reading Room; how it got to Illinois is unknown.

“After the tour, the woman said, ‘I think we have a table that should come home to ‘Iolani Palace,’” Cup Choy said. “As it turned out, it was indeed one of 200-plus pieces that Kalākaua had commissioned A.H. Davenport and Company, a highly regarded furniture manufacturer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make for the palace.”

In 1996, the Friends’ management contract with the state transitioned to a lease agreement, giving it more autonomy, although it is still governed by state park rules and those specific to ‘Iolani Palace. Cup Choy has been the palace’s full-time historian since 2016.

“I love digging deep for information,” she said. “I’ll get questions like ‘Who are the people in this picture?’ or ‘What was the menu for such-and-such banquet?’ I’ll go to every resource I can think of — including microfilm at the library, the palace’s archives and the state archives, and the Ulukau and Papakilo databases — hoping to solve another mystery.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Upcoming events and features"}]

Admission to ‘Iolani Palace is free for Hawai‘i residents on the second Sunday of every month. A valid form of state ID is required for one complimentary ticket per adult 18 and older. Younger keiki are admitted free. The next Kamaʻāina Sundays will be Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

with chef Ed Kenney and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Amy Hanaiali’i on an episode of “

” which will air on PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The palace will host King Kalākaua Birthday Celebration on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first 500 kamaʻāina will receive tickets for a free self-guided audio tour. Queen Kapiʻolani Evening Tours, honoring Kalākaua’s wife, will be Dec. 26-27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Renovations of the exhibit areas in the palace’s basement will be completed early next year. Highlights will include artifacts, photos and narratives about Kalākaua’s 1881 trip around the world. 

In addition, the Royal Hawaiian Band presents free concerts on the palace grounds most Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. The most up-to-date schedule can be found at 

Iolani Palace Zita Cup Choy

<title>Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian</title>

After a career spent mostly in education, in both Guam and Hawai'i, Cup Choy joined the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, which set her on a new career path. She joined The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace among its first docents in 1978, and today, continues to lead tours and conduct research, while furthering the nonprofit's mission of recovering original palace furnishings.

Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Aloha Spirit

Department of Accounting and General Services

 Director and Comptroller Keith Regan and artist Solomon Enos are inviting the public to help bring a mural to the basement parking garage of the Kalanimoku Building, where it will be one the first things many people see when they visit. The Kalanimoku Building houses offices for DAGS, as well as the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The community is invited to bring the mural to life by painting from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29. Participants — who must be in middle school or older — do not need artistic experience to participate. Brushes and paint will be provided.

“What we're doing is we're creating an upena, a net, and it's based upon a process I've done at the 

, where we're going to start making triangles of different colors,” Enos told Aloha State Daily this month.

The design uses 15 colors that represent “different kinds of environments and ecosystems and habitats right across the Hawaiian Islands,” he said. That includes representations of the red earth and deep ocean.

Enos is a renowned artist who has completed artwork for Google, Disney, Pixar, 

. He grew up in Mākaha Valley and has been making art for more than 30 years. His work is on display at Capitol Modern and Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, among other locations. He is also the artist-in-residence for the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, an agency attached to DAGS.

Base colors have already been added to the walls in preparation for the upcoming project in the basement of the parking garage for the Kalanimoku Building.

“On that day, [we’re] using random triangles, lines, and shapes, using rollers and using that same set of colors, but we're just going to mix them up,” Enos said. “People who have a light blue will be on areas that are not light blue.  They'll be creating these triangles and this big conceptual net form.”

One of the biggest art challenges of projects like this is to make sure participants don’t add their name or an extra design, he said.

This is not Enos’ first art project that involves community participation. In fact, he led one last month, where 

students from three high schools came together to paint a large mural along Kamehameha Highway

Community art projects are not new, he said. Movies and theatrical performances are other examples of them, Enos added. Projects, like this mural, are also examples of how “community, collectively, can transform the world around them,” he said.

“You can transform this wall,” Enos said. “You can transform this world, but you can't do it by yourself.”

Parking in the lot in front of the painting area will be free. Use the entrance on Beretania Street to access the free parking spots.

Participants are asked to sign up via email at 

, so the appropriate amount of painting materials will be available. Follow 

 on Instagram for updates on his art and other projects.

Solomon Enos at work

<title>Paint with Solomon Enos</title>

Ever wanted to be part of painting a community mural? Next Saturday, Nov. 29, could be your chance. This government office is teaming up with artist Solomon Enos to beautify a basement parking garage.

Daily Smile: Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

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