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Daily Smile

Boof (noun): A low, soft, "pre bark" or warning puff made when hesitant or unsure if full bark is necessary...

Smile 26 11 10

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026

 Boof (noun): A low, soft, &quot;pre bark&quot; or warning puff made when hesitant or unsure if full bark is necessary...

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"There’s a new soup dumpling spot in Honolulu."}]

 just soft opened in Kakaʻako. The restaurant is located on Kamakee Street in the former space of Phuket Thai and Better Bites Thai and More. The eatery, known for its premium handmade noodles and made-to-order dumplings, has other locations on the Mainland in cities like Las Vegas, San Jose and Austin.

The restaurant features both indoor and outdoor seating; we’re told the eatery can seat 100 customers.

Sijie Special Noodle’s Honolulu menu is currently the same as the ones at the business’s other locations.

The pork soup dumplings ($12.99) are the eatery’s signature xiao long bao. Other soup dumpling fillings include veggie ($13.99), spicy pork ($13.99), shrimp ($17.99), premium beef brisket ($15.99), and pork and crab roe ($20.99). Six dumplings usually come per order.

The eatery also offers boiled ($12.99) and steamed ($12.99) dumplings, along with mini pan-fried buns. The mini pan-fried pork buns ($12.99) are especially popular, due to their size. 

The sweet and sour pork ($28.99), twin pepper deer antler mushroom ($26.99) and flaming wagyu beef cubes ($49.99) are recommended chef specials. The sweet and sour pork, in particular, features a social media-worthy presentation. 

The menu features a variety of appetizers, Sichuan specials — which are known for their spice — rice and chow mein, stir-fries, noodles, rice, and noodle soups.

Popular options include siu mai ($11.99), beef chow funn ($21.99), orange chicken ($22.99) and spicy beef noodle soup ($21.99).

The orange chicken is part of the eatery’s wok chicken selection; customers can choose from other flavors like lemon and sesame.

Drink options range from hot tea ($4) and matcha lattes ($10) to hojicha lattes ($10).

[{"type":"text","text":"Sijie Special Noodle is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight."}]

Sijie Special Noodle staff 110926

<title>Soup dumpling spot Sijie Special Noodle opens in Honolulu</title>

The restaurant, known for its premium handmade noodles and dumplings, just opened on Kamakee Street. Customers can look forward to soup dumplings with a variety of fillings — including pork, shrimp, premium beef brisket and more — steamed dumplings, chef specials and noodle soups.

Soup dumpling spot Sijie Special Noodle opens in Honolulu

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Ala Moana Center is losing a longtime anchor tenant.

 it will close three more Neiman Marcus stores and 12 Saks Fifth Avenue locations across the U.S. — including the Neiman Marcus location in Ala Moana Center, which opened in 1998.

In January, Saks Global, which operates brands that include Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks OFF 5th, 

, the company said it is “refining the Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus store footprint to focus on profitable locations with the highest growth potential.” At that time, it was announced that eight Saks Fifth Avenue locations and one Neiman Marcus location would close.

In a statement provided to media on Friday, 

 said the organization — a statewide, membership-based, not-for-profit trade organization that advocates for and supports Hawai‘i’s retail industry

was “deeply saddened” by the pending closure.

“Since opening its doors in 1998, Neiman Marcus has played an important and meaningful role in Hawaiʻi’s retail community and in the lives of residents and visitors who have made the store part of their traditions and special,” the statement reads. “While we understand that this decision reflects broader strategic changes by Saks Global Enterprises, which has indicated a reduction in its physical store count and a focus on specific major markets and demographics within its luxury retail portfolio, the loss of the Honolulu store is significant for Hawai‘i. Neiman Marcus has long been a leader in luxury retailing here, helping to elevate Hawai‘i’s position as an international shopping destination.”

Lindsay Kahn, senior director of public relations for Ala Moana Center owner GGP, said in an email to Aloha State Daily that Friday's news "presents our team with an exciting opportunity.”

“This is extremely valuable real estate with coveted water views and opportunities to repurpose space of this scale are rare,” she says. “Ala Moana Center remains one of the most iconic retail destinations in North America, and we have proactively been working behind the scenes on future plans to further enhance this global center to our local community and visitors.”

, citing company officials, have reported that Neiman Marcus will remain open through the end of May. The exact closing date for Mariposa, a restaurant located within Neiman Marcus, had not yet been confirmed as of Friday, according to sources close to the retailer.

Ala Moana Center opened in 1959 and is the world's largest open-air shopping center with more than 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It offers more than 350 stores and restaurants and 160 dining options.

 In addition to Neiman Marcus, other anchor stores include Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Target.

 in 1907, founded by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman and her husband, A.L. Neiman. They were torn between starting their own company that would bring "world-acclaimed fashion design home to Texas," or investing in an emerging beverage company — Coca-Cola. 

I Stock neiman marcus ala moana 030926

<title>Neiman Marcus to close at Ala Moana Center</title>

Last month, parent company Saks Global Enterprises said it is “refining the Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus store footprint to focus on profitable locations with the highest growth potential.”

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

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