ISLAND LIFE SHORTS
Country cooking
Advertiser Staff and News Services
| |||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
||
| |||
|
|
||
| |||
|
|
||
You'll find Haleiwa Eats Thai in the heart of historic Hale'iwa town, painted bright yellow and turquoise. Co-owner Kenny Usamanont worked with his Thai mother and chef Rajanee "Tal" Posayacupata to open the restaurant in 2003. Using her grandmother's recipes, Tal creates delectable dishes including curries, fried rices and seasonal dishes. The restaurant's bright ambiance, friendly staff and exotic tastes touches each one of your senses. At night, the restaurant glows with lotus lanterns and candlelit tables. Co-owner Peggy Usamanont's favorite dish: yellow curry fried rice topped off with green spicy curry. Haleiwa Eats Thai is open from noon to 9:30 p.m. daily; 66-079 Kamehameha Highway, 637-4247.
L.M.
GET CUTE AT CARAMIA
As a mother of two stepsons, a son and daughter, Cara Kakuda has her hands full. As a busy mom, she knows it's difficult to juggle daily needs, let alone plan birthday parties or special gifts. So she made time to develop CaraMia a specialty gift boutique in Manoa Marketplace that caters to moms who need a quick gift for their daughters. Too busy to stop and shop? CaraMia can come to your office, bringing cute gifts to choose on your lunch break, or whenever you have a minute to shop.
Beyond the boutique, the company can also organize theme birthday parties, providing girls with hair and makeup, and provide personalized photos. The store even provides a little girls' birthday registry. It's perfect for a little princess. CaraMia, 2855 E. Manoa Road, 354-0354, www.caramiahawaii.com.
Lacy Matsumoto
A SUMMER MUST
Summer is right around the corner, and hitting the beach is a must. Got your beach essentials: beach bag with sunscreen, a good book, soft beach towel, cute sunglasses, Brazilian wax?
Relax & Wax offers a new type of wax called Cirepil Cristalline utilizing micro-mineral crystalline ingredients, the hypo-allergenic formula is gentle and clean. Prices start at $45; Relax and Wax, 2334 S. King St., Suite 104, 535-9299, www.relaxandwaxhawaii.com.
L.M.
'SEX' AT STEVE & BARRY'S
OK, so Target and Whole Foods are still in the "coming soon" column of O'ahu store listings, but another Mainland retail fave has arrived: Steve & Barry's, with everything at $9.98 or less. Check out Bitten, Sarah Jessica Parker's (pictured) clothing line with a Carrie Bradshaw vibe. The line includes dresses, jackets, lingerie, handbags and, natch, shoes. And Waikele welcomed the retail giant just in time to introduce its newest brand: Wonderwall, part-time Maui resident Laird Hamilton's original surf and skate line. Steve & Barry's, Waikele Center; 678-4220.
Paula Rath
SALES & BARGAINS
Pualana Lemelle
RELEASES
DUFFY CARRIES A MOTOWN TORCH
Duffy, a 23-year-old from the United Kingdom, has an aching, powerhouse voice, a knack for writing sharp confessionals about broken relationships, an apparent affinity for vintage Motown and girl-group pop, and an old-fashioned look, right down or up to her big bouffant. Kind of like Amy Winehouse, sans the pathology, humor and jaw-dropping production.
Her new album reaches back to the 1960s for its sonic formula, matching Duffy's big, torchy voice with a shimmering, string-laden wall-of-sound production style. At the heart of the songs are Duffy's bereft, bruised lyrics about how she's been done wrong ("Stepping Stone"), how she won't let it happen again ("Warwick Avenue"), how she's been "Hanging On Too Long" and how some poor sap has taken too long to come around ("Delayed Devotion"). But her album's best entry is a frisky, organ-fueled romp, "Mercy," in which she sings of being under somebody's spell. So much verve; so irresistible.
J. Freedom du Lac, Washington Post
