Menchie's Frozen Yogurt

Honolulu $ ***
The yogurt craze has officially come to Hawaii. Last summer I tried Yogurtland by UH. This summer I tried Menchie's, a new yogurt place at Ward Warehouse. Like Yogurtland, you build your own yogurt. Choose from a variety of flavors: green tea, cake batter, cappuccino, mango tart, etc. Then you can add your own toppings: fruit, candy, cereal, sprinkles, etc. I was able to buy two small servings for my brother and myself for a little over $5. I prefer Yogurtland, but it may just be because I'm sentimental.

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt (Ward)
1050 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Sun-Thu 11a-10p
Fri-Sat 11a-11p

Satura Cakes

Honolulu $ ****
This is a cute little Japanese dessert chain specializing in cakes, which they make lighter than usual. My brother and I were looking for a place to get dessert in Waikiki. We were considering the typical ice cream shops, e.g., Coldstone, Dreyers, Häagen-Dazs, but then I remembered that I've been wanting to try that place in Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. So we walked past Moana Surfrider, west to the newly-renovated shopping center.
There were about 10 different cake flavors available. All were $3.95, and all were about the same size as a Cold Stone like it. Not bad. I had a hard time choosing between kona-misu (tiramisu), chocolate, and red velvet. I ended up getting kona-misu and was glad I did. We sat outside and watched the world go by. The cake was as light as I expected. There's a smooth layer of cake on the bottom, and the rest of it is almost like a mousse-whipped cream mixture with powdered chocolate on the top. Next time I'll try red velvet. They also make wedding cakes!
Satura Cakes (Waikiki)
2233 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Daily 9:30am - 10:30am

Mariposa

Honolulu $$$ *****

I only come here about once every five years, and it always amazes me each time. Great food, wonderful service, relaxing atmosphere. Mariposa is located on the third floor of Neiman Marcus in Ala Moana, which explains a lot. Everything is airy here: white walls, light brown tropical-inspired fans, direct view of the Pacific Ocean, and even the chairs have this thick weave pattern through which you can see through the large openings.
My favorite thing about this place has to be the popovers. Oh yes, their famous popovers. Instead of boring bread, they serve these AIRY (apparently my word-of-the-day) popovers, served with apple butter when I went. Soft, light, and melts in your mouth - these popovers are the perfect introduction to the rest of your meal.
Next I ordered my entrée: pork tenderloin, which was sliced and placed on top of a layer of kale and mashed potatoes, surrounded by brown butter apple shire sauce. Deliciosa. Service here is impeccable - probably one of the best in Hawaii. I definitely don't want to wait another five years to return.
Mariposa (Ala Moana)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
Daily 11am - 9pm

Goma Tei

Honolulu $ ****
My family and I finally tried this place since we were stuck at Ala Moana for the Fourth of July fireworks show. It looks very fancy on the outside, but the dinner prices are a good deal, considering this is Ala Moana. Their specialty is ramen, and there are all sorts of ramen that you can choose from. I ordered the char siu shoyu ramen. Lots of char siu, and the serving size was huge. You also get to use the coolest spoon I've ever seen - it's a long wooden spoon (or laddle?) with which you can easily drink the soup. The waitstaff is very nice, and the atmosphere feels very clean, despite the restaurant's location right next to the busy food court on the dirty bottom floor.
Goma Tei (Ala Moana)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Banana Leaf Italian Bistro

Honolulu $$ *****
Not a fan of the name, but I'm definitely of this restaurant. There are two - we went to the one at Market City, in the old Blockbuster lot. Cute and bright inside. I ordered a $10 margherita pizza. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge tomato person, but I still liked it. It's very tasty, with lots of cheese and spices. There were slices of tomato and sun-dried tomatoes covering the cheese. I wish they had offered a pepperoni pizza. Pretty good portions. Their specials are a good deal too.
Banana Leaf Italian Bistro (Kaimuki)
2919 Kapiolani Blvd # 221
Honolulu, HI 96816
Daily 10-2:30, 5-10pm