chair service

February 28, 2013 | By Shannon Kelly
purse baskets
Sasabune
 
Thank you Sushi Sasabune in Honolulu for finding an elegant solution
to a handbag problem.
 
We've long been fans of hooks located underneath a sushi bar for hanging a coat or purse, but found these black plastic woven baskets, located discreetly under each chair, too wonderful not to share. It's a far more elegant and unassuming alternative to "purse chairs" found at fine dining establishments in Los Angeles and New York City.
 
 
Dearest Restaurateurs, you can get the same look (minus the brown carpet), in the storage department at Bed Bath and Beyond. Someone should have thought of this sooner.
 
Tags: restaurants, edible culture, handbags, accessories, hawaii, customer service

a beauty concierge

February 19, 2013 | By Shannon Kelly
Beauty Concierge Hawaii
beauty concierge
 
On the heels of our post about concierge-style customer service in Japan, we spotted this Beauty Concierge at the three-story DFS Galleria in Honolulu, Hawaii.
 
The luxury concept within the second floor of the expansive 20,000 square foot cosmetics and fragrances area focuses on appointment only mini spa treatments and makeup application with a licensed aesthetician.
 
Known primarily as the duty-free arm of LVMH, DFS now has thirteen Gallerias, ranging in size from 20,000 to 175,000 square feet, focused on catering to the international traveler.
 
Tags: beauty, hawaii, customer service, malls, luxury

eastern inspiration

February 9, 2013 | By Shannon Kelly
Store Windows
 
Aloha from Hawaii — where many luxury brands have integrated Chinese elements and well wishes into their displays along Waikiki's premiere shopping center to mark the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac.
 
The Chinese New Year has inspired many luxury brands to incorporate snake shapes into their latest collections, including jewelry, watches and vehicles, according to report by CRI. Last year, the Year of the Dragon in China, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd launched a dragon edition of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The limited-edition cars were sold out within two months.
 
The East has undoubtedly become the new West in the luxury market and it's only a matter of time before other brands follow suit. Economists, politicians and sociologists have been commenting on this shift, especially considering our world has been dominated by Western civilization for 500 years.
 
China is the most populous country with 1.3 billion people, while Tokyo has become the largest city with over 36 million people. Megacities, with more than 10 million citizens, will continue their expansion and it is predicted that by 2025, 21 of the world’s 37 megacities will be located in Asia.
 
Feeling inspired to make the connection between business goals and luxury trends?
 
{Source: CRI, Forbes}
Tags: luxury, japan, china, hawaii, jewelry, trends, visual merchandising, megacities, retail, fashion

side street inn X pork

June 20, 2008 | By Shannon Kelly

 
We're certainly not the first to write about Side Street Inn and judging from our outstanding dinner (2x in eight days) we will not be the last. Our friends told us about the amazing smoked pork (above)... Anthony Bourdain went there in the Hawaii episode of No Reservations ... and local chefs like Alan Wong have been customer's since 1992.

What keeps people coming back is the local-style food Hawaiian food (a fusion of cuisines reflective of all of the cultural influences of the islands) in an unassuming sports bar down an alley in Honolulu. It's super casual and a total gem in a sea of chain restaurants.

 

Everything is pupu style in family size portions. Poke Hawaiian style with Maui onions, ahi with ogo namasu, and famous fried rice. We also loved the Nalo Farms salad and a beef short ribs dish served on kimchi but the photos were too poor to post.
Tags: hawaii, regional food, bars, food, Korean Food, kimchi

trust me: sushi

June 20, 2008 | By Shannon Kelly

Hardcore sushi lovers unite-- Sasabune in Hawaii serves only the freshest seasonal fish available and has a "trust me" omakase policy (meaning that customers eat whatever the chef puts in front of them) at the bar. No California Rolls here.
 
Some might think the experience a little Soup-Naziesque but the end benefit is the chef's knowledge of what is good that day.

If you are seated at table instead of the bar, you can order what you want but we went with the chef's menu. The waiters precise instructions on when to use soy & wasabi, how to eat (this piece before this one, but no soy on the first) and bite size (one bite only) made us snicker a bit. The experience certainly makes you reflect on your food and has good word-of-mouth buzz.

 
Tags: hawaii, sushi, seasonal, seafood

lunching, Hawaiian style.

June 19, 2008 | By Shannon Kelly

Lunching at Neiman Marcus's Mariposa in Ala Moana, we were delighted with a local and seasonal menu with outstanding service and presentation. Above, the largest popover we've every seen and a farm tomato salad (tied like a bouquet) with big island tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, wild arugula, olive tapenade, fig balsamic, extra virgin olive oil. Below is the special of the day: Kauai shrimp with seasonal greens, watercress, smoked salmon, hearts of palm, maui onions & manchego with a pomegranate citrus dressing.
 

 
Tags: hawaii, produce, lunch, seasonal, organic, food

window shopping at LV

June 18, 2008 | By Shannon Kelly

 
The window displays at the Louis Vuitton on Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu must be working their magic because we've never seen so many LV handbags on the street. The trademark motif suddenly reminds me of elkweed or white-stemmed frasera.
 
Tags: retail, windows, inspiration, merchandising, hawaii, accessories, luxury