1. Two of my favorite brands have combined their styles for a cute collab — Sanrio and Converse. Sweet meets streetsmart in a Hello Kitty x Converse collection of super-cute footwear, apparel and sportswear for fans of all ages as the Sanrio characters put an adorable twist on classic Chuck Taylor All Stars and One Star OX.
The shoe collection retails for $50 to $100, with sportswear and accessories starting at $35 for a cross-body bag, to $75 for a pullover hoodie, available at sanrio.com and converse.com.
— Nadine Kam, Honolulu
2. The new Gochi Grill on Bishop Street can’t keep up with the demand for its gourmet bento, the Gochi Lunch Set, for $13.50. It’s packed with grilled chicken teriyaki and a ginger-scallion sauce, yuzu miso salmon, okahara fried noodles, tofu salad with ogo and fresh tomatoes, and sushi. It used to be on the menu every day, but now it’s only available on Mondays.
Chef/owner John Iha’s other upscale plate lunches also sold out so fast the first two weeks of its June opening that they closed a few days to reorganize. Now they’re open only from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, but still sell out. But with only sous chef Sean Uyehara helping Iha prep the food, “We weren’t going to sacrifice quality by overextending ourselves.”
Other top-sellers for $10.50 are the Fresh Tuna Melt with local ahi; and my favorite, the Seared Meatloaf. The hamburger is slow-cooked for hours so it’s soft and moist, then seared so the browned edges peek out from the rich truffle mushroom gravy. It comes with a potato croquette and wilted kale.
Located at 1111 Bishop St., Suite 112; call 585-8558 or follow on Instagram: @gochigrill.
— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser
3. Want to support the Aloha Festivals, with its free, monthlong series of cultural events on Oahu and throughout the islands? Buy a 2018 T-shirt or ribbons, emblazoned with this year’s festival theme honoring Hawaii’s ocean heritage: “No Ke Kai Kakou E – We Are of the Sea.” Get ribbons, $7, and T-shirts, $18 to $25, at AlohaFestivals.com, ABC Stores in Waikiki and at Aloha Festivals signature events.
This year’s Aloha Festivals begins at 4 p.m. Sept. 1 with an opening ceremony at Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s Coconut Grove, followed by hula, chants and music at Royal Hawaiian Center’s Royal Grove.
— Elizabeth Kieszkowski, Star-Advertiser
4. A former children’s book teacher of mine recommended these Prismacolor watercolor pencils to me. I really love them because they’re portable, like when I am with my sketching group, Urban Sketchers Oahu, where we draw at various locations around the island. They come in sets of 12, 24 and 36 pencils (prices are about $13, $28 and $42 respectively).
The pencils are great because they’re waxier, which allow for a smoother stroke, and I’ve found them to work extremely well on all-purpose paper. The one downside is that they’re only sold in sets. Find them on dickblick.com, and at Hawaiian Graphics, Target and other art-supply retailers.
To blend my sketches, I use the watercolor pencils in tandem with Pentel’s Aquash watercolor pen brush ($8.55 for the medium brush at Hawaiian Graphics).
— Jackie Carberry, Star-Advertiser
Please keep in mind that featured products may be in short supply and may not be available at all store locations; prices may vary. The information presented represents the authors’ opinions and experiences; your results may vary. Tell us what you are loving this week by emailing features@staradvertiser.com.
