When we’re not going local with our coffee, our favorite place for a little kaffeeklatsch is Crema Coffee Bar at the Honolulu Design Center. The coffee is classic Illy, and the sandwiches and pastries are from the same kitchen as Stage on the Design Center’s second floor. With the building’s modern design, Crema is a great spot to get away from the ho-hum. Plus, it’s right near Kaila favs Aloha Rag and Jimmy Choo. And we think an Illy coffee cup makes a far better accessory than one from Starbucks, as we demonstrate in our Jimmy Choo-Illy combo above. (On a side note, check out the clip on our post on American Vogue editor Anna Wintour to see which coffee graces Vogue’s offices in New York’s Times Square.)

DETAILS

EDITORIAL NOTE

In case you didn’t catch the cultural reference in the title, it comes from the song “You’re the Cream in My Coffee,” once performed by many. But we like the version sung by the one and only Mr. Nat King Cole.

One of our favorite jaunts at Ala Moana, Honolulu’s shopping mecca, is Panya Bistro. This past Sunday, after a run to Williams Sonoma for a bagel slicer, measuring spoons, and Illy coffee beans–OK, perhaps a little bougie but we all have our moments–we headed down for a little liquid meditation. While Panya’s usual happy hour is from 4 to 6 pm, happy hour is all day on Sundays and Mondays, making Panya a perfect spot to cap off  the weekend… or ease the way into a new week. The New Year’s new healthful diet (sweet potatoes, broccoli, apples, amongst other excitement) put some limits on enjoying the appetizer selection, but thankfully, there was still room for a little Tanqueray in a classic martini ($7). Paired with some steamed edamame ($5), it was ideal for catching up on the latest fashion happenings in French Vogue.

6 pm, June 12, 2009

Kaka‘ako, Kona, O‘ahu-a Lua

The past few weeks has been hectic for the Kaila Hawai‘i team as we look for a new live-in combo work space in what we’ll call the “Honolulu metro area” (now, how many times have you heard that expression?) on a shoestring budget. The frequent result has been frazzled nerves, late-night cocktails (martinis or sidecars have been the preferred liquid remedy), and extra helpings of eye cream come 7 am. Despite the stress, we did manage to turn in a Makiki parking experience into a reality TV moment, singing the “Turn Around” verse of the 80s hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” when we had to actually turn the car around.  (And we don’t forgot to kūnou to the groovy dude with the dreads and the vintage car who smiled from across the street.)

In any case, after all of that, this Kaila editor had to take a sanity break before heading home. After scoping out the Border’s discount rack and finding a great coffee table book (Hip Hollywood Homes, just for $3.99, down from $40) for the theoretical new moe pēpē (that’s ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i for “crib”, folks), I headed over to Satura Cakes for a beautifully made double macchiatto ($3). Mahalo a nui to the stylish and bespeckled barista whose name I did not catch but whose enthusiasm for coffee I deeply appreciate.

While the design book is circa 2006 and many of the interiors already redone, who wouldn’t be inspired by Sex and the City producer Darren Starr’s sexy pad with the cool pool ? (Page 29 in the pic above is in fact his L.A. residence.) Sipping the caffinated concoction, I saw myself with Carrie Bradshaw sipping Beautifuls après la fête. (Of course, the Samantha in me thought of other, more kolohe things to do as well.)

Now, for the soundtrack, Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. (Watch out, 80’s hair… now you know, we’re on the edge.)