This week we continue our recurring feature in 5 Things We Love spotlighting stuff you have got to do, see, hear, wear, use or eat in Oahu neighborhoods. Today: Downtown Honolulu. Coming up: Waikiki, Mililani, Keeaumoku and Kailua. Send your suggestions to features@staradvertiser.com.
Get your fried-food fix at Rada’s Piroscki
Years ago when I worked downtown, if I didn’t know what to eat for lunch I would head to Rada’s Piroscki on Fort Street Mall. Also known as piroshki or pirozhki, Rada’s offers the Russian-style stuffed buns with three fillings — beef, cheese and mushrooms; beef, cheese and cabbage; and chicken, cheese and mushrooms — for $1.92 each. (My favorite is the chicken.) Nowadays if I have to go to downtown for something, I try to find time to pick up one of the deep-fried balls of greasy goodness. Miniature pirosckis are available by special order for $8.50 per dozen. The fried squid, pictured left, is tasty too, for $1.75. The shop moved to the Hotel Street end of the mall and shares a spot with Vicky’s Filipino Fast Food, near McDonald’s. Call 533-2388. — Michelle Ramos
Cocktails join the menu at Fresh Cafe
One of the newest additions to Chinatown is Fresh Cafe Downtown, which opened earlier this year but celebrated its grand opening last month. Located in the former Indigo space, owner Tiffany Tanaka has built upon the brand she started in Kakaako by crafting a pretty interesting cocktail menu. These aren’t simple rum and colas, either. The Pickled Pedro martini utilizes jalapeno-infused vodka and pickle juice, for example, while the Coco-Mint is a refreshing mixed drink with coconut water. My early favorite, however, is the Bacon & Bourbon cocktail, made with Heaven Hill whiskey infused overnight with bacon, Angostura bitters and maple syrup. (When is bacon ever a bad thing, anyway?) The bacon provides a mild smoke flavor that goes well with the alcohol bite of the bourbon, and the maple syrup ends up smoothing everything out even more with its sweetness. Fresh Cafe Downtown is at 1111 Nuuanu Ave. The bar opens at 4 p.m. daily. — Jason Genegabus
Papaya-adorned bags fit isle style
Papayas from New Orleans? That’s the latest design on cute clutches made by Big Easy-based DVRA (from the Spanish verb “durar,” which means “to last”). Kathi Keppel’s cotton-lined canvas bags feature photos of vibrant papayas grown in her own backyard. Priced at $60 to $65 each, the pouches — made in Louisiana — boast a tropical flair that fits in perfectly in the islands, not to mention they’re spacious enough to hold credit cards, a smartphone and lip balm, too. They are sold at Fighting Eel, 1133 Bethel St. The boutique also has locations at 629 Kailua Road and the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center; visit www.fightingeel.com. — Catherine Toth, Nuuanu
Shop offers Korean dramas on DVD
For 40 years, Dragon Gate Bookstore in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza has been the go-to place for Chinese-language books and newspapers, and for Chinese-American, English-only speakers like me, other paper goods such as greeting cards, stationery, New Year’s lucky paper and lai see envelopes. These days there’s more interest in self-help books and tapes that help those with a global outlook to learn the language of the future (Mandarin) or help English speakers learn to cook Chinese cuisine or the proper use of medicinal herbs. But to keep up with a growing generation of nonreaders, the bookstore has evolved to carry more DVDs, particularly popular Korean dramas. The bookstore features more than 100 titles, including sets of such recent hit series as “The Inheritors” starring Lee Min Ho ($69.95 with Chinese and English subtitles), “Bel Ami/The Pretty Man” with Jang Geun Seok ($59.95), and new arrival “My Love From the Star” starring Kim Soo Hyun and Jeon Ji Hyun ($69.95). The store also carries out-of-print titles from the defunct YA Entertainment Co., known as a leader in distributing Korean TV drama programming with English subtitles to the North American market. The bookstore is at 100 N. Beretania St.; call 533-7147. — Nadine Kam
Brunch features New Orleans tastes
There’s a new thing in town: all-day brunch at Scratch, the new Chinatown restaurant from chef Brian Chan, whose menu of morning favorites is influenced by the decadent tastes of New Orleans. So far, what I love most of all is the Creole Shrimp ’n’ Grits ($14). Grits appeal to my Southern roots anyhow, but these grits are gourmet — rich, slightly smokey and irresistible, described as “smoked cheddar polenta” on the menu and served with a fried egg and added spice from Louisiana-style andouille sausage. Find Scratch, along with those great grits, at 1030 Smith St. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Call 536-1669. — Elizabeth Kieszkowski
