5 Things We Love is a shortlist of newly discovered stuff you have got to see, hear, wear, use or eat. What are you loving this week? Send a brief description of your latest favorite thing, where to find it and how much it costs, along with your name and contact info to features@staradvertiser.com.
1. Sweet calendar counts down Advent
Starbucks certainly doesn’t need any more of my money, but I found it hard to walk away from this cool update of the traditional Advent calendar, with 25, numbered, reusable tins and a magnetic chalkboard to count down the days till Christmas. The $29.95 set comes with a hanging ribbon and a vanilla or sea-salt caramel in each tin, plus the extra surprise of a $5 miniature Starbucks gift card. It’s already sold out on the company’s website, so if it’s your cup of tea (or coffee), rush out to pick one up. — Christie Wilson
2. Sriracha Mayo adds kick to any meal
My husband and I have a love affair with sriracha sauce. Its tart burn adds enjoyment to everything from a plate of eggs and fried rice to spring rolls and stir-fry. My husband also loves mayonnaise, so when I saw Lee Kum Kee’s latest product, I knew it was going to claim a permanent spot in our refrigerator: Sriracha Mayo, a mix of fiery heat and lush creaminess. We tried it on hamburgers, as a dip, as a finishing touch on nachos — all winnahs! Find 15-ounce bottles of Sriracha Mayo at Don Quijote ($3.99) and Foodland ($4.99). — Joleen Oshiro
3. Swing by Samurai for sherbet treat
One of my favorite places to visit on Maui is Tasaka Guri-Guri in Kahului, where the homemade sherbet has been a local favorite for generations. Unfortunately, I don’t get to the Valley Isle nearly as often as I’d like, so whenever I’m craving the unique flavor combination of soft-serve ice cream and sherbet — and I’m not near Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu — it’s off to Samurai at Aiea Shopping Center, 99-115 Aiea Heights Drive.
Samurai’s Hawaiian Frost Dairy Frozen Treat comes in flavors such as strawberry, banana, lychee, haupia, Kona coffee and honeydew. Pre-packed containers are available in a freezer, but if you have the time to eat it right away, soft-serve is the way to go. At just $2.75 for a small cup and $3.25 for large, this is one of the more affordable dessert options around. Servings are generous, and the staff rotates flavors regularly to keep things fresh (check Instagram for updates at @samuraisnacks_aiea or call 484-2200). Can’t make it to Aiea? Samurai also operates a storefront in Kalihi at 738 Umi St. Call 833-4779 for directions. — Jason Genegabus
4. Whisky hums with cinnamon flavor
I was really missing my dad — he died in 1983 — and it made me think of his favorite highball: 7&7. So while looking in the liquor aisle for the Seagram’s 7 part of the equation, I came upon an eye-catching bottle with a red devil on the label and an even more intriguing name: Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. How could I resist? I had never understood the term "sippin’ whisky" until now. It was smooth. Mellow. Warming. Addicting. It tastes like that Atomic Fireball candy kids dared each other to suck on the longest. This liquid version for adults, imported from Canada, is fairly new to the U.S. market but is headed for the mainstream. Costco in California featured it over the summer, and I saw a poster at a Waikiki bar suggesting Fireball with a beer chaser. Friends report enjoying it in coffee and lemonade, but with the holidays approaching, I’m thinking in eggnog. My dad would have enjoyed it, with or without the 7UP. I would have enjoyed just sharing it with him. — Cindy Luis
5. Album takes the edge off rock tunes
Richard Cheese has made a career out of redoing hard-rock and hip-hop hits as Sinatra-style lounge music. French producer/guitarist/songwriter Olivier Libaux does something similar, but without satirical intent, with "Uncovered Queens of the Stone Age." Libaux, a self-described "longtime huge fan" of the American rock group, took 12 of his favorite Queens songs, reworked them into a broad pallet of softer styles and then enlisted 11 of his favorite female vocalists, including Inara George, Skye, Gaby Moreno, Youn Sun Nah, Emiliana Torrini and Susan Dillane. His arrangements are as diverse as his choice of singers and provide soothing but multitextured platforms for the original dark lyrics. Folks who have never gotten into Queens of the Stone Age may be surprised by the emotional depth of the lyrics. Expect to be mesmerized. — John Berger
