Can you give me a big, "Hail, yeah!"? This one is so blog-worthy I don't even know where to begin!

I went to the grand opening party of The Counter last night, thanks to the good graces of MMI Realty--especially Kelly Kauinana and Jennifer Lieu. The Counter, as you may know, is part-owned by LOST star Daniel Dae Kim, so it was definitely a star-studded event.

(Left) It was nice to see rocker Steve Hott and his lovely (and fashionable) wife, Hudson Hott of Star101.9. (Right) Stylist Blaine Ashley, blog diva Christa Wittmier, and Kahala Mall Marketing's Jennifer Lieu.

From left, Kelly Kauinana of Kahala Mall, Nicole from Apple, Jeanne Marie from Apple, and me.

They served us burgers & sandwiches slider style, which was perfect. And yummy!

Nicole with the sweet potato fries; Jennifer with the furikake mahi.

I really want to show you Janine Wedemeyer, whom I met in 2003 when we both worked for Cendant companies. She worked for Cheap Tickets, and I worked for Coldwell Banker. Now she is the manager of The Counter. So happy to see where she landed!

OK so cut to the juicy part. The celebrities! We got to see Tia Carrere, also known to my niece as The Relic Hunter. She doesn't remember, but we had brunch at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel back in 1991 when we were discussing her integral part of a new Ala Moana advertising campaign.

Here we are with Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley from LOST.

Of course, with Daniel Dae Kim--who plays Jin on LOST...he was so gracious. That's Nadine Kam on the right.

And finally, with Michael Emerson, who plays Ben on LOST. I had read about how nice he is in person, but I really didn't expect him to be so incredibly nice! I thought we would just take a picture and move on, but he actually engaged in an actual conversation with me afterward, which totally threw me off. If he's reading this blog, he's probably thinking, "Is that who that schmoe was?"--but now I'm a bigger fan, seeing what a super cool guy he is.

By the way, Josh Holloway showed up AFTER I left the party. He probably knew that there were fans like me in the crowd who would have mowed down other people just to get a photo with him. Here's Jeanne Marie with him. Lucky dog!

Overall assessment? I've been to The Counter a few times now, and I have enjoyed everything each time. My favorites are probably the Burger in a Bowl and the onion strings. So if you go for the food, go for that.

If you're going for the celebrity sightings, don't fret! They don't just show up for the big parties. A few weeks ago, my friend Shawn Nakamoto ate lunch in the same area as Daniel Dae Kim and Josh Holloway! If I had been there, I would have plowed my way over to get a photo. But as you can see from Shawn's blog, she's got much more self control!

The Counter
Kahala Mall (near Whole Foods)
4211 Waialae Ave.
808-739-5100
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday

Every year, woodworkers from across the state feature their best work in a juried show called Hawaii's Woodshow. While it's cool that the woodworkers are local, it's neat to know that the wood they use is from trees that have been planted in Hawaii, as well.

Photos from a couple of last year's entries.

If you really like what you see, you can even buy a piece for yourself. The wood products that I've seen over the years have ranged from kitchen spoons and hair combs to jewelry boxes and bowls; there are also cribs, chairs, bureaus, and instruments. If you're really into it, there is a wide range of simple wood art.

I won't lie, it can get expensive--hey, these are wood pieces made by local artisans!--but you come away knowing that you supported local people making unique items out of local products.

If nothing else, just go to look! If you go on the first night--tonight--you may even get to meet the artists.

Hope to see you there!

Did you see yesterday's paper? I know that there are a ton of loyal Petals & Beans customers who have patronized their airport location for the last 10 years. Well...they have moved to my district, and are now located on the first floor of the Hokua Building (where PF Chang's is).

I had not heard about Petals & Beans until they moved to this part of town, but the owners are so familiar!

I actually knew Dennis when I was a kid growing up at Nuuanu Baptist Church. He and Wanda met while they worked in the airline industry, and 10 years ago opened Petals & Beans. The store, you see, has two distinct but harmonious purposes.

On one side of the store, Wanda creates some of the most beautiful, unique, season-appropriate flower arrangements. They're so elaborate that you should order ahead, but she does make some extras so you can grab & go.

If you're looking for the perfect Easter arrangement, this is it! She also does give baskets that contain snacks, dolls, toys, and pastries.

On the other side, the "beans," Dennis takes care of the coffee and desserts. Their coffee drinks, even the blended ones, are made with freshly brewed coffee, not a coffee mix. You can really taste the difference. The blended drinks are topped with whipped cream, of course...but this is the only place I've been that offers chocolate whipped cream. In fact, I once ordered a blended coffee drink with half vanilla, half chocolate whipped cream.

Since it's their 10 year anniversary, they are offering prices from 10 years ago on many of their drinks! It's for "a limited time," so I'd go quickly. I don't know when the time limitation ends.

You can also order dessert platters, as pictured above, or just go in and order one or two desserts to go for yourself. These are baked fresh daily and taste as good as they look. One dessert and one of those blended coffee drinks will have you buzzing all day, for sure!

Petals & Beans
www.petalsandbeans.com
1288 Ala Moana Blvd. (Hokua Building, 1st Floor) ~ 836-0100
Mondays-Fridays 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Can you believe Nordstrom has been open a year already? Last March, they opened with a huge cosmetics event at 7 a.m. with throngs of hysterical women stampeding to get free samples and makeovers. I feared for my safety, so I stayed away. (I believe blog reader TwoFish got knocked over by a large handbag at the stampede.)

Well, this year, Nordstrom held their first Trendshow in Hawaii to celebrate the store's first anniversary. It was a day of beauty, to highlight the latest trends in cosmetics for spring. For those of you who know me, getting to a destination by 7 a.m. on a Saturday is like asking Lazarus to rise again. It wasn't easy, but I made it.

I made sure to take this photo of my perky friends, because *I* was not nearly as perky as any of them at 7 a.m. From left, Maile Burgey, Lisa Oi, Muriel Taira, Gail Shiraishi. Maile and Muriel are holding the free coffee and malasadas that they served us. I should point out that I was extra cranky when the malasada girl handed me one and said, "Here you go, ma'am." Could she have at least called me sista? Thankyouverymuch!

Here's the line to go into the store. There were fewer people than last year, so it was much more civilized. No stampede, no injuries, no fracas.

We were greeted at the door with our goodie bags, and the entire staff applauding for us. The goodie bags were nice, but the applause was a little over the top.

There was less fashion and more cosmetics at this show, which was a little hard to take at that time of the morning. There were short videos from some makeup lines, but most of the brands sent a spokesperson to sell the product and talk about the trends.

Pinks--like a pop of peach on the cheek--seems to be the big thing for spring. They also talked about having good skin, which I thought was important for every season, every year. Black eyeliner, especially gels, are the rage as well.

Model Connor Lane was on hand to wake the ladies up with his shirtlessness (hello!) and helped distribute door prizes. Anyone recognize him from Project Runway?

After the show was over, everyone proceeded to the cosmetics department for samples, hand massages, and makeovers. I had an appointment with Jen at Chanel, who is really great at working quickly. There are techniques that I haven't used at home because they take too long, but she showed me how to whip through them.

Gail was taking "before" photos of me and kept yelling, "Don't give me a mad face!"--which only made me want to do it more. No wonder I'm still single!

Voila! My "after" photos, which my friend(?) Mike Kaya dubbed "Popo Chanel." Yeah, thanks, Mike. I couldn't do anything about the massive bags under my eyes since I was so outrageously tired.

Here's Maile's before & after from the Philosophy counter. As you can see, she didn't need much of a makeover to look good! BTW, if you want to hear another perspective, you can read Maile's blog.

Nordstrom
Ala Moana Center
1519 Kapiolani Blvd.
(808) 953-6100

A few weeks ago, I got a Twitter Direct Message (DM) from Donovan Delacruz and Scott Kamiya with the cryptic message: Little Oven tonight. Little Oven? This is a tiny hole in the wall that's been open for two years in my neighborhood, and shamefully, I've never gone in. It took two guys (and their friends) from the Leeward side to introduce this little gem of a place to me.

From that night, and almost every night it was open after that, we've been enjoying the desserts at Little Oven. It's only open from 7 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday through Saturday. I asked the owner Joyce Harada why she keeps such odd hours, and she said, "I'm a night person." Someone else asked, "So you just sleep during the day?" and she shrugged, "Yeah, pretty much!"

Apparently, though, a lot of hip people (old and young) from all over the island frequent this place. It's like a best-kept secret, right outside my door. I'll share some photos of the desserts we've had there, but for a full gallery and description please click here to read my story on Metromix.com!

As of this writing, it's a great place to linger. But a couple of Fridays ago, there was a line forming outside as we ate...and the people were standing in the rain! Part of me wants to keep this secret all for myself. But part of me wants Joyce to hire me as a waitress so I can help manage the crowds!

Two of our favorite desserts: The Meyer lemon ume kanten fruit parfait with mochi drops is an almost fat-free, guiltless pleasure. The black and white cannoli is a delicately presented dessert that's easy to eat.

And finally: One of the items that I forgot to submit was the Calamansi tart ($6.50). It's like a local take on the key lime pie, only in a tart form. It's creamy and a little tart, with just a hint of sweetness. Our pastry chef friend Ed Morita took one bite and announced, "Oh, that's good."

Unfortunately, the menu changes every night, so some of the desserts you see here and on my Metromix.com gallery may not be available when you go. That's why we go often!

Please note: Joyce will be on vacation from March 20-29, so check her out this week and after she comes back.

The Little Oven
1467 S. King St.
947-6836
Hours: 7 p.m.-midnight Wednesday-Sunday
Free parking on the street or in the lot behind