A Special Lunch

After a very long swim up and back Ala Moana beach, a special lady treated us to a special lunch at nearby Longhi's. Lunch tends to be my favorite meal of the day when on an active vacation. I am surprised I had never been to Longhi's on one of my many trips to Honolulu. It was delightful!



The interior has a deep-South meets tropical paradise kind of feel. The wide open plantation shutters give it a breeziness. The cane chairs are slightly distressed. The slowly rotating ceiling fans and checkerboard floors made me crave a mint julep on the front porch while waiting for Ashley's afternoon visit.



They start everyone off at lunch with irresistible pizza bread. There is nothing like water sports to elevate your appetite to monstrous proportions, and we literally devoured all that bread in about 10 minutes. I focused on the one with jalapeno and jack cheese.



For lunch I started with a beautiful artichoke that was unfortunately soaked in butter. Swimming, potentially drowning. Delicious yes, but a little OTT, if you text messagers know what I mean.



D started with a hearty salad of Big Island grown lettuce with bleu cheese, red onions, Maui tomatoes (safe from the recall, dontcha know?), and green beans.



Next we shared a massive BLT on toasted wheat bread with cheddar. A nice melty twist on the classic.



Anyone who has been to Hawaii know about all the beautiful little birds. The majority of them are fairly unafraid of humans.



Because the walls were basically open shutters, a few birds would flit in and out seeking any errant crumbs on the checkerboard floors. Luckily the restaurant was pristine in its cleanliness, so they didn't stick around long.



Add to that the fact that I was serene from all the swimming and blissful from being on vacation, and you might deduce that I was charmed rather than grossed out. That, and they make for beautiful photographs.