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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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<title>🚧 Hawai‘i Scene on Social: PTO preparations</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @KennyKharisma2.0, who may need to stay home for a few days.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: PTO preparations

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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Everyone’s looking to save money and get the most bang for their buck. This series will show you where you can save while still savoring a good meal.

I wouldn’t have expected to find a loco moco at a popular steakhouse in Waikīkī. Yet, that’s one of the best deals on the happy hour menu at 

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Royal Hawaiian Center is known for its U.S.D.A Prime steaks that are dry-aged in the eatery’s own aging box. The restaurant offers its happy hour menu from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays at the bar and lounge; first-come, first-served.

Fun fact: The eatery’s happy hour has been around since 2010. It used to be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The eatery’s housemade chips with sour cream are complimentary and a nice way to begin your dining experience. Your server should bring a basket to your table, but if not, just ask about the chips.

The seafood combo ($26) is one of my favorite dishes from the happy hour menu. It comprises six crostini topped with ‘ahi tartare, lobster and crab. Both the lobster and crab are reminiscent of a refreshing crab salad. Each crostini features a generous portion of seafood.

The ‘ahi tartare ($18) and lobster crostinis ($18) can also be ordered on their own.

At $12, this mini loco moco is cheaper than some plate lunches, and it features a good portion. The patty itself is thick and flavorful, and we can’t get enough of that savory mushroom gravy.

Other dishes on the happy hour menu include steak sliders ($24) — a customer favorite — hamburger sliders ($14) and steak tartare ($24). We held off from ordering more to save room for steak.

The Taste of New York ($83.95) is one of the most popular deals on the happy hour menu. It includes a 12-ounce, bone-in, dry-aged New York sirloin that’s brought sizzling to your table. It’s served with sides of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, and New York-style cheesecake for dessert.

Nearly $84 sounds steep for a happy hour deal, but the eatery’s New York sirloin steak is about $110 on the a la carte menu — and that’s without any sides or dessert. It’s a nice option for a special occasion if you’re celebrating during the week.

If you order steak, just remember — the steak is still cooking slightly on the sizzling hot plate, so keep that in mind when choosing your desired level of preparation (we often go with medium rare).

Drink discounts on the happy hour include wines by the glass, martinis and cocktails ($8 each) and draft beers ($6 each).

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener

Happy hour is 3-6:30 p.m., Mondays-Fridays

Wolfgangs Steakhouse whole steak and sides 052925

<title>🚧 Budget Bites: Happy hour at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse</title>

You can get an entire steak dinner during happy hour.

Budget Bites: Happy hour at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse

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Stephanie Salmons

Sports

Arts & Entertainment

[{"text":"The courts at Pickles on Forté were slammed on Monday — literally.","type":"text"}]

Just after noon on Monday, most of the courts were full. Players chatted and the sound of play echoed throughout the room.

Pickles at Forté is the first air conditioned, indoor pickleball and social club in Downtown Honolulu. It is located at 1032 Fort Street Mall in the space formerly occupied by Walmart, which has been vacant since the retailer closed that location in early 2023.

It's also part of a larger redevelopment plan in the works by Avalon Group, a Downtown-based full-service real estate development, consulting and sales company that acquired the property in February 2024 for $38.25 million.

Aloha State Daily caught up with Robby Kelley, executive vice president for Avalon, on Monday to talk about Pickles at Forté and the developer's future plans for the site.

[{"text":"Why pickleball?","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

He and Avalon Group President and CEO Christine Camp also both have a connection to tennis and "know that through experience, how difficult it is to get a court booked for either tennis or pickleball," he told ASD.

Kelley noted, too, that pickleball — and the noise it creates — is a complaint from condominium associations.

"One of the reasons we thought this building was perfect was it contains all the noise," he said.

More broadly, though, Kelley says Avalon has "embarked on a mission over the next few years to revitalize Downtown."

The developer has made several acquisitions in recent years, including the purchase of 

2023 acquisition of Davies Pacific Center

These revitalization efforts aim to bring more people, both visitors and residents, Downtown.

"Our vision for the Walmart property is for this to be, really, the hub of entertainment and activity, give something for people to do — a reason to stay here, be here after hours, whether you're a resident of Downtown or not," Kelley says. "If you're ... working Downtown, now you have a reason to stay and hang out after work.

Downtown, he says, has a lot going for it, but it's missing "that one hub of entertainment and recreation."

"So that's the motivation behind what we're doing," he told ASD. "[We] just intended this to be something for the community, supporting everything else that we're doing Downtown."

[{"text":"Future plans","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

According to Kelley, Pickles at Forté is the first of three phases of redevelopment for the former Walmart property.

[{"text":"\"This first phase we did because we could do it quickly,\" he said.","type":"text"}]

The second phase will be the second floor of the property, which Kelley says encompasses another 30,000 square feet or so. Plans call for approximately 10 pickleball courts as well as a restaurant, full locker rooms and other amenities, he said.

"The second floor, we envision having a larger format sports bar with an open-air lanai overlooking Fort Street Mall," said Kelley.

Plans for phase three include redoing the ground floor, creating small retail and restaurant spaces around the outward facing perimeter, along with three or four pickleball courts remaining, according to Kelley. Avalon, he says, is looking for tenants that would be a "good mix with the pickleball."

Kelley says the developer anticipates work on the second phase to begin in about a year with work on phase three expected to begin within 18 months.

[{"text":"Play (pickle)ball!","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}]

[{"text":"Pickles at Forté opened Jan. 20.","type":"text"}]

"We've just been blown away by the response from the community and the level of interest that we've seen already," Kelley says.

[{"text":"A one-month free trial period is underway and expires Feb. 20.","type":"text"}]

A Tuesday announcement from Pickles at Forté notes that base memberships start at $100 per month. All membership levels include free daily open play, two hours of free parking, and access to lockers, free Wi-Fi, water stations and changing areas, while additional amenities, based on membership tier, could include the ability to reserve up to seven courts per week and one court per day, unlimited open play and 10% off your first purchase with OnPoint Sports.

A grand opening celebration is set for 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, and will feature free open play, refreshments and giveaways, tours of the facility along with a "Pros vs. Joes" competition at 5 p.m., where community members will challenge professional players, and a pro exhibition at 6 p.m.

For more information or to become a member, visit 

Pickles at forte1 012725

<title>🚧 Play (pickle)ball!</title>

Pickles at Forté is the first indoor pickleball and social club in Downtown Honolulu. It's located at 1032 Fort Street Mall in a space formerly occupied by Walmart that has been vacant since the retailer closed that location in early 2023.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: PTO preparations

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: PTO preparations

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Daddy Day Care

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Man’s best friend

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Most read