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But there’s one reason why, and that’s you. Starting from January 11, 2016, our submission box will be run by you, the reader. 

We will be taking your submissions, your stories about young artists and entrepreneurs from Hawaii and the good things they do for their community. 

Go here to submit your stories to our inbox. 

(Well, if it’s one of those troll or super-dark stories that make us turn our heads and go: 

Then no.)

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Thanks for keeping true to our old posts. As a token of thanks, we're leaving it all up here for you to share.

Keep it real,

WORDS: Vina Cristobal PHOTOS: Peter Cheng 

This week’s Flow Eats adventure took us to a popular Kaka’ako favorite, Hank’s Haute Dogs. Hank’s has been in the business for well over ___ years, but is immensely growing in popularity through social media. Along with its storefront on Auahi St., the hot dog stand has also opened a food truck – now located at the parking lot on 555 South Street.

Now these hot dogs aren’t your typical hot dog, in a bun, ketchup/mustard/relish deal. Hank’s encourages its customers to experience beyond the average hot dog meal. Sausages from far and wide can be found in this small hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

I ordered the Brat - a white sausage drenched in sauerkraut and brown mustard with a soft bun covering the dog. Peter [Cheng] ordered the Chili Dog – a soft bun wrapping a sausage smothered with chili beans - along with the crunchiest French fries that would make McDonald’s jealous.

The Brat was an acquired taste. Upon taking the first bite, it was a bit chewy. But the brown mustard and sauerkraut added more flavor to this otherwise pale meal. On the plus side, it allowed me to try something new. The same could easily be said for my colleague and his Chili Dog.

The French fries are an ideal addition to any meal, especially at Hank’s. It might cost another $3 or $4 to get a side order of fries, but it is definitely worth it if the hot dogs didn’t completely satisfy your appetite. The fries are the perfect mix of soft and crunchy, and not too much salt was added. Good show, Hank’s. Good show.

WORDS + PHOTOS: Raelyn Batacan

A friend of mine really loves beer, so we always use food and good company to bring our friends together just to get some drinks. This week we decided to take a visit to Honolulu Beerworks a small brewery on Cooke Street that brews their beer in-house daily.

Walking into the brewery you’ll find a set of recycled picnic tables, high chair seats, and the bar. Looking up at the bar, you’ll find the beer menu and their featured beer. Right outside, around the corner are more picnic tables that makes up the beer garden. We took a seat at the bar just we so we could have a chat with the bartender (we’re very social people). 

 While waiting for a friend, we ordered something just to get some things going. Their menus change from lunch (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), to dinner (4:30 p.m. to closing), and we got dinner just as it started.

As you’re not encouraged to drink on an empty stomach, we started off our meal with the Miso Pork Sliders, kalua pork in their farmhouse ale and miso, topped with creamy wasabi Asian slaw on taro buns.

I’ve never had taro buns before and I don’t usually get pulled pork in my burgers. So this was definitely different - and I love different. The taro bun was the only sweet thing about it. The wasabi Asian slaw gave it the kick and the kalua gave the punch, It was a battle in my mouth.

As everyone’s all trying to get over the Oktoberfest hangover, we tried out the bratwurst that comes with the side of their coleslaw. The bratwurst lay on a bun with a blanket of grilled onions, horseradish and the comfort of their own mustard. What makes this dish has got to be their homemade mustard. Mustards seeds are something we should all try.

Now, I never really was a fan of beer, but spending quite some time in Europe changed that.

The beers on tap are all labeled by their Alcohol by Volume (ABV) and International Bitterness Units (IBU) and not knowing what any of that stuff means, I had to ask. To put it simply the ABV is how much alcohol is in it and have you ever wondered what made some beer so dark but others so light? That’s where the IBU comes in, if it’s darker, the more bitter and the lighter, the less bitter.

These two drinks pictured up top are the tasters, 4 oz for $2. Left is the Pia Mahi'ai Honey Citrus Saison 5.0% ABV 25 IBU and the right  Makakilo Brown Ale 5.6% ABV 35 IBU. See the difference? The Pia Mahi’ai was sweet and light compared to the Makakilo Brown which was mildly bitter.

They have a small list of home made brews but if you ever get stuck of only choosing a few, get the Flight, you choose any six you’d like to sample, write them down and you get to try them all!

Words + Photos: Vina Cristobal Coming from Chaminade, not a lot of students know what kinds of restaurants are near school. Sure, you’ve got the ubiquitous Foodland, L&L, Subway and McDonald’s, but hidden gems are abundant on 11th and 12th Avenue (also known as the second Kaka’ako). They’re just waiting to be found. One of these hidden gems is a new sandwich shop on 11th Avenue: Earl Sandwich (‘Earl’ is actually an acronym for Eat A Real Sandwich – see how clever that is?).

Now, I’m still devastatingly heartbroken by the loss of our beloved Waialae Avenue Storto’s location, which is now delicately perched on Kalakaua Avenue under the name ‘AlohaSub Honolulu’). So I did have hope for Earl Sandwich to become the next Storto’s. As I walked in, I felt the vibe of a 1950’s diner – perhaps the porcelain countertops and Coca-Cola bottle cap seats gave it away – but was soon brought back to 2014 by the sounds of Weezer blaring through the radio speakers.

Justin Parvizimotlagh, the owner, and his father were in charge of the shop that day. Business was slow, but it didn’t take long before neighboring restaurant owners came flocking through their doors asking what the sliders of the day were or stopping in to say ‘hello’. No matter how many people come in, they always take the time to ask their customers how their sandwich is, and they’re always open to suggestions (they’ve even got a little sandwich suggestion box for people to drop in their ideas for future items).   The Parvizimotlaghs are a friendly father-and-son duo, working side by side to create unique sandwiches for guests. From salads to sandwiches, they twist things up on simple lunch items using various ingredients such as bacon jam (yes, that’s a thing), avocado, and asparagus.

I ordered the Goat Cheese sandwich for $8 – keep in mind that’s the average price for a sandwich or salad at this restaurant – which consisted of herbed goat cheese, sautéed asparagus, cherry tomato, and reduced balsamic vinegar.

[TO WATCH OUR VIDEO COVERAGE, CLICK HERE] Flow Eats heads to Scratch Kitchen and Bake Shop in Chinatown on Friday September 26th.

So what makes Scratch Kitchen & Bake Shop so unique? Everything they serve is made from scratch daily (hence the name). This means everything is made fresh - a treat from the kitchen to your stomach.  Vina (Cristobal), Jason Tom (the human beatbox), and I waited about 20 minutes to be seated to a table. When we got to a table, the server gave us water and what surprised me was that they serve water in a clear blue glass jug. It was really interesting, but creative.  

Jason ordered the BLT Benny. It was the typical eggs Benedict sandwich merged into a bacon lettuce and tomato combination. The simple dish savored his taste buds as he enjoyed the new take on two classic breakfast and lunch items.

I ordered the Kalbi Meatloaf. The Kalbi Meatloaf is basically bi bim bap fried rice, sunny side up egg, kim chee cucumber & spicy ketchup. They only make 14 orders of this particular dish daily. I found that very interesting because the restaurant does get really busy and 14 is a small quantity to make every day. Luckily when the server took my order, they still had some available for sale. When I got my meal, the portion was very reasonable and it tasted amazing. I really enjoyed the fried rice. It was very unique and never tasted that kind of style of cooking before. It was also my first time trying a sunny side up egg. I also found it interesting but tasty at the same time. The presentation of the meal was also amazing. Everything looks professionally made and it was served in a hot pot as well which meant it came right off from the kitchen. 

Vina’s take on her experience was not as positive, however. “My take on the Creole Shrimp n' Grits was not exactly the most pleasant experience. Although I love the atmosphere and food variety that Scratch has to offer, I did not really enjoy the Shrimp n' Grits. I found some shrimp heads (I suppose that's their specialty. The waiter said that they put it there purposely) in my creole dish. On the plus side, it was a new dish I haven't tried before - but I would have settled with a salad instead.” 

After we finished our meal, I decided to try out Scratch’s baked goods and ordered an M&M and pecan scone, which was both crunchy and sweet. I could imagine myself eating that every day.

Overall, Scratch Kitchen & Bake shop is a great place to enjoy a meal. Their prices and portion size are very reasonable.

Enjoy and we hope to see you there at Scratch Kitchen & Bake Shop.  Scratch Kitchen and Bake Shop 1030 Smith St.  Honolulu, HI 96817

Hours:  Day: Tuesday - Sunday  8:30a - 2:00p Night: Friday - Saturday 5:30p - 9:00p Closed Mondays 

WORDS + PICTURES BY: Vina Cristobal, founding editor-in-chief

This week’s Flow Eats feature goes to The Nook, which is tucked away in a small corner of Puck’s Alley on University Ave. As I’ve heard, this was the old Kiss My Grits before it closed down not too long ago. Nice to know that they’ve filled up this space with something equally quaint and small. 

I recently went on a solo expedition to the little bistro - and after five straight minutes of searching, I found it. 

The place resembled a classic Italian restaurant - similar to Buca di Beppo but more indoors and less room to move in. Regardless of the tiny space, the inside of the restaurant had that cabin-esque feel. A bevy of waiters dressed in gray Nook tees and denim pants trotted around to greet guests and to take their orders. 

Now, whenever I go out to eat at any restaurant setting, I’m not usually alone. I’m surrounded by loved ones or any sort of group that I familiarize myself with. I looked around and saw the other tables filled with couples or small groups of friends chatting away - or probably Yelping the place, for that matter. 

But anyway - onto the food, which is what I’m more focused on. 

To give you a quick tip, the Nook always has its own take on classic breakfast foods. Forget your typical daily Eggos. The Nook switches it up with a selection of mochi waffles. Egg and sausage sandwich? Scratch that. The wheat buns that typically layer the sandwich are replaced with sugary malasadas (which I’ll disucss briefly afterwards).

The server slid a plate of a large horchata chocolate muffin onto my table. I personally don’t eat dessert prior to the main course, but this time, that wasn’t the case. It reminded me of a soft, delicate muffin from the Costco packs (You know what I’m talking about, right?). But it was like eating a pillow - a tasty, chocolatey pillow, mind you.

Not too long after I devoured that delicacy, the main course finally arrived: The Nook’s specialty malasada breakfast sandwich. A Shinsato pork sausage patty was covered by a fried egg, and both components of the sandwich, as I previously mentioned, were smothered between two malasada buns. 

At first, eating a malasada sandwich with a large egg and a patty between it was a bit confusing for my taste buds, but I assume that it’s one of those “acquired taste” type of meals. You still have the sugary and grainy aspect of the malasada buns, but also the breakfast taste of the sausage and egg. It’s a win. 

Regarding the service there, it was still top-notch, even when I was by myself. Though it may have been a bit slow - it was still lunchtime - I was satisfied with the quality of the staff. It’s like the smiles never fade when and after they serve you (which is a good thing, right?). 

If you’re anywhere near University Avenue, I highly recommend The Nook. It’s affordable, perfect for any small group, and hey - I wouldn’t mind coming back for a second round of that horchata. 

The Nook

1053 University Avenue

Honolulu, HI 96826

Tuesdays through Sundays: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Welcome to the return of an old segment we used to do in our early stages of HNL Flow. Usually, we would feature a different musical artist from Oahu every week. We'd post a short blurb about the artist and accompany said blurb with a video. But I think we'll switch this up this time. Local rapper Kwalified (one of the featured artists in our second issue) released a new music video on Sunday with fellow rapper CNRBOY with the track "Some Girls Get High Too." This track was released during the summer on Kwalified's Soundcloud profile, and the two rappers have been spotted on Maui earlier this month to promote their collaboration. In this dreamy NSFW video below - which was shot and edited by Cameron Calistro and features Alexis "Lexbreezy" Ahakuelo of Farmer's Market Hawaii fame - Kwalified and CNRBOY talk about two of a rapper's many delights: marijuana and women.

In other music news - a new rap duo is emerging from UH, and they've definitely caught our attention. Meet the Arkapelligeeks, consisting of two UH Manoa students Brendon 'Brendonthelyricist' Oshita and Travis 'Travis Tsuks' Tsukuyama. Both Oshita and Tsukuyama linked up last month to break into the Hawaii hip-hop scene. Although their name could possibly be mistaken for a play on the word "archipelago," the two members (Brendon 'Brendonthelyricist' Oshita and Travis 'Travis Tsuks' Tsukayama) say that their name was based on the biblical tale of Noah's Ark. Like how Noah built an ark, Oshita and Tsukayama also used this concept to create something new for Hawaii hip-hop. Below is a music video for their first (and catchy) single, "Jive," shot and produced by Andrew Tran.

WORDS + PICTURES BY:  Peter Cheng, co-founder  * Editor's note: At this week's Flow Eats, co-founder Peter Cheng visited Max and Lucy's, just at the tip of Kaka'ako. Max and Lucy's was founded by Michael Ingraham, who affectionally named the restaurant after his two children, Max and Lucy Ingraham. This becomes the backbone of Max and Lucy's homestyle, family-friendly environment. --

“Hi, welcome to Max and Lucy's!” Here in the middle of Kaka'ako on Halekauwila Street, you will find a small blue building called Max and Lucy’s, which is a small local restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch to people who live, work and play in the Kaka’ako district. Before you walk in to the breakfast and lunch eatery, you are welcomed into the restaurant by two menu boards - one for their breakfast specials and one for their specialty drinks.

*The designs of the board are cute and colorful, as if it was designed by children themselves.  

I arrived at around 12:30 P.M. on a Friday afternoon. When I walked in, the line of people trying to order food was almost by the entrance of the door. Let the wait begin. I waited for about 10 minutes in line and looking at the menu board, I was excited to order my food. I was looking at their daily specials and I knew exactly what to order. On Friday, their daily specials were their Meat Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, Fried Chicken and their Ahi Katsu.

When I went up to order, the gentleman that took my order was friendly and had a huge smile on his face.

*Peter's choice: a meat lasagna with marinara sauce with tossed salad, covered in ranch. 

I ordered the Meat Lasagna. I also received a free drink just by checking into my Yelp account. When I went to the cashier the lady that was working at the time, greeted me with a smile as well. I only paid $8 (not including tax) for my meal. This is a great price because the portion was also a great size as well.

When I finally got my food, I noticed that the portion size were reasonably good. The meat lasagna had a lot of flavor and it came with a side of tossed salad. After that one bite of that meat lasagna, it made me want to take another bite and another bite afterwards.

Don’t take my word for it. Let's look at what customers have to say on Yelp:

One customer said, “Daily specials are great!  Had the Friday lasagna which had a good amount of cheese and tomatoes.”

Another customer said, “I would definitely be back!  Support local businesses!”  

Lastly, a third customer on Yelp stated, “Plus they have daily specials if you are looking for something new everyday.”

After my first time at Max and Lucy’s, I would love to go back next time I visit Kaka’ako. I would love to try all their different tasty selections they have to offer everyday such as their daily specials. It made me excited to go back every day to try all their specials, including breakfast and specialty drink items as well.

Their hours of operations are from 6:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. So the next time you are in Kaka’ako around that time, I would totally recommend you make sure to check out Max and Lucy’s.

WORDS + PICTURES BY: SHAWN SAITO, PHOTOGRAPHER

* Editor's note: Welcome to our first ever Flow Eats segment! We will do our best to update this feature as much as we can. Our inaugural Flow Eats post was made by our photographer, Shawn Saito, with contributions with our two co-founders, Vina Cristobal and Peter Cheng. The shop owner could not be reached for comment. 

* The large Lucy's Lab Creamery wall welcomes all guests into its tiny shop on Kamakee St.  Located in a small street front store that’s conveniently a one or two minute walk from Ward Center and theaters, a new homemade ice cream shop has debuted. Lucy’s Lab Creamery focuses on the art of ice cream making through various item offerings and unique flavors. On my two occasions of having been to Lucy’s, once being Opening Day, I was pleased to meet friendly staff and a variety of ice cream flavors that I would have never thought of or would have tried before. 

*Shawn's choice: a scoop of Earl Grey mixed in with a scoop of Fruit Loop Vodka. 

  My first ice cream was the Sea Salted Caramel. It was a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors all at once. It was also a popular flavor that night so it was going quickly. Upon my second visit, I tried their Earl Grey and Fruit Loop Vodka offerings. While the Earl Grey has just the right subtlety of flavors, the Vodka was a dream for any sugar or cereal lover. The ice cream is sold by the ounce, with  $1 per ounce being a reasonable cost for a homemade and premium dessert.

Unfortunately, the shop is small so there is no seating room to enjoy your dessert. If you go during the middle of the day, you’ll have to eat the ice cream quickly as the heat will melt the ice cream in a short manner of time. Also, due to the nature of being homemade, occasionally the shop will close for days in order to make a new batch. Just be wary of the times they are open and check their Facebook page for updates.

Overall, I believe that this is a great new shop that shares in the vision of Kakaako as a place for artists and visionaries to thrive in. With no ice cream shop at Ward Theatres, Lucy’s fills in the void for an ice cream shop that everyone can access with ease. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, I recommend that you try Lucy’s for yourself and experience some ice cream greatness. 

*Eat up! The unique variety of choices at Lucy's will satisfy any ice cream lover's cravings - from Tahitian vanilla to Nutella, no flavor is impossible to make.

Written by HNL Flow Staff 

Wow, we haven’t posted here in a while! Sorry about that, folks. We’ve been real busy with the launch of HNL Flow. But don’t worry - we haven’t forgotten about our blog. 

HNL Flow Issue 2: The Young and Golden reached more than 1,000 views in a week and a half because all of you. HNL Flow Issue 1, which we released back in April, now has reached more than 1,000 views as well. We couldn’t have made it through without you. 

[To read Issue 2, you must be on a desktop or laptop: http://joom.ag/6zbb]

In recent weeks, we’ve been getting these questions (and similar others). Here is the HNL Flow Issue 2/general FAQ posts. If you have any questions that we haven’t addressed, please let us know! 

———

How can I be featured in your magazine? 

HNL Flow is about supporting young and up-and-coming creatives in Kaka’ako, Downtown Honolulu and other areas around Oahu. If you’re an artist, musician, fashion designer or any creative person who would love to be featured - please e-mail us at [email protected]. 

I can’t view the HNL Flow magazine on my smartphone or tablet! 

HNL Flow is only available on desktops and laptops. The fee to upgrade our magazine to a mobile version is about $40 a month. But once we get that update running, we will make sure all of our issues will have mobile versions ASAP! 

Where can I purchase your #hnlflow t-shirts? They look awesome! 

We’re not selling them right now. A lot of technicalities have to be done in order for us to sell them as Flow merchandise. We gave some away at our launch party in May, so now we have a very limited amount. But be on the lookout! We do a giveaway with them every so often on our Instagram page. 

When’s your launch party for Issue 2? 

We’re having it at a very discreet location (some who are very observant at our second issue may know where it is), but because the space is so small and will unrealistically fit 100 people (the same number of people that were at Fresh Cafe at our 1st issue launch), we can only limit up to 30-40 people in this area, including ourselves. 

In honor of our second issue, “The Young and Golden,” HNL Flow is hosting a giveaway! 

What do I need to do?

Take a picture of how you’re spending your summer (whether you’re doing an around-the-island trip, cruising with loved ones, lounging at home, watching a summer flick, etc.) 

Then, post it on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #flowsummer14.  FACEBOOK POSTS MUST BE PUBLIC AND YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILES MUST BE PUBLIC FOR YOU TO BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN! (No post limit! GO CRAZY!)

What do I win?!

ONE lucky winner will receive the following prizes: 

TWO VIP passes to our exclusive launch event for issue 2 on August 16! So if you missed out on our May event…this is the perfect time to come down and celebrate with us! 

ONE #hnlflow t-shirt! 

What if I win but I’m not on the island? Will the prize also cover airfare?

Unfortunately, we can’t cover anyone’s airfare (although we wish we could)! :( If we do happen to choose a winner that is NOT on Oahu by August 16, we will have to give the full prize to someone who is on the island. But don’t fret - we will still send you a free shirt! 

I’m not young…can I still enter?

Of course! Young, old, big, small - we wanna see all of you spending your summer! There is absolutely NO age limit to our contest.