Shimogawa Scoops

Mahaloha Burger, a small Hawaii-based restaurant chain, is opening a location at Ala Moana Center's new restaurant complex that's located in part of the former Shirokiya space. This week, the company filed a permit to open at The Lanai at Ala Moana in Honolulu, which also includes Agave & Vine, Brug Bakery and Hi Tea Cafe. Mahaloha Burger, which sells burgers made with 100 percent free-range local beef from the Big Island, currently has two locations on Oahu, one at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki and another in Kailua on Hekili Street. The Lanai is scheduled to open this fall with up to 12 specialty food vendors and indoor and outdoor seating for up to 450 people.

Dave's Ice Cream is opening a new shop at the Ilikai hotel in Waikiki, public records show. The small Hawaii-based ice cream chain, which has been around for decades, recently filed building permits to open at the iconic hotel that was featured in the original "Hawaii Five-0" television series. Dave's, which is headquartered in Pearl City, also has locations in Aiea in Central Oahu, Kealakekua on the Big Island, Waimanalo in Windward Oahu, Waipio in Central Oahu, as well as another shop in Pearl City. Its ice cream flavors include Azuki Bean, Frosted Sugar Cookie, Kahlua Fudge, Kulolo and Poha Berry. Dave's was created by David Leong in 1982 with a shop in Waianae in Leeward Oahu.

Food? What amazing food? And what was our order again? Those were the thoughts that were going through my mind (and probably others) as former President Bill Clinton walked through the door to dine at Nobu Honolulu  Saturday night  with a security detail in tow.  Mr. Clinton arrived at Nobu around 8 p.m. after giving the keynote address at an event earlier in the evening at the University of Hawaii Manoa in Honolulu. Dining just feet away from No. 42 with my fiancé during my birthday dinner, I quickly realized what people were referring to when they mentioned the "star-power" and "charisma" that he possesses. As soon as he walked into Nobu, which is located on the ground floor of The Howard Hughes Corp.'s Waiea luxury condominium in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, no one could focus on their amazing food and drinks anymore including us. There were tourist and local couples, as well as people from Japan. It was a treat to be in the same restaurant with

Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle Corp. who purchased 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai in 2012 for $300 million, continues his buying spree on the Pineapple Island with the recent purchase of a couple of residential units on the island. Public records show that Ellison, one of the world's richest men, through his company Lanai Resorts LLC, purchased two properties in Lanai City for a total of nearly $2 million. As part of his overall purchase in 2012, Ellison also owns the two Four Seasons-branded hotels on the island, as well as the two golf courses near these resorts, one of which isn't reopening.  Ellison also is in the process of doing a $75 million renovation of the 102-room The Lodge at Koele, including reducing the room count by about 10 rooms, adding spa treatment facilities, building new fitness buildings and a yoga pavilion, as first reported by this blog.

A planned senior housing project in Honolulu's Chinatown is getting tripped up by high construction costs. The 150-unit Halewaiolu senior residence project, which is being developed by Michaels Development Co., was first proposed years ago. At a recent area neighborhood meeting, the developer and other stakeholders gave an update on the development, which is now scheduled to start construction in late 2019. The project will include 120 single-bed units and 30 double-bed units on 19 floors with 10 units per floor.  Karen Seddon, regional vice president for Michaels Development, said at the meeting that the cost of construction has gone up and that it is still working on securing funding for the project. Besides funding, there are other hurdles that the developer must clear including satisfying requirements from the National Historic Preservation Act. Halewaiolu would satisfy a huge demand for senior housing in the state, which has one of the fastest growing senior pop

A new restaurant is opening in the space formerly occupied by the popular Pearl Ultralounge at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu that has been vacant for about four years. Grub & Barrels Inc. has filed a building permit Monday with city regulators to open its new restaurant in the former Pearl space at Hookipa Terrace on the third floor of the state's largest shopping center. The company, which was formed earlier this year by Annie Kim, has registered the trade names "Grub & Barrels" and "The Brilliant Ox." John Harada of Honolulu-based In + Form Design Inc. is listed as the architect for the project. In 2013, Pearl closed after being in business for seven years due to years of damage from water leaks from the tenant above — Romano's Macaroni Grill. In other restaurant news at Ala Moana Center, chef Alan Wong announced Monday that his Pineapple Room restaurant at Macy's is closing at the end of this month.

The Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki, which is currently undergoing a more than $100 million redevelopment, has been sold for $515 million, according to a new report. CBRE Hawaii's investment report that was released this month made note of the sale of the 839-room Pacific Beach Hotel, which will be renamed the Alohilani Resort at Waikiki Beach. CBRE said that the hotel changed hands earlier this quarter. The hotel's redevelopment has recently hit a snag after officials found iwi, or ancient Hawaiian remains, at its site on Kalakaua Avenue, although work continues to move ahead. The new hotel is expected to gain two restaurants by famous chef Masaharu Morimoto. The Queen Liliuokalani Trust owns the land that the more than 100,000-square-feet of land the hotel occupies. HH Pacific Beach LP is listed as the owner of the hotel. Despite fewer transactions this year, CBRE says that 2017 is poised to be another active year for investment in the state. Currently, the year-to-