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Mahealani Richardson is always on the go. Along with anchoring KITV’s morning show, she keeps a blog for Hawaii momslikeme.com, recently performed in the local "Gridiron" show, and is expecting her first child next month. We did manage, however, to catch up with this busy TV personality to find out where she likes to hang out with friends, eat, party and wind down.
We know you work early hours, so when you're able to go out and eat breakfast, where do you go and what do you order?
I go across the street to Straub Medical Center and get eggs, brown rice and papaya or chili and rice. Sometimes, I’ll get soup from the Honolulu Club, or if I’m pressed for time, I’ll get a sandwich or tuna musubi, egg and banana from Cafe Tesoro.
What eateries near your home do you think people should try?
Town, 12th Avenue Grill, JJ Bistro & French Pastry, Olive Tree Cafe (my hubby took me on our first date here), Le Bistro (spent one Valentine’s here), Gyotaku, Roy’s, Sabrina’s and California Pizza Kitchen are all good Eastside restaurants in my view. If you are splurging, the whole deep fried opakapaka with four sauces at Hoku’s is heaven. It’s a dish you share with a group, and my friends and I ate it until the bones were flattened.
When you want to hang out with friends, where do you go to let loose?
I love the hangouts in Chinatown like Bar 35, NextDoor, Du Vin and Indigo. They all have such great urban vibes, and I’m happy the Chinatown arts scene is so popular. It’s also fun going to the Honolulu Academy of Art’s ARTAfterDARK.
What places do you think play the best music?
I think NextDoor has good music and a cool energy. I recently saw the Quadraphonics there, and the band had this amazing female electric ukulele player. Pearl is good for Top 40 and Lotus is fun too. If it’s a long night, Fusion has the best crazy dance music! I don’t go dancing that often any more, but when I do, I like going to places where there’s a mix of ages. I’m usually in bed early these days because of my schedule, but when there’s dance music, I can stay up a lot longer!!!
Being so health conscious, where do you get nutritious food?
I’m health conscious, but I’m also time conscious, and I don’t really cook so I like to order hot meals, fish, bentos, burgers, sandwiches and salads at Umeke Market. The other day I had this really flavorful soy bean salad with cranberries. The bentos and pizza at Whole Foods are yummy too. When I get fast food, I like to eat at Taco Del Mar. Anything with guacamole and hot sauce makes me happy.
With a baby on the way, where do you satisfy your pregnancy cravings?
I’m due on Thanksgiving Day. I love chocolate ice cream and hazelnut gelato. My favorite place for ice cream is Bubbies, but those little ice cream or gelato cups from Safeway also satisfy my cravings. I also love red meat right now, even though I didn’t eat much of it before pregnancy. I can get it from any place, and I’ll be happy. The other day I had a pretty darn good Kamuela burger from Umeke Market.
When you and hubby, Mike Yasutake (a cameraman) want to have a romantic evening out, where do you go to unwind?
Mike and I like watching movies together either at a movie theater or just at home. The two of us are usually on the go or out with friends, so some down time at home is romantic for us.
We hear you love the outdoors. What do you like to?
I love hiking, but I wasn’t always that fit. In more recent years, I’ve gotten stronger, so I’ve gone hiking more often. My favorite places to hike are Koko Crater, the Makapu’u Lighthouse and the Makapu’u tide pools. My husband took me on one of our first dates to the tide pools, so it’s a special place for me. A quick dip at From Here to Eternity Beach/Coachroach Bay is also refreshing. We took our engagement photos there.
What is one thing that many people don’t know about you?
I’m a complete klutz. Maybe it’s from my years of dancing, where you're trained not to look at the floor, but I trip and drop stuff all the time. I’ve got bruises to prove it, and my husband just rolls his eyes.
