UYE Lunch @ Dean’s

Who’s behind? Mine! (one of the best one liners in Disney’s Toy Story) but what does that have to do with this event? Absolutely nothing… just that I’m a slacker and this review is quite overdue! It’s cause I don’t get on the computer anymore.
Well, my «townie» friend Nadine totally pulled off a great one! This was my first time attending one of Ms. Nadine’s UYEs and I absolutely had a blast! Not to mention I hustled across the island (not quite as far as Jeana, she wins) but coming straight from church service and I still was able to be semi-​on time! Nadine, Cheryl and Lynne (and Daniel) did such a terrific job organizing this event from the fun astrological sign ice breaker game to the door prizes and not-​so-​silent auction!
This was one party you should have been at! After we all got settled with food and drink, the fun started. Shoving food in your face and just talking story with friends. It was delicious and as usual ended up taking food home. Once most people were pau eating, we had a quick dedication of «fireworks» for Dean’s restaurant to celebrate their grand opening in this new location and gave them the best of wishes. Then we got ready for some serious bidding.
I love that idea of bidding with not-​my-​own-​money! Thanks Paul for posting the photos of some of the prizes! I just really wanted that Chocolate bunny (bonus that it came from William Sonoma!). Still can’t believe I spent $ 80 on the mini Easter basket! Everyone who brought gifts really had some great items up for auction! I ended up donating my extra $ to Jenn but she didn’t bid on anything for herself and ended up passing on the extra cash to Paul who won Life is Like a Box of Chocolates and the guaranteed RSVP to his own event. That really made me LOL which sucked because laughing has been putting me into uncontrollable coughing fits! Such a grand time!
It was a great way to spend my Sunday lunch hour and I have to say that any time spent with my Unilocal buds is always fabulous! I also met a few new faces so hope to see them around again!
BTW, when’s the next one?

Confession: I am actually a Townie.
Born and raised in Honolulu, I rarely ventured to the Windward side, except to visit my granparents’ grave at Hawaiian Memorial. When I got a job in Kaneohe in 2001, I quickly learned the differences between Windward City Shopping Center, Windward Mall, and Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center.
Conclusion: Kaneohe is a pretty good place to live!
So — wanting to share this discovery with my Unilocal friends, an opportune time arrived with the Grand Opening of Dean’s Drive Inn’s new and bigger location with better and abundant parking… AND Drive-​thru Window! It all came together when I read Cheryl Marie’s review about Dean’s having the BEST plate lunch on the Island and Lynne’s messages about «when are we going to try this place out»!
Luckily, Lynne & Cheryl agreed to be co-​hosts and we met up for a Site Inspection. Unfortunately, Life Happens, and Cheryl wasn’t able to attend, so we got Daniel C. to take her place. From an «outsider’s» point of view, Daniel gave his Thumbs Up and our UYE (Unofficial Unilocal Event) was a «Go».
Making a long story short, it takes Hawaii Unilocalers to make a super great party — I can’t thank everyone enough for taking the time out to drive over the Pali!
To those who contributed grab bags — mahalo for making the auction so much fun! I’ve only heard about this game from my mom and had never experienced it, so thanks for being the guinea pigs! The microwave, trips to anywhere in the World, the TV, and the iPad were really great Door Prizes! Thanks for your generosity!
Thanks to everyone for being a sport about the Horoscope Ice Breaker game. .yes, I’m old school, when back in the day, people would ask each other, «what’s your sign». Hahaha!
Thanks also to Dean’s Drive Inn. .they reserved a special section for us, thinking that my friends from high school were getting together! Tee hee! They let us stay for several hours with our noisy balloon popping & rambunctious activities to celebrate their new location!
So glad to have met Donna Lyn & hubby (James) who used to work with my mom! Happy that her First UYE was a good experience! Nice to meet Joanna — Emma’s guest! She arrived before Emma who had survived a traumatic morning! Glad you’re safe, Emma!
Always nice to see «old» friends such as Chris Y. & her hubby (Keith); Gary; Jeana; Lai & Seef (First Timer — yay!); David T.; Eric Robert; Jules; Angel & hubby (Anthony); Arynn; Daniel; Jennifer S.; and Paul, John & Ringo — oops! I mean Victoria M. And the other Victoria A. Both Victorias in the same room! Cool!
Cheryl Marie, Lynne, & I appreciate you for coming all the way from Waianae, Kailua, Kapolei, Hawaii Kai, & Mililani to share a meal and a memorable time together! Let’s go to the next UYE!!!

My first UYE was too much fun! Thanks Nadine C. for the fun horoscope scavenger hunt game and the auction where I won a «magic potion» that makes germs vanish! My husband and I also enjoyed meeting other Unilocalers and eating Dean’s yummy food. We went in not knowing how UYEs works, but we’re so grateful that the Unilocalers there were friendly and welcoming. It was nice to be around kindred Unilocalers who take pics of their food and check-​in before finally getting around to eating. We hope we can meet up again with everyone at the next UYEs.
Fun fact: When I was in college, I used to work with Nadine C.‘s mom. #SmallWorld

I drove all the way to Kaneohe from Kapolei! And yet, I did not travel the farthest. The title of farthest traveler goes to Jeana! She came all the way from Waianae!
After experiencing Dean’s, I must say that I liked the food a lot. My favorite thing that I ordered definitely was the Bacon Corn Chowder soup! Oh my! Throwing bacon into one of my favorite soups just put it over the top and made me very happy.
I also had a full order of the Fresh Catch of Day: Ahi Belly with shoyu ginger sauce. I found it very interesting how the fish was deep fried rather than grilled. I had it with brown rice.
I liked the ice breaker where we had to find people with the different astrological signs of the zodiac. I found all but two. I could not find any Cancers or Virgos.
I much apologize to Seef for losing a piece of my balloon in your soup! We were sitting on the same table. We had all blown our balloons. I blew mine to make it huge. We then all popped our balloons at the same time and part of my balloon landed in Seef’s soup!
Finally, for the last activity, there was an auction run by Nadine with gag gifts. Tickets to anywhere in the world and his and her Rolex watches were among the prizes. It was a lot of fun. I never played that sort of game before.
It was great seeing so many great friends and meeting lots of great people. Thanks so much to Nadine for organizing and hosting and to Dean’s for having us!

Thanks for a great Sunday get together for us Unilocalers at Deans Drive In. We were greeted, dined, and had a great time bidding on some «over the top» prizes. Lol! It was a great way to have some laughs and meet some new Unilocalers at their first UYE!
Thanks to Nadine, Cheryl, and Lynne who did an awesome job of arranging the event, getting us checked in and facilitating the group in our ice-​breaker and auction. A great way to spend a Sunday morning Unilocal style!

Event: UYE Lunch @ Dean’s Drive Inn
When: Sunday March 29, 2015 at 10:45am
Where: Kaneohe… the other side of the island
Background: I live and work in Waianae. It’s not often I leave the west side of the island unless I’m paying bills in Honolulu or spending time with my mom in Pearl City or having a staycation out in Waikiki.
Motivation to venture out of Waianae: AUNTY NADINE’S UYE. I’ve attended her UYE Wah Kung event (my first food UYE to attend) and had fun. This UYE gave me the opportunity to visit the other side of the island… Kaneohe to be exact.
I normally schedule my outings on my day off from work. Saturday night I had worked the 10am — 6pm shift. When I found out that I was scheduled to work the 6pm — 2am shift for Sunday I quickly changed my response for the event from «Sounds Cool» to «I’m in!»
I have been tossing and turning trying to get some sleep on Saturday night… I guess I was too excited to attend the UYE lunch at Dean’s Drive Inn. I was so excited that i woke up at 6am. Got ready by 6:30am. Left the house in my work clothes and a big backpack that has my work shirt along with other items. Walked down the road to the bus stop and waited for the 7:10am C Country Honolulu Ala Moana. Reached Honolulu around 8:40am and waited 20 minutes for the 55 Kaneohe bus. Reached Kaneohe at 9:30am.
Yeah I was so excited I got to Kaneohe 1 hour and 15 minutes before the time of the event. Fast forward to around 10am I spotted couple individuals waiting by the door… I introduced myself to Cheryl Marie and Lynne H (the co-​hosts of the event). Also spotted Gary N sitting in his vehicle (he checked in first at Dean’s Drive Inn). An employee of the restaurant had let us in before opening time so we can get ourself situated in the reserve section of the restaurant. Once Aunty Nadine arrived at Dean’s Drive Inn we were able to sign in and receive the ice breaker worksheet as well as the name tags.
Slowly the restaurant starts to fill up with people I recognize from the UYE Wah Kung event or UYE Cathy’s Dirty XXX event. Made my rounds of HELLO to Paul C, David T., and Eric Robert. Finally met Angel H. and Victoria A in IRL and actually spoke with Victoria M (first seen her at Cathy’s 30^th birthday event). Working on the ice breaker work sheet… I was able to meet other Unilocalers for the first time.
I donated the «magic potion» to be auctioned off and received an envelope with fake money, a balloon, and a toothpick. The balloon was blown up, the toothpick was to pop the balloon (the legal version of fireworks and our version of grand opening celebration of Dean’s Drive Inn), and the fake money was for bidding on prizes. I won the bid on two items. $ 40 towards a «shopping spree at Longs» (a Ziploc bag with Macbubl macaron, Kind energy bar, 3 Chimes ginger chew, plus a Tinkerbell toy) and $ 60 for the Menchie’s gift card, glass cup, and a decorated pen. I still had $ 40 left to spend so I donated the money to Victoria M and Daniel C (who arrived towards the ending of the auction). Our combined money then was donated to Paul C. so he can get his very own $ 270 reserve seat at his UYE Ray’s Café event. LOL. I also received a prize for PERSON WHO TRAVELED THE FARTHEST.
Overall this was an awesome event hosted by Aunty Nadine C. with co-​host Cheryl Marie (in charge of name tags and sign in) and co-​host Lynne H (handing out the ice breaker worksheet). Tons of fun and laughter.

It’s not often that I venture alone to the Windward side, yet alone to a place I’ve never eaten at before with a bunch of «strangers.» HOWEVER, this is AUNTIE NADINE’S UYE (as well as the fab Cheryl Starr and Lynn)! I’ve missed more than my share of Nadine’s invites to come and play, and I definitely did not want to miss this opportunity.
Like the other Unilocalers have already mentioned, TONS of fun and LOTS of laughs was enjoyed by all as well as HUGE amounts of money being exchanged, his & hers ROLEX watches being sold, IPADS, trips and believe it or not, even islands being sold for a teeny fraction of the price of real estate in Oahu!
I also got «hit on» by all these people asking me, «hey baby, what’s your sign?» (Ok, so I exaggerate a bit) True story!
All kidding aside, UYEs like this epitomizes just how much Hawaii Yeeps live ALOHA! It’s a chance to meet new people, reacquaint with Yeeps you’ve met before and also to meet people IRL that you’ve shared common interests and experiences with.
Thank you Nadine, Cheryl and Lynn for making my Sunday a funday!
When’s the next one?

An Eastside/​Windward UYE with awesome hosts Nadine, Cheryl, and Lynne at the new location for Dean’s and a grab bag — so much to piqué my curiosity — sign me up right away!
We got there early, before Dean’s opens at 11 am. so we had our pick of parking spaces. Dean’s Drive Inn draws a good crowd for Sunday lunch. You get a choice of brown or white rice and mac salad, tossed salad, or soup when ordering a regular plate. Catch of the Day specials were ono, monchong, and ahi belly, available in 3 different styles.
We had a place to congregate as there was reserved seating on the left side of the dining area. We parked our grab bags on the table and got an envelope… hmmm, wonder how this will work…
The fun began right away with an icebreaker: What’s your sign? Astrological sign that is. It was an imaginative way to interact with fellow Unilocalers. There were no Cancers or Virgos in the house today, oh well; maybe they can «represent» at the next UYE.
After everyone finished their lunch, we popped our balloons in unison to celebrate the new location of Dean’s and then the much-​awaited grab bag auction began. The items sounded so enticing: how to choose which one to bid on?!? So very amusing and entertaining. Nadine should get a job as a game show host!
Mahalo to our awesome hosts and to the wonderful Unilocalers who attended — always good to see familiar faces and to meet new ones. Already looking forward to the next UYE!

I really had no idea I was gonna be here until the clock struck midnight and my glass slippers disappeared. Luckily I have the «Pali Tunnel Hui» connection with hosts Nadine & Lynne, so being the Cinderella that I am, let them know I would be there at the very last minute…
HEY BABY, WHAT SIGN ARE YOU?
Upon entering we were greeted by lovely Cheryl who gave us a pencil for the ice breaking game. Of course, it was dealing with astrological signs, basically finding who was what sign. I’m an Aries. Aries rising, triple Aries, with a ton of fire burning, sometimes too much, but overall I’m not as aggressive as I once was. That’s a good thing! Trust! Ha! After about 20 minutes of asking everyone in the room «what sign are you?»… And some more than 3 times! It dawned on a few of us that it reminded us of the 1970’s show «The Dating Game» — y’know the bar scene vibe — when the dude with the Angel Flights & heavy sideburns would ask every hippy chick «hey baby, what sign are you?» Like trying to do it heavy on the bean bag! How fun is that!
Oh, and sorry to the Libra’s that might have been offended when I blurted out «Libra? My ex-​wife was one! Yikes!» Of course, in reality, Libra’s are pretty cool folks. Y’know «balance & fairness», but don’t cross them! Being a «fire sign» I find myself surrounded by «air signs» a lot, oddly not by choice… It just happens! Ironically fire needs air… So yes, it’s a symbiotic relationship! I do know who the other fire signs are too… And trust me, that’s a lot of kids if we hooked up! Fire feeds FIRE! Earth signs I could go either way. Water signs tend to extinguish fire and why I can’t be around them more than 5-​minutes! Nah!!! Okay, if you’re lost with what I’m talking about… No worries. You’re not alone! Let’s just eat…
IS LAMB… SHEEP… A RAM?
Having been to the old Dean’s Drive Inn… I’ve probably already been through every plate & special! So, I wanted something different! VOILÁ! How about I try that «Lamb Burger» special. I add the old fashion ice cream soda float and I have absolutely no complaints! The meat was nice and tender, buns soft… Wait! Stop! Ok, & the ice cream float was, well a very good ice cream soda float!
Then it hit me that I was eating sheep! Basically eating Aries! Yikes! Oh, nvm! Still it was delicious! Yet, I wonder if I was influenced by «Silence of the Lambs» or Lori I.‘s two dozen photos of… LAMB! Talking about being a cannibal! Next time I’ll just eat FISH!
HEY, I KNOW YOU! AND THE DISCO QUEENS…
It was groovy recognizing someone I met a few years back… Emma K… She looked so familiar and so after a few analytical guesses it dawned on me that we worked briefly together several years ago! Plus, she’s a cool Gemini! Got to love our small island! The magic of Unilocal Hawaii! Shhhh.
Once everyone had a mouthful to eat and drink… & eat…
We played the auction game! Similar to… Once again a 1970’s game show… «The Price is Right!», well but instead of bidding on doors we were bidding on bags! Really a fun game and some serious bidding wars going on, but luckily no blood shed… Just a good olé’ time! Amazing how someone actually won a trip to Paris! Right?!
Before you know it… The UYE is done. Then as I was driving away I realized Nadine, Lynne & Cheryl hosted this event! BAM! That explains that 1970’s disco vibe!!! Love & Kisses…
ABBA ANYONE???

I rarely come to the Windward side. Today, I gathered there with some fellow Yeeps to have lunch at Dean’s. Yes, that place that was featured on Guy Fieri’s show on the Food Network.
Thanks to Auntie Nadine C. for hosting, and her helpers Cheryl Marie S. and Lynne H. I had so much fun. First, they had everyone start off with an ice breaker. You went around the room asking people for their astrological sign. I met Jules Y. and Jeana P. for the first time today, along with some other fun people. I looked forward to meeting them because I talk to them on Unilocal.
Then, everyone went and ordered their lunch. It took a while for the lunches to come out. I’ll do a full review on the food on Dean’s on their actual Unilocal page. Half way through lunch, Nadine C. starts another game. She had asked people to bring some kind of grab bag to the event. When you handed her the bag, she in turn gave you an envelope with fake money in it. You used the fake money to auction for the grab bags. Jules Y. had made some Unilocal tags and brought it in a Martha Stewart Colander. I knew that’s what I wanted lol, and spent all of my $ 160 fake money on it. Watching everyone bid on the things they wanted was too funny, especially with Nadine C. doing the bidding. She said one item was from Obama and another item was a trip, lol. I also want to thank Nadine C. for bringing in the extra gifts. I scored a Hello Kitty calendar. Yay!

$ 270 to buy a reserved seat to my very own next UYE. It was wrapped up to look like a box of See’s chocolates. This took place on a Sunday. As a townie driving all the way to Kaneohe to claim this prize. Am I crazy? This is what I did! Where on earth was Luis R. and Darin O. today? :p
I usually go to the swap meet and eat lunch at Maguro Brothers but slightly adjusted my schedule by squeezing in this entertaining UYE co-​hosted by Nadine C., Lynn H. and Cheryl Marie S. We arrived at about 1045am, just before the restaurant opens and saw our co-​hosts assisting us with check in (name tags, sign in sheet and an ice breaker sheet). We had to go around trying to complete our sheet asking peeps of their zodiac sign. There were about 30 Yeeps who showed up today and we had a great 2 hours socializing, playing games and sampling the food at the new Dean’s Drive Inn location.
For those who brought a grab bag we received an envelope with a balloon, toothpick and «cash» for the auction. After the ice-​breaker we took our seats and were instructed to blow up the balloon and then pop it to celebrate the opening of the new location of Dean’s Drive Inn. Congratulations!!!
The fun part of the day was hands down the auction. In the envelope we had «money» to bid on the mysterious gifts people brought. Gift certificate to La Mer at Halekulani, keys to a car of your choice, your choice to purchase either Rabbit Island, Sand Island or Magic Island, an Ipad… so many great sounding prizes! Made me feel like a contestant on Let’s Make a Deal with those bum prizes! But then there was a Menchie’s gift card, Williams Sonoma Easter basket of cookies and chocolates, Gone With the Wind collector’s item plate with the original certificate… there were some winners!
It was great to see so many old faces of Chris Y., Keith Y., Arynn I., Jennifer S., Victoria A., Gary N., Daniel C., John N., Victoria M., Jeana P., Angel H., Anthony H., Eric Robert R., Lai T., Seef, Jules Y. and David T. Met a few new faces of Joanna G. and Donna Lyn B. and her hubby James.
One by one the auction items were sold off and the grand prize was a reserved seat to my very own UYE! I had such a great laugh that I just had to get it! David T. and I combined funds with some help from Arynn I., Jennifer S. and Victoria M. to walk away with the grand prize which was a full pound of See’s Chocolates! It was too good to be true so we opened the box up and shared the chocolates with everyone. Had such great fun today! In addition, Nadine also had prizes for first time UYE attendees and for the person who traveled the farthest to attend today (Jeana P. from Waianae).

In closing I would like to thank all 3 co-​hosts, the staff at Dean’s Drive Inn and all of the cool Yeeps who showed up today to liven up this lazy Sunday.
NOTES:
1) Mahalo to Chris Y. for sharing with us her homemade almond cookies. So yummeh!
2) Although we had about 30 Yeeps in attendance, there weren’t any Virgos or Cancers in the house!