UYE Meet & Greet in Little Tokyo for Nadine “Auntie Nadine” C.

You can take the boy off of the island, but you cannot take the island out of the boy…
BACKGROUND
When Steve M. said that he’d post and host a UYE for me to meet LA Yeeps, I was a bit skeptical. It’s not because he’s not Elite, but it’s because he had never been to a UYE before. However, at home in Hawaii, I’ve seen it done. Any member of our Unilocal community can do it! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
IT’S A REALITY
When Steve messaged me to let me know that this UYE had been posted, I looked for it and was pleasantly surprised at how thorough and entertaining his announcement was. On the other hand, I shouldn’t have been surprised because Steve actually is a very good writer (even though he went to public school)! haha! That’s right — Steve is from McKinley… Go Tigers!
GAME DAY
Anyway, the day of the UYE arrives… Stevo O. is the first one at the restaurant. He is just as cheerful in person as he is on paper! Next to arrive is Steve M., my coworker, & me; then Tim C., Alana, and her hubby, Mike. It was such a lively group that there was no need to fill the void with games, but I forced them to play Hello Kitty trivia! The group humored me, so they were rewarded with macadamia nuts, Hello Kitty gifts, and Hawaiian goodies. Steve M. brought Hello Kitty candy for everyone as well as Hawaiian cookies! Mahalo Steve!
AWARDS:
Tim — Best Tour Guide and Chauffeur
Alana — first to post a photo, check-​in, and tip; & first LA Unilocaler that I met IRL in CA
Mike — Best moral support; best dining companion — he won a Hawaii Five-​O shirt from Steve M.
Stevo O. — One of Unilocal LA’s newest Elite members & best dressed (Bird of Paradise Aloha Shirt)
Steve M. — Best Host of a UYE
LOGISTICS
Everything went smoothly — from the free validated parking, to our yummy ramen lunches, to the efficient service. The restaurant was clean, spacious, well-​lit, and had a good atmosphere! What more could we want? The arrival of Kenzie from Orange County (OC)! So glad to meet her IRL! She is so darned kawaii (cute)! That’s because she’s from Hawaii, too!
HAPPY MEMORIES
I saved this review to be my 300^th because it was one of the best UYEs I have ever attended. Thanks to the Unilocalers of Los Angeles, and especially our host, Steve M., for their hospitality, cheerfulness, and kindness! I truly appreciated your positive attitudes about your city — it really is a great place! I actually learned a lot and am looking forward to my next visit!

Having fun with Unilocalers is a great way to spend a Saturday! It was really fun to meet more Unilocalers! Nadine brought the Aloha spirit with her and trivia.
I was so glad that Steve M took the initiative to set up this UYE! Thank you! It was a very nice little gathering around yummy food!
Hubby & I parked in the wrong area, so when we got here, other Unilocalers were already seated. Nadine had brought a little goodie bag for each of us and Steve M brought us Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks!
Yes, I won a prize for being the first to post a picture and for something else, I think it was for being first to check into the UYE. I tried to offer the second prize to Steve M, but he was the one who owned it and was giving it away! LOL Thank you both for the cool gifts! Mahalo! Good thing I know nothing about Hello Kitty! I would have shared any additional winnings anyhow.
This restaurant is located in a shopping center on the second floor. It is a nice little place.
Before ordering, we asked if we should get separate checks and the waitress said, «No», so we put everything on one check. At the end, we all picked out what we were paying for, and the lady at the counter re-​wrote each tab individually. Seemed like more work for them, but it seemed to be the way they wanted to do it.
We ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen with Gyoza, small salad, and rice. Hubby wanted super spicy, but level 4 was as high as they go. The Ramen was pretty good. The gyoza were great, the outside was a little crispy, just like I prefer! We shared this and it was more than enough to fill us!
This was a perfect place for a gathering of Unilocalers to get to chat, play trivia, and eat! Thank you, Nadine, for coming so we could have this UYE in your honor! Thank you, Steve, for putting this together! It was a fun time!

When I heard Auntie Nadine was coming to Los Angeles for a visit, I said cool. When I was notified of this UYE, I said let’s go! I’ve been here quite a few times so I’m not a newbie for this ramen place. I am a newbie to Auntie Nadine’s UYE’s. Apparently she brings trivia and prizes. I am the lucky winner of the first trivia question. Mine was just a stab in the dark at the answer since it was about Hello Kitty.
I know we all ordered and for large group, the waitress wasn’t even stressing over who ordered what. She was really organized. When the food was being delivered to our table, they called out the orders. I just need to remember I ordered the seafood champon. I think this item is new on the menu so I really want to try it. This was the only time it was quiet time. It was pretty quiet in the restaurant because we were all stuffing our faces.
This was such a fun event and meeting new Unilocalers making friends. Nadine brought her co-​worker Kanoe along with Steve O, Steve M, Alana, Michael, and she even got Kenzie to drive all the way from OC to join us. I wanted to know when the next event was going to take place. What’s not to like, we received door prizes. Ok, it was candy but still part of the the Hello Kitty and Hawaiian theme. Even one of the customers commented on one of the shopping bags from Hawaii as she was walking out. Now I know what the Hawaiian hospitality really is. Not only seeing it, it was like very warm and welcoming. Perhaps that is because we were all eating a hot bowl of ramen? I’ll have to go back and see if that was the case.

This is officially my 100^th review on Unilocal.Took me a while since joining almost 6 years ago but I did it myyyyyy waaaay! Call me Mr. Procrastinator. lol… It’s an appropriate and timely effort to document and honor the day L.A. Unilocalers met up with possibly the funniest, smartest and brightest spark of energy and light from Kaneohe, Hawaii. Who knew… but now we know it’s Unilocaler Elite, Auntie Nadine! (I didn’t see a battery pack on her back, it’s all natural, solar powered energy!)
This was my first and only UYE, and I was a little worried it would go unnoticed like ALL of my check-​ins for the past six years (right, Nadine? haha, I’m seriously Unilocal challenged! Thanks for the tip in Hollywood!)… tic… toc… tic… toc… but then thankfully the Unilocalers who tapped on the bar to say «I’m In!» made it a very special and memorable experience! Call me naïve and biased but it was the best UYE ever, lol!
Nadine’s trivia game was a great way to get our brains guessing about her special idol, Hello Kitty, before the meals were served. There were winners… umm, correct me if I’m wrong, but Alana M. won twice, and Stevo O. won once.
The restaurant staff took good care of our table for eight in the middle of the larger dining area and were great at getting our orders out pretty quickly. Waters and hot tea were filled and refilled. My order of ramen with the sushi rice combo was «totemo oishii» and I have nothing bad to say except that the time went by too quickly. Another thing to note is the parking garage has one hour free and one additional hour free with restaurant validation.
The interior and atmosphere reminds me of a typical Japanese family restaurant. What I really liked were the realistic plastic food samples in the front display area and also the various sized maneki-​neko cats in the window. If the left paw is raised up, this is supposed to attract customers and visitors. If the right paw is raised up, this invites good fortune and money. If both paws are raised up, I believe they are for both good fortune and customers as well as protection.
Calico: Traditional color combination, considered to be the luckiest
White: Happiness, purity, and positive things to come
Gold: Wealth and prosperity
Black: Wards off evil spirits
Red: Success in love and relationships
Green: Good health
Thank you all for making this a memorable lunch. I wish everyone a multi-​colored maneki-​neko with both paws up from this day forward… until we meet again, Kiotsukete, Aloha and Mahalo!

This was the best Unilocal event ever for me, even for a UYE/​YEE! Meeting our Unilocal friends in person makes all the difference in the world. Great food and friends makes Unilocal a perfect platform for enjoying life to the fullest. Nadine from Hawaii is just as I pictured her, and perky as ever, with so much energy! I’m glad we had an opportunity to finally meet.
As for food, it was just the perfect spice level for me, and very Japanese feeling. In fact, we met a couple that was traveling to the Big Island, and they were so happy together and made it feel as if we were ohana with the various generations at the table. Whenever or wherever Unilocalers meet, there is good times for all!