So when Burgers on the Edge, a new venture by Formaggio owners Wes Zane and Almar Arcano, opened in July on Kapahulu Avenue, I made sure the new burger joint was on my must-try list.

Outside the gourmet burger spot on Kapahulu Avenue in the new Safeway complex. It’s smack on Kapahulu Avenue, with ample parking.

First off, this isn’t your ordinary eatery.

It’s super small — compact is probably a better word — with huge flat-screen TV displays touting the restaurant’s varied menu. Which, you’d think just selling burgers, wouldn’t be that varied. But oh, you’d be surprised!

Inside Burgers on the Edge, with flat-screen TVs hawking its meaty specialities.

Not only can you order ready-made specialties such as the Kona ($8.49) — with a Kona coffee rub — or the Milano, made with 100 percent ground chuck topped with basil pesto and Gruyere cheese ($8.49), but BOTE is all about personal choice.

You take one of these sheets (see below) and custom-design your own burger.

You grab one of these sheets at the counter and start filling out what you want.

There are several different types of meats — 100 percent premium ground chuck, wagyu beef, charbroiled chicken breast, turkey and portabella mushroom — and 10 different cheeses including such gourmet options as bleu cheese, sharp provolone, gruyere and Danish havarti.

Next, you pick one of 12 sauces, from jalapeno ketchup to roasted garlic aioli, from country ranch to a Cabernet wine sauce.

Then, you top it off with four choices from a list of 18. Aside from the usual lettuce and tomato, you can get alfalfa sprouts, dill pickle chips, thin crispy onions, fried egg, cranberry relish or grilled ham.

And if that wasn’t enough, you can order sides such as shoestring fries ($2.89), sweet potato fries ($4.89), Kick Ass chili ($5.89) or Truffle’d Fries ($4.89).

Am I in heaven or what?

So my guyfriend — who’s from the Big Island — ordered the Kona ($8.49), which came on a chiabata-style bun, courtesy of the Mauna Kea Baking Co.

Here’s the Kona, which came with a serious coffee rub.

The burger up close. It was a little too salty for my taste. But the coffee rub was interesting. I’ll admit, I wasn’t convinced at first. But the flavor is subtle and works well with the ground chuck.

I went custom!

I ordered the 1/2-pound ground chuck ($8.49) with teriyaki sauce and swiss cheese. And, of course, a side of shoestring fries!

The meat, itself, was nicely cooked. Not overdone or undercooked. But it was salty!

Including drinks, we spent around $25 total, which is a lot for burgers, even of the gourmet variety. So I wouldn’t say this is a place I would frequent often. But if you’re in the neighborhood — and you’re tired of fast-food burgers — BOTE is worth checking out.

Burgers on the Edge, 870 Kapahulu Ave. Hours: 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-midnight Fridays and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.- 10 p.m. Sundays. Phone: 737-8866.

***

Friend update!

Some of you still e-mail me about my girlfriend who had a stroke last summer. She had just given birth to twin boys.

Well, she’s getting better every day. And believe it or not, her sons just turned 1 this August! Can’t believe how quickly time flies!

Here’s Rustyn. He was a little sick at his own baby luau. But still cute!

And here’s his brother Rycen. Can’t believe they’re already 1!

Thanks to everyone who asks about her recovery and about her boys. I’m happy to report that she — and her entire family — are doing well. They appreciate all the love and support that pours their way!

Tina Fey, middle, on the cover of Rolling Stone. Associated Press.

But, it seems, funny females don’t get the kind of respect their male counterparts get. They don’t get the high-paying lead movies roles like Will Ferrell or Jim Carey. They tend to play sidekicks in sitcoms and star in stand-up specials on lesser networks. (Sorry, Bravo!)

But that may be changing.

Kathy Griffith, star and mastermind of Bravo’s “My Life on the D-List,” earned an Emmy Award and is currently in its fourth season.

Chelsea Handler, host of E!’s “Chelsea Lately,” is a critic favorite with its refreshing take on late-night talk shows.

And veteran comedian and stereotype-destroyer Margaret Cho has her own show on VH1, “The Cho Show.”

So why has it been so hard for people — maybe society in general — to accept funny women? And what’s accounting for this shift?

Here’s what Vanity Fair writer Alessandra Stanley had to say:

How this evolution happened is not entirely clear. The backlash school of feminism would argue that it’s the tyranny of a looks-obsessed culture that promotes sex appeal over talent, be it in comedy, pop music, or even sports. Joan Rivers blames the entertainment industry and the men who still control it. “Oh, please,” she says. “Nowadays, you can’t even get on open mike with less than a C cup.”

On the other hand, the comedy business offers more opportunity and cachet for women than ever before. It could be that after decades of insecurity—and self-derision—women finally feel they can look good and still be taken seriously as comics.

“Maybe pretty women were always funny but only now decided to go into comedy,” argues Patricia Marx, a humorist who in the 1970s became one of the first woman writers on The Harvard Lampoon. “Maybe pretty women weren’t funny before because they had no reason to be funny,” she says. “There was no point to it—people already liked you.”

It has become a supply-and-demand issue: the supply of good-looking female comedians is growing, and the industry demands that they keep growing prettier. Chelsea Handler, the host of Chelsea Lately, a talk show on E!, has long legs, short skirts, low-cut shirts, and puffy blond hair—her look is Beverly Hills bimbo, with a Borscht Belt mouth.

Personally — and probably because I have a ton of hilarious women in my family and social circles — I think humor is sexy. If anyone — man or woman — can make me hold my gut and laugh out loud, that’s cool. You earn mega-points in my book.

To me, you have to be pretty smart to be funny. I’m talking seriously, riotously funny. (As opposed to idiotic, bathroom-humor funny, which is funny but in a different way.) And smart isn’t something women for generations weren’t taught to be. You stay at home, pop out kids and keep your opinions (and your votes) to yourself.

Now — and I’m surprised it’s only now — women are flaunting their smarts and their humors. And I think the world is a better (if not more bearable) place for it.

Well, if you’ve got a good — I’m talking, seriously good — story about the rudest thing that’s ever happened to you, your story could be on the wildly popular show.

(You could also write a best-selling novel — even fabricate facts about your experience in drug rehad — and get on the show that way. But this way sounds easier.)

I thought the question posed was a good one. We’ve all experienced rudeness in some way, from the salesgirl who refused to help you to the neighbor who decides to hone his bongo skills at 1 a.m.

But first, let’s define rude.

Rude, according to Dictionary.com, is an adjective that means:

• discourteous or impolite, esp. in a deliberate way: a rude reply.
• without culture, learning, or refinement: rude, illiterate peasants.
• rough in manners or behavior; unmannerly; uncouth.

We all know rude people, those who are insensitive to other people’s feelings, those who don’t care how their actions impact others. I once had a student who thought it was OK to answer his cell phone during class. Rude, dude!

So what’s the rudest thing you’ve experienced? And how did you handle the situation?

Eighteen years! That means the target audience of the remake series — aptly shortened to just “90210″ — that premieres tonight on the CW network weren’t even born when twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh left Wayzata, Minn. to attend the snotty (and fictitious) West Beverly Hills High.

The original cast of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210,’ which debuted 18 years ago. (Fox)

The new cast of ‘90210′ premiering on the CW tonight. Note the fashion differences. (CW)

So a new generation will be exposed to the trials and dramas of attractive, uber-rich teens a la MTV’s “Laguna Beach” and Fox’s ‘The O.C.”

I can see the attraction: good-looking rich kids living a lifestyle most American teens can only imagine. But wait — they have the same problems as me! They suffer heartbreaks, they hate their parents, they succumb to peer pressure! Sure, maybe I can’t afford to cry on the custom upholstery in a BMW as I drive — boyfriend-less — to Cancun, Mexico on Spring Break. (No, wait, maybe that was a private jet.) But still, I can at least almost relate.

I’ll admit: I tuned in back in 1990 to the original series, rooting for the bright-eyed Minnesota twins, hoping Kelly would steal Dylan away from Brenda and wondering how long Donna would remain a virgin.

But that’s not the TV show of my childhood I’d like to see come back.

Here’s my list of TV shows that I’d much rather see a return to prime time — with a new cast or even just in reruns:

• “MacGyver”
• “The Wonder Years”
• “The A-Team”
• “Family Ties”
• “Mystery Science Theater 3000″
• “Welcome Back, Kotter”

Now your turn!

And it’s one of the few dishes I can eat any day, any time. On a humid August afternoon. On a chilly winter morning. In the middle of the night, when I’m too tired to even drive to McDonald’s.

But despite my affinity for the hot noodle dish, I don’t consider myself an aficionado, at least not in the strict sense. I love ramen, but I don’t have very high standards. It’s gotta be hot, the noodles gotta be slurpy, the dashi has to have flavor. If it’s priced right, I’m good to go!

The other day, though, I had some of the best ramen — OK, saimin — I’ve had in a long time.

One of the Old Guys I surf with brought back frozen noodles from the renowned Hamura Saimin Stand in Lihue, Kaua’i.

I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’ve never eaten there. The line was always too long, and I wound up dining somewhere else. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard we were meeting for lunch over Hamura saimin.

Steve Mai’i brought over the noodles from Kaua’i.

Everyone contributed to the fixings, which included veggies, crispy won ton, imitation crab, hard-boiled eggs, char siu and Spam.

I brought the crispy won ton from Chinese Kitchen in the Nuuanu Shopping Plaza. Really, it’s the best.

Here’s a closeup of the famed noodles.

The iconic stand on Kress Street has withstood the test of time — and two hurricanes. People line up for Hamura’s version of the island specialty, waiting patiently at the handful of U-shaped counters in the too-small eatery.

People rave about the noodles — but it’s the dashi, to me, that really makes the difference.

So even though we had Hamura’s noodles, we had to get the dashi right. And thankfully, we had an authentic source — our friend and resident dashi expert Midori — to pull that off.

Midori testing her special dashi, which is so good, it could make spaghetti noodles taste great in a saimin bowl!

One version of the saimin.

Another version.

That’s when I thought about it: So what restaurant serves the best ramen (or saimin)?

Is it Taishoken?

The shoyu ramen at Taishoken on Keeaumoku Street is terrific.

Try it tsukemen-style and it takes the dish to a whole ‘nother level.

Or Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant in Ward Center?

The shoyu ramen at Goma Tei is a popular dish.

Or what about Tenkaippin Ramen on Kapahulu Avenue?

There’s nothing quite like this kotteri ramen, its dashi thickened with chicken collagen.

Or what about the homemade noodles from Ken’s House of Pancakes in Hilo?

The saimin is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes.

So you tell me: Where do you think serves the best ramen (or saimin)?

From Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s uber-close friendship to Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s bonding over “Ocean’s Eleven,” bromances — even in the celebrity world — are proliferating. (Check out this photo gallery of celebrity bromances.)

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck — the ultimate bromance.

And now “The Hills” co-star Brody Jenner is getting his own MTV series called “Bromance,” which will feature a group of regular guys competing to be part of Brody’s entourage. (I’m serious.)

Not that these manly relationships are new. (Just the term, which, according to UrbanDictionary means “a non-sexual relationship between two men who are unusually close.”) But it’s become more commonplace to call it what it is: a relationship between two guys that seems more like a tortured love affair than a friendship.

You know the ones: they’re inseparable, always bickering, always complaining about each other — but they can’t get enough. (Kind of like “Mike & Mike in the Morning” on ESPN Radio.)

But what’s behind this bromance?

According to an article in the Seattle Times, the prevalence of these friendships are a result of changes to roles and expectations:

Fifty years ago, a man could graduate from college, get a job and get married all within a couple of months. But today’s men are drifting, as opposed to jumping, into the traditional notion of adulthood.

Men are getting married later — an average age of 27, according to the National Marriage Project, up from 23 in 1960 — and financial constraints are making roommate living situations more commonplace.

So, naturally, there’s more bonding going on.

I’ve noticed with my still-single guyfriends their need — sometimes not even desire — to hang out, that carving out time for male bonding is critical to their survival. Poker night, canoe races, snowboarding trips — all good and necessary to their mental health.

Women have this, too. We call it “shopping therapy.”

So what do you think about bromances? Good for the psyche? Any guys want to admit their own bromance? Women, do we need female-bonding time, too?

NPR listed its Top 5 picks for the perfect songs (to sip wine to) on a hot summer night:

• “Return to Paradise” by Shirley Horn (Album: “Here’s to Life”)
• “Summertime” by Miles Davis and Gil Evans (Album: “Porgy and Bess”)
• ”Slow Hot Wind” by Joe Locke Quartet (Album: “Moment to Moment”)
• “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Tony Williams (Album: “One Night With Blue Note”)
• “Lush Life” by Joe Henderson (Album: “Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn”)
Listen to these songs here.

I’ll be honest: I know just two of the aforementioned songs. (Hey, it’s NPR. Way above my intellectual taste in music!) So I browsed iTunes and found an Essentials — or compilation of songs — devoted to summer:

• “Summer Nights” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
• “So Nice (Summer Samba)” by Astrud Gilberto
• “Summer of Love” by The B-52’s
• “Summer Love” by Justin Timberlake
• “Happy Summertime” by R Kelly and Snoop Dog
• “Hot in the City” by Billy Idol
• “(Night Time Is) The Right Time” by Ray Charles
• “Love In This Club” by Usher
• “Island in the Sun” by Weezer
• “Summertime (UFO Remix)” by Sarah Vaughan
• “Crusin’” by Smokey Robinson
• “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” by Bruce Springsteen
• “Summer” by India.Arie, Rascal Flatts and Victor Wooten
• “Summer Nights” by Van Halen
• “Dance Tonight” by Paul McCartney
• “Nightswimming” by R.E.M.
• “Sand In My Shoes (U.S. Radio Edit)” by Dido
• “Under the Milky Way” by The Church
• “Summer” by Buffalo Tom
• “Dancing in the Moonlight” by Baha Men
• “Summerlove” by Neil Diamond
• “Summer Fling” by k.d. lang
• “Summer Breeze” by The Isley Brothers
• “Summer Sunshine” by The Corrs
• “Summertime” by New Kids on the Block

Time to update that iPod!

Got any to add?

But do you really know our friendly neighborhood traffic guy?

I caught up with Jason last week via Skype between his split shifts reporting for KSSK, KHON and other Clear Channel radio stations to find out what really goes on in that Traffic Management Center:

CAT: So most people know you as the traffic guy. But what’s your “official” title?

JASON: Traffic guy sounds good, people always say, “You’re the weatherman aren’t you?” but I guess my true title would be Traffic Reporter.

CAT: How long have you been doing this? And how did you get this job? (I can just imagine the job description!)

JASON: Haha. I have been doing this for about 10 years now and plan to stay as long as they need me. I originally came to KSSK as an announcer, but they had no full-time openings. There was one full-time opening though, Traffic Reporter, so I took the job.

CAT: So it wasn’t your life-long dream to report on traffic, then?

JASON: Haha, no. Just wanted to ride in the helicopter, but alas, it was a plane.

CAT: It was a plane? Seriously?

JASON: Yes. A single-engine plane.

CAT: You’re kidding! Were you disappointed?

JASON: Not really, I enjoy all kinds of flying. In fact, my next adventure for myself would be to go sky-diving.

CAT: You should do it from that plane and deliver the traffic report!

JASON: Haha, that would be interesting.

CAT: So what were those “helicopter” noises then? Fake? Or am I thinking of another station…? Maybe Capt. Irwin (Malzman)…?

JASON: Captain Irwin used to be in a helicopter, but after him it was a plane.

CAT: Wow. I’m stunned. So what did you want to do career-wise?

JASON: I tried radio in ‘82 and got addicted to it, so I guess I chose radio. I did want to be a newspaper reporter at one time.

CAT: No kidding? Did you major in journalism?

JASON: No, never finished college, but did get to write an article for the Garden Island newspaper on Kauai and got hired there. No reporter job though, put me in advertising.

CAT: So what’s your typical work day like?

JASON: I go to work before 5:30 a.m. come home at about 8:20, rest a bit, work at real estate or sometimes go golfing. I need to be back at the Traffic Center by 4 p.m. and finish at 6 p.m. I sleep early.

CAT: Split shift. That must be tough…

JASON: You get used to it and the split is long enough for a round of golf, so it’s not so bad.

CAT: You have a point! So what’s it like in the Traffic Center?!?!

JASON: For the most part it’s fun. The people who work there are really cool and knowledgeable. There are two engineers there and two technicians. The other two traffic reporters (Danielle Tucker and Dave Hisaka) for the other stations are also in the same room. We sit in a semi-circle with a desk between us and me in the center. We sometimes would have pot lucks or just bring stuff to eat.

CAT: Really? That’s interesting! What’s that like, working with the other reporters?

JASON: It’s OK. I feel that we are doing a public service, so the more stations that can put out the word on an incident the better for the people.

CAT: That’s true. You guys all get along?

JASON: Pretty much.

CAT: And you guys are giving reports at the same time? Must get noisy…

JASON: It does get noisy sometimes, but usually we are not all talking at the same time.

CAT: Do you ever get confused about which station you’re reporting for?

JASON: I have gotten confused a couple of times.

CAT: What happens?

JASON: The show just goes on and I’d better get it right the next time.

CAT: Ha! So how does it work… Do you monitor the traffic cams? Or does someone hand you a cheat sheet of information?

JASON: No cheat sheet. It’s all live and I’m telling you what I’m looking at at that moment. There are 11 monitors for the about 140-something cameras. We usually monitor just the major areas. Three of those monitors are like 53 inches or 60 inches. Maybe not 60 inches, but big.

CAT: Whoa! That’s intense! How do you keep it all straight? I’d be dishing out the wrong information all day long!

JASON: You would get used to it. It’s just a matter of knowing where the traffic is coming from and where it is going. I bet you would be able to do a good job of it.

CAT: So in your 10 years of doing this, notice any changes in traffic patterns, driver behavior, stuff like that?

JASON: I have noticed how much the traffic has grown, it’s incredible. I can’t even imagine it in 10 years.

CAT: Any particular area gotten worse?

JASON: Coming in from the west side into Pearl City. That used to back a little beyond the H-1/H-2 merge. Now when school is in session, it’s not unusual for the traffic to be backed up to Kunia or beyond. When we have an accident or stall, it makes matters even worse.

CAT: You think fixed rail or some kind of mass transit will help?

JASON: I hope it does. We do need something to alleviate the traffic.

CAT: So what’s your commute like? And what are you driving these days?

JASON: Haha, my commute is very short because I live close to the Traffic Center, so it takes me about 3 minutes. Right now I drive a very economical Toyota Corolla.

CAT: You’re right! Very economical! I guess you’re not paying much in gas!

JASON: Try not to.

CAT: So I noticed in your email tag, it says, “Get out of your car and into your dream.” What does it mean? Where’d it come from?

JASON: It’s a twist on the Billy Ocean song, “Get Out Of My Dreams and Into My Car. The ‘dream’ being a home.”

CAT: Great tie-in for your real estate biz. How’d you get into that, by the way?

JASON: I have a lot of time between shifts so I decided to do something else and two of my friends in real estate suggested I do that, so I took the classes and tests.

CAT: Do you own your own place?

JASON: Not at the moment. I eventually want to move back to Kauai and live.

CAT: But traffic isn’t that bad on Kauai. You might move yourself out of a job!

JASON: Haha. They have no traffic reports there. No alternate routes, just one highway.

***

To get your local traffic updates, visit the Honolulu City & County’s FastCheck!

The big talk last week was about the affair between former presidential candidate John Edwards
and 44-year-old videographer Rielle Hunter.

It was an affair that, according to Edwards, took place two years ago and ended before his run for the White House. He told ABC’s Bob Woodruff on Aug. 8 that he was not the father of Hunter’s child and confessed the infidelity to his wife, Elizabeth, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

(The National Enquirer actually broke the story first — 10 months ago.)

That quickly became the subject du jour for the past two weeks.

On Friday reports that Edwards had paid his mistress $14,000 after she stopped working for his campaign surfaced. Photos were published. Theories were thrown around. The Seattle Times dubbed Edwards the new Bill Clinton and Hunter, a virtual nobody before this happened, was even featured on E! Online.

But the question remains: Why is this so newsworthy?

Edwards isn’t running for president. He’s not even senator anymore. He’s confessed the infidelity to his wife and, it seems, they’ve worked this out. So why has this been such a hot topic in the media?

Maybe it’s because he’s a possible candidate for vice president. Maybe it’s because he’s popular, good-looking and interesting. Or maybe it’s because we — meaning, Americans — love a scandal.

It does seem, however, that Edwards was also beloved by the media. So many journalists expressed their disappointment in a man they secretly rooted for. (Plus, everyone loves his courageous wife, Elizabeth.) It brought back those leftover emotions from a tarnished Clinton, whose affair with a White House intern is still something he can’t get away from.

Susan Estrich of Fox News made some interesting points on Thursday. What bothered her — and these are Estrich’s opinions, not mine — most were the following:

• Edwards criticized Clinton in 1999, saying, “I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen.” Harsh words coming from someone who also covered up his own affair.

• He got away with it. The Enquirer broke the story last year and the mainstream media didn’t bite. Edwards even snuck into the Beverly Hilton to visit Hunter and her newborn — then hid in the bathroom at 2:30 a.m. — and didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

• The story doesn’t add up. The affair was over in 2006, Edwards said, but his associates kept paying Hunter until the spring of 2007. He’s willing to take a paternity test, but Hunter doesn’t want one. Seems strange, doesn’t it?

• The timing seems odd. He arranges to tell the world on a night — the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games — when only 15 percent of people are tuning in.

But is all this discussion really warranted? Or is all this coverage a little too late? As Editor & Publisher put it, what’s worse, the coverage or lack of it?

What do you think?

An Okinawan restaurant? What would it serve that a regular Japanese one wouldn’t?

Well, Sunrise Restaurant on Kapahulu Avenue isn’t your typical restaurant at all, Japanese or other.

Outside the restaurant, next to Waiola Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue.

Empty glass bottles line the wall above the tables.

First of all, when you walk in, you’re met with two things: Okinawan music and a lot of smiles. (So you know the beer must be good!)

It’s a small restaurant, maybe seats about 25 people (and even that might be a fire-code violation). It’s usually slammed — any day of the week — so if you really want to go, I’d recommend reservations.

Inside on a recent weekday night. The sushi bar is usually packed.

The first thing you’ll notice about the dinner menu is its size. Meaning, small. Meaning, very small. There are only about a dozen things to choose from. Popular items include the oxtail soup ($10, $14.25 with sushi), pig’s feet soup ($7.75, $12.25 with sushi) and the pork bittermelon ($7.50).

This is the dinner menu. See what I mean?

So here’s what we ate:

The restaurant has a special miso soup ($7.75), which came packed with bean sprouts, tofu, wakame, daikon and Chinese cabbage.

Most of us tried the Okinawan soba ($7.75, $12.25 with sushi), which came garnished with kamaboko and chopped green onions. Really delicious, meaty dashi.

But soba? Really? Looks more like saimin noodles!

Some ordered the soba-and-sushi combo, which came with a sampling of maguro (tuna) and tako (octopus), among others.

The sushi up close. The fish was fresh and the assortment was quite nice, actually.

And for the price — $12.25 — you can’t beat it! I’ve spent more on pizza!

On the table were these bottles of what looks like pickled chili peppers. Didn’t try it — but I should’ve!

The best part of the experience was the owner and his wife entertaining the regulars with stories and jokes. Really great, laid-back atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re at your Okinawan uncle’s house on a lazy Sunday.

I can see why people keep coming back!

Sunrise Restaurant, 525 Kapahulu Ave. Phone: 737-4118.