Dining out

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Seaside Escape

Redefining casual dining at Big Island’s Beach Tree
THERE’S NOTHING BETWEEN YOU and the ocean except a stretch of golden sand.
Languish at umbrella-shaded tables to enjoy a leisurely lunch. Recline atop cushioned slatted chairs, perfect for conversation and a game of chess. Linger over a cocktail while the setting sun sinks into the waves lapping nearby.
You [...]

June-July 2010 | Fern Gavelek | 0 comments | Continued
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Let Them Eat Steak

Getting to the meat of Hawaii’s top restaurants
WE EXPECT A LOT from our favorite steakhouses. From the depth of the char on a New York strip, to white linen on the tables and wood wainscoting on the walls, the perfect steakhouse has to satisfy some pretty high standards.
Today in Honolulu, there are an unprecedented number [...]

June-July 2010 | Jo McGarry | 0 comments | Continued
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Stir It Up

Innovative cocktails at Trump Tower’s Wai‘olu
Shaken, stirred, caramelized, gold-encrusted or infused, the cocktails at Wai’olu – the sixth-floor bistro in the new Trump Tower – are stellar reasons to dip into the newest ultra-luxury Waikiki property.
The “liquid kitchen” menu makes pau hana taste like the start of a beautiful friendship. From a Chinese five-spice tequila [...]

April-May 2010 | Jeela Ongley | 0 comments | Continued
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TABLE ONE

A one-of-a-kind dining experience in Waikiki
Dinner begins with a phone call from the chef. Vikram Garg, executive chef at Halekulani and creator of its exclusive dining experience, Table One, gets straight to the point.
“What do you like?” he asks, calling three days before our dining date. “Is there anything you won’t eat?”
He’s quick with questions [...]

April-May 2010 | Jo McGarry | 0 comments | Continued
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EXECUTIVE CHEF Sandy Tuason

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel And Bungalows
Best Cookbook For Newlyweds
A self-described “kid from Jersey,” Chef Sandy Tuason is a people person. The importance of family and learning firsthand from others are top priorities for the new executive chef at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows. The affable and relaxed Tuason, who is thoroughly in awe of [...]

February-March 2010 | Fern Gavelek | 0 comments | Continued
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Hoku’s

The Kahala restaurant presents a new, sleek menu
The first time I met Wayne Hirabayashi, executive chef at Kahala Hotel and Resort, he was knee-deep in lobsters and Australian seafood. As he unloaded an ice chest full of crustaceans, I was struck by his enthusiasm and sheer joy.
That was 10 years ago, a week before the [...]

February-March 2010 | Jo McGarry | 0 comments | Continued
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Chef Ernesto Limcaco, Y. Hata

Chef Ernesto Limcaco grew up with a great role model in the restaurant industry. “My mom was a dynamite cook,” he says. “She owned two restaurants, one in the Philippines and one in San Francisco.”
But the most valuable lesson he learned from her was not about cooking. “Successful restaurateurs understand as much about receipts as [...]

December-January 2010 | Hiluxury Team | 0 comments | Continued
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Culinary Magic

Savor innovative flavors and palate-tempting flair at Azure
The first thing that strikes me about the dining room formerly known as The Surf Room at The Royal Hawaiian is that architect Terry Hendrickson actually
understood the original architecture of the hotel.
Call me odd, but I feel a warm glow of confidence when I walk into a restaurant [...]

December-January 2010 | Jo McGarry | 0 comments | Continued
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Time-Honored Taste

Ko at the Fairmont Kea Lani offers a passionate approach to traditional recipes
Maui’s Fairmont Kea Lani has been home to some very fine food over the years. In the mid-1990s, Shep Gordon’s Grand
Chefs on Tour made frequent stops at the luxurious resort, and highly respected celebrity chefs like Charlie Trotter, Roger Verge and Nobu Matsuhisa [...]

October-November 2009 | Jo McGarry | 0 comments | Continued
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Marvelously Mavro

An award-winning dining experience in the heart of Honolulu
When Chef George “Mavro” Mavrothalassitis opened his eponymous fine dining restaurant a decade ago on the corner of South King Street, he found himself
a whisper away from Alan Wong’s and a world away from anything Honolulu diners had seen before: three fixed price menus, no side dishes, [...]

August-September 2009 | Jo McGarry | 0 comments | Continued
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