THE LEFT LANE
Chicago welcomes Yamaguchi's cuisine

Roy Yamaguchi

A traditional Hawaiian blessing was followed by a six-course "Ali'i Dinner." Among the dishes: Maine Lobster Cha Wan Mushi with Osetra Caviar & Lobster Salad, and Loin of Venison with Winter Root Vegetables & Blackberry Gastrique. With the eatery's high ceiling and dark wood as a backdrop, hula dancers performed all night.

"Roy was totally pleased with the opening," said Julie Greenbaum, Yamaguchi's Chicago press representative. "He welcomed everyone, made the rounds of the room, and even worked in the kitchen a bit as well."

The restaurant opened the next evening to capacity crowds.

Another Roy's is slated to open in Dallas this month.

— Derek Paiva, Advertiser staff writer

In a book prompted by terror
And written in rhyme,
A Kaua'i artist has turned horror
Into something more sublime.

Joanna Carolan picked up her pen
To tell a story about diversity
And how to create unity again
In a world of adversity.

"Little World" is a morality tale,
The first children's book from its writer.
Who will donate a portion of the sale
To make lives of Sept. 11 survivors brighter.

"Little World, A Book About Tolerance" ($14.95, Banana Patch Press) will soon arrive in bookstores and gift shops across Hawai'i or can be ordered directly from the the bananapatchpress.com Web site.

High-tech future arrives at film event

The Sundance Film Festival went high-tech when select visitors got to carry movies around with them in their pockets. Hewlett-Packard provided 500 of its palm-sized Jornada personal digital assistants to filmmakers and other VIPs at the festival, which wrapped up Sunday. The devices allowed users to watch some of the festival's short films, read Sundance news updates, and pull up movie schedules and synopses. Users could update content on the devices daily at several festival locations.

Hewlett-Packard and FluxNetwork, which designed the software for the Sundance content, wanted to show how the devices could be used. Kurt Thywissen, chief executive of FluxNetwork, says: "I can imagine sitting at an NFL game, for example, and being able to play replays on your PDA right after they happened on the field."