QUICK BITES
Options abound for after-opera eats

By Wanda A. Adams
Food Editor

Where to have dinner has long been a vexing question for those attending evening events at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall, with only a couple of restaurants within walking distance. With its season opening Feb. 1, the Hawai'i Opera Theatre is spreading the word about a number of dining options, among them:

• Gourmet to Go — a candlelight dinner to pick up and enjoy under a canopy on the concert hall lawn by Elegant Catering for Tuesday-night performances only; orders must be placed in advance and can be pre-paid through a faxed form; $15 all-inclusive; call 594-4015 at least three days before performance.
• Prix-fixe dining with expedited service if seated before 6 p.m. Fridays or 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Pick from among 3660 on the Rise; Aaron's atop the Ala Moana; Brew Moon; Cafe Sistina; Chai's Island Bistro; Kincaid's Fish, Chop & Steak House; Palomino Restaurant; Ryan's Grill; Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar; Sarento's Top of the I; and the Sunset Grill. Advance reservations required; 19.95 including entree and drink.
• Peckish after the opera? Cafe Sistina, Chai's Island Bistro and Indigo Eurasian Cuisine are offering a free dessert on opera nights to anyone with an opera ticket stub .

Wine professional conquers exam

David Gochros of Remy Amerique Inc., an international wine and spirits importer here, has passed the rigorous Certified Wine Educator examination, making him the first person in Hawai'i to do so. The four-part exam is administered by the Society of Wine Educators and only 127 wine professionals worldwide have passed it. Gochros is national coordinator for Remy's wine education department.

Send items of culinary interest to Quick Bites, Taste, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110,

Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055.

E-mail: taste@honoluluadvertiser.com.