QUICK BITES
Round of applause
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
Chef George Mavrothalassitis got a flattering notice in Gourmet magazine: In a city-by-city wrapup on where the editors would eat if they had only one night in the city, Chef Mavro got the nod for Honolulu. ... The American Tasting Institute has given Bubble Tea Supply of Honolulu its 2002 Gold Medal Taste Award for its product line, the first Hawai'i firm to net the award in 17 years. The tapioca-flecked drinks were evaluated in a double-blind test without brand distinction in San Francisco earlier this year. The American Tasting Institute is a division of the Quality Institute International, a private organization committed to honoring exceptional products in food, beverage and culinary equipment. ... Tony Salvador, executive sous chef of Sea House Restaurant at the Napili Kai Beach Resort, won the 2002 Taste of Morrad competition.
Restaurant round
- The first in a series of monthly free pau-hana wine and cheese tastings is Friday at Canoes Restaurant at the newly renovated Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel. These will take place on the fourth Friday of each month.
- Brew Moon Restaurant and Microbrewery at Ward Centre is celebrating Oktoberfest tomorrow with a dinner buffet and beer sampling 6 to 9:30 p.m., entertainment by jazz singer Azure McCall; the menu includes sausage boiled in beer with mustard and sauerkraut, beef stew made with stout, roasted pork loin and more; $28 per person with a beer sampler, $23 without the beer.
- Hula Moons Restaurant at the Outrigger Wailea Resort on Maui has instituted a new Wednesday evening prime rib and mahi-mahi buffet. The spread includes a feature we've not seen on other buffet lines — a tropical flambé dessert station where crepes Suzette, pineapple bananas Foster and cherries-mango jubilee are made to order. Cost is $29.95 for adults, $13.95 for children.
- Auntie Pasto's plans a Mushroom Mania Festival of Fungi at dinner nightly Nov. 4-24 at the Beretania and Kapahulu restaurants featuring mushroom-accented menu items and different daily specials each day of the week.
In the news
- Ruth's Chris Steak House has just completed a major renovation including a new Orchid Room, a private dining room with seating for 50 guests. With this, the restaurant is expanding its menu selections, too. Future plans call for renovation and expansion of the Ala Moana Boulevard lana'i, another location that will be available for private parties, along with the 12-seat Ali'i Room.
- Kona Brewing Co. will tap its "Da Grind Buzz" Kona Coffee Imperial Stout at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at the brewpub in Kona on the Big Island.
Giving thanks
Although November hasn't yet dawned, restaurants are preparing for special Thanksgiving meals — particularly hotel restaurants, which can expect to be busy during the holidays. If you're thinking of skipping the cooking this year, check with your favorite restaurant; some also offer prepackaged Thanksgiving menus to take out.
Among the Thanksgiving specials we've heard about are a dinner buffet ($28.50 adults, $13.50 children) 5-9 p.m. on Turkey Day at the Ala Moana Hotel's Plantation Cafe (as well as fixed-price menu to be served from 2-5 p.m. for $17 for adults, $8.40 for children); also, a buffet in the Rainbow Lanai ($39 adults, $19.50 children) and a three-course dinner at Bali by the Sea ($59 adults, $27 children) at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, the Ko Olina Community Association is gearing up for the fourth Thanksgiving Outreach Project for homeless, low-income and single-parent families living along the Leeward Coast. They expect to serve 3,500 meals at 18 churches from Makaha to Pearl City on Nov. 23 with the aid of the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Kapolei High School chefs, along with student in the culinary program at Waipahu High School and church volunteers. United Parcel Service trucks and drivers will deliver the food. Donations are needed. Checks, payable to Thanksgiving Outreach Ko Olina, can be sent to the Ko Olina Community Association, 92-1480 Ali'inui Drive, Ko Olina, HI 96707, Attn: Kim Wood. Those who would like to volunteer can call Natasha Clarin, 671-2512.
