Posted on: Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Culinary Calendar

Advertiser Staff

Big Taste of Aloha, A plateful of Love, food, drinks and entertainment in celebration of Sam Choy's Diamond Head Restaurant's eighth anniversary, 6:30 p.m. today; $85 (with $45 a tax-deductible gift to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii). Tickets: 973-5683, ext. 240.

Italian Dinner by chef Celestino Drago, owner of several California restaurants, presenting a five-course prix-fixe menu featuring his signature dishes, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, Bali by the Sea Restaurant; $55 plus tax and tip. Seating limited, reservations required: 941-2254.

Ho'okipa 2003, food stations, silent auction and entertainment by Robert Cazimero, 6 p.m. Friday, Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian Hotel; aloha or business attire; $100 tickets for stand-up grazing still available; a fund-raiser for the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Program at Kapi'olani Community College. Reservations: 734-9570.

8th Annual Taste of the Hawaiian Range, Chris Albrecht, chef de cuisine at the MGM Grand Craftsteak Restaurant, prepares a favorite beef recipe along with other dishes by Hawaiian chefs, 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Grand Ballroom and Courtyard, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel; $25 in advance, $35 at the door. (808) 322-4892.

Winemaker Dinner, featuring Louis Latour wines and comple-mentary gourmet menu by executive chef Noah Bekofsky, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Bay Club restaurant, Kapalua Bay Hotel & Ocean Villas, Maui; $75 plus tax and tip, with a portion to benefit the Hawaii Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Reservations required: (808) 669-8008.

A sweet taste of chef mavro restaurant, Susan Gilhooly, head of Chef Mavro's pastry kitchen, shows how she prepares Hawaiian Vanilla Cheesecake, Warm Apple Caramel and Apple Crisp, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Lyon Arboretum; $25 for members, $28 for non-members. Registration: 988-0456.

Holiday Secret Recipes, next class in the On the Front Burner series, covers cheese appetizers, beef Wellington with lobster and cherries jubilee, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Kamehameha Suite, Royal Hawaiian Hotel; $50 per person or $75 for two. 931-8408.

Taiwanese Food Festival, food samplings and prize drawings, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, McCoy Pavilion, Ala Moana Beach Park; $10 pass. 373-3828.

Unique wines of the World, samplings of gourmet food, prepared by chef Mariano Lalica, matched with wines of many countries, 6 p.m. Monday, Meritage Restaurant; $35 all inclusive. 529-8686.

Zinful!, tasting of and instruction on California zinfandels, led by Lisa Gmur and sponsored by Kapi'olani Community College, 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Meritage Restaurant; $28. Call to register for class #033LRCD10, 734-9211.

Comfort foods, Sharon Kobayashi teaches how to put together a quick meal using fresh and prepared foods, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Oct. 1, Lyon Arboretum; $28 ($25 for members). Registration: 988-0456.