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Orders now taken for to-go Easter dinners

Tournant chef George Lemson will help prepare 250 gourmet ham dinners to-go for Easter this year. Photo by Randy T. Fujimori Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa Restaurants Where: 2424 Kalakaua Ave. Ciao Mein: 923-CIAO (2426), Third floor, Ewa Tower Musashi: 923-1234, ext. 6280, Third floor, Diamond Head Tower Colony Steak & Seafood: 923-1234, ext. 6510, Second floor, Diamond Head Tower Terrace Grille: 923-1234, ext. 6286, Third floor, Diamond Head Tower Parking: Validated Web site: hyattwaikiki.com

"No way will I put on a bunny suit for Easter," quipped this tournant chef at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa. "I do have some integrity."

For more than a decade, Island residents have gobbled up Hyatt's annual "Turkey-to-Go" Thanksgiving dinners, a trend that Jeff Wind hopes will carry over with the hotel's "Ham-to-Go" Easter packages.

After shelving this holiday to-go dinner for a decade, Wind decided to bring it back last year.

"We started off with 200 'Ham-to-Go' Easter dinners," said Wind, the hotel's food and beverage director and regional chef. "This year, we've upped the number to 250."

Anticipating they'll once again sell out — even with 50 more packages — Wind predicts this Easter dinner will eventually become as popular as the Thanksgiving meals.

Much like the "Turkey-to-Go" dinners, the Easter "Ham-to-Go" packages offer value — and convenience.

"Why mess with a holiday meal when we'll prepare it for you?" asked Wind's assistant, Dina Nii, in a rhetorical tone. "There's no shopping, no cooking and no worrying if the meal is going to turn out or not."

For $70, the package comes complete with a six- to seven-pound honey-mustard-glazed ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans with almonds, hot-cross buns, and, for dessert, peach-and-blueberry cobbler.

It also comes with two not-so-traditional dishes: Portuguese bean soup and cucumber namasu.

"We adapted the meal to suit local palates," Wind said. "The Portuguese soup replaces chowder and dressing is substituted with namasu."

Pick-up times are between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Easter Sunday in front of the Hyatt. (Phone orders are now being taken at 528-6066.)

Those who would prefer to stay out of the kitchen altogether can take advantage of the Terrace Grille's Easter Brunch buffet, which will be available Sun., Mar. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $35 for adults and $17.50 for children.

Menu highlights will include a made-to-order omelet station, poached eggs Florentine, New England clam chowder and a carving station offering slices of prime rib and clove-spiked ham.