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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, March 6, 2005

COVER STORY
New Sunset Lanai opens with fanfare

Chef Rene Caba has developed a new pupu menu that includes tortilla roll salad and spring roll wraps.

Photos by Randy T. Fujimori

The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel

Where: 2863 Kalakaua Ave., toward Diamond Head

Hau Tree Lanai Restaurant

Call: 921-7066

Hours: Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner

The "East Meets West" brunch is available every second and fourth Sunday of the month.

Miyako

Call: 923-4739

Hours: Dinner nightly from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

As a little girl, Karen Carson Russ recalls when her late father used to take her to The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel.

"This place holds special memories for me," said this New Hope pastor of women's ministry, moments before she delivered her Hawaiian blessing for the hotel's new Sunset Lanai. "This is a place where memories are made and smiles exchanged."

Wearing a huge and proud grin during the ceremony was Jean-Pierre Cercillieux, the hotel's general manager and executive vice president.

"This is for them," said the French native, referring to the dozen-plus lei-draped employees who attended the event this past Tuesday. "This is to honor them and to honor our ohana spirit here."

During his 25 years with The New Otani, vice president Yoshifumi Kobayashi said the bar and lounge area have never been renovated.

"Of course we're pleased," he smiled. "We've been planning this for the past two years."

With the help of interior designer Lauren Bosel, architect Jodie Okamoto of Pacific Asia Design Group and Vince Yamaguchi of Taisei Construction Corp., the hotel has transformed the once-drab and weathered lounge and turned it into a comfortable place for pupus and cocktails.

"It's contemporary with Island flair," Bosel said. "The floor is cherry PermaGrain and we had Warisan (an Indonesian company) design the furniture, which features tables with in-laid UltraGlass."

The only structural change to the area is a new soffit (the underside of a drop ceiling), which was painted with faux clouds by Suzette Duvall-Nied.

"She did a great job," said Okamoto, whose firm collaborated with the Japan-based architectural company, Studio M, to meet Hawaii building codes and standards. "It has certainly opened up and made the area appear brighter."

Standing behind the new trendy nickelbrush-finished bar, Judito Versoza was all smiles.

"That old bar was an antique," quipped Versoza, while concocting the hotel's signature mai tai. "It's a lot more comfortable now and clean up of any spillage is one easy swipe of a cloth."

To coincide with this new renovation, executive chef Rene Caba was asked to come up with a new list of pupus, which is available every day from 4 to 9 p.m.

Judito Versoza tops off his mai tai with Curacao and Orgeat syrup.
"I was trying to match the Japanese- and Asian-like atmosphere of the bar," he said. "So I came up with such dishes as the spring roll wraps ($10), Thai-style stir fried pad noodles with shrimp ($11) and an assorted sushi platter ($13)."

He also developed more locally-influenced dishes, such as a tortilla roll salad ($13), charbroiled skewers ($9) and "Da Kahuna" nachos ($9).

Monthly drink specials will be featured, as well as a wide variety of "Tropical" drinks, which includes "The Honolulu," a drink developed by The New Otani's sister hotel in Tokyo.

"Life will happen here," said Carson Russ. "Imagine the number of young men and women who'll get engaged and the number of people who'll celebrate a birthday here. This a new beginning ... a new season."