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Hawaii Culinary EventsHungry? Need to fill your culinary calendar? Here is where you will find all the restaurant and culinary happenings in Hawaii. We feature a calendar of special dinners, tasting menus, prix-fixe meals, food festivals and other culinary events, including regularly occurring food events as well as special one-time-only events featuring top chefs. Keep checking back so you can know all that's going on in the world of restaurant and food events in Hawaii. << back to Hawaii restaurant news
February 12-13 & 15
Flexible on your Valentine's Day celebration date? Chef Mavro is offering two special menus: four-course ($78) and six-course ($120) on Friday, February 12; Saturday, February 13; and Monday, February 15. Sweets are the watchword of Valentine's Day and the special menus finish with your choice of Valentine's lilikoi malasadas or Chocolate Whispers. And, because it is Chef Mavro where there is always more---a final treat of hand-crafted candies including Valrhona chocolate lavender truffles, nougat, and caramels with a touch of Hawaiian salt is complimentary. Call 808-944-4714 to reserve your preferred time. Chef Mavro, 1969 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96826, 808-944-4714.
February 14
While Vino bills itself as a wine bar (thanks to master sommelier Chuck Furuya's influence), it is also developing into a destination for first-rate Italian food thanks to chef Keith Endo. Endo brings his particular sensibility to this year's Valentine's Day menu offering a tuna belly crudo with Maui onion, roasted garlic aïoli and osetra caviar to start. Roasted heirloom beet salad with Big Island hearts of palm, pancetta and raspberry Champagne vinaigrette is the salad course while Kona-raised Maine lobster with Oregon black truffles and tarragon butter rounds out the beginning of the meal. The main course features Maui Cattle Company short ribs braised in Chianti served with ricotta gnocchi and horseradish gremolata. Dessert offers up Endo's version of an ice cream cheesecake made with Kula strawberries. Dinner is $50 per person (not including tax and gratuity); wine pairings are an additional $25 per diner. Reservations and further information at 808-533-4476. Vino, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813, 808-524-8466.
February 14
Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas is planning a special Valentine's Day set menu for lovers for February 14. Depending upon your choice of entrée, the price is $54 or $56 (not inclusive of tax and gratuity) and you can add wine pairings for an additional $20. The menu kicks off with a duo of contemporary sushi, Maui Cattle Company beef shigureni and grilled squid, followed by soft shell crab with a kabayaki butter sauce and roasted ahi with haricots verts and a ponzu demi on pasta. The entrée choices are braised beef short rib or a classic roasted butterfish. It's Valentine's Day so the only choice for dessert is chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate: flourless chocolate cake, macadamia nut crusted chocolate lollipop and chocolate sorbet. Reservations may be made by calling 808-533-4476. Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813, 808-533-4476.
February 16 & 26, March 2
Chef Mavro loves HOT, aka Hawaii Opera Theater, and in honor of the 2010 season, the restaurant is again offering The Opera Dinner with seatings at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and Tuesdays during the season. Three-courses are $69 plus a complimentary "Opera" Kir royal beverage. You will dine and be on your way in plenty of time for the curtain. Dinner dates and the operas as follows: Die Walkure February 16 (Tuesday only) and La Boheme February 26 and March 2. Reservations required. Call 808-944-4714. Chef Mavro, 1969 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96826, 808-944-4714.
Through March 1
Chef Hiroshi Fukui creates a new menu each month featuring the finest locally grown seasonal ingredients available. This special menu at Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas is only available on Sunday and Monday evenings and is $35 per person (not including tax and gratuity). From Sunday, February 7 to Monday, March 1, the menu starts with a classic Big Island butterfish misoyaki with wilted tatsoi and pickled red ginger topped with beurre blanc; pepper-seared ahi pasta follows while the main course is a Japanese-style bouillabaisse with seared opah (moonfish), crab meat, Manila clams and orzo in a saffron broth. Chef Fukui breaks out his pastry chef skills with a guava panna cotta for dessert. Reservations are essential. Please call 808-533-4476 for reservations and be sure to mention that you want the locally grown menu. Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813, 808-533-4476.
April 9-10
Chef Emeril Lagasse returns to The Kahala Hotel & Resort to headline the Kahala Food & Wine Classic. Events will include a cooking demonstration, signature dinners and wine and cigar tastings featuring wines from the Schrader Cellars of Napa Valley and cigars from Davidoff. For more information, contact The Kahala Hotel & Resort at 808-739-8888 or toll-free at 800-367-2525. The Kahala Hotel & Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816, 808-739-8888, 800-367-2525.
April 17
Come see why chocolate has long been revered as a gift from the gods at the Kona Chocolate Festival in the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa. The multi-day event includes a Chocolate Symposium and decadent Gala on Saturday evening to end the event. The symposium will offer educational tours, seminars, workshops and samplings for chocolate enthusiasts. At the gala, taste the creations of Big Island chefs, ice cream and candy makers, sample more than 25,000 different kinds of sweets and chocolates, drink champagne, wine, beer or 100 percent Kona coffee and dance under the stars to live music. At the end of the night, make sure to vote for your favorite dessert or appetizer. Proceeds benefit the American Culinary Federation's Chef & Child Program and the local Kealakekua Community College. Gala tickets cost $40. For more information visit www.konachocolatefestival.com. Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, 78-128 Ehukai St., Kailua Kona, HI 96740, 808-930-4900, 866-716-8109.
OngoingHonolulu's Halekulani Hotel offers TABLE ONE, a personalized dining experience for 4-6 guests in the atrium of Orchids restaurant. Inspired by the diners' tastes and culinary preferences, executive chef Vikram Garg designs a special tasting menu of global cuisine featuring local and seasonal ingredients. The five-course and seven-course menus are priced at $95 and $125 per person, respectively. Reservations are required. For more information and to make reservations, please call 808-923-2311. Orchids, Halekulani Hotel, 2199 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815, 808-923-2311.
Ongoing
Ruth’s Chris Steak House at The Shops at Wailea and at Lahaina Center are offering two special promotions. For early birds, don’t miss the Sizzlin’ Happy Hour in the lounge from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., which features 50 percent off all appetizers. For heartier fare, check out the Sizzlin’ Prime Time Dinner Special, which features a three-course menu for $40-$50 (depending on main dish selected). The Dinner Special is offered in the main dining room only from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 808-874-8880 (Wailea) or 808-661-8815 (Lahaina). Ruth's Chris Steak House, Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, HI 96753, 808-874-8880. 
OngoingThe Banyan Tree restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is offering a three-course sunset menu between 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. for $55 per person from Tuesday through Sunday. Choose from Waipoli greens salad or Maui onion soup as a starter; braised Pacific flounder, beef tenderloin, or herb organic chicken for an entrée; and pineapple caramel cake or house-made sorbet for dessert. Also, don’t miss Wine Wednesdays---all bottles of wine on the entire wine list are 50 percent off, every Wednesday. The Banyan Tree, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, 1 Ritz-Carlton Dr., Kapalua, HI 96761, 808-665-7250.
Ongoing
The Mala Wailea at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is offering a three-course special for $39 per person. Choose between a white bean soup and a farmer’s salad; teriyaki chicken breast, blackened rib-eye steak, or herb crusted mahi mahi; and a special dessert. The restaurant is also open for breakfast and its lobby bar offers pupus during happy hour. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 808-875-9394 or visit www.malaoceantavern.com. Mala Wailea at the Wailea Beach Marriot Resort & Spa, 1307 Front St., Lahaina, Hawaii 96761, 808-667-9394.
Ongoing
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar continues to offer its dining specials at both the Kapalua and Kihei locations. Dine between 5:30 p.m.-6 p.m. and get 25 percent off the entire menu. For late-night revelers, enjoy 50 percent off the menu on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10 p.m.-1 a.m.---and don't miss the free karaoke.
Tuesdays
Every Tuesday, The Flatbread Company in Pa'ia gives some of its proceeds from the evening's pizza sales to a local organization. Previous beneficiaries included Mana'o Radio, Hawaiian Canoe Club, Maui Youth & Family Services, and Women Helping Women. In addition to feeling good about dining here on Tuesdays, you can also feel good about its homemade pizzas, handcrafted from organic ingredients and cooked in a wood-fired oven. For more information, call 808-573-3109. The Flatbread Company, 89 Hana Hwy., Paia, HI 96779, 808-579-8989.
Wednesdays & Thursdays
O'o Farms in Kula, which provides all the fresh produce for Pacific'O and I'o restaurants and The Feast at Lele, now offers tours of the farm twice a week. Held on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., visitors will enjoy hot apple cider and pastries before touring the fields and learning about O'o Farm's organic and biodynamic practices. I'o's chef de cuisine Sean Christensen then prepares a gourmet lunch featuring the day's hand-picked bounty. Cost is $50 per person and reservations are required. Private and customized tours are also available. For more information, call 808-667-4341 or visit www.oofarm.com. O'o Farms, Waipoli Rd., Kula, HI 96790, 808-667-4341.
First Fridays
Wailuku comes alive at night with a monthly First Friday event. Established by the Wailuku Community Association to draw people back to the historic town, there will be live music, art, shopping and, of course, dining. Restaurants such as Café O'Lei Wailuku, Main Street Bistro, Unisan and Café Marc Aurel will be offering food and drink specials. First Friday is held from 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m., with some establishments continuing on the festivities in their locales. For more information, call 808-249-9710.
Saturdays
Sponsored by the Kona Country Farm Bureau, one of the best places to enjoy the bounty of the farmers of the Big Island is at the Keauhou Farmers Market at the Keauhou Shopping Center in Kailua-Kona. Live music plays while you browse the booths featuring the freshest fruits, vegetables, coffee and flowers from more than 25 Big Island farmers. The market is every Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon. For more information, visit www.konafarmbureau.org. |
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