What's New With Oahu's Restaurants, Cuisine and Nightlife for the Summer of 2007

Restaurants & Cuisine

Oahu is known for having a very diverse culture, which is exhibited by the islands' assortments of foods. With wonderful choices and an array of cuisine options, there's sure to be a restaurant for everyone.

• The Alana Bistro, the new restaurant at the Doubletree Alana Hotel-Waikiki, is now open for business. Open daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., the Alana Bistro features a breakfast menu complete with a made-to-order omelet station, and lunch and dinner menus that include Doubletree signature items, as well as Hilton Health Start choices with an Island twist. The dessert menu offers a sweet new addition of an ice cream sandwich featuring Doubletree’s signature chocolate chip cookie around premium vanilla ice cream.
  
  
• Chef George Mavrothalassitis plans to open a second restaurant, Cassis by Chef Mavro, in addition to his elegant French restaurant, Chef Mavro. While Chef Mavro is only open for dinner, Cassis by Chef Mavro will be a more casual destination in downtown Honolulu for lunch, cocktails and dinner. The restaurant, which opens in April, will be a French bistro with an Island flair and menu items will include Tako Green Papaya Salad, Steak Curried Fries and Li Hing Mui Tarte Tatin. The restaurant is named after the fishing village in France where Mavrothalassitis opened his first restaurant in 1978.
  
  
• The owner and chef of Town restaurant in Kaimuki, Ed Kenney, plans to open a restaurant in the Hawaii State Art Museum in downtown Honolulu, which will fittingly be called Downtown. The restaurant is part of an initiative to add a food service, gift shop and visitor center to the Museum, which opened in 2002. Downtown is scheduled to open in late May and will serve lunch and light breakfast for both deli-style takeout and casual sit-down dining. Similar to Town, Downtown will support local farms, use organic ingredients where possible, serve pasta and bread made from scratch, and lean toward Italian-French-Spanish style food in a casual setting.
  
  
• Kona Brewing Company has introduced its second coveted limited release beer, Wailua Wheat. The light, crisp and refreshing wheat ale, accentuated by the citrusy aroma and quenching flavor of passion fruit, cascaded onto the shelves and freefall from taps in April. Wailua Wheat will be available each spring and summer.
  
  
• Kona Brewing Company at Koko Marina has revamped its menu at to feature tasty beer-infused dishes and fresh, local ingredients. The innovative cuisine highlights Hawaii’s products, especially Kona Brewing Company's own beers, among them Duke's Blonde Ale, Lavaman Red Ale, Black Sand Porter, and Lilikoi Wheat Ale. Each menu item, including Kettle Chip Crusted Fish, Miso Passion Baked Fresh Fish and Beer Braised BBQ Ribs, is designed to pair with one of Kona Brewing Company’s locally handcrafted brews.
  
  
• Rocksteady Bakery rolled out its carts in March 2007 offering Oahu authentic Caribbean cuisine, including a delicious blend of patties and wraps influenced by island flavors from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Bermuda. The carts are located throughout the island, and everything on the menu is priced under $12.
  
  
• Stage Restaurant, a high-end eatery located on the second floor of the impressive Honolulu Design Center on Kapiolani Boulevard, opened in April. Stage features "couture cuisine" from executive chef Jon Matsubara.
  
  
• Construction and design are well underway to unveil Nobu Waikiki at the Waikiki Parc Hotel in May 2007. Brought to fruition by the award-winning architectural expertise of David Rockwell’s New York-based Rockwell Group, the 7,500 square-foot restaurant will feature a full service sushi bar, cocktail bar, main dining room and private dining areas for special events.
  
  
• Restaurant Row at Waterfront Plaza has introduced two new restaurants to its lineup. Pasta et Basta features 28 different pastas made fresh daily and a pick-up counter for to-go entrees. Yosh! is an affordable gourmet eatery that offers family-style lunch and dinner dishes.