Hawaii
SPEAKING of fishing, when Hari Kojima was dining at Nick's Fishmarket the other night - apparently he can't get enough seafood - restaurant manager David Nagaishi introduced him to a gent at a nearby table who turned out to be Tosiwo Nakamura, president of Palau, who invited Hari to cast away in his South Pacific waters ...
Jorge Santana
MALO, in Hawaii, are those little cloth "modesty" garments worn by some early Hawaiians. The Malo on display when Aloha Tower Marketplace celebrates Cinco de Mayo is something else again. The three day celebration gets underway Friday with free entertainment in the Promenade featuring live Latin rhythms by Rolando Sanchez and Augie Rey and runs from noon until midnight. And who better to lead downtown's longest conga line but Charo, followed by a 9 p.m. performance by Darren Benitez with El Conjunto Borincano. But highlighting the weekend will be Malo, the hot (as in salsa hot) 12-man San Francisco group that is led by guitarist Jorge Santana, brother of Carlos Santana. They'll be performing Sunday, May 5, at 4 and 8 p.m. Oddly enough, their previous gig will also be on Cinco de Mayo, performed the day before across the dateline in Guam ...
AND you thought it was a stretch serving both Italian and Chinese cuisine in a restaurant called Ciao Mein? The late lamented Trappers in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki hotel (where Ciao Mein is located) was for a time known as Kentos, but is about to undergo another incarnation. Get ready to welcome the Texas Rock & Roll Sushi Bar, a three-fer. Trumpet player Johnny Norris, who used to sit in at Trappers when it was a jazz spot, is still trying to figure out what kind of music they'll feature ...
DON'T look for "Jackie O" prices at tomorrow night's Hawai'i Nature Center fund-raising auction, but the "Night with Nature" at the Walker Estate does have some unusual items. Imagine chef Sam Choy preparing a dinner for 10 in your home. Other rarities up for bid are a diving trip with a marine biologist, an opportunity to be among the first guests at the Four Seasons Hualalai when it opens later this year, a weekend at Kapalua's Earth Maui Nature Summit, or a lunch in the Bankoh executive dining room with "Harry and Myra." Big ticket items include a trip to Hong Kong, a Land Rover Discovery SE and a 1996 BME 318i. Proceeds support the Nature Center's educational programs which last year benefited over 50,000 school kids. Call 955-0100 for more info ...
