CHEW ON THIS
|
The wine dinners held every six weeks at Roy's in Hawaii Kai are a chance for the staff to flex. Finding morsels to match
some unusual winesBy Betty Shimabukuro
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.comThey begin with a selection of unusual wines, then experiment to find dishes that best show them off. Now this is light years removed from a simple white-wine-with-fish exercise. One wine could be a rare varietal from an exclusive producer, another may not even be bottled yet (the January dinner featured barrel samples unavailable outside the winery).
No ordinary Chardonnays here. Part of the point is to get people to abandon their comfort zones, says wine manager Mike Webber. "We're not going to go the safe route."
The chefs and the service staff are all challenged by the process, Webber says. "This focuses everyone's attention and hones our skills."
Even diners are meant to be part of the exercise. Webber hopes they'll critique each pairings and even get mean if they feel like it.
These are not solemn affairs where you nibble quietly, then dab your lips with a napkin. The first two Roy's dinners were noisy, almost raucous, with diners sharing tables and opinions without reservation (you may start out strangers, but after four glasses of wine, no one's shy anymore).
Wanna try? The next Roy's wine dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. March 11, featuring all Spanish wines with dishes by chefs Jackie Lau and Ronnie Nasuti that are still under invention. Two dishes -- one from each chef -- will be served with each wine, providing plenty of fuel for comparison and debate.
Cost is $65. Call 396-7697.
LCC students serve up gourmet grinds
Once again, Leeward Community College invites you to be a guinea pig as culinary students prepare for real-life restaurant life. In return, you get an elaborate four-course meal featuring the dishes of four decidedly professional chefs.The chefs create the dishes, then teach their techniques to the students, who will serve as the kitchen crew in the Pearl on-campus restaurant March 13. Overseeing student servers in the dining room will be another team of industry professionals.
The chef-student showcases have been a part of the LCC curriculum for the last year.
The menu this time features contemporary dishes from four corners of the world: Japan, Mexico, the Mediterranean and Bavaria. Guest chefs are D.K. Kodama of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Surf & Turf of seared maguro and roasted shrimp); Jackie Lau, corporate chef for Roy's Restaurants in Hawaii (Smoked Pork Carnitas Chili Relleno); Mike Nevin, Pavilion Cafe, Honolulu Academy of Arts (Fresh Island Fish with a Hauula Tomato Vinaigrette); and Richard Wagner, Oahu Country Club (Pear & Apricot Strudel with Mocha Anglaise).
Master sommelier Chuck Furuya will pair the wines with each dish.
Cost is $55, with seating beginning at 5:30 p.m. Call 455-0298.
Click for online
calendars and events.
