Da Kine Star-Bulletin Staff & Wire services

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Ornament celebrates city's birthday

The Friends of Honolulu City Lights continues its six-year tradition of commemorative ornaments.

This year's offering, designed by Owen Ho, is called "Celebrate" and is part of the city's Centennial Celebration. The ornament is available for $16 at all Macy's Oahu stores, Borders at Ward Center and Waikele, and the Honolulu City Store at Ala Moana Center.

The ornament can also be purchased for $19 by mail order. Write to P.O. Box 8877, Honolulu, HI, 96830. Make your checks payable to the Friends of Honolulu City Lights.

All ornament sale proceeds will go toward the Honolulu City Lights program.

Shrimp truck champ

Macky's Kahuku Sweet Shrimp won the Battle of the North Shore Shrimp Trucks, held as part of the first Seafood Festival at Turtle Bay Resort.

The Nov. 18 cook-off featured shrimp truck cooks from Giovanni's, Blue Water Shrimp, Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp and Seafood, and the Famous Kahuku Shrimp Truck.

The winning recipe will be featured at Turtle Bay's Palm Terrace.

2-time winner

Culinary student Robin Abad has made it two in a row, winning the Tom and Warren Matsuda Scholarship Culinary Competition for the second year.

Students from the seven culinary programs within the Culinary Institute of the Pacific were eligible for the competition; three finalists competed in a cook-off Nov. 20 at the Sub-Zero/Wolf Showroom.

Abad won a $1,000 scholarship and the chance to work with chef Roy Yamaguchi at a charitable event or cooking class on the mainland.

His winning dish was Grilled North Shore Cattle Beef Tenderloin with an Amaretto Madeira Sauce, served with foie gras, artichoke purée and poached figs.

Second place went to Sonny Acosta Jr.; third, to James M. Murray.

Here's the beef

» Maui Cattle Co. beef will be featured in wine-pairing dinners at Alan Wong's restaurants in December.

New Generation Dinners at King Street are five-course meals. Cost is $65, $90 with wines. Call 949-2526.

Thursday: Douglas Wakida features Surf and Turf Wellington using Maui beef tenderloin with shrimp and scallop, paired with Amisfield Pinot Noir 2003.

Dec. 13: Kelsi Ikeda features hearts of palm, mushrooms, goat cheese and lobster farmed on the Big Island, as well as pan-roasted Maui beef tenderloin, paired with Saint-Joseph, Phillipe Faury Syrah 2003.

» The Pineapple Room at Macy's Ala Moana features these Winez & Grindz menus. Call 945-6573:

Dec. 16: Justin Finklestein's four-course menu features Filipino-style flavors, including kiawe-grilled Maui tenderloin with Acharang Mais and Pinakbet Vinaigrette, paired with Marquis Philips "9" Shiraz 2003. Cost is $60, $85 with wines.

Dec. 23: Lindsey Hoshida's dessert tasting features Nutcraker Sweets, Cookies and Milk and a local-style Yule Log, paired with dessert wines. Cost is $21, $31 with wines.

Burgundy lessons

Wrath of Grapes, the weekly wine club at Indigo Eurasian Bistro, focuses on Louis Jadot wines from Burgundy in central France, at 6 p.m. Dec. 13.

Phyllis Nishimoto, Hawaii state manager of Kobrand, will present the wines, to include Louis Jadot's Gevrey-Chambertin 2002, Pommard 2001, Nuits-Saint-Georges 2003, Meursault 2003, Chassagne-Montrachet 2002, Puligny-Montrachet 2002 and Beaujolais-Villages 2004.

Cost is $30, including light pupus by chef Glenn Chu. Call 521-2900.

Dim sum studies

Chef Chih Chieh Chang of Shanghai Bistro is offering a holiday cooking class on how to make dim sum, 10 a.m. Dec. 17 at the restaurant.

Cost is $20, including recipes, sampling and lunch. Call 955-8668.