RESTAURANT
STAR-BULLETIN / 2005
2003 James Beard Award winner Chef George Mavrothalassitis opens Cassis in April.
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Cassis Honolulu will take Palomino’s Harbor Court slip
Chef George Mavrothalassitis is adding a second restaurant -- a "bistro/wine bar with a very strong island flair" -- in the Harbor Court space now occupied by Palomino Restaurant. Cassis Honolulu will open in April, following a two-month renovation that will begin at the end of February.
Chef Mavro, located on South King Street since 1998, will remain unchanged. "I'm going to cook at Chef Mavro for the rest of my life," said Mavrothalassitis, who won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2003, "but I couldn't let this opportunity pass. It was impossible."
While Chef Mavro is an elegant space open for dinner only, Cassis will be a more casual destination for lunch, cocktails and dinner, with marble tabletops sans tablecloths. To create this ambience, the chef plans to "revamp" the restaurant's 13,000-square-foot interior. Chef Mavro has only 4,000 square feet.
"The only thing (the two restaurants) have in common is the concept of very fresh quality ingredients," said Mavrothalassitis.
The new menu will include items such as Tako Green Papaya Salad, Steak-Curried Fries and Li Hing Mui Tarte Tatin.
Cassis Honolulu is named after the fishing village in France where Mavrothalassitis opened his first restaurant in 1978.
Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited owns the Palomino Restaurant chain, as well as Ryan's Grill, Kincaid's and Cinnabon.
The company did not return phone calls inquiring about employment and staffing changes.