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Wood Craft
Ben Wood
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Chef Nobu asks questions of his own during interview
CHEF
NOBU MATSUHISA is not your average interview. I was given a chance to fire questions at him Monday afternoon and he shot a few right back at me. "What kind of food do you like?" he asked. "Do you like Japanese food?" After telling him it was not my favorite, he said that I would like his Japanese food. The chef opens Nobu Waikiki on May 28 in the Waikiki Parc, the Halekulani's sister hotel. "I'm a happy man," Nobu said. "The Halekulani and Nobu understand each other." Halekulani Corp. whip
Peter Shaindlin heartily agreed. Shaindlin said the multimillion-dollar restaurant, richly designed, cost in the upper seven figures. That's a rich neighborhood. Nobu's managing partner,
Richie Notar,
was also in on the interview. All strongly agreed local support is a key to success.
Robert De Niro is a Nobu partner and makes suggestions, never pushy, on how to improve things, including design, Notar said. Nobu's has a heavy celebrity fan base. Nobu said
George Clooney wants his help at the Cannes Film Festival. Names such as
Hugh Grant, Madonna, Matt Damon and
Gwyneth Paltrow were dropped and there are many more. A seven-course meal at Nobu's costs $75. It can go up to $100, depending on the grade of fish. "I eat everything, all kinds of food," Nobu said. "I have steamed vegetables every morning. In Hawaii I eat Spam musubi after nine holes (of golf)." He said he's "about 58." Nobu can be humorous ... And a happy belated birthday to Halekulani G.M.
Janis Clapoff, who is also glad to have Nobu in the Parc. Janis' birthday was April 17 ...
BEACH BOY VETERANS TO JOIN ALOHA FOR DON HO
DON STROUD, who was a Waikiki Beach boy before he became a Hollywood actor, said he will be among the veteran beach boys who will paddle the escort canoe when
Don Ho's ashes are taken out to be scattered.
Bobby Ah Choy will be steersman. Included in the boat, besides Stroud, will be
Rabbit Kekai, Blackout Whaley, Dukie Kuahulu and
Blue Makua Jr. Stroud said Don and his songwriting friend,
Kui Lee, surfed at Waikiki before they were famous ... "Lost" stars
Evangeline Lilly and
Dominic Monaghan were spotted at Michel's Saturday night ...
Cecilio Rodriguez is singing at Compadres Ward Centre tomorrow, 8 to 10 p.m. ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things in our Hawaii. E-mail him at
bwood@starbulletin.com