Hawaii
SOME years back, George Castagnola put out a cookbook of his Italian recipes and then sold his popular Manoa restaurant, Castagnola's, to an employee who employed those recipes into another popular eatery, Paesano. Since then, a number of other Italian restaurants, all seemingly based on Cass' recipes, have opened and are doing well. So at long last, Castagnola is taking himself out of voluntary retirement and joining forces with another restaurateur with a proven track record, Ed Greene (Jameson's), and opening a new eatery in the Niu Valley Shopping Center. Watch for details of an opening ... Cass is back in the kitchen
YET another former restaurateur, Guy Banal, stopped into Havana Cabana the other day. Banal, who owned and was chef for an excellent French restaurant, Bon Appetit in Discovery Bay, now contents himself with jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, having leaped, as it were, into the skydiving business ... It could be called "Unreal World." That's what Tim Ryan's story yesterday on TV's "Real World," which just finished filming the lives of seven young people around the clock, seemed to be. Forget about "The Truman Show," this one seems geared to voyeurs, much as are the "spycams" you find on the Internet, many of which link to porn sites ...
Blues and more blues
LAST Saturday night, the Academy of Arts Theater was the sight of a concert by Corky Siegel, known variously as a bluesman and humorist. He laughed at trouble, then sat down and sang a blues song about it, accompanying himself on piano and harmonica. This Saturday there'll be more blues at the Academy Theater -- this time by Dave Specter. He's performed with many great bluesmen like Bo Diddley, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. At Saturday's performance, "An Evening of Chicago Blues," he'll be joined by a fine local blues group, Chris Planas and Third Degree. Specter, incidentally, is married to the former Maile Goodman, daughter of late publisher and Hawaiiana expert Robert Goodman ...WATCHING "42nd Street" at Diamond Head Theater was like being transported into the middle of a 1930s musical. Director John Rampage, who looks like he strolled right out of the '30s, directed the cast to camp it up, but not beyond what the original script called for. Wanda Richert, who on Broadway originated the role of the ingenue called in at the last moment to save a Broadway show, stars in the musical, but aside from some showboat tapping, doesn't have much to do. There were some fine local performers, but visiting pro David Spangenthal, as he did in "Crazy for You," steals the show, no mean feat when Rampage is onstage. It's as corny as Kansas in August, but a fun way to spend an evening, and a tap dance fan's delight ...
Volunteers needed
THE Moving Wall is just that, a memorial to the Vietnam Veterans which moves people to tears. At least it did when it was on display years ago on the grounds of the State Capitol. Now this half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington is going on display from Friday through the month at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. Volunteers are needed to assist the public in finding specific names on the wall, help direct parking and provide security services. Those interested in lending a hand to this extremely worthwhile cause can call Terry Dorman at the Arizona Memorial Center at 422-2771 ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.