Marketplace elevates
Betty Shimabukuro
take-out to a new level
Star-BulletinIt's 5 p.m., the family's home waiting for dinner, but no one has taken a single step toward making this happen. You pull into Ala Moana, ride the escalator up to the fourth floor of Liberty House and after an exchange of cash, stroll out with the problem solved.
Dinner: Pot Roast ala Alan Wong. Problem solved in a big way.
Home replacement meals -- "comfort foods in microwaveable containers," is how Wong describes them -- are a cornerstone of the new Hawaii Regional Marketplace, the companion piece to Wong's new restaurant, the Pineapple Room at Liberty House.
HAWAII REGIONAL
CUISINE MARKETPLACEGrand opening: 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday
The marketplace, opening Tuesday, will feature ready-made foods, including salads, pastas (with choice of three to four sauces), soups, sushi, rotisserie chicken and several meals.
But it's those who want to do it from scratch who'll find the real bounty here.
"A lot of the produce that we buy for the restaurant we wanted to make available to the public," Wong said.
This means artichokes, asparagus, leeks and several varieties of tomatoes grown on island farms under the Kamuela Fresh label. It means many different cuts of Kahua Ranch lamb, Kamuela Pride beef, Big Island farm-raised moi, Maui veal.
Plus, fresh-baked breads, desserts and chocolates from Mark Okumura, Wong's longtime pastry chef.
Plus, a coffee station, fresh-cut flowers and leis.
Plus, a concierge to help you figure out what to do with all this stuff.
Right now, the marketplace is pretty much empty as workers put the finishing touches on the upscale decor, so price comparisons aren't yet possible.
To which Wong says, "I promise it's not going to be the most expensive in town."
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