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Hawaii
IT should have come as no surprise that Honolulu won the right to host the Pro Bowl for the next several years, beating out such other suitors as Disneyworld's Orlando. After all, the players like visiting a foreign country. Foreign? One would assume so, if you listened to the injured Minnesota Pasta high in
exotic appealVikings receiver Chris Carter. He told the ABC sideline interviewer he would wait to have his injury examined until "I get back to the States." Others enjoy that exotic cuisine presumably unavailable back home, such as the pasta at Matteo's where Joe Montana hosted a party of 13, Warren Moon a group of eight and the ABC broadcast crew all chowed down. And as they do each year during Pro Bowl weekend, the NFL Hall of Fame selection committee dined at Trattoria and presented manager Don McGrath with an autographed photo of the current inductees for the front door "Wall of Fame." This weekend they were touched to see McGrath had placed a lei around the photo of one of his regular guests in years past, the late Walter Payton ...
AND former Isle sportscaster Al Michaels, who was then and now the best sports broadcaster around, brought local knowledge to the game. He reveled in telling partner Boomer Esiason what Maui would be like when they visit there this week. He even tossed in a plug for Bob Longhi's Lahaina eatery, which should at the very least assure him a good table ... One regret is that the halftime show was all but ignored by ABC which ran a phone interview with St. Louis Rams coach Dick Vermeil throughout most of it ...
Food, glorious food
YOU could spot the look of envy on the faces of other restaurateurs as they partook of the culinary potpourri Alan Wong set out for the Hale Aina Awards presentation. The affair took place at the Pineapple Room at Liberty House Ala Moana, Wong's latest eatery, but the award he won for "Best Restaurant" recognized his King St. Alan Wong's for the fourth time in five years. (Only Hoku's mysteriously beat it out one year.) Wong serves up something like 35 food dishes and 10 desserts at his gourmet shop at Liberty House, and there was no lack of delectable edibles available for those attending the awards as handed out annually by Honolulu magazine ...THEY closed Sellers Advertising to "retire" on the mainland, but Tom and Sherry Sellers are back at work on a new art project in San Francisco's famous Marina District. Selling their Honolulu beachside home for close to the $2 million asking price made the relocation easier ... Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom sings the title song in the movie, but it was KHON anchorman turned actor Joe Moore who struggled through a few bars of "Moonglow" on the Perry and Price radio broadcast from the Sheraton's Hanohano Room to promote his new film of the same name ...
Tea cozy
THE Aston Waikiki Beachside Hotel's Nikki Yasutake writes, "In reply to the question in your Jan. 24 column, yes, real men do drink tea!" The item was about the new Tea at 1024 on Nuuanu Avenue, but Yasutake says they've been serving tea at the Aston Beachside (on weekends) for a year and a half. And they've had "many gentlemen as guests - even young men - some have been alone, some in groups, some dragged in by their wives." She goes on, "Join us sometime. Maybe we will tell you about the gigolo ..." Now you know that'll get me there ...
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: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com