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Hawaii
FOR those who find meanings in the conjunction of stars, planets, dates etc., this week has a lulu. Restaurateur Don Murphy marks his birthday Thursday, and as always, it's the same day as Adolph Hitler's. This year, however, it also falls on Passover. Wednesday at sundown actually Murphy marks
half centurybegins the week of Passover, when people who adhere to Judaism are not allowed to eat leavened bread. Where does that leave BEER? (It does have yeast in it.) So bring out the matzoh balls. And I guess there'll be a lot of wine drinking going on at Murphy's 50th birthday party ... Incidentally, Murphy's wasn't open Sunday morning, but there was the owner, once named by the Star-Bulletin as one of "10 who mattered" in the community, standing on a ladder putting up chains with wooden baskets filled with flowers on the metal awning over a new next-door Nuuanu neighbor, the Nature Conservancy. It was his little welcome to Mr. Murphy's neighborhood ...
ALSO new, and unveiled to the public during Friday's "Nuuanu Nights" street celebration, was the Green Room at Indigo. It's a new bar just makai of the restaurant that opens at the rear to the Indigo courtyard. The Green Room is the traditional area backstage in a theater where actors gather to prepare to go on. Seems appropriate since it's at the rear of the Hawaii Theatre ... I ran into members of Commercial Data Systems in the Green Room Friday, fittingly since CDS' three principals all have music and theater backgrounds. They are classically trained pianist Mark Wong, actor Mark Gilbert and actor/singer Guy Merola. Gilbert and Merola have appeared on many a theater stage in Honolulu. CDS is holding a golf tourney April 28 as a benefit fund-raiser for the Honolulu Theatre for Youth ...
Choy-Ming Dynasty
DAYTIME Emmy winner Chef Ming Tsai will share some secrets about his award-winning cuisine when he gives a cooking demonstration Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. at Liberty House Ala Moana. The host of the TV cooking show "East Meets West with Ming Tsai" is in town to co-host with Sam Choy "The Gourmet Affair" Saturday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters ...THE Rodeo Cantina in Aloha Tower Marketplace has shut its doors. Owner Barry Silverman had a farewell party there Saturday for former and current employees. The place has been sold to the Teddy's Bigger Burger folks, who will reopen it with a Tex-Mex theme ... And Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Restaurant Row is coming right along on schedule with its massive renovation and expansion project, and just to show he's serious, owner Randy Schoch has renewed the restaurant's lease for another 10 years ...
Spice of life
WHEN Peter Barnett of Vancouver, British Columbia, was in town last week, you just knew he'd beat a path to the door of Matteo's. Barnett is president of Variety Clubs International, the world's largest children's charity, and he knew that once at Matteo's he'd find G.M. Russell Druce. The former Chief Barker of Tent 50, the Hawaii chapter, of Variety Clubs, Druce recalled to the Variety honcho that one of the highlights of his life was when he was presented with a lifetime membership in Variety by Lord Louis Mountbatten at the Variety clubs convention in Monte Carlo ...
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