[ MAUKA-MAKAI ]
Tempura is a very difficult thing to master. Sure, anybody can fry, but to fry with the right combination of lightness and flavor requires a somewhat scientific understanding of oils and temperatures and the comparative value of flours. Tempura chefs
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Or, you can skip it all and eat out -- for example, at the Tempura Festival, Tuesday through June 24 at the Plantation Cafe in the Ala Moana Hotel.
Tempura specialists from Japan are cooking -- Morio Sakamoto, executive director of Ishinkai, an organization of tempura chefs; and Makiharu Kasai, who has worked in restaurants in Nihonbashi and Ginza. Between them they have 90 years of tempura experience.
The festival features a complete tempura lunch for $13.25 or ten don for $11.25, Tuesdays through Sundays. Dinner prices are $14.25 and $12.25. The restaurant's dinner buffets on Fridays and Saturdays and the Sunday brunch buffet also will offer tempura specialties. Buffet price is $23.50. Call 944-4811.
Don't eat meat?
When a hamburger is just plain unacceptable, a quick meal while traveling can be a challenge. The Vegetarian Resource Group offers options in its "Guide to Vegan and Vegetarian Options in Fast Food and Quick Service Chains."The 32-page guide reveals that many Taco Bells now offer bean burritos made entirely without animal fat or dairy products, that Subway offers vegan smoothies, and Burger King's french fries are cooked in vegetable shortening and are not pre-coated in beef fat.
To order the guide, send $4 to P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, or visit the Web site, http://www.vrg.org. The site also offers information about traveling as a vegetarian or vegan.
Special events
Taste of Wailea:
Eight Maui chefs will be featured at a dinner gala during the Maui Film Festival. Chefs participating in the June 16 event at the Wailea Resort are Katsuyuki Ishikawa, Diamond Resort; Leanne Kamekona, Outrigger Wailea Resort; Tylun Pang, Kea Lani Maui; Scott Higa, Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort; Pierre Albaladejo, Four Seasons Resort Maui; Todd Carlos, Seawatch; Michael Beck, Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa; and Harding Smith, Tommy Bahama's Tropical Cafe & Emporium. Cost is $95, which includes a film festival premiere at the outdoor Celestial Cinema after dinner (the name of the film is being kept secret). Call (808) 579-9244.
Winez & Grindz:
Sous chef Neil Nakasone presents a five-course meal with wine pairings, 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Pineapple Room, Liberty House Ala Moana. The menu includes Grilled Kauai Shrimp on Ginger Saffron Risotto (with Au Bon Climat Pinot Blanc 1999) and Kiawe Grilled Lamb Medallion on Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (with Everett Ridge "Old Vines" Zinfandel 1998). Cost is $49, $64 with wines. Call 945-8881.
Dinner and a Movie:
Through June, moviegoers receive a 10 percent discount off lunch or dinner at Kakaako Kitchen when they bring their unused ticket for a show at the new Ward Stadium 16 theaters. After the movie, bring your ticket stub to receive a free drink when ordering dessert. Call 596-7488.
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