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by Burl Burlingame
bburlingame@starbulletin.comWord By Word -- An Inspirational Look at the Craft of Writing by John Tullius and Elizabeth Engstrom and the presenters of the Maui Writers Conference
(Writers House Books, $19.95)
Look past the cheesy cover and there's a book packed with good information for writers, written by writers, and absolutely clear because these pieces are taken from speeches that were read aloud. The primary fields are Fiction, Nonfiction and Screenwriting, with contributions from the likes of Terry Brooks, Jackie Collins, Barbara DeAngelis, Ron Bass and Ron Howard. There's little lecturing here, and lots of cheerful advice. These people clearly like what they do and don't mind sharing.
Lanai the Elusive Hawaiian Island -- the One that Captain Cook Missed -- Everything You Wanted to Know About Lanai But Didn't Know Who to Ask by Anderson Duane Black
(Vantage Press, $8.95)
Lanai is generally considered the least-interesting of the Hawaiis, a sort of corporate plantation but without Niihau's mystery and Hawaiianess, and current efforts to turn it into a haven for the very rich adds to Lanai's impression of a kind of offshore suburb. Black's volume is a potpourri of anecdotes and oral histories that focus on the plantation years, and it's full of interesting information. He doesn't strike a consistent tone, however, and a better map would have helped.
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Restaurant Report
A taste of Puerto Rico
Venture beyond the comfort zone of pasteles and gandule rice at the Puerto Rican Festival, tomorrow through Nov. 18 at the Plantation Cafe in the Ala Moana Hotel.Handling the menu is Wanda Patojas, a chef-instructor with the University of Puerto Rico and chef for the Puerto Rico Tourism Department, where she trains cooks for small countryside hotels.
Patojas' four-course menu will be offered at lunch and dinner (except on Mondays), and her dishes will be included in the restaurant's Friday and Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch buffets.
The menu features Sorrullitos de Maiz en Tres Salas (Cornmeal Sticks with Three Dipping Sauces); a salad of watercress, pigeon peas, onion and avocado; entrée choice of Chicken Stew with Green Beans and Tostones or Roasted Pork with Baby Green Bananas; and dessert of Ginger Sweet Rice.
Cost is $11 for lunch, $13 for dinner and $23.50 for the buffets. Call 955-4811.
Sansei signs on new chef
Karen Molina, former chef of Sunset Terrace at the Outrigger Hotel, has been named corporate chef of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, to oversee D.K. Kodama's growing restaurant business.Named executive chef at Sansei's Restaurant Row location is Keith Endo, formerly of Sansei's Kapalua Bay, Maui, location and who helped Kodama open his Oahu restaurant.
Molina and Endo moved into their new positions last week after chef Sean Kinoshita left for Mid-Pacific Country Club.
Molina said she and Endo plan to put their mark on the Sansei menu with some new entrées and desserts.
Kodama plans to open a second Maui restaurant in Kihei next March, followed possibly by a Big Island location.
Taking over for Molina at Sunset Terrace is her husband, Luis Molina.
Beyond Kaka'ako
Chef Russell Siu of Kaka'ako Kitchen and 3660 on the Rise has joined restaurateur Sandy Kaneshiro in remaking her Scruffles restaurant in Hilo.Siu serves as a consultant to the new Kilauea Kitchen. The menu offers several of Siu's signature dishes, such as Sweet chili Chicken and Macadamia Nut Crusted Katsu Curry.
Call (808) 935-6664.
Master Chef delays
Master Chef dinners at Padovani's Restaurant & Wine Bar scheduled for October and November have been postponed due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.The next dinner in the monthly series will be "French Cooking with Two Masters," Dec. 9, with chef Marc Poidevin of the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, joining Philippe Padovani for one dinner affair.
A dinner with Wayne Hirabayashi of the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, which had been planned for September, will be held in January, with more dinners to follow in February and March. Cost of the December dinner will be $110. Call 946-3456.
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