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Restaurant Report
T S RESTAURANTS
The fare at Leilani's on the Beach in June was surf-n-turf: hearty meats (in this case, lamb) and seafood.
KAANAPALI, Maui >> Leilani's on the Beach celebrated its 20th anniversary not with a fancy champagne dinner, but with a picnic at a ball field. Leilani’s gives back to teachers
Star-Bulletin staff
That gesture pretty much defines the spirit of this beachside steak-and-seafood grill on Maui's west side.
Leilani's 20th coincided with the 25th anniversary of the T S Restaurant chain, which owns Leilani's and five other Hawaii restaurants -- Kimo's and Hula Grill on Maui, Duke's Kauai and Keoki's Paradise on Kauai, and Duke's Waikiki.
The double celebration went on for three days in June, culminating in a Family Day barbecue for employees and friends of the restaurants. "The friends of T S is pretty much all of west Maui," says P. "Buffalo" Weaver, general manager of Leilani's.
Each restaurant in the chain also was called on to select a teacher to treat to a party, as part of the celebration. "We hire a lot of youth from this area," Weaver says. "We're just saying thank you to their educators."
Leilani's consists of a downstairs Beachside Grill that focuses on burgers and sandwiches (the specialty is a half-pound Big Kahuna Burger for $9.50) and an upstairs dining room that serves complete meals such as the house specialties of Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon and fresh opakapaka.
Both sections are open-air and easy-going. "I would call it island-casual," Weaver says.
"Our typical customer is a family. It's mom and dad in their 20s and 30s, with two kids anywhere between 3 and 10."
For reservations call (808) 661-4495.
Dinner affairs
Brewmasters' Dinner: Kona Brewing Co.'s ales and lagers will be featured in a four-course dinner July 31, the final event in the brewery's celebration of American Beer Month. Beer will be used as an ingredient in several dishes, for example, porter stirred into garlic mashed potatoes and lager used to steam vegetables. Beer will also be served with each course.The brew staff will discuss beer-making, beer styles, pairing beer with food and cooking with beer.
The menu includes pupus of stuffed mushrooms, dried sausages and cheeses (with Summer Solstice Saison, a seasonal beer), mixed green salad with honey dijon dressing (with Longboard Lager), grilled lamb kebabs or Lilikoi Wheat Ale-basted Cornish game hens (with Fire Rock Pale Ale) and a Kona coffee stout chocolate mousse (with Da Grind Buzz Kona Coffee Imperial Stout).
Tickets are $40. Call (808) 334-BREW in Kona.
Salmon Festival: Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch & Crab kicks off its annual Salmon Festival tomorrow. Salmon-themed menu specials include Nori-Wrapped Firecracker Salmon Salad, Smoked Salmon Carpaccio, plus entrées of salmon in misoyaki, blackened and Wellington styles, as well as crusted with furikake and kakimochi (rice crackers) and in pasta with dill cream sauce. Call 545-7979.
Summer Wine Tasting: Wines selected to celebrate the year of the horse will be featured at a tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Sam Choy's Diamond Head. Wines from Wild Horse, Close Pegase and Rocking Horse vineyards will be poured alongside "campfire pupus" including pork-and-bean tostadas, biscuits and with braised duck and foie gras gravy, chicken-fried steak and corn flapjacks with smoked salmon. Cost is $25.
Call 732-8645.
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