The Weekly Eater
The Weekly Eater
STAR-BULLETIN
Paul Santiago stands ready with champagne and hors d'oeuvres for those aboard the Star of Honolulu's Five Star Sunset Dinner Cruise, with its elegant dining room service at left.
Your red carpet awaits
right here in HonoluluNOWTHAT prom season is here, and students are in a frenzy over finding the perfect flowers and dress, just remember this -- you're just working yourself up over the kind of things that are not the stuff of memories.
I remember the white gloves, leis of pink roses and stilted portraits from my own proms, but one of my strongest memories is of attending a Kaimuki High senior prom when afterward, we set sail on a cruise, a three-hour cruise. The weather started getting rough and before you know it, I was hopelessly seasick. And so was my date. I don't remember boarding or leaving. I only know that I sat on a bench the whole time like a wilted flower.
Flash to the present: I was invited aboard the Star of Honolulu for its Five Star Sunset Dinner Cruise and like most kama'aina, my first thought was that it was an invitation to pig out, get drunk and dance the Macarena.
I found instead full red-carpet treatment, and that's what makes it so nice for teens considering a post-prom attraction, or anyone with an occasion or anniversary to celebrate.
The Star of Honolulu has four decks, with three- or five-course dinners served on the lower levels. A private elevator leads to the fourth-deck ballroom where the ultimate seven-course dinner awaits.
I've been aboard vessels that cram people in luau style, but here the room is pretty and spacious. The air-conditioning is powerful so women might consider bringing a sweater. Men are asked to wear a jacket, but if that's too formal, don't worry, you'll have company. Those here on vacation just want to relax also.
The cruise starts at 5:30 p.m., but you'll want to arrive at least a half hour earlier to enjoy the Captain's Welcome Reception on the top deck, where champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and other hors d'oeuvres await. Drinks continue to flow in the dining room, where wine or your choice of cocktails accompanies each dish. The Lava Flows were unceasing.
On Friday nights, the Star cruises past a picturesque flotilla of sailboats as mariners celebrate the end of the work week.
ONCE THE STAR sets sail, guests move inside and service is precise to ensure everyone is fed and finished within cruise's 2-1/2-hour span. On land such a meal might last three or four hours, so it did feel a bit rushed. Just before the steak entree arrived, I think most of the diners messed up the waiters by dashing out of the dining room and onto the deck for photographs of Diamond Head and outrigger canoes. They had to wait for our return.
We received wonderful service from Paul Santiago, who also exhibited great balance in carrying platters, while the rest of us landlubbers reeled about like drunks -- it was a particularly windy, choppy day -- as we crossed the restaurant floor.
I was feeling fine through the opening course of a creamy Jerusalem artichoke bisque with a touch of Armagnac, and appetizer of a galette of shredded Dungeness crab topped with Nalo Farm baby arugula and surrounded by sweet heirloom tomatoes.
This was followed by about 4 ounces of lobster served with Borsin cheese au gratin atop a lake of yellow pepper coulis more bitter than it should have been. You know how I feel about crab and lobster anyway; both are best unadorned save for a little butter.
After this came an intermezzo of pineapple-basil sorbet, a refreshing combination, and that's when Diamond Head came into view. At this point I was beginning to feel the effects of the waves and the staff offered ginger pills for seasickness, but it was too late.
It was too bad, because that's when a second entree of tenderloin of beef arrived, topped by chanterelles and served with a green peppercorn brandy sauce. I could only manage three bites before I just needed to lean back and chill for a while. Due to regulations, I could not take the unfinished steak off the ship.
Throughout the meal, Jeannette Trevias played soft jazz on piano, and after dinner she, saxophonist Thomas Arsisto and vocalist Rachel Asebeido kept the tourists snapping pictures of their lively jazz show. Asebeido's glittery rhinestone headpiece miraculously distracted me from my wooziness and by the time we returned to the pier I felt fine.
Even with the seasickness, I had a great time. You'll find yourself back on land at 8 p.m. not quite ready to call it a night, so have a followup plan.
Aloha Tower Marketplace, next to Hooter's / 983-STAR (7827) STAR OF HONOLULU
Hours: Sunset dinner cruise from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Food Service Ambience Value Cost: $199 per person (kama'aina rate is $79.95 plus tax per person through August); other sail, lunch and dinner cruises are available, starting at $27.95 for adults and $13.95 for children without meals (kama'aina discounts available)
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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com
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