By Request Betty Shimabukuro

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Bad weekend
to start a diet

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Taste of Honolulu Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday Place: Honolulu Civic Center grounds Admission: $3; scrip sold for food Coming up: See Friday's Weekend section for details on entertainment lineup and parking tips. Call: 536-1015 or visit www.taste808.com

Dress code for Taste of Honolulu: pants with stretchy waistband, baggy muumuu -- or anything else loose and roomy.

The annual benefit event offers carte blanche to eat and eat and eat, in support of Easter Seals Hawaii.

Two-dozen restaurants and caterers are lined up this year, including first-timers Jackie's Kitchen, Hong Kong Harbour View, Genki Sushi and Gyu-Kaku Charcoal Yakiniku.

Food to look forward to: Smoked Salmon from Brew Moon Restaurant & Micro Brewery, Kiawe Smoked Pork Back Ribs with Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce from The Colony, Spicy Smothered Gator from Kevin's Two Boots ... and the list goes on.

Upscale alternative

If you'd rather not spend so much time walking the grounds and choosing your food, consider the Chef du Jour tent, where chef Alan Wong will head a team of six upscale chefs. For $50 you get each dish from each chef and a glass of wine.

For example: Portuguese Sausage-Crusted Mahimahi from Russell Siu of 3660 on the Rise (Friday); Ocean-Raised Moi Cioppino from Hiroshi Fukui of L'Uraku (Saturday). The tent is open 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

Ready, set ...

Cooking competitions will pit Honolulu prosecutor Peter Carlisle against entertainer Mel Cabang at 5:30 p.m. Friday; police Lt. Clayton Kau vs. fire Capt. Anthony Sung, 7 p.m. Friday; and KIKI radio's Gregg Hammer vs. KHVH's Rick Hamada, aided by their wives, Shawnee Hammer and Bernadette Baraquio Hamada, 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Another cook-off is planned for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with contestants to be announced.

Do-it-yourself

Colin Nishida of Side Street Inn will be serving his famous pork chops, a dish frequently requested by readers. It seems a good time for the recipe:

Side Street Pork Chops

2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons pepper
1-1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
4 island pork chops, 7 oz. each, 1-1/2 inches thick
1 cup vegetable oil

Combine garlic salt, pepper, flour and cornstarch. Coat chops well.

Heat oil in a skillet. Fry chops about 10 minutes, turning frequently until browned.

Cut meat from bones and slice. Serve over shredded cabbage with ketchup on the side. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 680 calories, 29 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium.

See the Columnists section for some past articles.

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.