Roy's ribs a good way to celebrate

CHEF Roy Yamaguchi turned 50 on Saturday with a celebration befitting a man who rules an empire.

Greg Gomes, president of Advantage Webco Dodge Hawaii, threw a birthday party for 150 at his Hawaii Loa Ridge home, with food by Yamaguchi's best chef friends, among them DK Kodama, Russell Siu, Hiroshi Fukui and Alan Wong.

"They all wanted to do something for him," Gomes said. "They think Roy is the leader of all of them."

Gomes has been Yamaguchi's friend since he brought 50 guests to Roy's Hawaii Kai when the restaurant opened in 1988. That was the first Roy's; today there are 33.

The reach of Yamaguchi's Hawaiian-fusion cuisine stretches coast to coast. In fact, today's request comes from Dette Griffin of Marco Island, Fla., who's dined at Roy's in Bonita Springs and Naples, Fla., as well as all over Hawaii.

Her favorite: Roy's classic short ribs.

As for the birthday boy, he didn't have a lot to say about the personal milestone, except that slowing down is not on his agenda. He still hopes, for example, to eventually open a Roy's in St. Petersburg, Russia, and will make an initial visit there next March.

Something for the next 50 years.

Mongolian-Style Grilled Short Ribs

1/4 cup canola oil
4 pounds beef short ribs
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 bay leaf
5 black peppercorns
1 cup red wine
2 quarts water

» Glaze:
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons garlic-chili paste

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pan and brown ribs on all sides over high heat. Remove ribs.

Lower heat to medium-high; add remaining oil to pan. Sauté onion, carrot, celery, tomato, bay leaf and peppercorn 5 minutes, until onions are golden brown.

Return ribs to pan. Add wine and water. Simmer over low heat 1-1/2 hours, until tender.

Combine glaze ingredients. Prepare a grill.

Remove ribs from pan; discard vegetables. Remove rib meat from bones. Brush meat well with glaze and grill to set glaze. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 700 calories, 35 g total fat, 9 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,200 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 39 g protein.

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