FAMILY

Museum marks birthday with free admission

In celebration of the birthday anniversary of its founder, Bishop Museum is offering free admission on Sunday.

A native of Glens Falls, New York, Charles Reed Bishop came to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, where he fell in love with and wed Princess Bernice Pauahi Paki. Following the passing of his wife, Bishop founded the museum in her honor to care for her possessions and other ali'i treasures.

Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except for Christmas Day. Call 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.

FOOD

Zen Shu

477 Kapahulu Ave. / 739-7017

My simple request of restaurateurs for 2009 can be summed up in three words: “;Don't bore me.”; At Zen Shu, chef Wilson Chan not only did not bore me, he challenged me to rethink the izakaya.

Those imagining a purely Japanese experience might be taken aback by Zen Shu's casual fusion concept that also offers the flavors of local-style Chinese and Korean cuisine. Other bars have tried fusion, but none have had such a distinctive vision and clarity.

The restaurant is in the former Harpo's building, which has received a monumental makeover. You can feed your hunger right away if ordering from the sushi bar. The rest of the menu, though brief, takes some time to study because nearly every dish is a variation on the traditional, with equal temptations on the izakaya half as well as the “;Chan-ese”; food offered on the other half.

Start with hamachi sashimi ($13.50) topped with extras of negi (a mild green onion) and sesame seeds and accompanied by a shot glass containing crisp sheets of roasted nori for wrapping the fish.

There are a lot of intense flavors to suit the beer- and sake-swilling crowd, such as the Chinese-style salt-and-pepper geso karaage ($9). The deep-fried squid tentacles are more chewy than tender, but Chan gets the flavors right with just the right combination of garlic, fiery chili peppers and green onions.

Wok-fried lemongrass pork chops ($12.50) borrow from the Vietnamese menu, with just a hint of the herb, cut into long strips stirred with the pork. A usually simple dish of stuffed portobello mushroom ($12.75) is elegantly dressed with a rich mixture of king crab, shrimp and three kinds of mushroom: enoki, shimeji and shiitake. And eggs in a combo of grilled steak and eggs ($18) happens to be ikura, or salmon roe, offering little salty explosions with every bite.

Open 4 p.m. to midnight Mondays to Thursdays, and 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays to 2 a.m. Costs about $30 to $40 for two without drinks.

FUNDRAISER

Planned Parenthood hosts annual fundraiser

Planned Parenthood of Hawaii presents its annual fundraiser-gala, to be held Friday evening at the Monarch Room of the reopened Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

With this year's theme of “;Musical Mementos—An Evening to Remember,”; the organization plans to focus on education and prevention in light of recent news reports of Hawaii's teen birthrate being up 12 percent in one year.

There will be no-host cocktails and a silent auction starting at 5:30, and at 7, dinner, award presentations and musical entertainment from Paul Shimomoto and friends.

Tickets are $150 each. Call 589-1156, ext. 225.

Jazz concert benefits Hawaii Foodbank

Hawaii Public Radio's Atherton Performing Arts Studio hosts the second consecutive concert benefit for the Hawaii Foodbank, this one in a decidedly jazz vein.

Vocalist Rachel Gonzales and pianist Les Peetz will be joined by the rhythm section of Dave Chiorini and Stacey Tangonan for an evening of music both “;varied and unpredictable.”; The press release goes on to state that “;Peetz says ballads by Irving Berlin and Henry Mancini will be performed side-by-side with works by Thelonious Monk and Bela Bartok, along with some originals and free improvisation.”;

All proceeds will go to the food bank, and the admission price of $20 is tax-deductible.

Concertgoers are also encouraged to bring a nonperishable food donation.

Call 955-8821.

MUSIC

Symphony recital features 30 teenagers

Thirty teenaged students, representing 13 schools, will present their works as part of the Hawaii Youth Symphony's chamber performance Tuesday evening.

Working with their coaches from the Honolulu Symphony, a trio, quartets and quintets will play starting at 7 p.m. at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Orvis Auditorium.

Symphony coaches include concertmaster and violinist Iggy Jang, cellist Joanna Morrison, violist Ethan Pernela, principal bassoonist Paul Barrett, associate principal trumpeter Mark Schubert and principal percussionist Steve Dinion, as well as HYS music director Henry Miyamura.

Admission is free. Call 941-9706.