BENEFIT

Chilly fundraiser helps Special Olympics Hawaii

Head out to hot Kapolei to watch willing participants, dressed in their costumes of choice, get dunked into a bone-chilling ice pool at “;Polar Plunge,”; a fundraiser for Special Olympics Hawaii. The fun runs from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park.

Each dunkee will have raised a minimum of $100 in pledges, with a goal of $60,000 designated for local athletes.

Special Olympics Hawaii's mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. All Special Olympics services are provided at no cost to athletes or their families.

Admission is $25. Call Melissa Blake at 392-1588 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

COMEDY

Get your laughs on for the Rotary Club

Catch more than a few laughs while helping the Rotary Club at “;Comedy for a Cause,”; featuring the talents of comedians Eric O'Shea and Jim Wiggins.

O'Shea was voted 2007 Comedian of the Year by readers of Campus Activities Magazine. Wiggins, the self-proclaimed “;Last Hippie in America,”; was a writer for the likes of George Carlin and David Letterman.

The men will take the stage at Mamiya Theatre on the Chaminade University campus at 7 p.m. Saturday. Prior to the show, starting at 5:30 p.m., there will be free pupu and jazz music by the Chris Yeh Jazz Quartet.

Pre-order tickets, $40 and $75 VIP, by calling Ginny Meade at 391-4154. For information, call Trisha Lei at 589-5008 or visit easthonolulurotary.com.

FOOD

Maile's Thai Bistro

Hawaii Kai Towne Centre, 333 Keahole St. / 394-2488

Maile's just may be the best neighbor to have moved into Hawaii Kai last fall. I wouldn't be surprised if this restaurant is being added to diners' established Top 10 lists. What the restaurant has to offer is that perfect—and timely—consumer-friendly combination of pleasant ambiance, good food, reasonable prices and attentive service.

The restaurant is in the spot near Costco where the Chef's Table once stood and looks different enough to deter comparisons to that popular restaurant.

Yes, there is a Maile, last name Sayarath, who started working at Mekong at 16, graduating to working alongside aunts and uncles at Paesano's and Assaggio's, always with an eye toward a restaurant with her own name on it and the food she grew up with.

Thai menus are fairly uniform in this town, but Maile's has some distinctive dishes, starting with a chicken long rice soup ($8.90) featuring garlicky ground chicken, the equivalent of tiny meatballs.

Maile Rolls ($9.90) are a variation of summer rolls, with the extra touch of seasoned ground pork rolled in a rice paper wrapper with the usual combination of rice vermicelli, vegetables and shrimp.

Thai short ribs ($13.90) are the restaurant's version of teriyaki, marinated in a spicy soy-ginger sauce, grilled and sprinkled with green onions and crispy garlic, which appears in many of the dishes.

At its priciest, Maile's offers Western-style entrees listed as Chef's Specials in the back of the menu. Here are the celebratory offerings of New York steaks ($28.90) and Filet Mignon ($32.90), both broiled and topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms, and Lemongrass Pork Chops ($23.90).

Basics of salads, beef and chicken dishes and curries are kept at reasonable $7.90-to-$9.90 levels. Food worth eating is the ultimate sign of respect for consumers.

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Costs about $30 to $40 for two without drinks.

FREEBIE

Classic cars cruise to Hawaii Kai auto show

Enjoy hot rods and classic cars? Head on over to the Hawaii Independent Cruise Nights Car Show at Hawaii Kai Towne Center on Saturday. More than 80 automobiles will be on display.

Visitors can enter to win door prizes from Costco, City Mill, Larry's NAPA Auto Parts, SushiMan and State Farm Insurance. Admission is free to the show, which runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Hawaii Independent Cruise Nights has produced car shows islandwide for more than 30 years. Upcoming shows at the shopping center this year are slated for June 27, Sept. 26 and Dec. 5. Call 396-0766.

MUSIC

Chamber music concert comes to Orvis

Fans of chamber music with piano will want to head out to University of Hawaii-Manoa's Orvis Auditorium, where some of Hawaii's top classical musicians will perform works by Schubert, Argento and Brahms.

UH faculty member Jonathan Korth will play piano, joined by Honolulu Symphony's principal clarinetist Scott Anderson, symphony concertmaster Ignace “;Iggy”; Jang, UH faculty member and cellist I-Bei Lin and soprano Rachel Schutz.

The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Admission, at the door, is $12; $8 students and seniors.

Visit www.hawaii.edu/uhmmusic/schedule.htm.