When Honolulu Jazz Quartet leader John Kolivas asked jazz tenor sax great Benny Golson what his fee would be for performing in a one-nighter with the quartet here, the 80-year-old sax player said, “;You can't afford me. Just tell me how much you have and I'll tell you whether I'll come or not.”; Don't know what figure John came up with but the sax man is coming as a favor to John. He'll be blowing with the HJQ 7 p.m., April 19 at Doris Duke Theatre at the Academy of Arts. Ticket are $30. Benny was honored on Jan. 24 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for his 60 years in music. Danny Glover was host for the event that featured singer Al Jarreau and guest musicians. Benny is also well known also for his compositions. For the Honolulu concert, Kolivas will be on bass, Tim Tsukiyama on sax, Von Baron on drums and Jim Howard on piano. Call the Academy, 532-8700, or Kolivas, 383-3909, for tickets ...

WALKING through Topa Tower at lunch time I would always see people lined up outside the modest ground floor lunch room of Fort Street Bar and Grill, waiting to go through the food line to get takeout dishes or to eat them there. About a month ago, I gave lunch a try. I have been going back three or four times a week ever since. The food is very tasty and reasonably priced, usually between $6 and $8. The specials change daily and include lasagna (my favorite), baked spaghetti, stroganoff, teriyaki dishes, pork chops, fish, burgers and more. The dishes, mini and regular (plenty food), come with mac or toss salad and most include two scoops of white or brown rice. The bar and lounge are upstairs. I told my friend Charlie Beeck, a real foodie, how good the food is and he said the place is owned by Colin Nishida. That explained everything. Colin owns Side Street Inn, a favorite spot for some of Honolulu's best chefs and their suppliers. Colin will open his third spot, Side Street Inn on Da Strip, on the ground floor of Prudential Locations' Diamond Head office on Kapahulu Avenue in the fall. It will cover 5,800 square feet and seat about 180 people for food service ...

The Waikiki Parc's rooftop pool is becoming a favored spot for events. The wrap party of season five for the TV series “;Lost”; was held there April 3. An after-party took place in the back room of Nobu Waikiki, located in the lobby of the hotel. Attending were Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Henry Ian Cusick, Jorge Garcia and Ken Leung. Fashionista Blaine Ashley also picked the Parc Blue pool for her April Flowers fashion show April 2 ...