MORSELS

Vino offers 'communal table' menu

Vino, at Restaurant Row, will be offering a special Italian regional “;communal table”; at 6 p.m. next Wednesday. Chef Keith Endo will present a dish from each of the coastal regions of Liguria, Campania, Sardegna and Sicily.

Vino also serves up monthly special menus that feature locally grown ingredients in an effort to support local growers.

The featured menu this month, served Sundays and Mondays, consists of Big Island Butterfish in a bag of Hauula tomato concasse, Hamakua mushrooms, nam pla butter and chili pepper water-konbu broth; Hawaiian Red Veal Potstickers with shiso, choi sum, Kahuku corn and miso cream sauce; Crispy Skin Moi with takana musubi, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms and yuzukosho butter sauce; and for dessert, Kula Strawberry Short Cake “;Sandwich,”; made of strawberry gelee, pastry cream and strawberry azuki ice cream.

The meal is $35 per person. To make reservations for the upcoming communal table or the locally grown menu, call 533-4476 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Santa joins in benefit at Don Ho's

It's going to be a brunch with benefits as Don Ho's Island Grill in the Aloha Tower Marketplace presents a brunch with Santa to benefit the Lokahi Giving Project.

An all-you-can-eat brunch buffet will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, with a special appearance by Santa, who will greet keiki, pass out treats and pose for photos from noon to 2 p.m. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Lokahi to help those less fortunate this holiday season.

The buffet menu will include prime rib carved to order, eggs Benedict, waffle and omelet stations, kalua turkey, kalua pork and cabbage, fish and chicken entrees, breakfast meats, poke, lomi salmon, fried rice, salads, fresh fruit, an assortment of desserts and more.

Cost is $19.95, $15.95 seniors and $9.95 children 10 and under. For reservations, call 528-0807.

Burgers mark Morton's birthday

Enjoy complimentary mini cheeseburgers to celebrate Morton's birthday.

From 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, the steakhouse at Ala Moana Center will be serving the morsels to mark the chain's 35th anniversary.

The restaurant also offers twice-daily “;Power Hours”; from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. till closing.

Along with the special burgers on Monday, the restaurant features daily signature pupus at $6 per plate during “;Power Hours,”; with $4-to-$7 select wines by the glass, beers and cocktails.

Call 949-1300 or visit www.mortons.com.

'Stomp' and eatery aid food bank

The percussive theater production “;Stomp”; returns to Honolulu for a limited run starting Tuesday, and it has partnered with the Hawaii Foodbank to “;Stomp Out Hunger”; over the holidays.

Former Hawaii residents Andres “;Pooh”; Fernandez, Ivan Delaforce and Guillaume Carreira, and their fellow cast members, will volunteer at the food bank's Mapunapuna warehouse on Monday, and their Wednesday performance at Hawaii Theatre will be a benefit for the Hawaii Foodbank, with a portion of each ticket sale going directly to the charity.

In a related effort for the food bank, a $5 discount will be extended to each person who brings a canned food donation to any Ruby Tuesday Hawaii restaurant, or to Hawaii Theatre at the time of their ticket purchase for any performance of “;Stomp”; during its run (some restrictions might apply).

For ticket information, call 528-0506 or visit www.hawaiitheatre.com.

ETCETERA

LOOK » “;Saturday Night Live Presents a Very Gilly Christmas,”; featuring the best holiday sketches of the last 35 years, airs on NBC tomorrow at 7 p.m.

LISTEN » “;Tough Kid,”; by Honeycut (http://www.myspace.com/honeycutmusic)

DO » The holiday stage show that inspired the ride is gone, but Ala Moana Center's Candy Cane Train, pictured, is back giving keiki rides through the mall. The train takes passengers daily for $7 through Dec. 27.