Here’s something we're looking forward to. 

The 27th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival will work its Maui magic from June 26-29 this year.

The three-day festival is presided over by Master Sommelier Fred Dame—who we enjoy for his genial wit, as well as his palate.

It kicks off Friday with chef demonstrations and a grand tasting with 100 wines, exceptional pupu and a Kapalua beachfront sunset. 

It ends Sunday with the Seafood Festival, a bounty of Island seafood, prepared by star chefs, with, of course, plenty of wines.

In between, there are tastings, cooking demonstrations, dinners and a guest appearance from Chef Frank Ostini, whose Hitching Post Restaurant had a starring role in the film Sideways.

Perhaps our favorite moment.  A seminar Sunday morning called “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” featuring Bloody Mary recipes from the star sommeliers.  Perhaps the seminar should be called, “Hair of the Dog.”

If you love food, wine and Maui (and it’s a short list of people who don’t), you can make reservations here, or (888) 665-9160.
 

Many of you asked. Some of you guessed after my weekend post. Now, I can finally answer.

Yes, after some none-too-subtle campaigning on my part, I attended the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele Kona beer dinner on Saturday.

It was departing executive sous chef Thomas Bellec’s grand finale at the Lodge—a five-course dinner menu, paired with craft beers from Kona Brewing Co. He’d done a couple of wine dinners, and even a scotch dinner in the past—all in the Lodge’s country manor-reminiscent interiors.

But the beer dinner seemed apt for a more casual setting. So taking advantage of good upcountry weather, dinner was served under the stars on the Lodge’s croquet court.

The Four Seasons pulled out all stops. Guests were seated at elegantly-appointed picnic tables equipped with padded seats. Tiki torches lit the area. Heat lamps offset the chilly evening tradewinds. Pashminas were handed out to whoever wanted one. A guitarist strummed gentle Hawaiian tunes.

How to break the ice? How about a trio of cocktails, all beer-infused—a mai tai with a float of Amstel Light (so-so), a bloody mary with a kicky bite of Corona and lime (good), and a fresh-squeezed lemonade mixed with Hangar 1 vodka, kafir lime and a float of Corona (best).

After a couple of each over a half-hour, conversation flowed.

I sat across from Mark and Barbara Zigmond, owners of Lanai City’s Pele’s Other Garden restaurant—and right next to Tom Roelens and his wife Sara. Roelens was ending his third week as general manager of both Four Seasons resorts on the island—the Lodge at Koele and the Manele Bay Resort. 

He was still giddy about getting the job, regaling us with tales of his Belgian childhood, where quaffing beer as a minor was legal, and his father occasionally brewed up a batch of the stuff in the family living room.

“We kids looked forward to days we could come home from school for lunch,” said Roelens, after one story.

Responded Zigmond, to much laughter, “Yes, but did you learn anything after lunch?”

Chef Bellec's aim was to match each course with the right beer. Kona Brewing’s light, citrusy Wailua Wheat beer, for instance, complemented  the dressing on the green salad with Lanai venison pastrami.

Roelens enjoyed the subtle spice, fruit and smooth finish of Kona Brewing’s wonderful 3K Belgian Triple ale so much, that he ordered a second round for our table before we could finish our beer-glazed brie and roasted pear on egg brioche.

Another high point? The brewer’s Pipeline Porter—rich with roasted coffee aroma and a smoky dark chocolate finish—paired with one of the richest entrées I’ve ever encountered.  It was, first, an applewood-smoked bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin on, second, a bed of kalua pulled pork, plus parsnip puree and Brussels sprouts fricassee, all in beer infused demi glace. I'm still surprised I survived it.

Four Seasons Resort Lanai public relations director Brad Packer said it was his dream to host a similar dinner at the Lodge … with tequila.

I’ll bring the limes and salt, dude.

And HawaiiMagazine.com readers will, again, know about it before it happens. Cheers!
 

The cover feature of the new issue of HAWAII Magazine is all about the “15 Things We Love About Hawaii” right now.

Among them, you’ll find the Big Island-made chocolate we’d fly from our Oahu offices to savor. The Hilo designer whose Hawaii-inspired fashions and prints we’d pick up while we’re there. And the hula dancer whose graceful movements we’d most want to accompany an oceanside mai tai and Waikiki sunset when we return home.

We've already clued you in about our love for Lost actor Michael Emerson in a previous “15 Things We Love About Hawaii” post. The love currently quenching our thirst for a carbonated beverage like no other, though? Artisanal sodas from Waialua Soda Works.

Trust us. You haven’t had a great vanilla cream soda until you’ve had a Waialua Soda Works vanilla cream soda. HAWAII editor John Heckathorn and I emptied a small office supply of the stuff in an afternoon binge session. (Our original plan was to share a single bottle.) And I’m still unsure whether associate editor Sherie Char got to enjoy any at all. (Burp.)

Here’s an excerpt:

Waialua Soda Works is all about homegrown Hawaii ingredients. There’s Big Island vanilla and Kauai honey in its vanilla cream soda. Island-grown fruits, when available, infuse its pineapple and mango sodas. Maui sugar cane sweetens its root beer. … The contents are handmade and hand-bottled by Jason and Karen Campbell (who) make old-fashioned artisanal soda in the former plantation village of Waialua on Oahu’s North Shore.

Read the full text of our Waialua Soda Works write-up and the 14 other things we love about Hawaii in the May/June 2008 issue of HAWAII Magazine, on newsstands now.

  

The new issue of HAWAII Magazine features a story on Maui Brewing Co., a Lahaina-based artisanal brewery crafting Hawaii-inspired beers.

Its brews have won international beer awards. Owner Garrett Marrero and brewmaster Tom Kerns use Hawaii-grown ingredients, when possible—fresh island-grown pineapple, Maui-made rum, Kauai lehua blossom honey.

But since opening in 2005, Marrero has also worked to make his company one of Maui’s most Earth-friendly. He’s one seriously resourceful brewer.

All of his delivery trucks—including his and wife Melanie’s cars—run on biodiesel he makes with his Kaanapali brewpub’s used vegetable oil. The brewpub’s lighting is entirely energy-saving compact fluorescent. Marrero is installing photovoltaic solar cells that will soon generate all of the brewery’s electricity.

Beer brewed by the Maui sun? What a concept.

Leftover grain, yeast and hops from the brewing process are given free to Maui farmers for use as pig and cattle feed, or to create compost fertilizer for produce. Marrero then purchases meat and produce from the farmers for his brewpub.

Maui Brewing Co.’s retro Hawaii-inspired packaging is made of recycled cardboard. Cans for restaurants and bars are delivered sans packaging in reusable trays.

About those cans. Why does Maui Brewing Co. sell its retail beer exclusively in cans instead of bottles? First off, they’re recyclable, use less energy to chill, transport and recycle again, and are made locally. It's also a taste issue.

“If a bottle took better care of the beer, I would be bottling,” says Marrero. “The cans have a water-based liner so the beer does not contact the aluminum. Cans don’t allow light exposure and oxygen pick-up, which affects taste. It’s beer as the brewer intends.”

Keeping things “green” is as important to Marrero (that's him in the photo) as the quality and taste of his beers.

“We’re not going to have a ‘zero (carbon) footprint’ at the brewery, but we’ll be damn close,” said Marrero. “That’s just something we believe is the right way to go. At the end of the day, it’s good to know that there’s one less smog cloud we’re contributing to.”

Maui Brewing Co.’s brewpub is located at the Kahana Gateway Center near Kaanapali Resort, 4405 Honoapiilani Highway, Maui. Call 808-669-0191. Check out the Maui Brewing Co. Web site for retail locations and online store.
   

When it’s a hot day on Oahu’s North Shore, I’d recommend cooling down with a fresh ice-cold coconut. 

On a road trip to the north shore town of Kahuku last weekend, I stopped at a roadside fruit stand just off Kamehameha Highway near Turtle Bay Resort.

Travelers can find many of these roadside stands—offering coconuts and ripe pineapples, papayas and mangoes, when in season—on the drive to the North Shore. You can also find a treasure trove of souvenirs, including bags, jewelry and keychains.

The man I met at the fruit stand turned a plain coconut into a beverage and beverage holder right before my eyes. He used his machete to carve a hole at the top and then stuck a straw in. It was amazing—even for a longtime Hawaii resident—to watch how quickly he transformed the tropical fruit into a cool drink in a matter of seconds!

My only quibble? My coconut drink didn’t fit easily into my car’s cup holder.

Each roadside stand is different, so don’t be shy about asking what they have to offer. One of the stands I went to sold barbequed kebabs, which was more than just meat on a stick. It was also the perfect snack to eat on the go.

If the North Shore is a bit too far off the beaten track for you when you’re on Oahu, you can also get fresh ice-cold coconuts made to order at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.

  

Memo to John Heckathorn, editor, HAWAII Magazine:

Would it be waaaaay too out of line to ask that you send me on assignment to Lanai, just to attend a beer dinner at the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele on April 26?

Executive sous chef Thomas Bellec has crafted a five-course menu, paired with craft beers from Kona Brewing Co. Seared Kalua Pork wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon with parsnip puree, Brussels sprouts fricassee and a beer demi matched with a pint of Pipeline Porter. Warm brie cheese with roasted pear on egg brioche and beer glaze, paired with Steam Vent Lager. I'm even liking the organic green salad with Maui onion and venison pastrami, matched with Wailua Wheat beer.

There’s more on the menu. But you get the idea.

Dinner will be served in the Lodge’s way-refined Music Room, from 6 to 9 p.m. It’ll set us back $75, just for me, so I am guessing you shouldn’t come along, in the interest of budgetary restraint.

I can call (808) 565-2469 right now for a reservation.

The Lodge at Koele has done wine dinners and even a scotch dinner, previously. I missed those. It’d be a crime to miss this one, too.

I’d even be more than willing to stay overnight at the Lodge, if necessary. (Of course, I don’t just wallow in the lap of luxury. I could research Lanai beaches and lunch options in Lanai city the following day, before flying back to Oahu.)

Should I pack an overnight bag?

Derek
Web editor, HawaiiMagazine.com

P.S. HawaiiMagazine.com visitors should also feel free to make reservations. Perhaps I'll see you all there!
 
 

Vents at Kilauea Volcano’s summit aren’t the only things coming to a head today. Primo is back!!!

That is, bottles of Primo beer will again be on store shelves across Hawaii on Monday.

Primo was one of Hawaii’s first beers, brewed here starting in 1898 by long gone Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company. It stayed Hawaii’s beer, with a break for Prohibition, until 1979.

Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Co. acquired the Primo brand in 1982.  Although Stroh’s version was never particularly palatable, the beer remained a local favorite until Stroh’s shut down production in 1998.  Everybody in the Islands drank Primo, at least when they couldn’t afford anything better.

The new Primo on draft will be brewed in the Islands by Keoki Brewing of Kauai. But Primo in bottles is still an import, made by Pabst in Irwindale, Calif.

The folks at Primo say their new formula had “a distinct rich taste of craft-brewed beer with the smoothness and drinkability of lighter lager” and “a touch of Hawaiian cane sugar grown on Maui.”

We got a six-pack for the office.

Our  verdict: It was like welcoming back a long-lost uncle. He may have his faults, but he’s always welcome.

For more Primo details (including its Hawaii retailers), click here.
  

Do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Hawaii?

The question should be … Why wouldn’t we? We live in a place that’s practically green the whole year ‘round, our own tropical version of an Emerald Isle.

The state’s biggest St. Paddy’s Day celebration is always at Murphy’s Bar & Grill in downtown Honolulu. Every March 17, thousands of residents and visitors descend upon downtown's so-called “Irish corner”—on the corner of Merchant Street and Nuuanu Avenue—for a full evening of serious revelry.

The streets surrounding Murphy’s are closed to traffic, making way for food and drink booths, live music stages and much pinching if you’re one of the unfortunate souls not sporting some kind of green.

Owner Don Murphy has been hosting the party for just over two decades, growing it from a bustling celebration within Murphy’s walls to the massive block party you see in the photo above.

Murphy’s being an Irish pub and all, there’s, of course, always enough corned beef and cabbage and Guinness ale to feed half of Cork. But we recommend supplementing the traditional fare with a trip to the fresh oyster bar, a Gaelic steak or some Guinness-braised short ribs, and Murph’s simply amazing steamed clams.

The party starts at 6 p.m. tonight. You’ll find the specifics here.

Erin go bragh!
 
 

The grand dame of Waikiki hotels is celebrating a birthday.

The Moana Surfrider Resort opened in 1901—the first hotel on Waikiki Beach. To celebrate, it’s hosting “A Time for Music, Memories and More” on Sunday.

It’s an afternoon of stories, history, live Hawaiian music, hula and, of course, birthday cake. And it’s all complimentary and open to all who wish to attend from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the hotel’s Banyan Courtyard.

The storytelling should be cool. Hawaiian storytellers will talk about the notable events, grand parties and even grander guests that have stayed at the Moana over the years. (Oooh, gossip!) You’ll also hear about the recent restoration of the more-than-century-old “first lady of Waikiki.”

Complimentary tours of the hotel will be offered from noon to 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

There’ll also be an elegant chocolate-themed afternoon tea on the Moana’s Veranda, a fundraiser for Historic Hawaii Foundation. Unfortunately, it’s $100.

On the other hand, you can have regular tea service—for a lot less—at the Veranda any afternoon, just like someone we know very well recently did.

More information on the entire schedule of Sunday afternoon birthday festivities is here.

Happy birthday, Ms. Moana. We should all look so good at 107.

  

Last January, subscriber Karen De La Vina of Phoenix, Ariz., read in HAWAI‘I Magazine that we’d redone our web site.

Propped up in bed with her laptop, she decided to check us out. On the Web site, she took note of a chance to enter our “Shop A Le'a” sweepstakes, celebrating the opening of a whole new retail area in Ala Moana Center, including Hawaii’s first full-service Nordstrom department store.

The sweepstakes prize?  Round-trip tickets from Hawaiian Airlines, seven nights in oceanview room at the Ala Moana Hotel, and a $500 shopping spree at Ala Moana Center.

More than 7,300 people entered. Karen was the winner.

“I can’t believe I won,” said Karen, when we caught up with her last night at one of the opening parties.  “I love Hawaii, I love shopping, I was just here last November, when I subscribed to HAWAII Magazine.”

Karen had been in the Islands since Monday—and had spent everyday shopping, except for some time she took for a lomilomi massage. “I needed it because I’d been on my feet and carrying lots of shopping bags,” she laughed.

The party last night was a chance to shop first in a dozen or so new stores, complete with special Shop a Le'a martinis made with Ocean vodka, desserts from award-winning Honolulu restaurants and special offers from the stores. It was a great night, even if you weren’t shopping. But I may have been the only one not doing that.

Congratulations Karen.