A Plantation-style Thanksgiving feast
Friday - November 16, 2007
|
Del.icio.us | 
Podcast | WineAndDineHawaii.com Share
|
A Helemano Thanksgiving
I don’t think there’s anywhere that can beat the value - and the feel-good appeal - of Helemano Plantation if you’re looking to eat out and enjoy the beauty of our island this Thanksgiving. Take a drive to the beautiful North Shore, stand back and smell the pineapples and then head into Helemano’s casual dining room for an all-youcan-eat buffet that features roast turkey with gravy, traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, sweet potato, salad and homemade pumpkin pie.Ice cream and iced tea or fruit punch are included. The cost? Just $8.50 per person. Part of the reasonable cost can be attributed to the fact that Helemano residents and restaurant workers grow almost all their own food. Vegetable gardens at the plantation are overflowing with produce, and fruit trees and pineapple fields provide fresh local ingredients on a daily basis.
ORI (Opportunities for the Retarded Inc.) runs the programs at Helemano, and the restaurant serves to provide a real work environment for resident clients - many with developmental disabilities.
“Our clients have the opportunity of working in and running a restaurant,“says Helemano’s public relations director, Ron Renshaw. “And the restaurant is also a source of income for our fundraising needs.”
Helemano’s Country Inn is a delightfully unpretentious place to have lunch - think basic caf-style dining with incredibly friendly,well-intentioned staff.If you want to add some meaning to this special holiday and support a program inspiring in its dedication to its clients, then head to Helemano for your holiday meal.
Oh, and before you go, order one of the bakery’s sensational pineapple pies. They’re made-to-order only.
Helemano Plantation 64-1510 Kamehameha Hwy. Wahiawa 622-3929
Wafu and giant shrimp at Hifumi
Hifumi Japanese restaurant is well-known to foodies who love to search for mom-and-pop places off the beaten track. Among the great rewards - once you discover Hifumi in the Chinese Cultural Plaza - is the shrimp tempura.
“These are really huge shrimp,” says restaurant manager Elsie Ching. proudly holding a foot-long shrimp freshly dipped in batter and lightly fried. “Other places say ‘jumbo,’ but the size is no bigger than our regular shrimp. This is giant.“More impressive than the size is the tempura touch at Hifumi. Light, fresh-tasting oil and a crisp, golden batter surround shrimp and vegetables.
“We change the oil every day,“says Elsie, whose husband, Peter, is the expert in their tiny kitchen. “We never use it a second time.” Clean oil plays a crucial part in perfect tempura, and at Hifumi they understand that what customers want to taste is fresh food, not old oil.
There’s still time this month to catch one of the great specials of the year at Hifumi - wafu sizzling combinations that include chicken, pork, ahi, salmon or sea bass, with miso soup tsukemono,tea and an endless supply of rice.
“We give our customers as much rice as they want and never charge for extra,“says Elsie.A second wafu combo includes fresh oysters, scallops, opakapaka and sea bass. Prices start at $10.95 for the combos, and the offer runs through November.
Hifumi 110 N. Beretania St. 536-3035
d.k’s offers more than turkey on Thanksgiving Day
There’s a whole lot more on the menu than traditional roasted turkey at d.k Steak House this year. There’s aged ribeye steak, fresh opakapaka and the restaurant’s juicy, kiawe-smoked and grilled pork chops. Traditional turkey-day dining does include perfectly roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes and trimmings.Appetizers on the special Thanksgiving night menu include bacon-wrapped shrimp, escargot and smoked salmon. There’s a choice of Kahuku corn chowder or a steak house salad, and for dessert the irresistible apple bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, pumpkin tiramisu or vanilla panna cotta.
It’s one easy way to solve the problem of guests who want to try something other than turkey on the big day. The d.k Steak House menu is available from 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 22, and costs $50 per person.
Next door, on the third floor of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar will offer a Thanksgiving menu that includes seafood ceviche, ahi sashimi and braised lamb shanks along with a Sansei style turkey dinner. d.k Steak House Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, 2552 Kalakaua Ave.
931-6280
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
