Anniversary celebration and foodie gifts

Jo McGarry
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Friday - November 07, 2008
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Indigo chef David Cruz

A bite-sized look at food events in Honolulu.

15 Years of Indigo - DJ Steven Lee to Play This Weekend.

Indigo restaurant has been a tasteful fixture in Chinatown these past 15 years. This month the Asian-fusion restaurant celebrates its anniversary with a series of food and wine events - and a new lease. “Yes, we finally signed the lease,” says a smiling Greg Johnston, Indigo vice president, of the well-pub-licized lease drama that’s been ongoing for years. With an interior refurbishment, a fresh coat of paint, new menu items and a new head chef in the kitchen, Indigo is all set to celebrate.

“We have a series of events planned for November,” says Johnson. These include a Samuel Adams beer event, a Spanish wine festival, and, this coming weekend, an evening spent in the company of one of the world’s top DJs. “Steven Lee is the hottest DJ around right now,” says Johnson. “He’s played the world’s best clubs, and we’re really excited to have him at Indigo this weekend.”


Special guest DJ Keith Chambers also will join the party, which happens Saturday, Nov. 8. Indigo’s stylish dining room will be transformed into a late-night club on Saturday evening after dinner - serious clubbers should arrive early. Expect a huge crowd for the DJ who’s been described as “a sensation” and “phenomenal.” For more information on the monthlong events at Indigo:

http://www.indigo-hawaii.com
World renowned DJ Steven Lee
Indigo
Saturday, Nov. 8
$10 cover

521-2900

Mary Ann Bowman, Charlie Longhi and Corey Hanna at Longhi’s

Longhi’s Makes Gift-giving Simple.

You know the holidays are just around the corner when restaurant gift cards start to come with an added incentive - a gift for you. At Longhi’s, diners who get their holiday gifts in early will benefit from the restaurant’s pre-holiday sale.

“We’re offering complimentary gift certificates to all our customers who buy gift cards for the holidays,” says Longhi’s manager Mary Ann Bowman. From a $25 bonus certificate with a $250 purchase to $200 in gift certificates with a $1,000 purchase, Longhi’s holiday offer applies throughout the month of November only.

With a view of the beach at Ala Moana, trade winds that breeze through open windows and a menu that’s packed with fresh food, Longhi’s offers some of the best eating in town. And sharing is positively encouraged. Dishes like Filet Longhi $38 (a 10-ounce filet served with sautéed red and yellow peppers and fresh basil-butter sauce), and Rib Eye Steak $38 (a 16-ounce Niman Ranch rib eye finished with a balsamic reduction) are served pupu-style, making sharing simple - and economical. “It’s a great way to eat, ” says owner Charlie Longhi, “and we encourage all our guests to try different dishes and share.”

Longhi’s Restaurant
Ala Moana Center
9479899
http://www.longhis.com

The Sansei sushi team: Richard Kobayashi, Rod Dizer, Kelly Sullivan and Greg Gaboan

Jazz and Sushi at Sansei.

If sushi with a side order of live jazz appeals, then there’s no place else to be late night Thursdays than Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Waikiki to hear modern jazz ensemble New Jazz Quartet. The group plays live every Thursday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and plays a mixture of traditional and contemporary jazz with a fresh, new appeal. While you’re there, take advantage of Sansei’s “Reverse Happy Hour,” where there’s 50 percent off all food and sushi orders after 10 p.m.


There’s also popular free karaoke every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. with the same specials on food and drinks. But whether you go for jazz, karaoke or the incredible happy hour deals, there’s one thing you shouldn’t miss - the new sushi items on the menu. D.K. Kodama and his talented sushi team have created some of the freshest, most exciting sushi in town. Torched Kona Kampachi, Japanese Yellowtail Nori with Aioli Poke and Cajun Seared White Tuna Sashimi are just a few of the stunning new sushi items on the menu.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa

2552 Kalakaua Ave.
931-6286

Aaron Placourakis and Al Souza Jr. at Aaron’s

Early Birds Catch a Great Deal at Aaron’s.

Catching the sunset view from Aaron’s on the top of the Ala Moana Hotel has always been a relaxing way to ease into an evening. Now, if you catch dinner before 6:30 p.m., it’s an easy way to put less stress on your wallet, too. The early-evening dinner special features a three-course sampling of some of Aaron’s most-celebrated dishes. Choose from appetizers that include filet mignon teriyaki, classic Caesar salad or calamari fritti, then move to entrees that include fresh catch of the day, Pasta Valdez (seared beef filet, shiitake mushroom and vine-ripened tomatoes over linguine), Fire Roasted Kalbi Chicken, or Black Pork Chop (with pineapple marmalade, curry sauce and toasted macadamia nuts).

The three-course menu includes dessert and costs $30 and is served Sunday through Thursday only. Sunset Happy Hour runs nightly from 5 to 7 p.m., with half off drink specials.

Aaron’s Atop the Ala Moana
410 Atkinson Dr.
955-4466

Sekiya’s Still Offers Home-style Japanese Delights.

With the closing of yet another favorite local restaurant (Flamingo Restaurant closed last week), Honolulu has fewer places to enjoy a taste of home-cooked favorites. Sekiya’s is one of the few original family-run restaurants still serving dishes true to recipes conceived almost 100 years ago. A large part of Sekiya’s attraction is the fact that the deli serves hard-to-find items including corned beef hash tempura balls, netsuke butterfish that comes as fillet, belly or tail and a variety of sushi and musubi. Okazu dishes, including chow fun noodles, fried noodles, kuromame, namasu and nishime, are sold by the pound. Sekiya’s opens at 8 a.m., and okazu items are served until 4:30 p.m. daily.

For a look at the menu:
http://www.sekiyasrestaurant.com

Sekiya’s Restaurant and Delicatessen
2746 Kaimuki Ave.
Honolulu
732-1656

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