A weekend full of St. Patrick’s Day fun, food
Friday - March 16, 2007
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Annie and Alice Yeung, owners of Panya Bistro, have a reputation for elegant,
sophisticated foods that celebrate a variety of cultures. You can be
sure that their Irish potato soup, served this week as part of a special
menu, will be hearty, warming and delicious.
Ready to get your Irish up? It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, which means you celebrate on Saturday and have Sunday to recover. The annual St.Patrick’s Day parade takes place in Waikiki at noon beginning on Saratoga Avenue and ending at Kapiolani Park. Celtic pipes and drums, marching bands, and some very friendly sons and daughters of St. Patrick make this one of the most memorable parades of the year. Around town, a variety of restaurants celebrate with special menus, music and multiple selections of Emerald Isle-inspired food.
Here are a few of the best: St.Patrick’s Day Block Party at Murphy’s Bar and Grill
It’s billed as the grandest party in the Pacific, and the annual celebration at Murphy’s has a couple of regulars who actually fly in from Guam for the event each year. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” a happy, green-and-orange-clad drinker told me last year as he downed a pint of Guinness.“It’s our annual vacation, and it’s cheaper than going to Ireland!”
Guinness is on tap both in the bar and out on the street, and there are a number of food booths set up in the Bank of Hawaii parking lot and on Nuuanu Avenue and Merchant Street.“We expect to see about 12,000-15,000 people here this year,“says Murphy’s owner Don Murphy, who as usual is praying to the Emerald Isle’s most famous saint for a day filled with sunshine.
Rain or shine,booths at Murphy’s block party will feature:
Shucked oysters Steak sandwiches Fish and chips Corned beef and cabbage Dessert stations with Guinness Cheesecake, Bailey’s Brownies, and Tir O’ Misu.
Food stations by Side Street Inn and Compadres
Live music from 5 p.m.
Corned beef and cabbage — the perfect pairing for a pint of Guinness —
and served all day long at a number of restaurants celebrating St.
Patrick’s Day. This plate’s from Murphy’s Bar and Grill, home of the largest
party in the Pacific.
Irish Keiki Fair
A keiki festival takes place from noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, in the Bank of Hawaii parking lot opposite Murphy’s. The tented area will have bouncy castles, face painting, balloons, storytelling and mini plates of food. The keiki festival is free (lunch plates are available for $2 - all proceeds go to Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation) and the first 100 children to arrive will receive a specially designed Murphy’s leprechaun coloring book with crayons.
Murphy’s Bar and Grill 2 Merchant St. Honolulu 531-0422
St Patrick’s Day at Panya
Just the fact that Annie and Alice Yeung, owners of Panya bakery, do everything with such style and grace makes me want to rush over and try their Irish offerings this week. Panya’s special Irish menu runs March 15-18 and features corned beef and cabbage, potato soup and traditional Irish soda bread. Panya is known for its pastries and unusually elegant take on a variety of ethnic dishes, and there’s no doubt that its potato soup and soda bread will be well worth the trip. Parking is easy, just drive to the mall level at Ala Moana Center and you’ll find this beautiful bakery and restaurant next to Longs.
Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday. 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Panya also features a daily Happy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m. and from 9 p.m. ‘til closing.
Panya Bistro Ala Moana Center 946-6388 www.panyagroup.com
Hale Koa Pipes and Drums
Hale Koa celebrations get off to a powerful start this weekend with the arrival of the United States Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club. The choral group will perform on Thursday, March 15 at 4 p.m. in the Banyan Courtyard, and the Hale Koa restaurants will then offer a variety of Irish specials. On Saturday, March 17, head over to the hotel for a concert featuring the Celtic Pipes and Drum Corp followed by the annual St. Patrick’s Day Beach Party. The Hale Koa is open to all active and retired military personnel, Reserve and National Guard members, their dependents and current and retired Department of Defense civilians.
Hale Koa Hotel On the Beach at Waikiki
955-0555
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