TO-DO LIST: 1. Check out “Aperitivo! ” at Nobu. CHECK
2. Attend the inaugural event of Fruit Fly at thirtyninehotel.
3. Buy local at the Made in Hawaii Festival. CHECK
4. Watch Tropic Thunder. CHECK
I think I better start limiting myself to three activities per weekend. Something on my list always goes undone. Sigh.
::APERITIVO!::
This is Nobu’s version of happy hour, and as such, it’s a success. The deal: Order a tasting trio of three dishes (chef’s choice) plus your choice of cocktail for $18. Compared to two-buck Bud Lights at your local watering hole, that’s no deal, but considering that one drink at Nobu costs $14, it’s a steal. It’s all relative, right?
A friend and I went Friday evening to check out “Aperetivo!,” a concept that the folks at Nobu central say is modeled after the southern European tradition of having a drink and a few bites of good food to whet the appetite before a meal. The only Nobu restaurants that offer the pre-meal deal are the ones in Milan and Honolulu. On Friday, the tasting dishes were a kobe beef gyoza, clam ceviche and teriyaki beef tenderloin skewers. We both ordered fruity —and perfectly mixed — martinis to accompany our trio of tasting dishes. The food was incredible. Everything was fresh and beautifully prepared (not that I expected anything less). The drinks were great. And for $18, it really was a great deal.
::FRUIT FLY::
I didn’t make it to “Fruit Fly.” A last-minute plan to have drinks with friends took precedence, and a request for Lava Flows from the visiting mainland friend decided our destination: Hukilau. We drank (or more accurately: they drank) fruity pink cocktails, listened to Hawaiian music and wala’au-ed until we were too tired to do anything else. What better way to spend a night in paradise?
::MADE IN HAWAII FESTIVAL::
I went. I shopped. I cringed at the amount of really bad art, crafts and clothes. Who knew people still made clothes with puffy paint designs? Wow.
::TROPIC THUNDER::
I saw it. Did I love it? I’m sorry to say I didn’t. Read more here.
AFTER A SUDDEN CLOSURE TUESDAY night, rumors about why Chi-town club Next Door closed its doors were spreading faster than you could say the gentrification of Chinatown.
Event promoters who have regular gigs at the Hotel Street haunt said Wednesday that they had heard the place had been shut down because of some undisclosed violation of a Liquor Commission code, but people affiliated with the club were saying it wasn’t as serious as all that. Turns out both sides were right.
This is what we know:
•Initially, the folks at Next Door weren’t saying anything at all. Then they released an unofficial statement yesterday saying that they had closed because they were having sound problems and that they would reopen tomorrow in time for First Friday.
•A report issued June 6 by the Liquor Commission stated that Next Door has been put on probation. Liquor Commission administrator Dewey Kim said that the club is indeed having sound problems — and neighbor problems. Kim said there have been, and continue to be, complaints about the club’s noise level, prompting the probation. During the probation period of six months, commission officials will make routine visits to the club to monitor its sound levels. He said the commission did not order the club to close, and that Next Door has been making an effort to solve its sound problems by hiring a sound engineer and making improvemnets to the air conditioning system, which helps to buffer the sound.
•At 3:15 today, Next Door issued an official statement saying that it will be closed until August 1 for renovation. The statement said:
The venue will be working on some improvements including adding more air conditioning, re-doing interior decoration, and re-organizing and improving the sound system.
As we approach our 3rd anniversary, we want to improve the quality in ambiance, sound, and our entertainment … All in-house promotions including Acid Wash Wednesday, Chinatown Sessions, and Chinatown Social Club will be postponed until August. These events will NOT be moved to another venue.
It’s still not clear why the club decided to close so suddenly and without notice. Phone calls to Next Door staff members have not been returned.
I wrote about Fort Street bar & Grill a couple of weeks ago, which prompted a Wednesday-night gathering of friends at the bar about which I had raved. Some were already devoted fans of the place and others were there for the first time but everyone agreed that, as far as bars go, this one is awesome. Cheap drinks, good food and great service — the trifecta of post-work happiness.
The sizzling charbroiled New York steak with mushrooms, onions and herb garlic butter is super ‘ono.
Side Street Inn’s famous pork chops are served here too. Both places are owned by Colin Nishida.
The grilled chili and garlic dry rub boneless short ribs. Perfect in every way.
And one for health-conscious (relatively speaking, of course): miso marinated chicken.
Saturday marks the grand opening of Champions Sports Bar & Grill, a new hangout that’s supposed to trump the competition. I don’t know much about it, but the press release makes it sound like the happiest place on earth:
Champions, being touted as an upscale ultra sports bar, boasts a
comfortable lounge atmosphere, designed as a place for friends to
gather to watch a game, play pool or darts, and listen to music. For
the true sports aficionado, the venue offers 18 42″ plasmas, ensuring
not one play will be missed. Food and beverage connoisseurs will enjoy
the 50 foot long bar that will serve upscale pupus and cocktail
creations that promise culinary delights never before experienced in a
sports bar.
I think it might be a mainland chain, but I’m not sure.
It’s located at 1108 Ke’eaumoku St. in the former Easy Music Center building between Beretania and Young streets.
It will open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Honolulu’s girl-about-town, Christa Wittmier, has launched a new website that’s going to have people all over this city throwing back shots in celebration. And if they can get the shots on the cheap, even better. That’s where the website comes in.Wittmier is the editor for the Honolulu division of myopenbar.com, a website devoted to — brace yourselves drinkers and cheapskates alike — listing all of the events in the city that offer cheap or free booze. I think I hear a warbled “woohoo” from somewhere in Manoa.
Myopenbar.com also operates in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was started by a couple of snarky New Yorkers who liked to blog and liked to drink and put it all together and what do you get? Wittmier approached co-founder Seva Granik about launching a Honolulu section and he agreed. Yay for us!
The site is well-organized and super user-friendly, breaking the events down by days of the week. One of the best things about it is that it’s not an objective, dry listing of all the same stuff we already know about. In keeping with the original mission of the founders, Wittmier offers snarky, honest comments about the listed events. There’s nothing worse than being told how to spend your time by someone who doesn’t know how to be honest. Go ahead and tell me that the drinks are cheap at Pipeline, but you better also tell me that I won’t be drinking in elegance.
There probably isn’t a better person than Wittmier to steer this operation, because she knows things about this city that I could only hope to know (or maybe not). Like, did you know that you can get a free martini Thursday night at Nobu just for showing up? And that there’s such a thing as a “Geek BBQ” Sunday at Ala Moana beach park? Yeah, Me neither.
Hopefully they keep the site updated (this city suffers from an overabundance of outdated event listings) and DON’T (please don’t) let people post their own events because it’s all downhill after that ….
AFTER A SUDDEN CLOSURE TUESDAY night, rumors about why Chi-town club Next Door closed its doors were spreading faster than you could say the gentrification of Chinatown.
Honolulu’s girl-about-town, Christa Wittmier, has launched a new website that’s going to have people all over this city throwing back shots in celebration. And if they can get the shots on the cheap, even better. That’s where the website comes in.Wittmier is the editor for the Honolulu division of myopenbar.com, a website devoted to — brace yourselves drinkers and cheapskates alike — listing all of the events in the city that offer cheap or free booze. I think I hear a warbled “woohoo” from somewhere in Manoa.
