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For folks who have a huge interest in restaurants but not the pocketbook to match, Restaurant Week Hawai‘i is a fun time of year. With prix fixe menus and special discounts, diners can more affordably explore Oahu’s bustling restaurant scene.
Beyond the instant gratification of a great meal, patronizing Restaurant Week venues supports higher education. Part of profits generated during the event benefit the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head, Hawaii’s only advanced, four-year culinary program.
The first phase of the school’s construction was completed in the spring. The Legislature has committed $20 million over the next two years to the second phase of construction, which includes a signature restaurant, competition auditorium, teaching laboratories, classrooms and office space, said Conrad Nonaka, director of the institute. The funding must be met with $10 million raised privately by the school, he said, and fundraising is ongoing.
There’s a bonus this year: For its 10th anniversary the event has been extended to 10 days — Nov. 10-19 — the better to hit up new participants including Baku, Uncle’s Fish Market & Grill, Bethel Union, 100 Sails, Flour & Barley, Herringbone and Umamiya.
These join the more than 50 other restaurants on the lineup, from the fanciest cuisine (think Senia, Pai Honolulu and Alan Wong’s) to the most casual (Hank’s Haute Dogs and Diamond Head Market & Grill, for instance) and everything in between (Vino, Grondin, 12th Ave Grill and Pietro, to name a few). For a complete list, visit restaurantweekhawaii.com.
Here’s a small sampling of what’s on menus:
>> Nobu Honolulu’s five-course family-style menu includes hotate uni tiradito (Peruvian raw dish of scallops and sea urchin); ahi sashimi salad; spiny lobster tempura; dry-rubbed Wagyu steak; and cream-cheese mousse, caramelized apples, milk chocolate chai chantilly and almond Florentine ($65) Add a sushi course ($80) and wines ($9 per glass) if you wish.
>> D.K Steak House’s prix fixe menu features watermelon caprese salad, chive and pepper gnocchi gratin, filet mignon or catch of the day, and chocolate decadence cake or gelato, all for $65 ($79 with wine pairings).
>> At Uncle’s, $40 will get you a three-course meal of either lobster bisque or sashimi salad; coconut-crusted onaga, furikake ahi or mahi saute; and mocha ice cream cake.
>> The Street: A Michael Mina Social House offers three deals, each from a different vendor. Breakfast, from La Mill ($12): Select any standard acai bowl or breakfast sandwich with a cup of brewed La Mill drip coffee. Lunch, at Little Lafa ($15): any lafa combo plate. Dinner, at Ayesha Curry’s International Smoke ($17.99): Get a combo of one protein and two sides, a side of rice, your choice of a banana or chocolate pudding dessert, plus a soda.
>> Rainbow Drive-In’s deal: a special mix plate ($8.95) of fried saimin, barbecue steak, rice, mac salad and a large soda.
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