Fans of the super burritos and fish tacos at Taco Zarate have only until Saturday to get their last fix, as the Mexican takeout restaurant at Kahala Square will be closing on that day in anticipation of an upscale development to take place at the end of summer.
The restaurant, owned by Paul Zarate, opened two years ago across from Kahala Mall on Waialae Avenue after growing a customer base as a taco truck and farmers market vendor.
An announcement on the business’s Facebook page Thursday said, “We would like to thank you for all the support over the past 9 years as we took it from a weekly pop-up selling burritos out of a cooler to a brick and mortar location in Kahala.”
On Monday a post said Taco Zarate was open for business from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the King Kamehameha Day holiday. “This is our final week of business. … We hope to feed you one last time this week.” The business opened its first bricks-and-mortar location in 2013 on King Street in Moiliili.
Kamehameha Schools is redeveloping a block-long section of businesses along Waialae Avenue, to be called Kahala Marketplace, stretching from Hunakai Street to Kilauea Avenue. Construction is set to start in September, with an opening date of 2020.
Baku Waikiki shuts down in marketplace
One of eight restaurants on the International Market Place’s Grand Lanai closed earlier this month.
The more than 150-seat Baku Waikiki shut down after nine months in business.
It served steaks, pork, duck, lamb and skewers cooked on a robata charcoal grill, in addition to sushi and tempura dishes.
The space is under construction for a new concept, according to a worker at the upscale shopping center in the bustling tourism district.
The restaurant with fish-theme decor opened in September on the Grand Lanai, which is left with seven eateries: StripSteak, Eating House 1849, Goma Tei Ramen, Kona Grill, Herringbone, Flour & Barley and Yauatcha.
Baku was in an out-of-the-way makai corner of the center’s open-air top level and featured chef Joseph Rose, who earned a Michelin star in Chicago.
The first Baku opened in Charlotte, N.C., in 2013 as a robata and yakitori eatery serving nontraditional Japanese cuisine by founders Steve Houraney and Afshin Ghazi.
Hawaii island
Man, 38, apparently drowns at Waipio Valley Beach
The Hawaii County Fire Department says a 38-year-old man drowned Sunday in waters off Waipio Valley Beach in Honokaa.
The department responded to an 11:24 a.m. call with an engine company, an ambulance, a battalion chief and two helicopters. When the first units arrived at the beach three minutes later, bystanders were already performing CPR on the man.
Further efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Maui
Surfer, 68, revived after being pulled from ocean
A 68-year-old surfer who was pulled unresponsive from waters near Ukumehame Beach Park in West Maui on Saturday was revived after a group effort and after a paramedic unit from Maalaea arrived, the Maui Fire Department said.
The Kula man was in waters about 40 yards from shore.
Bystanders brought the victim to shore and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. “A paramedic, a firefighter, and a person from the Coast Guard, all from Maui and off-duty at the time, were on the beach nearby and eventually took over CPR efforts” until paramedics arrived at 6:38 p.m., the Fire Department said.
The victim was ultimately revived after responding emergency crews arrived, officials said. He was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition at around 7 p.m. Saturday.
Paramedic crews from Maalaea and Napili, and firefighters from Lahaina responded to the incident.
