Bambu Martini Bar, formerly known as The Row Bar, has served its last. It closed after service Saturday and will reopen under new ownership.
"We’ve been there 22 years. That’s long enough," said partner Alan Beall, who opened the watering hole amid Restaurant Row in the complex’s infancy.
He and partners Jane and Al Sieverts were not prepared to extend their lease, though he described their departure as "a friendly move-out."
The bar had agreements with a revolving slate of operators of the neighboring restaurant space to provide food to patrons enjoying its al fresco space. The restaurant space has been closed since the last iteration of Castagnola’s moved out just over a year ago.
"It was a wonderful bar, very profitable from the beginning and a great success for us," said Beall.
Officials at Waterfront Plaza were unavailable to confirm talk that the space will be reopened by a nearby tenant, who also could not be reached.
Fragrant battle will bloom at mall
Four of Hawaii’s top floral designers will compete at 11 a.m. May 19 at Kahala Mall in the first "Buy Local Bridal Floral Challenge" sponsored by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
A growing problem for Hawaii’s floriculture industry has been that "local consumers don’t ask for local flowers for special occasions such as weddings," Chairman Russell Kokubun said in a statement. "We want to demonstrate how supporting local growers may also help to create exceptional and memorable wedding bouquets and reception tables."
Buying local will reduce the amount of flowers imported to Hawaii, which also will cut the number of invasive species that compromise local plants and flowers, said Carol Okada, Agriculture Department Plant Quarantine Branch manager. Additionally, "we are hoping that wedding planners and brides-to-be will become more aware of the exciting and beautiful floral options that are available from local growers."
Competing designers include Easley Designs, Exquisite Hawaiian Weddings, The Floral Boutique Inc. and Su-V Expressions. They will face off in two categories: finished bouquets and tablescapes, creating the latter in front of the gathered audience within one hour. Designers will get live-competition assistance from REA Events, Royal Party Rentals and Event Essentials.
The Agriculture Department and Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association will provide flowers and foliage for the competition, including one secret item that competitors will be required to incorporate in their tablescape designs.
Bouquets will be on display for public voting, while tablescapes will be reviewed by a special panel of judges.
Trippin’ cheaply and differently
Discount travel site Hotwire.com put Hawaii’s USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor at No. 2 in its 10 top destinations for Memorial Day, behind the WWII Memorial in Washington.
As happens with many holidays, the true meaning has given way to mattress sales, crazy car markdowns and planning for three-day getaways — though the Hotwire list does honor somber memorials, along with average nearby hotel rates.
The $128 cited near the Arizona Memorial seems low, yes? To which ones is Hotwire referring?
"We don’t reveal the hotel names until after the (online) booking," said a Hotwire spokesman "I can tell you that it’s an average daily rate from all the local properties we represent on Hotwire, from the one- to five-star." Site users can search "Honolulu" to check out prices, he said.
A totally different overnight experience is recommended by another travel site, Cheapflights.ca. Its Top 10 Camping Destinations list recommends Haleakala National Park on Maui. The site cites the Kipahulu rain forest, Waimoku Falls and the sometimes risky pools in Oheo Gulch. It recommends pitching a tent or entering a lottery for one of the cabins.
Cotopaxi National Park in Ecuador, Glacier National Park in Montana and Jasper National Park in Alberta also are on the list.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
