I once believed that if only someone would pay me for each of my great ideas, I’d be a millionaire many times over. But I learned pretty quickly that great ideas abound. They bubble up with the zeitgeist, so obvious in a particular time, place and circumstance that if you’re not prepared to act, someone else will beat you to it.

Master sommelier Chuck Furuya had long been talking about introducing dining a la cart, literally, over at Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, with service that borrowed from the mobile tableside temptations of the dim sum restaurant.

Then, four years ago, San Francisco’s State Bird Provisions beat him to the punch and went on to win the 2013 James Beard Award for top restaurant. The food there isn’t fancy or ground-breaking, but making selections from the tantalizing array of dishes on the food-laden carts sure is fun, and the concept easily won over the nation’s top critics. (See my blog post about my experience there at bit.ly/1CkF2kE.)

Cart service is part of that restaurant’s DNA. Over at Vino, it’s a once-a-month treat that happens the third Wednesday, a break from traditional dinner service. The experience brings chef Keith Endo out of the kitchen to interact with guests as prep takes place at the front of the restaurant. Due to the event’s popularity, dinner is by reservation only.

Guests can order their favorite dishes off of Vino’s regular menu and add supplemental dishes from the cart, or opt to order from the cart alone. Typically offered are trios of cold, hot and room-temperature items.

Last month’s cold favorites were chilled Kona Maine lobster with tarragon aioli and Kumamoto oysters with champagne vinaigrette, Osetra caviar and cucumber. At room temp were broccolini Milanese with almonds and a sunnyside-up egg, grilled vegetable lasagna, and salad of compressed beets and Jamon Iberico, a cured ham. On the hot menu were Tuscan skirt steak with baby arugula, tomato confit and truffle oil; pork belly bacon with peppercorn demi-glace, Kahuku corn and crispy onions; and free-range organic chicken sausage with grilled peppers and Granny Smith apples.

Another plus is that sister restaurant Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas makes its own contributions to cart night, typically with a quartet of plates that add to guests’ choices for the evening. Last month’s offerings were seared kampachi ($6.95), bacon-wrapped asparagus ($8.95), crispy Kauai shrimp with strawberry-mint marinara ($14.50) and seared mahimahi ($19.95).

Furuya said he was inspired by visiting restaurants with display kitchens that offer transparency into what is being prepped and served, the colorful visuals whetting the appetite for the meal to come.

The idea also is an update of old-fashioned tableside service involved in the prep of such dishes as Caesar salad, Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster. Furuya said that with such service, the guest’s experience depends on the skill of a particular waiter. At Vino’s cart night, dishes are prepared by Endo for consistency.

Reservations are being taken for the next event March 18. As A La "Cart" Night evolves, new ideas will be tried; this month, they’ll be setting up a mozzarella bar that allows guests to watch the cheese-making process and pick ingredients to go with their cheese, such as salami, Jamon Iberico, a variety of pestos and olive oils, and local produce.

"This way it’s more fun and casual," Furuya said. "The day of the formal restaurant is disappearing. There’s not as many people looking for that experience as there used to be."

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.

BITE SIZE

Think pink in pursuit of a dog

Hollywood icon Pink’s Hot Dogs is moving into Sea Life Park on Saturday. To celebrate the arrival of the Tinseltown import, the first 300 guests to arrive through the gates and mention #sealifepink, daily from Saturday through March 14, will receive a voucher for a free hot dog with paid admission.

The restaurant will have service windows both inside and outside the park, so both passers-by and park visitors can enjoy a dog.

Pink’s Hot Dogs has been a magnet for celebrities since 1939 at its original location at Melrose and La Brea avenues. Since then, many of Pink’s dogs have been named after celebrity clients, from Jay Leno to Martha Stewart.

In honor of its new residence, Pink’s has created a couple of island dogs: Pink’s Famous Hawaiian-Style dog, a 9-inch wiener grilled and smothered in teriyaki sauce and topped with cole slaw and Dole pineapple; and the Makapu’u Mama Mia, a 9-inch dog with sauteed peppers, onions and mushrooms, chopped tomato and shredded mozzarella, a concoction originally dreamed up by celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis.

Pink’s at Sea Life Park will also feature Polish dogs, hamburgers and its signature chili, slathered on a dog or served up on its own.

Sea Life Park Hawai’i is at 41-202 Kalanianaole Highway and is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call 259-2500.

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