Changes are good at Sheraton: Sheraton Princess Kaiulani’s Te Moana Nui dinner show has returned, updated onstage and at the buffet. Beginning FridayAug. 28, the new menu at Pikake Terrace includes sushi rolls, poke, peel-and-eat shrimp, a salad bar, prime rib, steamed crab legs, barbecue chicken, kalua pork, Korean-style beef and grilled mahimahi. The show has an additional number, a tribute to Princess Kaiulani, along with new costumes and choreography. Cost: $105 adults, $78.75 children ages 5 to 12. For more information, call 921-4600.
Kokua: India Cafe in Kailua is hosting a block party SundayAug. 30 with part of the proceeds going to the Myanmar Business Coalition on AIDS, a nonprofit agency assisting victims of the Myanmar natural disaster. In addition to delicious food, there will be henna tattoos and cultural performances. Cost is $14.95. The restaurant is in Kailua Shopping Center, 600 Kailua Road, next to Times Supermarket. For information, call 262-1800.
“Lieu Dit Winemaker Dinner”: 12th Ave Grill, 1120 12th Ave. in Kaimuki, is holding a dinner with Eric Railsback of Lieu Dit Winery in Santa Barbara, Calif., 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2. Railsback will bring with him some of his Loire Valley varietals to pair with a meal of Kualoa oysters, king crab Oscar, duck trio and rack of Niihau lamb. The $95 price also includes a sparkling reception with appetizers, and a dessert to close out the meal. To reserve, call 732-9469.
53 by the Sea: This is the last weekend to take advantage of 53 by the Sea’s “Bubbly and the Sea” menu. The menu, good through MondayAug. 31, focuses on pairing Champagne or sake with abalone, lobster, oysters and other seafood. Prices range from $10 for a glass of Kubota Ginjo Genshu sake to $96 for a bottle of Tattinger Champagne. Food prices range from $2 for a chilled steamed clam to $196 for an ounce of white sturgeon caviar (limited availability).
Can’t make it? Next month the restaurant is offering a “Degustation 53” menu in honor of its third anniversary. Beginning Sept. 6 and continuing through Sept. 19, enjoy a locally grown meal of Kona kampachi tartare, Kona abalone, broiled Kona lobster, miso catch of the day, beef tenderloin and a dessert. Cost is $125, $185 with wine pairings. Reserve at 536-5353. The eatery is at 53 Ahui St. in Kakaako.
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
>> If you’re craving noodles while in the Kahala area, Goma Tei Ramen opened Aug. 14 in the space previously held by Mark’s Hallmark in Kahala Mall, across from the movie theater. To celebrate its grand opening, the noodle shop is offering 20 percent off Kirin Ichiban, Kona Longboard and Budweiser draft beers until the end of September. This is the fourth Goma Tei Ramen on the island and the biggest at 3,300 square feet. The eatery’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For information, call 732-9188.
>> Fans of Matsuzaka-Tei in Shirokiya’s Yataimura don’t have to fight mall traffic to dine on its delicious sukiyaki-don and other dishes. Owner Masato Sunada opened a second location Aug. 18 in Pearl City at 1029 Makolu St. (next to Starbucks Coffee, across from the Sam’s Club gas station near Walmart). To celebrate its new location, there will be mochi pounding at 3 p.m. Sept. 5 and 6, and diners will receive 10 percent off menu prices through Sept. 6. The 40-seat restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Call 454-0140. Kudos
>> Congratulations to Ben Flores, who has been promoted to bar manager at 12th Ave Grill. Flores joined the grill in January 2014 and has the skills needed to step into Mike Hall’s shoes. Hall left for the mainland in March to be closer to his family. Flores can create something refreshing, savory or sweet to sooth those taste buds.
>> Hiroshi Inoue joins Kahala Hotel & Resort as chef de cuisine of Hoku’s. Born and raised in Osaka, Japan, Inoue was executive sous-chef at the Grand XIV Karuizawa, Nagano, and also worked at Shinkirou in Suzhou, China; L’Osier in Tokyo; The Ritz-Carlton Osaka and The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta; and JOEL Brasserie in Atlanta.
>> And, another congratulations to Kurt Lesmerises, who has been promoted to executive chef at Maui’s Makena Beach & Golf Resort. Lesmerises joined the resort’s culinary team in July 2013. Almost a year later he was promoted to chef de cuisine. Lesmerises has worked at Colorado’s Alpenglow Stube and Der Fondue Chessel as a chef tournant and as a sous-chef at David Paul’s Island Grill and Merriman’s Kapalua, both on Maui.
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