Hawaii Regional Cuisine pioneer and chef-restaurateur Peter Merriman will open a restaurant in about 18 months at the SALT complex along Ala Moana Boulevard, he told TheBuzz.
The 7,000-square-foot restaurant will be a cousin to the Monkeypod Kitchen group of restaurants, Merriman said, indicating it won’t be an upscale Merriman’s restaurant such as his flagship restaurant in Waimea on Hawaii island.
"The concept will be similar to Monkeypod," he said, which is more along the lines of burgers, pizzas and 36 beers on tap.
Full details for the new concept are still being developed, but similar to other restaurants by Merriman and partner Bill Terry’s Handcrafted Restaurants LLC, "it will feature locally sourced, handcrafted food at moderate prices," the company said in a statement.
Merriman said his new venture would "continue the Monkeypod ethic of making everything from scratch."
SALT is the complex of buildings bounded by Ala Moana Boulevard and Auahi, Keawe and Coral streets. It is a cluster of commercial buildings named for historic salt ponds of the 1900s.
It is promoted by landowner Kamehameha Schools as "Honolulu’s Urban Island Marketplace" on the saltkakaako.com website.
"Some brands like to be in hip places. Some brands like to be where the locals are. Some brands want both … SALT," the site says. It stops short of using the term "hipster" — which can have negative connotations — however, some people wearing snap-backs (adjustable baseball caps) can be seen on the SALT site.
Merriman is "excited" to be developing a restaurant in Kakaako, as most of his restaurant ventures have been in resort areas, "but I’ve really wanted to get into the local" scene, he said.
Foodies will appreciate that the Los Angeles Times likened Merriman to "the Alice Waters of the islands, forging connections between farmers and diners since he started his first restaurant in 1988."
Waters is a California-based culinary icon known for sourcing the food for her restaurant Chez Panisse from local farmers, for advocating organic farming and for promoting sustainable restaurant practices.
The restaurant previously known as Merriman’s Market Cafe and Merriman’s Mediterranean Cafe in Waikoloa Resort’s King’s Shops has closed. However, in addition to his flagship Waimea restaurant, Merriman’s restaurants include Merriman’s Kapalua, on Maui, Merriman’s Fish House and Merriman’s Gourmet Pizza & Burgers in Poipu, Kauai, and Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman in Wailea, Maui, and in Ko Olina.
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On the Net:
» merrimanshawaii.com
» www.monkeypodkitchen.com
» www.saltatkakaako.com
Hyatt to test chefs’ mettle
It must be nice to work for a hotel company.
Chefs from across Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in North America will get a free trip to Hawaii in November.
However, it won’t be to get R&R or sun, sand and surf before the rigors of Thanksgiving preparations at their home hotel properties.
Instead, the dozen rising-star sous-chefs, supervising chefs and executive sous-chefs will battle it out in the Good Taste Series, an internal cooking competition highlighting the company’s in-house talent.
Whether Gary Johnson, part of the culinary team at the (Hyatt-run) Andaz Maui Wailea will be able to leverage a home-field advantage, will be played out during the Nov. 4 competition.
Judges will score two dishes per chef according to several criteria including technique, flavor, presentation, authenticity and some internal branding standards.
The winner will receive a weeklong trip to the Hyatt destination of their choice within the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean, including a week of paid vacation, rooms and travel, a year’s subscription to his culinary publication of choice, a Shun knife, a $500 gift card and, oh yeah, bragging rights and a trophy.
"We look forward to cheering on the Chefs in this first ever competition," said Susan Terry, vice president of culinary operations, in a statement.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
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CLARIFICATION: Merriman’s flagship restaurant in Waimea, on Hawaii island, is open for business, having marked its 25th anniversary in December. The last paragraph of TheBuzz may have given the incorrect impression that the restaurant had closed. Only the restaurant previously known as Merriman’s Market Cafe and Merriman’s Mediterranean Cafe in Waikoloa Resort’s King’s Shops is closed.
