A holiday seafood feast with a view
Friday - December 07, 2007
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A bite-sized sampling of food events in Honolulu.
Hong Kong Harbor View
Hong Kong Harbor View Seafood Restaurant in Aloha Tower Marketplace is bringing back its popular holiday menus beginning now and running through Jan. 6.
Featuring some of the signature dishes created by chef Chih Chieh Chang, the 10-course meal starts with deep-fried scallop balls, and crabmeat and seafood with ground spinach tofu soup. Entrees include Maine lobster with garlic butter sauce, Peking duck, Hawaiian prawns with coconut and dry garlic, abalone with three kinds of vegetables, Thai-style tenderloin steak with curry sauce, and steamed stuffed whole fish - all accompanied by duck meat and taro fried rice. For dessert, the restaurant is offering French-style pumpkin pudding with red bean pastry.
The complete menu is available for lunch and dinner, priced at $268, with a limit of 10 people per table and a three table maximum.
Hong Kong Harbor View is located on the second floor of Aloha Tower Marketplace with views across Honolulu harbor. No MSG is used in any of the dishes.
And for dim sum lovers, there’s a special offered daily from 10 to 11 a.m. when dim sum is just $1.95.
For complete details and holiday reservations, call Hong Kong Harbor View Seafood Restaurant at 566-9989.
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Los Chaparros
The name means “the shorties,” and the owners are happy to let you know that it refers to them.
“Our family and friends have always called us ‘the shorties,’” says Lisa Barron, “so Mario designed the logo and we decided to go with the name.” The catchy name and tasty food have been gath- ering a loyal following since the restaurant opened in September of 2005, but Lisa and Mario wanted to take things slowly and build their restaurant one step at a time.
“I never dreamed I’d run a restaurant by myself,” says Mexican-born Mario, “but Lisa and I went to so many Mexican restaurants and we always found something missing. When the food was OK, the service was terrible; when the service was good, the food was just OK.”
So the two decided to introduce the food they love to local palates.
Los Chaparros is located on Beretania Street and serves a variety of food that combines some traditional Mexican dishes with what the couple calls “American Mexican.”
“We thought that if we gave people some dishes that they’d recognize along with our own favorites, then that way they would come to learn more about the food,” says Mario. That’s why you’ll find nachos next to ceviche, and crispy tacos on the menu next to tortas and mole enchiladas, along with 11 different combo plates rather than the standard four or five you’ll find elsewhere. “I think that our idea was to start with the expected idea of Mexican food,” says Mario, “and then go outside of the box.”
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Try the addictive deep, smoky, fresh salsa made from grilled tomatoes and you’ll immediately get an idea of how good the food is.“We want to make a good impression,” says Mario of the chips and salsa that begin every meal. “We feel that when people taste the salsa we make a statement - and are making a good impression. People realize when they eat it that we’re doing something right.”
Closed on Mondays, the restaurant is busy during weekends, so you might want to try lunch or an early weeknight dinner for your first visit. Parking is a bit of a challenge - there’s a small lot out front - but there’s a lot of street parking if you look.
Los Chaparros has begun serving daily specials in addition to its regular menu, and Lisa and Mario are taking orders for holiday catering.
Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant
2140 Beretania St. 951-6399
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