Cleansing water and Oktoberfest fun
Friday - September 26, 2008
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Ihilani Spa Offers Hydrotherapy From Within.
Those of you addicted to carrying bottles of hydrating fluid around all day (Does anyone drink just plain water anymore?) should head out to Ihilani for a taste of the newest health phenomenon to hit the islands. If you rely on vitamins, crave a healthy glow and love to be seen with trendy products, then Borba is for you. Attractively packaged with a top that conveniently turns into a cup, Borba has no calories, no chemical additives and is infused with fruits high in antioxidants like pomegranate, lychee, acai, goji berries and lychee. Ingredients in the water also include antioxidants like green tea along with an impressive number of vitamins.
The claim is that the water will cleanse the skin “from the inside out.” The idea is the brainchild of beautician and entrepreneur Scott Vincent Borba, and the water has sparked the interest of major beverage companies (Anheuser Busch is distributing in Hawaii), including Jamba Juice, where a powdered version to be added to smoothies is on trial in California. The skin balance clarifying waters are sold for around $6 a bottle and taste more like light, natural fruit juices than artificially infused water. Do they help you radiate an outer beauty? Too early to tell, but certainly they taste fabulous and are this season’s hottest workout accessory.
For more information:
Ihilani Spa
679-0079
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Ala Moana Heads Into Its 38th Annual Oktoberfest.
It’s hard to believe that the Ala Moana Hotel has never missed an Oktoberfest in almost 40 years. The original and biggest Bavarian event in the Islands kicks off this year on Oct. 7 and will run for five nights. As Hawaii’s longest-running authentic Oktoberfest, it attracts more than 8,000 guests, who flock to the hotel’s Hibiscus ballroom for food, beer and noisy fun.
“Ala Moana Hotel’s Oktoberfest has a rich tradition in Hawaii,” says Keith Koehler, longtime director of food and beverage at the hotel. “For many attendees - regardless of their age or ethnicity - the annual event is something they look forward to year after year.”
Guests have been returning for up to 20 years, and many book vacations around it. If you’ve never been, prepare for a pretty authentic affair with food stations, beer steins and plenty of schnapps. Naturally chicken dancing, polka playing and dirndl-dressed hostesses are de rigueur.
To prepare for the weeklong celebration, Ala Moana Hotel annually produces more than 3,000 pounds of German delicacies, including sauerkraut, pig knuckles, bratwurst and apple strudel. During the seven-day Oktoberfest, guests are expected to consume more than 600 gallons - or 74,689 glasses - of imported beer and schnapps.
“Whether it’s your first time, or your 30th, we invite everyone to stop by Oktoberfest and enjoy delicious food and drink, dancing, entertainment and camaraderie,” says Keith.
Oktoberfest at Ala Moana Hotel runs Oct. 7-12, Tuesday through Thursday from 6 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight, and on Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m.
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Admission is $5 per personTuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and $10 Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available at the door beginning Oct. 7.
Indigo Celebrates 15 Fabulous Food Years.
Look for special celebrations in November as Indigo Restaurant celebrates 15 years on Nuuanu Avenue. Wine dinners hosted by Lyle Fujioka and a beer dinner hosted by Boston Beer Company’s Lily Hess kicks off a month of celebratory events, ending with a party to welcome the first new wine of the year, Beaujolais Nouveau.
Chef Dave Cruz (who opened Indigo in 1994 and returned as executive chef earlier this year) has been tweaking the menu and artistically altering presentations. Cruz’s mission is to complement rather than re-create the Asian-influenced menu that has become chef/owner Glenn Chu’s culinary signature.
“Glenn does a lot of complex dishes with multiple sauces,“says Cruz. “Our aim is to keep all the flavor, but essentially have less on the plate. We’re stepping back, keeping core elements and finding new concentrations of flavors.”
Watch this space for developing news on Indigo’s November food wine and entertainment calendar.
Indigo Restaurant
1121 Nuuanu Ave.
521-2900
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Happy Hour Daily At Longhi’s.
When Bob Longhi, owner of Longhi’s Restaurant at Ala Moana Center, helped design the space that would become his second Hawaii restaurant, he envisioned a koa wood bar sweeping around the room. The hand-crafted bar, surely one of the most beautiful in town, is now crowded nightly with patrons eager to unwind after a long day and take advantage of the spectacular sunset views and a leisurely happy hour(s). “Our happy hour runs from 4 until 7,” says restaurant manager Mary Ann Bowman. Many of the clients are regulars, giving the oval bar a warm, neighborhood ambience. “At Longhi’s, we really want people to have a great time,” says Bowman. “I feel like people are coming to my house when they are in the restaurant, and I want them to leave happy and feeling like they can’t wait to come back.” Most can’t wait to come back for spectacular appetizers (try the artichoke dip, crab cakes or steak Longhi served pupu style) and the $4 specialty martinis. Throw in a perfect sunset and you’ve got yourself a happy hour (or two) indeed.
Longhi’s Restaurant
Ala Moana Center
947-9899
http://www.longhis.com
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Sekiya Delicatessen - Dishes That Stand The Test Of Time.
It doesn’t seem to matter how flashy our nightclubs become, how famous our restaurateurs or how many AAA 5 Diamond Award-winning restaurants we have, Hawaii will always be home to perfect oxtail soup, melting butterfish and steaming bowls of saimin. Sekiya’s Delicatessen has been serving these dishes, plus a host of other local favorites, since 1935. And while its prices inevitably have changed, (back in 1935 saimin was 10 cents a bowl) the recipes remain the same.
Sekiya’s has one of the few old-style delis left in Honolulu where a la carte items such as musubi (40 cents), potato macaroni salad ($1.05), shrimp tempura ($1.45) and tsukemono (50 cents) are made daily along with some of Sekiya’s specials - dishes like shoyu hot dogs (55 cents), chicken sukiyaki ($12.95) and lima beans ($4 per pound). You can order butterfish in parts (belly, fillet or tail), and the cone sushi ($1) has earned a reputation as some of the best in Honolulu.
Sekiya’s Restaurant and Delicatessen
2746 Kaimuki Ave.
Honolulu
732-1656
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