Friday, March 5, 2004 | 8:24 a.m.
Menus with Meaning, a benefit dinner for Women Chefs & Restaurateurs' Scholarship and Mentorship Programs, which took place at Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel on Tuesday, was a smashing success.
Wines were provided by Sterling Vineyards; Simon owners Elizabeth Blau and Chef Kerry Simon hosted the dinner. Simon Chef de cuisine Alan Kwan and his staff prepared a marvelous meal.
Simon had designed the menu before taking off for Los Angeles, where he was a judge for the new fusion version of the Food Channel's "Iron Chef" cooking competitions. This new series features American and Asian chefs; the panel of judges is also a blend of East and West.
Our dinner began with a brilliant-green English pea soup with swirls of creme fraiche. Under the soup was a treasure of Jonah lump crab meat -- an inspired combination.
A salad heaped high with mixed greens was studded with dried cherries and chopped pecans. Artfully arranged on one side were thin slices of tender rare duck breast. Diners had a choice of Atlantic halibut with herbed fava beans or grilled prime hanger steak. I opted for the hanger steak, truffled baked potato and perfectly cooked asparagus. It was such a good choice.
Portion size was perfect. This is a trend I welcome. With smaller portions, dessert is doable. First came a bowl of freshly made pink cotton candy. Pastry Chef Justin Nilson was the first to bring homemade cotton candy to the dinner table. Then came a sampler of small desserts -- a tender-crusted apple pot pie, a generous spoonful of the chef's custard-based vanilla ice cream (I resisted the temptation to top the apple pot pie with the divine ice cream) and a small, warm chocolate cake that was crunchy and delish.
And as a grand finale, everyone who had contributed to Women Chefs and Restaurateurs received a gift certificate from skinklinic, a full-service skin-care salon at Mandalay Place, and a receipt for our tax-free donation.
More Simon and WCR: A table of 10 women had learned about WCR from Oprah Winfrey's show. Oprah not only talked about the organization, she mentioned the names of the more than 80 participating restaurants in more than 50 cities.
WCR at Andre's: Andre's French Restaurant, at 401 S. 6th St., will host a WCR dinner Thursday. The all-inclusive, six-course repast with wines is priced at $125. With open seating you can make up your own table. Seating begins at 6 p.m. For reservations or more information call 385-5016.
Wolfgang Puck's Lupo: Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay has pushed the limits of its much-in-demand patio dining area with the addition of 50 more seats.
"Since we couldn't go up we went out," said Tom Kaplan, senior managing partner of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group.
Lupo General Manager and Associate Partner Jonny Pacheco credits the inviting trattoria setting and, of course, the appealing Italian food and the people-watching for Lupo's popularity. Lupo is Puck's conception of an Italian bistro -- tradition fused with Puck's bold innovations.
Lupo Chef and partner Mark Ferguson puts his own spin on the menu with a terrific arugula salad and one with ripe pears, Gorgonzola cheese and tender watercress; crisp-crusted pizzas with a choice of classic or gourmet toppings; and such originals as braised lamb osso buco and chicken scallopini with wild mushrooms and Marsala wine.
Dinner service is daily from 5 p.m. For reservations call 740-5522.
Short orders
Little Buddha's menu of the month: Little Buddha restaurant and sushi bar at the Palms continues its new three-course "Menu of the Month" series with top Chef Christophe Bonnegrace's March menu: ahi tuna salad with mushrooms and soy-mustard vinaigrette; boneless rack of lamb with a ginger-coconut crust, wasabi mashed potatoes and vegetables and a caramelized lemon cart for dessert. The price, $42 per person, includes wine, a pinot noir.
A different wine is paired with each menu so diners can sample a variety of wines from Little Buddha's new wine list.
"We've found our guests are always up for something new," Shelly Galloway, Little Buddha general manager, said. "The menu of the month gives our guests the opportunity to sample exciting new recipes that follow the same genre as our regular menu, but are different each month."
Featured on the daily menu is Asian cuisine along with Chinese dishes and a bit of French influence. Little Buddha is a beautiful restaurant. A 10-seat sushi bar turns out an exquisite variety of sushi, nigori sushi and more.
Dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to midnight. For reservations call 942-7778.
Roy's celebrates 15th anniversary: Congratulations to Chef Roy Yamaguchi who celebrated the 15th anniversary of the opening of the first Roy's in Honolulu on Feb. 22, 2003. Roy's is a remarkable story. When Yamaguchi introduced Hawaiian fusion cuisine -- bold Asian spices and European sauces with a focus on fresh seafood. The rest, as they say, is history. There are now 32 Roy's, including six in Hawaii, 22 in the Continental U.S., three in Japan and one in Guam.
Yamaguchi has won numerous awards, hosts a cooking show on PBS and has earned reams of copy from the national press. Among the high-profile chefs who participated in the 15th anniversary fund-raiser, a tribute to the memory of his chef friends Tom Matshuda and Warren Matshuda were: Nobu Matsuhisa (Nobu's and Matsuhisa restaurants), Alessandro Strata (Renoir at The Mirage), Lee Hefter (Spago, Beverly Hills), Alan Wong (Alan Wong's, Honolulu), Hiroshi Fukui (L'Uraku, Honolulu), Ron Siegel (Masa's, San Francisco), Rafih Benjelloun (Imperial Fez, Atlanta), Floyd Cardoz (Tabla, New York), Richard Sandoval (Maya/Tomayo, New York and Colorado), Yuji Wakiya (Turandot, Tokyo), Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia), Tony Liu (Babbo, New York), Rick Tramonto (Tru, Chicago), and Stephan Pyles (Texas).
Also invited were all of Roy's chefs from the mainland, all of whom trained with Roy at Hawaii Kai.
Funds raised established the Tom and Warren Matsuda Culinary Scholarship Fund created to provide financial support to culinary students in the Hawaiian community college system. The festival-style event took place in the courtyard of the Kapiolani Community College.
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