Pastry to diet for

Chef Mavro (he’s the one in his mother’s arm in the photo and whom the restaurant is named after)is one of the top chefs in all the islands, and some say the best ( in the arms of his Mom as she walks on the boulevard in Marseilles with his older brother in tow.

I agree having had numerous meals fussed over by the amiable Greek with the French accent himself). The restaurant is cozy and romantic (bring your dad or a date for mom if she’s single).

Call 808-944-4714 for reservations or http://www.chef@chefmavro.com.

On Friday, May 10, Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12th, pastry Chef Elizabeth Dippong (she’s as amazing as Mavro) will do a special Mother’s Day celebration dessert Namelaka Lemongrass for these three nights. If you can’t join be and live in Ohau,call them for a Chef Mavro Mother’s Day Gift Certificate that she can enjoy whenever she wants.

Flexible menus start at only $85 for a four-course Mother’s Day menu that features: Asparagus Declinaison of white asparagus kanten flavored with sarriette, green asparagus purée, sea asparagus tempura, ponzu sauce, asparagus étuvée, serrano ham on house bread stick; Steamed Onaga, ratatouille, zucchini ribbons, essence of basil, and jus; Pasture-Raised Pork Loin accented with espelette, pineapple glaze, braised & roasted shank Fricassée of Hamakua Hon Shimeji Mushroom, salsify, sumida watercress; and the special Mother’s Day dessert Namelaka – Lemongrass.

You can also choose the restaurant’s 6-course or Grand Tasting menus. You Dining Diva and Richard eat up the Spicy Ahi and Wagyu Beef, since the Diva’s allergic to shellfish she can’t have the Keahole Lobster dishes but they really are very popular options.

Reblogged from Patti's Prattles:

Wine lovers on a budget will love the Dreaming Tree  Crush reds that sell for under $15 and taste so ripe and feel so smooth. Created by musician Dave Matthews and winemaker Steve Reeder. Aptly named after the Dave Matthews Band song Crush, the red blend is the perfect bottle of wine to share with a crush or loved one.

Read more… 204 more words

Hey foodies in or heading to Oahu, there’s just two more weeks left to feast on fresh Perigord truffles flown in from France and to enjoy some of your winter menu favorites at Chef Mavro, Hawaii’s top best restaurant and chef.

Some vote for this recipe as our “best dish” Peterson’s Upland Farm Egg, truffle “osmose,” potato mousseline chervil, serrano ham ribbons

And others are convinced this is the best! Also only 2 more weeks. Yuzu confit big island abalone, honomu hearts of palm salad with granny smith apple, kahuku corn, grapes, shiso, yuzu, ume coulis

yet still other guests insist “this is the best recipe” Sautéed Hudson Valley Foie Gras, balsamic glaze, bed of savoy cabbage mission fig poached in sweet wine, toasted portuguese sweet bread wine pairing: château roumieu-lacoste, 2009 sauternes “intense fig & apricot, delicate sweetness”

Reblogged from TheDivaonthedeep:

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Hey foodies in or heading to Oahu, there's just two more weeks left to feast on fresh Perigord truffles flown in from France and to enjoy some of your winter menu favorites at Chef Mavro, Hawaii's top best restaurant and chef.

Reserve your table now for a delightful evening of food & wine.
View our flexible menus 4 and 6 courses or the 10-course Grand Tasting…

Read more… 211 more words

The Diva delighted over this course at Esterel at the Sofitel LA during a Valentine’s Day escape.

From the Burger Lounge on Sunset Blvd., in West Hollywood.

A room service omelette at Sofitel Los Angeles, it was yummy.

Bottoms up:

Whether it’s whiskeys or draft beers at the bar or chef Victor Calderon’s delicious take on Southern cooking at a table (and there are communal tables too, appropriate for a restaurant where the hospitality vibe dominates), the food at this joint is exceptional.

Frank’s a Georgia boy who’s been hankering for the food he left back home since he arrived in town. So when Henry’s Hat went belly up, he pounced. Spoonful has only been open a few months and it’s already favored by a crowd that tends to be young (but not too young) and working in the “industry,” as they say in these parts.

The physical layout hasn’t changed. What has is the décor, now studded with hanging lamps made from spirits bottles and elaborate chandeliers, with a pressed tin ceiling and a vintage fainting couch or two. “It’s like Rhett Butler’s smoking lounge,” observed a server. And Southern-centric slogans are painted on the walls. A favorite: The South is the place where Macaroni & Cheese is a vegetable, chicken is fried and tomatoes are green.

Comfort cooking

Chef actually downplays the richness usually associated with Southern fare. Here, the creamy grits come under Cajun Gulf shrimp, the slow-roasted short ribs rest on sweet potato polenta and the pan seared red snapper arrives on a bed black-eyed pea succotash.

These are exceptional, but the appetizers—and the show-stopping pecan pie—may be even better. Fried green tomatoes are moist, crunchy and tangy; braised pork belly is lean, flavorful and comes with a most unusual peeled soft boiled egg with a delicate maple-flavored crust (what a wonderful variation on bacon and eggs this is); pulled pork sliders with four house-made barbecue sauces are authentic without being greasy. Frank’s considering offering a sampler plate of the best appetizers, and we should all encourage him to do so.

Spoonful’s terrific food and drink far are probably better than needs be. There aren’t many saloons around where you can get a perfectly made Sazerac into which a compressed ice ball the size of a decent snowball has been plunked and a pan-baked, nut-rich, not too sweet pecan pie.

Prices are moderate and there’s a 5-6 p.m. happy hour. Live blues and bluegrass music are planned. Spoonful is located at 3413 Cahuenga Boulevard West, directly across from LA Fitness, 323-512-4800.

It’s dineLARestaurant week in Los Angeles, when chefs strut their stuff and offer price fixed 3-course meals for less.

Did the Palm in West Hollywood last night. What a feast forf $45: started with roasted beet and goat cheese salad, moved onto the best veal chop ever, 14-unces of tender, succulent taste served with broccoli rfabe and yellow tomato coulis, then the world’s greatest cheesecake. What a night.