Civil Beat Entertainment

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Entertainment news is moving!

Aloha,

Starting today, November 9, 2012, all Entertainment news will be move to The Beat blog at http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/.

Thank you for following this blog and we hope to see you on The Beat!

Mahalo,

Your Team at Civil Beat

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Safehouse, a lounge inside the Republik

Safehouse indeed. This new lounge, in the concert venue Republik, is like an oasis in the decidedly sketchy outskirts of Ala Moana mall. The stench of urine, the empty warehouse-like buildings: all that falls away once you step inside Republik, a project between BAMP (a concert production company) and Chip Jewett, who was a partner in Apartment3 and Pipeline, both now shuttered. Safehouse feels like the swanky love child of the two: an LA-chic place to grab a drink and snack. The drink menu is impressive: A Scotch drink combines Talisker, Campari and vermouth with expresso beans resulting in unexpected harmony. The classic cocktail the Last Word mixes gin, maraschino liqueur, chartreuse and lime juice for sweet and sour balance.

Not everything works, though: the Jack fizz falls flat—the whiskey somehow completely obliterated underneath seltzer and lemon.

— Honolulu Magazine

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Did This: Honolulu’s first Dishcrawl

Honolulu’s first Dishcrawl happened last night, a high-buzz progressive dinner that was so secret, nobody knew which restaurants were involved until we ended up inside the doors. And until last night, nobody really knew what a Dishcrawl was, either, but the idea of a secret progressive dinner through downtown Honolulu was so hot, the 45 spots sold out within days of a social media blitz.

Dishcrawl is a movement that’s sprung up in mainland cities. It’s exactly like a pub crawl, except at each of the four stops, you eat. You sign up blind: Beyond the neighborhood, the $39 cost and the fact it’s at dinner time, it’s all a mystery until two days prior, when you get an email telling you where to meet up and what time.

— Nonstop Honolulu

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Persian Nights

This book accompanies a traveling exhibition, “Doris Duke’s Shangri La: Architecture, Landscape, and Islamic Art,” which opened in New York on September 7, 2012, at the Museum of Arts and Design. Both book and exhibition tell many stories of Shangri La, as the Black Point estate came to be known. The exhibition is also the first to share the estate and collection of Doris Duke beyond our island; it will travel to 5 other mainland museums before returning to our own Honolulu Museum of Art in March of 2015.

The large-format book contains cherished archival photos of Doris Duke’s honeymoon journey of 1935, photos of Doris exploring what would become her lifelong passion: Islamic, especially Mughal, architecture and art. The simple photo of Duke and her husband upon their arrival in Hawaii gives no hint of a life-changing choice she soon would make. The unexpected culmination of that journey was Duke’s personal discovery of Hawaii, a refuge from celebrity life, an opportunity to enjoy privacy and lifetime friendships. She soon purchased 5 acres on Black Point where she and her husband decided to build a home. Here she would create her home and garden, and she spent her lifetime doing so. Duke called it “a Spanish-Moorish-Persian-Indian complex.”

— Honolulu Weekly

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Restaurant Week Hawaii 2012

It's time to make reservations for Restaurant Week, with new restaurants joining the fray this year, such as Prima, The Whole Ox, Yuzu, and the new Eggs 'n' Things at Ala Moana (hello, waffle bacon benedict and banana split pancakes!).

Menus that caught my eye...

— Honolulu Magazine

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Weeklong farm-to-fork Puna Culinary Festival under way in Big Island's east-tip district

Showcasing some of the Big Island’s culinary talents, the second annual Puna Culinary Festival is under way this week. Situated on the easternmost portion of the island, the Puna District, south of Hilo, includes the eastern flank of Kilauea volcano and, thanks to a variety of growing conditions, diversified agriculture.    Among the fest’s highlights: various Puna area chefs will be featured in dinners demonstrating their culinary creativity and use of local products. For example, Puna resident Mark Ceranski, who once served was an executive chef for a Saudi prince and various British dignitaries, will be serving up a special fest dinner tomorrow evening. Ceranski’s menu features grass-fed Big Island beef pot roast in a local fig and red wine sauce, and Hawaiian beet and Makuu Market green bean salad with local goat chevre. For more information about the fest’s special dinners, click here. 

— Hawaii Magazine

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Aloha Sapporo! Visiting Noboribetsu

Many Japanese people visit the spa town of Noboribetsu, Hokkaido’s most famous hot spring resort, so we thought we should do the same. Noboribetsu is a haven for onsen fanatics, since the hot springs in this town produce 11 types of thermal waters, each having its own set of healing properties.

Each of the hotels in this area have their public baths set up differently, as well, so you will often see people “onsen hopping,” as we did, to see what the baths are like. Most times if you’re a guest at a hotel, you can go to the bath for free; visiting another hotel incurs an admission fee. Oh, um, by the way: we’re all buck naked in these public baths. (Sorry, no cameras allowed in these places, so I can’t show you everything.)

— Nonstop Honolulu

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Foodscene: November

All of November: National Peanut Butter Lovers Month I don’t know what to do with this except to tell you, because I find it strangely exciting. Slather, people!

Nov. 1: Shochu Day Distilled from barley, sweet potatoes or rice, 25 percent alcohol by volume and rising fast in the popularity polls. The day has passed, but for all who love the strong stuff, Happy (belated) Shochu Day!

— Nonstop Honolulu

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Big Island’s Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival under way on Kohala Coast

The seventh annual Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival is set to get under way at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast beginning today (Thurs., Nov. 1).

 Considered one of Hawaii’s top hula events, the three-day fest spotlights hula halau(dancing groups) from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, Mexico, and Japan in hula kahiko (ancient hula) and hula auana (modern hula) competitions. Also, the fest includes a night of showcasing performances given by kupuna (elders).   • Wahine Kahiko (ancient hula, women) — morning workshops, from 9 a.m. until noon, followed by afternoon workshops from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The main event, the Wahine Kahiko competition and awards, starts at 5 p.m. today (Thurs., Nov. 1).

— Hawaii Magazine

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Food events: Taro Festival, Deepavali Festival of Lights, Old's Cool at Roy's

The end of the year is quickly filling up with food events. A few that caught my eye:

- This year, Haleiwa Farmers Market's Taro Festival moves to Ala Moana. Celebrate taro from root to pa‘i ‘ai with tours to the lo‘i at UH Kanewai and stone and board making demos. Saturday, November 3, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ala Moana Center, 2nd level near Sears

— Honolulu Magazine

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Sweet Revenge

You may have seen the Sweet Revenge(@SweetRevengeHNL) pie truck at Eat the Street every month since last year … or maybe you haven’t, if you came too late and found that their amazing sweet or savory pies had sold out. Whether they bring chicken pot pie, quiche, bacon mac ‘n’ cheese, chocolate haupia, crackerjack, or any of the dozens of handmade fillings they offer, the mini pies are always a hit.

I can count the number of times I’ve beat the crowd to Sweet Revenge on one hand — usually I have to stand by with a fork, hopeful that one of my friends will share a bite with me. So when Kathy, the owner, summoned me and Mari Taketa to her kitchen to taste one of her experimental new creations, I was all over it. While I was there, I shanghaied her into doing a video with me so that you can meet her and get to know some of the thought behind her lovely little pies.

— Nonstop Honolulu

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Upcoming events at Taste and Fishcake

Taste and Fishcake each hosted an event this month. If those past events are any indication, don't miss the ones coming up:

Past: High on the buzz meter these days is Taste, a pop-up venue and food hub, and no wonder: it's a collaboration involving Mark Noguchi and the Eat the Street founders, some of the most beloved players in Honolulu's food scene. Taste opened last Saturday, with The Pig and the Lady, Sean Priester and Noguchi serving unfussy, comforting bites like a beef stew, fried chicken and waffles, and a poached-egg topped salad with bacon vinaigrette. The knockout of the night: dessert, a "kulolo" panna cotta topped with apple bananas, cocoa nibs and lilikoi "caviar," assembled by newcomer JJ Leng, a full-time pathologist, former line cook and pastry chef. You'll hear more about her soon.

Upcoming: Food Network's Leanne Wong and Noguchi are hosting a Pork Party. On the menu: Super Ramen, pork kimchi gyoza, Katsu King Sammie. Show up at six (they’re open until they sell out) with cash. More info:tastetable.com/calendars/porkpart/

— Honolulu Magazine

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Nobu restaurant set to open in mid-December at Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay

Plans are in the works for celebrity chef and restaurateur Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa to open Nobu Lanai in mid-December at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay. In a news release issued by the resort, Tom Roelens, general manager of Four Seasons Resorts Lanai, said: “As a leader in innovative Japanese cuisine, world-renowned Chef Nobuyuki’s has revolutionized the dining experience for epicureans and travelers alike,” Roelens said. 

— Hawaii Magazine

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'Uncle Vanya and Zombies' brings Chekhov, pop culture to the Kennedy stage

The UH Manoa Department of Theatre and Dance presents the world première of “Uncle Vanya and Zombies,” the second mainstage production of the 2012-2013 season. A perennial favorite of university theater departments, Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” has here been updated and deconstructed by Theater Professor Markus Wessendorf. 

  This innovative and exciting performance will come to the Kennedy Theatre’s mainstage November 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m., and November 18 at 2 p.m.; American Sign Language interpretation will be available for the November 17 performance. 

— University of Hawaii

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'Hawaii Five-O' Episodes Have 2nd Week Hiatus Thanks to Superstorm Sandy

Hawaii Five-O fans hopefully can keep themselves content with their DVD sets and saved DVR gems for another week, as pressing national matters necessarily have pushed the hit drama with the quirkiest and hottest team of crime-fighting heroes to a second week without airing a new episode. The presidential debate on foreign policy took their spot last Monday, while CBS coverage of hurricane Sandy's impact took precedence tonight. After days of slamming winds, pelting rains, and no power or hot food, it will be perfect timing for the handsome good guys, Lt. Commander, Steven J. McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin), and Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), and company to give us a taste of warm sun and sand, and surf that stays at sea!

— Gather

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Restaurant Week Hawaii: deals at dozens of eateries on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Big Island

If you’ll be in the Islands in mid-November, you’ve gotta eat out. Slated to begin on Mon., Nov. 12 and wrap up on Sun., Nov. 18, Restaurant Week Hawaii is a seven-day celebration of Hawaii’s food services. With a total of more than 50 eateries participating on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, the eats will range from refined fine dining to island-style fast-food, with a number special menu items, promotions, and discounts.

— Hawaii Magazine

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Kulu Kulu: New bakery in Shirokiya

Shirokiya keeps getting better and better. The Yataimura, the beer garden and have you seen the beer towers they're now offering in the beer garden!? It's like having your own tap at your table. Except maybe not as classy since it's just Bud and Kirin on offer. The second floor underwent a bit of change, too, with the new bakery/dessert shop Kulu Kulu offering cakes and confections. (Not that sweets were ever more than a spoon's throw away, with St. Germain and Palme D'Or on the same mall level.) In the Japanese style, the cakes are soft and light, not too sweet. My favorite: the roll cake, with tender, fluffy cake with just a touch of richness.

— Honolulu Magazine