B on Hawaii

For those in the food or wine business on Maui, Lahaina Grill is a meeting place, of sorts. Well-researched tourists who make the jaunt to this historic whaling town may find themselves enjoying one of the best meals of their trip. For this writer, whenever I touch down on the isle, I can already taste the foie gras and ahi tuna as my rental car rounds the Pali Highway towards Lahaina…

Last month I had the unique opportunity of touring Saké One—the world's only American-owned saké brewery on U.S. soil—located in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Long before Kona Brewing Company decided to be a sponsor of this newsletter, we were huge fans of its product.

There's no greater excuse to drink fine wines and taste delectable cuisine than a good cause. That's why D.K. Kodama and Chuck Furuya loyalists shouldn't miss this Friday's "Furuya's Favorites": A Special Evening to Benefit the Lupus Foundation of America. This extravagant food and wine event will take place on November 9th, 2007, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

A small food item for those devoted followers of all things Chuck Furuya–one half of Hawaii's master sommelier contingency. Chuck emailed us with a giddy excitement over an addition to his kitchen at Vino in Honolulu, at Restaurant Row.

Eleven years ago, Wade Ueoka left his position behind a grill at Zippy's to wash dishes at a new restaurant called Alan Wong's. He was fresh out of high school, the furthest he'd traveled had been Hilo.

The 26th annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival has been announced, and will officially take place on June 28 – July 1, 2007, on Maui. An event we have yet to miss the last 3 years, it's a study in pacing yourself for the best quality food and wine in one place, for four days, anywhere on the Hawaiian Island chain.

This story has so much cross-over with what I consider to be the key themes of B on Hawaii that it's hard to determine where to begin. Fine wine, Hawaiian music, Napa, tasting and dining events on Oahu...it's all in here. Read on and see what I mean.