Fresh, Pure and Simple

Vegetarian Platter — OK, ho hum, sounds good. Such a pedestrian title normally wouldn’t exactly fire up your taste buds.

But, veggie lovers, this is Hoku’s Vegetarian Platter ($28), created by The Kahala Hotel and Resorts’ executive chef Wayne Hirabayashi.

Piqued your interest? According to the chef, “Hoku’s Vegetarian Platter features fresh seasonal vegetables — local as well as wherever — that are prepared using different cooking methods, flavors and styles. Menu items will change according to what’s available at the markets.”

OK then. Bring it on! For example, Cipollini onions, asparagus and Hamakua King Mushrooms grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper; baby zucchini, sunburst squash, Ho Farms tomatoes, Kahuku corn, Shimeji mushrooms and tempeh with spinach sauteed with olive oil, garlic and herbs. Also in the seasonal lineup are wok-fried vegetable fried rice, wok-fried vegetables and wok-fried eggplant; tempura avocado and Hamakua mushrooms; steamed broccoli, and green and white asparagus; roasted heirloom carrots. Raw vegetables feature tomatoes with pesto and balsamic, and Big Island Hearts of Palm with yuzu; brown rice sushi; salt-crusted baby potatoes, roasted finger-lings and garlic mash.

How are those taste buds doing now?

To complement this fresh, pure and simple bounty, Hoku’s is showcasing manager Dante Camara’s Wine of the Month Selection for March: Ancien Wines 2010 Napa Valley Pinot Noir, “which offers a nose of blueberry, cherries and huckleberry pie that floats atop dried currant notes, mushrooms and wet stone.”

Who needs dessert?

Hoku’s

The Kahala Hotel and Resort
5000 Kahala Ave.
739-8843
Open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday, 5:30-10 p.m.
Sunday brunch, 10 a.m-2 p.m.