Where Everything Is Delizioso!

Executive chef Marino Rosato, left, Anne Lee and Larry Carlton enjoy a meal and wine at Il Lupino.

Dining with LARRY CARLTON

Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar in the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki is a sensational destination for anything Italian. Musician Larry Carlton thinks no different and is sure to make a stop, or two, to Il Lupino, which serves as his favorite place to eat when visiting Hawaii.

Carlton had a few performances earlier this year at Blue Note Hawaii and took the time to chat with Dining Out about his career over a meal at Il Lupino.

“I started playing the guitar when I was just 6 years old,” says the musician. “I’ve had a great career — in the ’70s I was a studio musician and was fortunate to play with a lot of big-name stars including Michael Jackson, Barbara Streisand, The Crusaders, John Lennon and Steely Dan. Then, I started making solo records that also became successful with a solo career. I also created an online teaching course on truefire.com/larrycarlton, where people can study my techniques.”

Il Lupino is best-known for its wide pasta selection.

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Here’s more of what he had to say about his career and the restaurant:

AL: What do you love about Il Lupino?

LC: The location can’t be beat. It’s very close to where I stay when I come to Waikiki.

Secondly, the food is wonderful. The first dish I ever had here was the Spaghetti Bolognese, it’s one of my favorites. My face lit up and my taste buds lit up when trying this dish, I knew I would be coming back for more.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Il Lupino’s chef Marino Rosato is from Rome and he is a true Italian chef creating an organic Italian dining experience right here in Hawaii. The restaurant also has an extensive wine list, and is the winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence three years in a row.

AL: Do you come to Hawaii often?

LC: This is my fourth trip to Hawaii in the last three years and it’s a nice change for me. I live in Wilson County, Tennessee. Coming to Hawaii is different scenery, I really enjoy the sunshine and the views. I was here last March performing at the Blue Note Hawaii, which also happened to be my birthday, the shows were sold out which was a wonderful birthday gift!

The entrance to Il Lupino

Readers can visit my web-site larrycarlton.com where they can find information on my career, scheduled tours and purchase CDs/albums.

AL: What are some of your memorable accomplishments of your music career?

LC: I am a four-time Grammy Award winner, one in particular was for CO collaborating with Mike Post on the theme song to the hit show Hill Street Blues in 1981. Additionally I’ve had 19 Grammy nominations. I have a total of 36 CDs that I have put out in my own name. I was in a very popular smooth jazz group for 12 years called FourPlay with Bob James, Nathan East and Harvey Mason.