Kahala Christmas Stollen
Walk into The Kahala Hotel & Resort and you immediately get a sense of hale, or home. Forrestgreen wreaths line the banister of the main staircase that descends alongside a wall of live plants, all of it decorated in sparkly Hawaiian-print bows, big candy canes and shiny holiday trinkets. Christmas trees decked in ornaments are scattered throughout the 52-year-old hotel. And once you reach Plumeria Beach House located beside the ocean, you’ll know you’re in the perfect place to have Christmas dinner this year.
Plumeria Beach House has three festive menus prepared: Christmas Eve dinner, and Christmas brunch and dinner. All are open now for reservations, which the hotel recommends making as soon as possible, as spaces fill up quickly. Served buffet-style, these mouthwatering feasts will make you wish your stomach was the size of Santa Claus’.
“We chose this menu based off of local favorites and our best-sellers,” says executive chef Wayne Hirabayashi.
Prime rib and lamb chops will be highlights at Plumeria Beach House’s Christmas buffets.
Prime rib is one of those favorites, which is slow-roasted overnight, then cooked to medium-rare goodness. It’s served alongside lamb chops covered in garlic and herbs.
Many seafood options also will be served: Fresh ahi sashimi is a light and delectable option, or try ever-tempting steamed snow crab legs with drawn butter.
Another well-known favorite is Kahala Christmas Stollen, based on the traditional German pastry whose shape symbolizes the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. The Kahala’s Stollen is made in-house by pastry chef Sonja Oliveri, who is German and uses her own family’s recipe. It brightens the holiday season with raisin, dark aged rum, German marzipan and other flavors.
“People are really crazy about it. We started by making around 100, 150. This year our orders are up to 500,” says Oliveri. “It’s not the typical bakery kind of Stollen.”
Get your fill of steamed snow crab legs with drawn butter durnig the holidays.
Oliveri’s family recipe was concocted by her grandma’s great-grandpa, who owned a bakery.
“We like this recipe because it’s time-tested and we know it doesn’t need changing. Yes, there’s Stollen in Hawaii, but it’s not really made with the freshest ingredients you can get. Ours is different because we use real orange peel, real lemon peel … we buy the fresh stuff, not just a fruit mix,” she explains.
The Stollen will be available at all of Plumeria Beach House’s Christmas buffets, and you can order the specialty bread ($22 per loaf) by calling 739-8760 or emailing restaurants@kahalaresort. com. Pick up will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec 1-15 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 16 -31. Visit kahalaresort.com/Dining/Holiday-Celebrations for more info on all of the hotel’s holiday festivities.
Plumeria Beach House
The Kahala Hotel & Resort
5000 Kahala Ave., Kahala
739-8888
kahalaresort.com
A la carte daily, breakfast: 6:30-11 a.m.; lunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner: 5:30-10 p.m.; buffets also offered during the week)
Honolulu, HI 96816
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