Finely focused on comforting flavors

Kauai Shrimp Fideua and Rioja Braised Beef Short Rib, part of this month’s Ovation Wine Dinner ($65; $35 for optional wine pairing). Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo

Located on the second floor of the Honolulu Design Center, Stage Restaurant is committed to offering diners unique culinary experiences. As part of this commitment, executive chef Ron de Guzman and his culinary team members create a special multi-course Ovation Wine Dinner. It is offered on the last Tuesday of every month, and each wine dinner highlights a specific cuisine, technique or product. Sky Cameron from Chambers and Chambers pairs the dishes with wines for the evening.

The concept for the wine dinner is a family-style service,” Guzman says. “The guests will get one dish for each course that is served family style meaning that they will help themselves to each plated course, creating a more homey type feel with the patrons engaging more with each other.”

The next Ovation Wine Dinner ($65; $35 for optional wine pairing) is this Tuesday, Jan. 28. Guzman and sous chef Joy Yamane collaborated on this month’s Spanish-inspired menu. Highlights include Kauai Shrimp Fideua with Manila clams, calamari, tomato-miso, katsuobushi, spaghetti, saffron, shiso and grilled lemon and Rioja Braised Beef Short Rib with fried shishito peppers and Spanish rice.

Stage Restaurant’s whimsical dining area. File photo

Keeping with the Spanish theme, the dinner kicks off with an amuse bouche of Gazpacho and a first course Trio of Tapas.

Dessert, crafted by pastry chef Cainan Sabey, will be Bunuelos, featuring brown butter bananas, chile negro salted caramel, horchata ice cream and smoked canela whipped cream.

This family-style Ovation Wine Dinner is a hint of the next concept at Stage Restaurant.

“Dishes will be served on larger plates so the guests interact with each other,” Guzman says. “We’re looking to launch this concept later March. This change is also an evolution of Stage Restaurant where we have been known for our tasting menus and unique a la carte dishes. We will still execute the flavors we had, just done in a more casual and even more affordable way. The trend now days is more of a casual type dining with comfort flavors. Our cuisine is labeled as world-inspired comfort flavors, taking the comfort flavors that the locals know and introducing other different cuisines from around the world.”