Special dishes celebrate girls

Hamburger Steak Bento ($13)

Tuesday, March 3 is Hinamatsuri, known in English as Girls’ Day. The holiday dates back to at least 17th century Japan and was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants. Locally, it’s seen as an opportunity to celebrate women, often with gifts or special meals.

Hina Temari Sushi ($14, Girls Day Special)

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Obento Rinka on Beretania Street is honoring Girls’ Day with two special, limited time only dishes. The Hina Temari Sushi ($14, tax included) is a selection of ball-shaped sushi, made from such ingredients as salmon, imitation crab, shrimp, ahi, tomago, cucumber, egg and ginger. The Seafood Hina Chirashi ($10, tax included) is a “scattered sushi” made with similar ingredients, but served in a convenient bowl on top of a bed of rice.

Grilled Salmon Bento ($13.75)

Both dishes are both tasty and visually striking, utilizing soft pastel colors that hint of the approaching spring. The Hina Temari Sushi and Seafood Hina Chirashi are only available from March 2 to March 7, so get yours while you can!

Obento Rinka also offers a wide array of bento options all year round, such as the Grilled Salmon Bento ($13.75), made with sockeye salmon and served with pickles, tofu, vegetables and rice. Beef-lovers will no doubt appreciate the Hamburger Steak Bento ($13), which comes with hamburger steak, chicken, pickles and sushi.

Hina Chirashi ($10, Girls Day Special)

The culinary creatives and Obento Rinka are already thinking ahead for other possible holiday items. Be on the lookout for sakura-inspired dishes to mark Japan’s cherry blossom season. Obento Rinka also offers a variety of ever-changing daily specials, such as pork cutlet with tomato-cheese sauce, fried oysters, garlic shrimp and fried eggplant with meat. A calendar near the cash register displays the specials for the month.