Page 4 - Dining Out - Sep 18, 2022

Story by
KYLE GALDEIRA
Photos by
LAWRENCE TABUDLO
Kari Takaoka, bar and beverage manager at Duke’s Waikiki, invites readers to head down to the restaurant to try some great wine and food pairings.
A s a Maui native, Kari Taka- oka grew up in the local restaurantindustry,asher family owns and operates the iconic
eatery Tasty Crust in Wailuku. After making her way to Oahu to finish college, she got a job at Duke’s Waikiki and the rest, as she says when looking back, is history. “I started out selling T-shirts at the logo stand but got moved up to serving and then management, which turned into my career,” says Takaoka, who currently serves as the bar and beverage manager at Duke’s Waikiki. “Thankfully, our parent company, T S Restaurants,
invested in me and
my passion and
helped me to get
my level two sommeli-
er certification. I then helped
to oversee the wine program for the eight T S Hawaii locations, but we have since consolidated all 13 of our locations across Hawaii and California, and I now collaborate with Jimmy Chavez, the general manager at Duke’s Malibu.”
Duke’s Waikiki offers a casu- al beachfront setting fronting the surf where Duke Kahanamoku practiced his craft as a legendary waterman. The delicious cuisine
Enjoy a wine pairing with your meal at Duke’s Waikiki.
pairs perfectly with a stellar array of wines, including Panko Crusted Calamari ($18.50) and Rocket Sal- ad ($13) coupled with Mohua Sau- vignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand (price varies by amount). The panko-crusted calamari is served with guava cocktail sauce and Meyer lemon caper remou- lade, while the roasted beet, goat cheese and arugula salad is topped
with Duroc bacon, pickled Maui on- ion and white balsamic vinaigrette. The tropical fruit and herbaceous
character of the wine pairs nicely with the salad’s peppery notes and the capers in the calamari sauce,
4 / Dining Out / September 18-24, 2022
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