Page 3 - Dining Out - Dec 25, 2022

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on a few of his favorite items from Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach’s SWELL Restaurant and Pool Bar.
AL: SWELL is more than a pool bar. You have delicious entrées for lunch and dinner. Can you tell me more about the menu?
AP: We have a full menu and are continuously growing. Over the next few months, you will see more ac- tivations such as barbecue grilling and pizza stations.We want to make things from scratch using local ingre-
dients, and keeping Asian influence and French classic foundation and techniques. We offer varying spe- cials nightly that will change with what ingredients are available to us. Daily specials will be an appetizer or an entrée.
For Christmas Day, we will offer a SWELL Poolside Plate from 5 to 9 p.m. You can celebrate Christmas under the stars with a special plate that will include a lilikoi-glazed ham, Brussels sprouts and potato au gratin made with Gruyere cheese, honey mustard au jus and Black Forest cake ($45 per person).
AL: What did you prepare for us today?
AP: The Alohilani Mai Tai has BACARDÍ Gran Reserva light, Mahinadarkrum,PierreFerrand dry Curacao, Disaronno amaretto, pineapple juice, guava and fresh lime. Our Frozen Blue Hawaiian is made with BACARDÍ Superior rum, cream of coconut and pine- apple juice. Our signature cock- tails can be ordered by the glass
($17) or a carafe to share ($51). To start, my personal favorite is the Ahi Nachos ($28). It’s big-eye tuna poke served with wonton chips that we fry in-house, dynamite and kabayaki sauce for a little bit of heat, furikake, avocado, edamame, cu- cumber and local-style kukui nut oil. The salad is our Aloha Aina Veg- an Bowl ($24). It’s an organic mix of Mari’s Garden greens, with Oki- nawan sweet potato, sea asparagus, watermelon, cucumber, roasted beet, sweet onion, avocado, eda- mame, Sensei Farm greens, kukui
nut and ginger dressing.
I added a new item to the Earth
to Cup - Taste of The Islands happy hour menu: Bacon Wrapped Kauai Shrimp with Papaya Mustard ($19). This comes with Kauai shrimp, alaea redseasalt,HawaiianchileSriracha. Hawaiian chile peppers are fiery hot, and complement the sweet lo- cal shrimp and the Kahuku papaya mustard sauce.We have also added Pacific oysters during happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily (half-dozen for $12; dozen for $24; two dozen for
$48). Starting Jan. 1, the happy hour price will be $1.50 an oyster — the best deal in town!
AL: What else is happening at Alo- hilani Resort Waikiki Beach for the holidays?
AP: We have Scuba Claus in the Oceanarium. If you stop by our 280,000-gallon saltwater tank, you may be lucky to see Scuba Claus and get a photo with him.
From now until Jan. 3, from 5 to 9 p.m., we have a Seas And Greetings lounge experience, where you can enjoy the Oceanarium with a sea- sonal seafood tower delight for two ($85).You can add a Champagne flight for $40 per person.
On Dec. 25-30, we have Alohi- lani Candy Cane Access from 10 a.m.to2p.m.forkids,and5-9p.m. for those 21 and older in our Can- dy Cane Lane pop-up speakeasy. Festive movies will play during the day for kids and families. At 5 p.m., Candy Cane Lane transforms into an adults-only speakeasy with spe- cialty festive cocktails such as White
Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach SWELL Restaurant and Pool Bar 2490 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu 808-922-1233 self-parking complimentary; valet parking $12; for three hours with minimum $30 purchase at SWELL
1. Aloha Aina Vegan Bowl ($24)
2. Pacific oysters (price varies)
3. Frozen Blue Hawaiian and Alohilani Mai Tai ($17 each)
4. Bacon Wrapped Kauai Shrimp with Papaya Mustard ($19)
5. Ahi Nachos ($28)
Christmas Margarita or the Smoked Cinnamon Old Fashion.
On Dec. 31, starting at 8 p.m., we have our NewYear’s Eve celebration atSWELLRooftop.Therewillbemul- tiple DJs, a dance floor, VIP tables, cocktails, Champagne, cabanas and more. Ring in the New Year with a DJ-led countdown projected on the famous Light Monument, and contin- ue your evening with an after-party at Lobby Bar.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve at The Kahala
Ring in 2023 in style with The Kahala. Plumeria Beach House will host scrumptious buffet eats, including steamed Dungeness and Snow Crab, fresh poke, and a carving station with garlic prime rib and roasted New Zealand rack of lamb. For an ultra-luxurious NYE dinner, try Hoku’s lavish 8-course menu, including divine specialties like grilled Japanese Toro, white truffle risotto and fricassée of Kea-hole Lobster.
New Year’s Eve Celebration 8-Course Dinner
Seating from 7-9 p.m.
SAVOR THE KAHALA LIFE
RESERVATIONS
OpenTable 808.739.8760 KahalaResort.com
New Year’s Early EVE-ning Dinner Buffet
Seating from 5-7 p.m.
Dinner Buffet Countdown to the New Year
Seating from 9-10 p.m.
RESERVE
NOW ON OPENTABLE
Dining Out / December 25-31, 2022 / 3
Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee