Page 3 - Dining Out - April 30, 2023

2
3
4
5
Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee
And, just in time for graduation, the restaurant has expanded its catering offerings, including a beautiful lanai event space avail- able for a turnkey event.
AL: How did you get into the culinary industry?
RV: I’m originally born and raised on the Big Island and have been in this industry for over 15 years, working at various hotels and also operating a catering business that was passed down from my mom. Anything to do with cooking is my passion.
During the pandemic, tourism came to a halt, and gatherings were no longer. I had to shift gears and move to the mainland to be with family. I started working at an Olive Garden there. I was ready to come back home.
AL: Can you give me your perspective on what Olive Garden brings to Hawaii?
RV: It’s a twist on Americanized Italian food — it’s quality food and brings value. Where else can you get unlimited soup and salad to
start when ordering an entrée? We have a great kids’ menu and lunch specials are affordable.
AL: The Weekday Lunch-size favorites are affordably priced and a tremendous value. What dishes did you prepare for us? RV: These weekly specials are priced from $13.19 to $15.19 — a tremendous value in addition to the quality you get in each dish. It’s available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, excluding holidays. Each lunch entrée comes with your choice of soup or salad.
The never-ending soup, sal- ad and breadsticks is a favorite among our guests and a steal at $13.19. It’s your choice of unlimit- ed homemade soup, served with our famous house salad and fresh- ly baked hot breadsticks.
Our Five-cheese Ziti Al Forno ($14.19) is our oven-baked blend of Italian cheeses, ziti pasta and our signature homemade five- cheese marinara sauce.
The classic Fettucine Alfredo ($14.19) is our signature alfredo
sauce made fresh in-house every morning and served over our fet- tuccine pasta.
The Spaghetti & Meatballs is $15.19, and you can choose either meat sauce, which is made with pan-seared beef and Italian sau- sage, or marinara. Our sauces are prepared fresh daily with garlic and herbs and served with two meatballs.
The Shrimp Scampi is another popular item for $15.19. This is a lighter take on an Italian classic and comes with five pieces of shrimp sauteed in garlic sauce, tossed in asparagus, tomatoes and angel hair pasta.
And, we can’t forget about our Lasagna Classico ($15.19) featur- ing layers of pasta, Italian cheeses and our homemade meat sauce.
AL: With graduation right around the corner, your catering options are a hidden secret. Can you tell me what that includes? RV: We are taking reservations for large parties; the outdoor lanai space is available for no addition- al rental fee, just a recommended
minimum spend for your catering package. Many guests like to re- serve this space to host a large gathering and watch the fireworks on Friday evenings.
We can seat about 40 guests comfortably at our Ala Moana lo- cation, and if you prefer inside, we have the back-room option. At our Kapolei location, we can accommodate about 64 guests. We can also do high-top cocktail parties, buffets and are open to buyouts for any group that wants to have an event/celebration. We can accommodate weekdays, weekends and early mornings based on availability. We have had early morning baby showers here in this space.
If you are looking to have a function off-site, we have unique catering packages that offer ev- erything all in one. Our Create Your Own Pasta Station package is pretty popular as it includes everything: two pastas, three sauces and three toppings. It also includes our famous house salad and freshly baked bread sticks as well as Sternos, chafing pans,
Olive Garden
Ala Moana Center 1450 Ala Moana Blvd. Space 4240, Honolulu 808-942-2000
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays- Thursdays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
The Village at Ka Makana Alii 91-5431 Kapolei Pkwy. Ste. 200, Kapolei 808-670-2766
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays- Thursdays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
1. Lasagna Classico ($15.19)
2. Spaghetti & Meatballs ($15.19)
3. Catering options (prices vary) Photo courtesy Olive Garden
4. Shrimp Scampi ($15.19)
5. Fettuccine Alfredo ($14.19)
sauces, pastas, chicken, meat- balls and sausage.
On average it comes out to about $25-$30 per head. We do offer a bar menu as well that would be additional.
AT THE KAHALA
RESERVATIONS
OpenTable 808.739.8760 KahalaResort.com
LET’S TALK CURRY
STARTING SUNDAY, MAY 7TH
The Kahala’s new curry dinner buffet has landed oceanfront at Plumeria Beach House. Starting May 7th, savor your Sunday evenings with the upon aromatic and delicious curry dishes from around the world along with an all-star selection of appetizers and desserts. Limited ala carte options are also available.
CURRY DINNER BUFFET
Every Sunday, 5:30–8:30 p.m. $75* Adult, $40* Keiki (6-12)
RESERVE
NOW ON OPENTABLE
*Does not include tax & gratuity
Dining Out / April 30-May 6, 2023 / 3