Sometimes, a two-entree bento at Gyotaku is ’nuff for lunch; ordered the teri-beef and teri-chicken box, which comes with rice and the usual “sides” of miso soup and mini-salad. Oishii!
TWO-ENTREE BENTO AT GYOTAKU
A SUMPTUOUS THAI MENU AT CHAI’S
Just home from a splendid Thai dinner at Chef Chai’s on Kapiolani Blvd.
Chai Chaowasaree outdid himself with a sumptuous seven-course meal. He said the fare was stuff from his childhood — authentic dishes with incredible flavors. A happy memory, now a reimagined feast for Hawaii diners.
The lineup included:
* Kai Satay — chicken tenderloin on sticks, with peanut sauce, with a cucumber salad accompaniment, plus Asian flat bread.
* Po pia tod — crispy Thai spring rolls of shrimp, ground pork, onions and mushrooms, with lettuce, cucumbers and flavored sauce.
* Som tum — green papaya salad, seasoned with garlic, tamarind dressing, dried shrimp, long beans and tomato, with gigantic shrimp chip for crunch.
* Tom kah kai — a creamy lemongrass soup with chicken and mushrooms and coconut milk.
* Pra lad pik — crispy whole fish with chili ginger sauce and scallions.
* Pad Thai koong — noodles with shrimp, chicken, tofu, bean sprouts, chives and chopped peanuts.
* Khao neou mamoung — Thai sticky rice with coconut milk and sweet mango slices.
This special menu is served family style; cost is $67 per person, with seatings at 4 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.. through Sunday (July 30).
Wayne and Vi, at Chef Chai’s Thai menu night.
Reservations required at www.chefchai.com or (808) 585-0011; credit card required to assure seating.
MY LATEST SUMMER NOTE CARD…
Felt a creative urge yesterday, so decided to work on a summerish note card. Had this snack-laden paper, which lacked a local punch, so decided to do several variations of this aloha shirt card, capped with a strawberry shave ice, that’s now part of my Wild Cards catalogue. Happy summer!
ONE MORE CIONE ‘FOLLIES’ AT ARCADIA
At 95, showman Jack Cione has slowed his gait and his memory fades off and on.
Yet, he is in the midst of prepping the Arcadia Follies set for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7, 8 and 9 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Arcadia’s theater space on Punahou Street.
“This is my last one,” Cione (pictured left) said the other day. “I really think so, because I’m moving slower and I often forget what I taught the cast.”
He selects tunes for the cavalcade of melodies, and assigns tasks and teaches the choreography to the cast. Several years ago, “the last one” was to be the final one, and the concept put to rest, prior to the pandemic.
But there Cione is again, still an active Arcadian, tooling around on a scooter, since he has difficulty walking. The cane and the walker are history now.
“Broadway Babies” is the theme of the production, featuring veteran regulars like Elva Yoshihara and Sheila Black, who will be among the “Babes” in the cast of 30, with origins from such shows as “Hello, Dolly,” “Mame,” and “Mary Poppins.”
Outsiders (non Arcadians) such as Becky Hahn, Faith Agbayani and John and Karen Kotake are also faces and dancers you might recall, if you’ve been to previous Follies.
Cione’s tact is to have his cast lip-synch to notable show tunes – this year’s show will highlight tunes from shows like “Pippin’” – and fortunately, costumes that were featured in past productions will be back, likely with a new wrinkle and twinkle.
See, when Cione decided to throw in the towel, some of the costumes were sold but many were retained by costumer Bill Dougherty, who oversaw the gear back in the day.
When he died, the costumes were bequeathed to Hahn, who happily stored them in her basement and has helped return some to their original glory for yet another go.
The show is free to Arcadians and their guests, so unless you know someone in that senior facility, you can’t have access. …
Clublicity
Singer Mary Gutzi’s (pictured right) in the spotlight, from 7 to 10 p.m. today (July 22), at the Paradise Lounge of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Her buddy Shari Lynn will return there, same timetable, on Aug. 5, then Shari and hubby Michael Acebedo, will head for a Mediterranean cruise to celebrate his 80th birthday. They return around Sept. 14 …
Gail Mack (pictured left) and Gordon Kim have been a singing duo for several decades now, after their George Street group disbanded. So if you’re a fan/follower, you might want to check ‘em out from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 20, at Mango Street Grill, at 130 Mango St., in Wahiawa. I don’t get around much anymore, but you might explore and join them. (I get my Gail Mack treat during the holidays, when her beloved “It’s Christmas Once More in Hawaii Nei” gets constant radio play. )…
But here’s some lovely news, that you can plan ahead to attend. Gail and Gordon will be joined by Jerry Santos (pictured right), Kamuela Kimokeo and Steve Lucas, Dec. 23, at Mango Street, in what seems to be a Christmas present. For information, call (808) 627-5451, and reservations are suggested.
Santos warrants a regular gig in Waikiki, with his group Olomana, but even before the pandemic, it’s been tough for anyone to land a club. Hotels neglect to do their part in turning around the slump in business, and despite knowing that on-site music is an amenity worth offering to visitors, there seems to be no upward move to return to the days of glory .,..
And that’s Show Biz. …
HARA NAMES 2023 LIFETIME ACHIEVERS
A roster of bona fide luminaries in Hawaii’s recording industry will be honored in the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts’ Lifetime Achievement Awards gala Nov. 5 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s Monarch Room.
The 2023 inductees are:
- Audy Kimura, left, a singer, composer, guitarist, engineer, and producer best known for his “Lovers and Friends” hit; also a longtime entertainer (now retired) at Hy’s Steak House, a commercial jingle writer and accomplished rifle shooter.
- Karen Keawehawai‘i, left below, a veteran singer, recording artist, television host and radio personality, actress, featured voice with the Royal Hawaiian Band but also known for a floral garden in her hair.
- Nohelani Cypriano, right, below a singer, composer, keyboardist, club performer and wife of Dennis Grau.
- Les Ceballos, left below, a singer well known as a mainstay in the Kamehameha Schools song contest.
- Kata Maduli, below right, is arecording artist, show presenter, and the father of McKenna Maduli and the husband of Janet Maduli.
A luncheon ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. with a silent auction and no-host cocktails, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. for seating and a lunch at 11 a.m. The ceremony begins at noon and will feature entertainment with biographic profiles, concluding at 2 p.m.
The event also will bestow a Legacy Recognition honor to the late Cynthia “Cindy” Ann Lance, a Hula Records executive who also was researcher and writer and savvy and knowledgeable Hawaiiana expert.
Tickets: $90.
Details: info@HARAHAWAII.com or call Janet Maduliat (808) 282-5577…
Hollywood strike has impacted local filming
The shutdown of Hollywood productions on the Mainland impacted Hawaii shows too.
With actors going on strike, in support of the Writers
Guild of America walkout, all shows are on pause.
Nearly 160,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are supporting the 20,000 Writers Guild of America members who have been picketing since May, when negotiations broke down with writers seeking a new three-year contract with movie studios.
The SAG-AFTRA strike affects 1,200 actors in Hawaii.
The shows affected are CBS’ “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” which apparently completed its second season filming before the shutdown occurred, and Disney’s live-action “Moana” and live-action “Lilo and Stitch” features. NBC’s “Magnum P.I.” called off part of the show’s fifth season, too, but the closure came before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA walk-out, and its status is in limbo and likely is being cut off from NBC, the network that gave it a safety net pickup.
Amy Hill, pictured, who was a “Magnum” recurring star for CBS’ four seasons of the procedural and also the shortened fifth season on NBC, also has been doing the “Lilo and Stitch” project, told Hawaii News Now that labor disputes no longer are surprising. “Having been in this business for a while I kind of, I’m always ready for losing a job,” said Hill. …
And that’s Show Biz. …