Who’s still got openings for Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is just a week away! If you haven’t made reservations yet, you may be out of luck for special occasion favorites like Alan Wong’s, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse and Vintage Cave. But you know what? We’re here for you. We called a random assortment of restaurants around Oahu to see who still has some seats left for February 14, as of this writing. If your lover is not a stickler about being out on THE day, you may find more seats on Friday the 13th. Either way, this list will help keep you out of the dog house.
To make scanning easier, we are just listing the restaurants and their phone numbers so you can call them yourself to ask about exact times. Many restaurants have special prix fixe/tasting menus for the day, too.
12th Avenue Grill 808-732-9469
Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room 808-945-6573
Arancino at the Kahala 808-380-4400
Bernini 808-591-8400
Buho Cantina 808-922-2846
Chart House 808-927-2472
Chef Mavro 808-944-4714
Greens & Vines Raw Vegan 808-536-9680
Grondin French Latin Kitchen 808-566-6768
Il Lupino 808-922-3400
Kakaako Kitchen 808-596-7488
Kan Zaman 808-554-3847
Mac 24/7 808-921-5564
Mariposa 808-948-7573
Off The Wall Craft 808-591-9255
Pig & the Lady 808-585-8255
Shokudo 808-941-3701
Stage 808-237-5429
The Willows 808-952-9200
Still trying to decide what to eat? We got a preview of Arancino at the Kahala’s Valentine’s menu for $89 per person plus tax, with a wine pairing set for an additional $29. 
To start: An amuse bouche of prosciutto and fig. We love the salty/sweet of this very subtle bite!
Insalata frutti di mare at Arancino.
The seafood antipasto is always a beautiful palette of fresh, raw items. This one includes scallops, kampachi, squid, uni, amaebi, ahi and abalone. The micro greens from Ululoa Nursery make it extra pretty. It’s paired with a Pacific rim solstice dry reisling.
Linguine con granchio e pomodoro at Arancino.
For your entree, you can choose either the king crab linguine or the duck risotto. The linguine is fresh and house made, tossed with tomato sauce and king crab chunks. I wish I could tell you one was better than the other, but they were both really good. This was paired with a Dobbes pinot noir.
Risotto al vino rosso con anatra at Arancino.
The other choice is a grilled muscovy duck atop red wine risotto and topped with lightly fried Japanese Tokyo negi (green onion). The risotto looks a little strange, since we aren’t used to it, but it’s delicious and goes well with the Braida montebruna barber wine, which is also used in the dish. This risotto, in fact, is made this way in the manager’s hometown in northern Italy, and you can see the mere mention of it sends him to a nostalgic happy place.
Alba truffles.
For the next dish, chef Daisuke Hamamoto brought out exquisitely aromatic Alba truffles. You can have these shaved over your beef for an extra $20.
Filetto di manzo alla griglia at Arancino.
Save room, because the entree is a piece of grilled, organic U.S. prime tenderloin with sautéed foie gras, truffle mashed potatoes, and red wine reduction. This dish was absolutely dreamy. The potatoes were so good, they could be a dish by themselves! My knife cut through the beef like butter, and the truffles just elevated everything. It’s paired with a Gianfranco bovio barolo.
Torta al cioccolato at Arancino.
The dessert is a house-made chocolate and raspberry mousse encased in a very thin chocolate shell. This is very light with a delicate crunch, and has a nice combination of sweet and tart flavors. The gold flakes are an elegant touch! It’s paired with a Banfi brachetto. Even if you are full — and you probably will be — you at least can finish dinner with a sweet bite. 
Mahalo to chef Hamamoto for a wonderful meal!
