April Food Events: A Beer Festival, Free Ice Cream and More
The 8 best food and drink picks for the upcoming month.
Grab a beer and a commemorative mug at the Honolulu Brewers Festival, formerly the REAL Beer Festival, on April 18.
Photo: Diane Lee
Alan Wong’s Old Favorites
Through April 14
Get out your spoon: Classic Alan Wong’s menu items are making a short comeback in celebration of the restaurant’s 20-year anniversary. April 6–8, the five items returning are the “manapua” quesadilla, Chinatown duck salad with hoisin balsamic dressing, seared ‘ahi with Asian slaw and soy vinaigrette, grilled steak with bacon mushroom salad and the “Baked Hawai‘i.” The next group, being served April 9–11, includes five spoons of brulee, and April 12–14 features the “Surf and Turf” with wasabi mashed potatoes and truffle yaki sauce. Better call ASAP.
Alan Wong’s Honolulu, 1857 S. King St., Suite 208, 949-2526, alanwongs.com
Chef Showcase Dinner with Andrew Le
April 10
The Pig and the Lady chef Andrew Le brings his artistic take on local and Vietnamese food to LCC for this biannual showcase, which highlights local chefs and ingredients. The evening’s menu will feature a salad of sprouting seeds and seasonal fruit, sashimi, an octopus Bolognese over gnocchi, Shinsato Farm pork and a caramelized avocado cake, plus wine pairings by master sommelier Chuck Furuya.
Seatings from 6–7:30 p.m., The Pearl at Leeward Community College, $70, $85 with wine pairings, 455-0298.
Kamay-on Cooking with Yana Gilbuena
April 11
If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at Filipino food, check out this Saturday’s class at Cookspace. You’ll learn to make kare-kare, a peanut-butter curry, from chef Yana Gilbuena, along with fresh spring rolls. The most fun part? The food is served on banana leaves, with no utensils. We said try your hand …
11 a.m.–1 p.m., Cookspace Classroom, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2360, $68.06, cookspacehawaii.com
Courtyard Brunch
April 12
Come down to Ward for a morning with local women chefs, farmers and entertainers, including Michelle Karr-Ueoka from MW Restaurant, Jayme Vaniew from Morimoto Waikīkī and more. Each ticket comes with three food vouchers and one drink. You’ll also be able to shop from a pop-up farmers market by Whole Foods.
10 a.m.–1 p.m., Ward Village Courtyard (former IBM building), $20, additional vouchers available for $7, wardvillageshops.com
Cooking Hawaiian Style
Mondays
The new season of this local cooking show premiered last night, hosted by comedian and part owner of Aloha Plate—the winner of 2013’s The Great Food Truck Race—Lanai Tabura. Whether you’re in Honolulu, on the Mainland or in Canada, Australia or New Zealand, you can now watch Cooking Hawaiian Style on the Lifestyle Network. Guests this season include chef Lee Anne Wong of Koko Head Café and her latest venture, Hale Ōhuna.
7:30 p.m., OC16 Channel 12, cookinghawaiianstyle.com
Free Cone Day
April 14
Get a free scoop of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream next Tuesday from either the Windward Mall or Ward Village shop as the annual thank-you tradition continues at Scoop Shops around the world. We can tell Brazil is really excited.
Noon to 8 p.m., benjerry.com
Honolulu Brewers Festival
April 18
We know what you’re thinking: How are you ever going to try all 87 craft beers at this event? Here’s our plan: Go with eight friends, who will all receive 10 brew-tasting coupons, and take half-ounce sips from each sample. Double your friends for double the sips (or something. Hey, we’re writers!). Additional scrip can be purchased for $2 each if that gets too complicated. There will also be free samples of beer-centric dishes from 20 local restaurants, including Honolulu Beerworks (which celebrates its one-year anniversary this Saturday with food specials and giveaways), Pint + Jigger, Murphy’s and Square Barrels.
2–6:30 p.m., Kaka‘ako Makai Gateway Park, 741 Ilalo St., $74.84, tickets must be purchased in advance, honolulubrewersfestival.com
L’ulu: Leeward Culinary Arts Gala
May 9
More than a dozen of Hawai‘i’s top chefs will join students and instructors from LCC’s Culinary Arts Program for a night of locally grown palate pleasers. This fundraiser, which also features a silent auction and entertainment, will support culinary students and food sustainability in the Islands.
6–9 p.m., Leeward Community College, $100–$125, www.leeward.hawaii.edu
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