Foodscene: April

April 1, 8, 15, 22: Maui Lamb Mondays
12th Avenue Grill
1145C 12th Ave.
Reservations: 732-9469
If we eat more parts of the lamb, would raising lamb be more sustainable for local ranchers? 12AG tests the waters this month, with lamb leg roulade April 1, slow-roasted shoulder April 8, beer-braised shanks April 15 and racks on April 22. All a la carte, with staggered seatings

April 5: Cherry Blossom Dinner
La Mer at the Halekulani
2199 Kalia Rd.
6:30 p.m.
Cost: $295, call 923-2311
Grand chef Kenichiro Tanaka of Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel and Halekulani’s Vikram Garg collaborate on a cherry blossom-themed dinner with five courses, three canapes and two desserts, all paired with wine

April 6 & 7: Hawaiian Scottish Festival
Kapiolani Park
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
www.scotshawaii.org
Kilts, Highland games, live music and dances, Celtic crafts, a gathering of clans — and haggis! Scotland may be half a world away, but the tastes come home at this two-day fest. Taste of Scotland Ceilidh on April 5, Grand Scotch Tour on April 12, both at Willows Restaurant

April 6: Brew Benefit Dishcrawl
All around downtown Honolulu
2 to 5 p.m.
Tickets: $40 online
An afternoon pub crawl: 12 five-ounce samples of local brews at six venues within walking distance of each other, with options to eat for $5 at each place and proceeds benefiting artists at The Arts at Marks Garage

April 6: Crab Fest
Kapiolani Community College
Ohia Cafeteria
5:30 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $80 at 955-6493
All-you-can-eat Dungeness crab, no take-home, with cash bar, silent and live auctions, live music. Benefits KCC, culinary scholarships and Rotary Club of Ala Moana

April 11: Taste of Marukai
Marukai Wholesale Dillingham store
2310 Kamehameha Hwy.
If you’ve waited to buy your tickets to this quirkiest of Japanese food- and sake-fests, held right in the aisles of rice, tsukemono and Japanese snacks, you’ve waited too long: the 8th annual Taste is SOLD OUT

April 13: Discover Kakaako
Ward Warehouse, Ward Centre and the Auahi parking lot in between
5 to 9 p.m.
Half-y hour returns with 50 percent deals at 10 shops including Eden in Love, Executive Chef, Bean & Vanilla and Native Books & Things plus cocktail pairings by Liquor Collection. More keiki activities this time in addition to food trucks and booths, live music, a fashion show and Maunalua onstage at 8 p.m.

April 13 & 14: Poke contest at Hawaii Ocean Expo
Neil Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Info right here
Serious two-round poke contest in ahi, tako and vegetarian categories. Semifinal winners battle it out on Day 2 with a surprise basket of secret ingredients. Judging is by professionals and people’s choice, with winner taking home two round-trip tickets to Alaska and a four-night, five-day fishing adventure. Expo has lots more exhibits, demos, activities and shopping, BTW

April 19: Garlic Day
The possibilities! The redolence! The breath mints!

April 20: Honolulu Night + Market
Auahi Street between Coral and Keawe
6 to 11 p.m.
www.honolulunightmarket.com
Kakaako’s mid-month block party goes green, with the usual groove of an all-new popup retail lineup, street food, fashion, musical acts, 21+ bar, live improv and more

April 25: Joy of Sake Aftertaste at Stage
1250 Kapiolani Blvd.
6 to 8 p.m.
Tickets: $45 online
The monthly sake party returns to one of its hottest venues for a celebration of bold and beautiful sakes for Boys’ Day. Self-serve samplings of 40 premium brews, heavy pupus and blind-wrapped grab bags of Joy of Sake entries for sale

April 26: Eat the Street Bacon
555 South St. at Halekauwila
4 to 9 p.m.
Street food frenzy reaches its high point of the year when Eat the Street’s most popular theme returns with bacon in nearly every form imaginable, including dessert. Remember last year’s bacon shake? Remember the bacon fudgesicle?

April 26: Empty Bowl Hawaii
Ala Moana Center, makai parking deck
Corner of Ala Moana and Piikoi
6 to 8 p.m.
Tickets: $20 online
Five thousand bowls, 21 soups. Pre-order a handmade ceramic bowl, show up, get a ticket for soup from the restaurant of your choice. Cafe Kaila, Le Bistro, Roy’s, Tango and others all donate the soup, with ticket sales benefiting Hawaii Meals on Wheels

April 27: Spam Jam
Up and down Kalakaua Avenue
4 to 10 p.m.
Spam noodles, Spam burgers, Spam dim sum, Spam popsicles: Hawaii’s favorite processed preserved meat gets its day when 30,000 rabid fans converge on Waikiki for one of the happiest food days of the year

April 27: The Great Meat Dinner
Town Restaurant
3435 Waialae Ave.
Various dinner seatings
Tickets: $165 online
Aidells Sausage’s Bruce Aidells — who wrote The Great Meat Cookbook — and Ryan Farr of San Francisco’s 4505 Meats team up with Town Restaurant’s Ed Kenney and Dave Caldiero for a benefit for the Hawaii Culinary Education Foundation. Shinsato Hog charcuterie, Lanai venison, Kuahiwi Ranch beef neck, Puuwai Ranch lamb, plus pie