"This Week" at Vino and Hiroshi

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if you love wine, check out my “Wall of Photos” & captions

Wine Tasting “Syrah”   Thursday, August 5th 6:00 pm

King Crab Night @ Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas

Friday, August 6th & Saturday, August 7th

Saturday Night "Supper" @ VINO   Saturday, August 7th

Wine Tasting “2005 Napa Valley Cabernet”   Wednesday, August 11th  6:00 pm    

“Ulupalakua Ranch Spring Lamb”  Specials Wednesday, August 11th

STEAK & WINE SPECIALS  Thursday, August 12th

“Fresh Dungeness Crab @ VINO” Saturday, August 14th

Wine Tasting—“MACHO REDS” Thursday, August 19th 6:00 pm

STEAK & WINE SPECIALS  Thursday, August 19th

Saturday Night "Supper" @ VINO   Saturday, August 21st

Wine Tasting “Rustic Reds”   Thursday, August 26th   6:00 pm 

STEAK & WINE SPECIALSThursday August 26th

Hiroshi August Locally Grown Menu     Happy Hour at VINO and Hiroshi 

      "Now On To Wines"

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Imagine, the kids are teaching me how to do Facebook.  I am definitely not very good at it, but am REALLY excited about what can be done via this venue.  As an example, if one looks at the photo section, we have been able to post some really cool pictures of vineyards, wine personalities, etc.  Hopefully, this is just the beginning.  Remembering the old saying, ”a picture is worth a 1000 words”?  Hopefully, these pictures will add more dimension for you in understanding wine, especially ‘good” wine.

STEAK & WINE  THREE Thursdays in August 12th, 19th and 26th

At VINO we are switching our steaks to Vintage, a new supplier found by our corporate chef.  The cattle are older than those from the Meyer program and converted to the NO growth hormone/NO antibiotic program.  The bottom line, however, is that in two different BLIND tastings, the Vintage New York was the steak we preferred!!!  To introduce this fabulous steak to our regulars, Chef Keith will offer our eight ounce VINO Vintage New York Steak at $12 each, on THREE Thursdays, August 12, 19 and 26.   It is your opportunity to see first hand how good this steak really is!  We will also be offering a special wine or two which might make an interesting pairing.  You will see, this piece of beef is meant to be served with rustic red wines like those served in VINO.  Remember.    (NO other discounts apply & no take out orders.)

COME & GET IT!!

Wine Tasting “Syrah”   August 5th  6:00 pm

A few weeks ago at the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival, I sat in on one of the special wine tastings.  A participant asked the presenter of a Syrah based red wine,  “Why is Syrah so under appreciated?”  He continued, “I can’t sell a bottle in our restaurant.  What can we do to get the public to buy more Syrah?”   First of all we need to remind all that Syrah is one of the five noble grape varieties of the world, at least I was always taught that.  The Chave Hermitage (a French Syrah) has been considered one of the VERY top red wines for centuries, in fact they say, during Christopher Columbus’ and Thomas Jefferson’s time it was considered number one.  The current Chave, Jean Louis, is either the 14th or the 16th generation of his family to make this wine! 

It is sadly not as fashionable as Cabernet and Pinot with today’s wine drinker.  That may be so, but it does NOT take away the fact Syrah is still one of the true noble grapes of the winemaking world.  Syrah needs more and more believers to pass the word along.  So, here is a quartet of world-class Syrah which will hopefully make a believer out of you.  To better provide insight we will serve these wines BLIND.   Who wants to take this journey?

2004 Terralsole “Solista” (Italy)

We chose to include this Syrah, not because it is a novelty….BUT because it is REALLY good!

2004 Ojai “Bien Nacido Vineyard”

One of the finest from California

2005 Hazyblur “McLaren Vale”  (Australia)

one of the finest from Australia (without being totally over the top)

2006 Patrick Jasmin Cote Rotie  (France)

The Queen of Syrah….this is definitely royalty.

There you have it, four sensational wines, two ounces each, served BLIND  $42 a person

(not including tax or gratuity).

By Reservations only….533-4476 or email Sade…. svillatora@dkrestaurants.com

King Crab Night @ Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas

Friday, August 6th & Saturday, August 7th

Without a doubt Alaskan King Crab is one of the world’s most sought after delicacies.  Not only does it have incredible, nearly indescribable taste, richness & sweet savoriness, but it certainly also has “one of kind” texture as well.  On these two nights, James Beard nominee, Chef Hiroshi Fukui will prepare King Crab his way as only he can. Regulars who came in the past will attest what a treat this is. 

Tomalley King Crab

with lobster tomalley battered tempura with cioppino sauce & fresh Italian parsley

Steamed Plain & Simple

with lemon wedge & drawn butter

King Crab Stew

with Manila clams, calamari with orzo & saffron clam broth

Butter Poached King Crab

with Ho Farm’s long beans, Big Island heart of palm, red jalapeno on squid ink pasta

½ pound $14.95

1 pound $29.50

This special will be offered (while supplies last) in addition to Hiroshi’s regular menu.

 Saturday Night "Supper" @ VINO   Saturday, August 7th

Saturday Night "Supper" is a new concept for us.  For our guests, it offers a three course, value dinner and every one will offer new dishes.  Since we will pair wine with two of the courses, it also reiterates the "wine served at the dinner table" culture.  Lastly it gives Keith, our staff and of course our regular guests a chance to experience something new.  Most importantly, it should be fun!  The last 4 were terrific & everyone had a blast!  Our next one will be on Saturday, August 7th, starting at 5:30pm. 

Here is the menu………..

First course

Crispy Shrimp

with homemade squid pasta, Nalo Farms arugula pesto & a lemon butter sauce

 WINE:  2008 Primaterra Pinot Grigio

Main course

Red Wine Braised Short Rib 

with homemade gnocchi, wild mushrooms & gremolata

WINE:  2008 Tormaresca “Neprica”

Dessert

$33 a person (NOT including tax & gratuity)

Just so it is clear, we will offer this menu only on Saturday… individual table seating.

By Reservations only, 533-4476 or email Sade @ svillatora@dkrestaurants.com

Wine Tasting “2005 Napa Valley Cabernet”   Wednesday, August 11th  6:00 pm 

Yes, we will be tasting Cabernet from the Napa Valley, even though it is the middle of a very warm summer.  Why?  Because we have the right line-up of wines, which incidentally happen to be showing well right now.  Just note, there will be NO Fruit Bombs on this night!   We will try FOUR of our favorite Napa Valley Cabs, each from interesting, unique vineyards and then crafted by some of the most talented winemakers out of California.

2005 Selene "Napa Valley"

the artistry of superstar Mia Klein, who previously consulted for Cabernet

projects like Araujo, Viader & Dalla Valle.  Selene is her own.

2005 Beau Vigne "Juliet's"

this small, family owned vineyard is 1400 feet above the Stags Leap District

& crafted by David Phinney of Orin Swift fame.

2005 Neyers "AME"

the first Reserve wine produced from a hillside in the organically farmed estate

vineyard of Barbara & Bruce Neyers.  If you know these two they would never do

something half hearted.

2005 Forman "Napa Valley"

another superb Cab from superstar Ric Forman....

& the very first using the fruit from his dynamited, upper, ultra-rocky parcel 

 There you have it, four sensational wines, two ounces each $42 a person (not including tax or gratuity).

By Reservations only….533-4476 or email Sade…. svillatora@dkrestaurants.com

“Ulupalakua Ranch Spring Lamb”  Wednesday August 11th

Hana Hou.  VINO Chef Keith Endo is bringing in another whole Spring lamb from Maui’s Ulupalakua Ranch & will create ALL NEW specials on this night to pair up with Cabernet Sauvignon based red wines.  Regulars know it will be good.

“Fresh Dungeness Crab @ VINO” Saturday, August 14th

Last Summer we took VINO Chef Keith Endo to work with some friends in San Francisco.  I would say that is where & how he took a real liken to Dungeness crab.  Mark your calendars, as Keith will unveil some of Dungeness Crab Specials on this night….& we will of course have some suitable wines to have with it.  We will advise the menu & wines shortly.

Wine Tasting—“MACHO REDS” Thursday, August 19th 6:00

VINO friend Bruce Liebert always comes to our VINO wine tastings and cordially sips through all of the elegant, suave, delicious wines….or the tasty, food friendly gulpable wines….and even all of the pretty, delicate, feminine styled wines…..even though BIG & dramatic is what he loves.  So earlier this year we did a couple of BIG Red winetastings, in honor of “BIG Red”—our man Bruce.  It was a blast!!!!  Bruce has been traveling quite a bit this Summer and now he is back.  So on this night, we gear up to do another tasting geared for Bruce and all of the others who have been waiting patiently for impact wines.  This time we will be focusing on masculine, MACHO red wines (which can be VERY different from BIG wines), as we will hopefully see through these wines. 

Here is the line-up…

2006 WHITCRAFT Syrah “Clover Vineyard”

a BLACK, savage Syrah, which is still seamless, well textured & remarkably UN-heavy

2004 RENATO RATTI Barolo “Marcenasco”

 this legendary Barolo estate is simply “on fire” right now, producing some incredible Barolo’s

2004 DOMAINE de CHEVALIER

at VINO, we do not taste Bordeaux too often.  Here is a STELLAR classic!!!!! NO fruit bomb here.

2004 HIDDEN RIDGE Cabernet Sauvignon 

 grown on a steep, rocky, “mountain side in Sonoma, this is Monster without being over the top.

There you have it, four sensational wines, two ounces each  $42 a person (not including tax or gratuity).

By Reservations only….533-4476 or email Sade…. svillatora@dkrestaurants.com

 Saturday Night "Supper" @ VINO   Saturday, August 21st

Saturday Night "Supper" is a new concept for us.  For our guests, it offers a three course, value dinner and every one will offer new dishes.  Since we will pair wine with two of the courses, it also reiterates the "wine served at the dinner table" culture.  Lastly it gives Keith, our staff and of course our regular guests a chance to experience something new.  Most importantly, it should be fun!  The last 4 were terrific & everyone had a blast!  Our next one will be on Saturday, August 21st, with seating starting at 5:30pm.  We will announce the menu shortly.

Wine Tasting “Rustic Reds”   Thursday, August 26th  6:00 pm 

Since this is the last “Steak & Wine” Thursday of August, we chose to again do some red wines ideal for steaks, in this case rustic red wines.  We are talking about standout, soulful, rustic yet UN-heavy reds for this tasting…from Italy, France & California.    Besides pairing well with steaks & VINO food, we are also hoping each wine provides a real learning opportunity as well.

Here is the line-up……..

2006 Villa Creek Garnacha

as good as the fabulous 2007 was at a tasting we did earlier this year, we think this ’06 is even better!

A delicious 100% Grenache from the limestone hillsides of Paso Robles.

2007 Drew Syrah “Valenti Vineyard”

perched on a breathtaking vineyard overlooking the Anderson Valley, this is a very elegant, suave, lovely

contemporary Syrah crafted by star winemaker Jason Drew.

2005 Domaine la Roquete Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The Brunier brothers of Domaine Vieux Telegraphe also own & produce this Domaine’s wines as well.

45 year old vines & their winemaking is a hard to beat combination

2005 Renato Ratti Barolo “Marcenasco”

wasn’t this #7 or #8 on the Wine Spectator’s TOP 100 last year?

2005 Domaine Grange des Peres

one of France’s truly GREAT red wines

There you have it, five sensational wines, two ounces each  $42 a person (not including tax or gratuity).

By Reservations only….533-4476 or email Sade…. svillatora@dkrestaurants.com

“Locally Grown” Menu… @ Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas

Chef Hiroshi Fukui will feature a new “locally grown” four course menu each month on SUNDAYS & MONDAYS ONLY.  

$35 per person (not including tax & gratuity)

For August…

First Course

Brie Cheese Torched Maui Cattle Meat Loaf

truffled macaroni salad & ginger carrot puree

Second Course

Crispy Kauai Shrimp Tofu Salad

Mrs. Cheng’s tofu, kaiware sprouts, tsukemono, ginger & garlic chips with sesame soy vinaigrette

Main Course

XO Sauce Steamed Moi Fillet

cilantro, ginger, sizzlin’ peanut oil with soy broth & white truffle oil, steamed white rice

Sweet Course

“POG” Macadamia Nut Cheese Cake

orange lilikoi juice, guava foam & dulce de leche ice cream

Call now for reservations and be sure to mention that you are having

the Locally Grown Menu to ensure we don’t run out!

Reservations--533-4476 or email Sade…. svillatora@dkrestaurants.com

HAPPY HOUR IN VINO & HIROSHI EURASION TAPAS "at the bar seats only"

We are offering a 50% discount on food for those sitting at the VINO bar and Hiroshi bar from 5:30 to 6:30 pm on a first come first served basis.  All orders must be in by 6:30 pm.   (Vino food is only available when Vino is open for regular business)  It is a great opportunity to have a bite to eat instead of fighting the traffic.

Now on to Wines...

Why do we change the wines by the glass so often? The answer is to try and experience the WORLD of wines. 

If we change two wines a week, that means 104 new wines to try for the year.  That is the fun part of it all, isn’t it?

2006 LAFON Macon “Heritiers”    NEW By The Glass

Dominique Lafon is certainly one of the most revered winemakers of modern day Burgundy.  He toils at his family’s estate in Meursault and produces some of the very best from the region today.  At the same time, he also makes a little for wine for himself & his immediately family under this label.  The grapes come from Macon in southern Burgundy.  This lovely, finesse, pure, delicious white wine is much more quiet and demure than those he produces further north and therefore we think better for summer sippin’.

2009 PHILIPPE FAURY Syrah   NEW By The Glass

TWO things here…first of all this is Syrah, purely done and absolutely intriguing and delicious.  My breath was taken away at how lovely and enchanting this wine REALLY is.  Secondly, this new release should give one an inkling of how fabulous the 2009 vintage REALLY is in the northern Rhone Valley.  We happen to know because we were there, tasting grapes at harvest.   The buzz had already started. Taste this wine and you will surely order up on your favorite Cote Rotie, Cornas and Hermitage.  These kinds of vintages don’t come around that often!!!!!!!