"This Week" at Vino and Hiroshi
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if you love wine, check out my “Wall of Photos” & captions
WINE TASTING —“Mediterranean Reds” Wednesday, Sept 1 6:00 PM
VINTAGE STEAK SPECIAL Thursday, September 2
KING CRAB NIGHTS @ Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas
Friday, September 3 & Saturday, September 4
SATURDAY NIGHT "SUPPER" @ VINO Saturday, Sept 4
WINES OF THE CENTRAL COAST @ VINO Saturday, Sept 11
WINE TASTING--"A TOAST WITH CHAMPAGNE" Wednesday, Sept 15 6:00 PM
VINTAGE STEAK SPECIALThursday, September 16
LOBSTER NIGHTS @ Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas
Friday, September 17 & Saturday, September 18
"BLIND" WINE TASTING Wednesday, September 22 6:00 PM
VINTAGE STEAK SPECIAL Thursday, September 23
VINO’s “BYOB” Dinner Saturday, Sept 25 6:00 PM
CONTEMPORARY KAISEKI DINNER @ Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas: Tuesday, October 5
HIROSHI SEPTEMBER "LOCALLY GROWN MENU" HAPPY HOUR at VINO and Hiroshi
"NOW ON TO WINES "
Facebook: Become Chuck Furuya’s friend
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.
Vintage Steak Thursdays--Aug 26th , September 2nd, September 16th, 23rd and 30th
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 the Thursdays listed above. It is your opportunity to see first hand how good this steak really is! 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—“Mediterranean Reds” Wednesday, September 1st 6:00 pm
One of our wine goals with VINO has been to show people that different kinds of foods pair up with different kinds of foods. Therefore, even though Hiroshi’s & VINO are physically side by side, because the food programs are VERY different, then the wine programs should also be VERY different. As VINO regulars well know we spend a lot of time and effort to source wines which are more apropos with the Mediterranean inspired foods of VINO whether they are from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal or California. Yes, there are some very good Mediterranean inspired wines now being grown and produced in California. Geographically they may not be Mediterranean, but they certainly can be philosophically. We would like to take this opportunity to taste FOUR very awesome examples of what we mean.
Here is the line-up.
2002 Clendenen Nebbiolo (California)
One of the 2 best Cal-Ital reds produced in California today. Crafted by Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat,
who has been making Nebbiolo for a long, long time….& this is his finest effort to date.
2004 Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Italy)
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was one of the first 6 DOCG wines of Italy. That is saying a lot when one
considers Barolo, Barbaresco & Brunello di Montalcino were 3 of the others. The benchmark producer for
me has always been Boscarelli…..who was certainly one of the vanguard whose wines were good enough
to elevate this appellation on par with Italy’s best.
2004 Valsacro Rioja “Crianza” (Spain)
growing up in this industry, Rioja was one of those highly regarded red wines of the world which
never really wow-ed me. I had many which I thought were really good, but was never really wowed.
Along with 2 other Bodegas, the contemporary stylings of Valsacro which convinced me otherwise. The combination of limestone based soils & their old plantings (some a 100 years old) says something.
2002 Domaine Tempier Bandol “Cabassaou (France)
Domaine Tempier is definitely royalty…..& Cabassaou is their TOP cuvee. It took us many years to finally
get some of this old vine, Mourvedre cuvee. Here is one 8 years old.
There you have it, four sensational wines, two ounces each. $39 a person (not including tax or gratuity).
By Reservations only….533-4476 or email Sade…. svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
Saturday Night "Supper" @ VINO Saturday, September 4th
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 5 were terrific & everyone had a blast! We are really amazed and thankful how well this is being received by our guests. Our next one will be on Saturday, Sept 4th, starting at 5:30pm. Here is the menu…...
Home-made Fennel Sausage Tortellini
with Swiss chard & garlic cheese demi
WINE: 2006 Monte Antico
Tuscan Marinated “Vintage” Steak
with roasted red potatoes & Nalo Farms baby arugula
WINE: Hybrid Petite Sirah
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, call 533-4476 or email Sade at svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
Wines of the "Central Coast" @ VINO Saturday, Sept 11th
Someone asked me the other day why we are so INTO the wines from the Central Coast,
here is your chance to taste & see why, first hand!
We have selected a few of our favorite Central Coast wines which are crafted by some of the most talented winemakers out of California and will be offering them by the glass on this night for you to check out. To add icing to the cake, we will also be offering these at enticing prices. The goal is to get you to try wines you never would have tried before, whether it is because of limited availability or whether it is because they are un-known to you. Each are fabulous……(a Central Coast DREAM Team).
“SPECIALS”…..BY THE GLASS
2008 Rusack Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley)--$2.50/ $5.50
here is one of what we think is the finest sauvignons out of the whole state!!
Pure, delicious & wonderfully food friendly.
2006 Ojai Chardonnay "Solomon Hills" (Santa Maria Valley) --$3.25/ $6.95
VINO regulars well know we are HUGE fans of this highly revered winemaking Master.
Here is one of his Burgundian styled, single vineyard Chardonnays.
2006 Alta Maria Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) --$3.75/ $7.95
a truly superb, feminine, classy, elegant, provocatively perfumed Pinot
2007 Four Vines Petite Sirah (Paso Robles) --$2.50/ $5.50
A VERY masculine, seemingly “gothic” black wine, which is surprisingly UN-heavy & well textured..
2006 Villa Creek Garnacha "Denner Vineyard" (Paso Robles) --$3.75/ $7.95
from the steep Denner Vineyard limestone hillside comes this really delicious, intriguing, fabulous red
2003 Palmina Nebbiolo "Sisquoc Vineyard" (Santa Maria Valley) --$3.75/ $7.95
Nebbiolo is the grape variety used to produce Italy’s Barolo’s & Barbaresco’s. Here is the
finest look-a-like produced in California today from Steve & Chrystal Clifton.
2004 Cambiata Tannat (Monterey) --$3.75/ $7.95
a BIG, brooding, deeply flavored behemoth from a wind pounded Monterey hillside
2008 Falcone Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) --$4.25/ $8.95
Yes…Paso Robles is a gold mine for Syrah, Grenache & other Mediterranean red grape varieties,
but this classy, suave, very stylish Cabernet shows the HUGE potential there is for Cabernet as well.
“SPECIALS”…..BY THE BOTTLE
2006 Brewer Clifton Pinot Noir "Zotovich Vineyard" (Santa Rita Hills)--$46
Especially at this price, it really is the perfect opportunity to check out
one of California’s most noted Pinot-meisters
2006 Terry Hoage Grenache-Syrah "Skins" (Paso Robles)--$39
Here is what can happen with limestone hillsides & a new age winemaker. A rare combination of
intrigue & delicious-ness, even for the best from France.
2007 Word Petite Sirah “Tres Ninos Vineyard” (Arroyo Grande)--$75
A standout Petite Sirah from Master Sommelier Michael Jordan.
For you true wine lovers, this really is a golden opportunity for you to taste some fabulous wines and walk away with a better understanding of what’s happening in the Central Coast. It’s one thing to read about it and it’s another thing to experience it.
Wine Tasting—“A Toast With Champagne” Wednesday, September 15th 6:00
Champagne is a region in France. Most people today think of the bubbles and enjoy how amazingly light and delicious they can be. Furthermore, the average consumer leans towards the more marketed brands (the huge marketing efforts and advertising dollars spent works!). There is much more to Champagne than that. Like other regions, with a little digging around one can find some most interesting “finds” which deliver quality, interesting-ness and unique-ness. There are more and more “boutique” Champagnes entering the U.S. market, so as time goes on it can get quite complicated in finding the real McCoys. Hopefully this tasting will help you down the road of discovery before the crowd.
Here is the line-up…
PHILIPPONNAT “Royal Brut Reserve”
“A pretty, fresh, round, supple style of bubbly with great delicacies”. This cuvee is blended
from 25 different Crus, mainly Pinot Noir from just south of Montagne de Reims with a small
amount of Chardonnay and a dollop of Pinot Meunier. 90 points Burghound
JOSE DHONDT Blanc de Blancs “Grand Cru”
A terrific “grower” Champagne…100% Grand Chardonnay from the village of Oger in the
Cote de Blancs. The most frequent descriptors one hears of this fantastic find…..
uplifting, pure, sublime, classy, pedigreed. 92 points Robert Parker
PEHU SIMONET Brut “Grand Cru”
Another STELLAR artisan, handcrafted, “grower” Champagne. Frequent descriptors….
“malty, meso terroir”, firm and savory, sumptuous”. 90 points Robert Parker
HENRI BILLIOT Rose “Grand Cru”
One of our absolute favorite artisan, “grower” Rose Champagnes. Only five hectares of
Grand Cru holdings, so the quantities are miniscule. Frequent descriptors include billowing fruit,
lacy length, sheer loveliness, superb grip and solidity, tiny bubbles”. 92 points Robert Parker
There you have it, four sensational bubblies, two ounces each $42 a person (not including tax or gratuity).
By Reservations only, call 533-4476 or email Sade at svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
“Blind” Wine Tasting Wednesday, September 22nd 6:00 pm
In VINO we have had a lot of fun doing “blind” tastings. This means tasting a wine with NO knowledge of the place of origin, grape variety, winemaker or any other facet which may prejudice the assessment of the respective wine. On this night we will do it again. We will serve five top caliber wines ”BLIND” and then later discuss our thoughts as a group. I guarantee you the wines will be top notch and “true to type”. It really is another fabulous learning opportunity.
There you have it, five sensational wines, two ounces each $42 a person (not including tax or gratuity).
By Reservations only, call 533-4476 or email Sade at svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
VINO’s BYOB Dinner Saturday, September 25th 6PM
How does this work? First we ask VINO Chef Keith Endo to create a three course menu and then ask participants to bring what they think are appropriate wines (SERVED BLIND) for two of the courses, then we compare. Sounds like a lot of fun to me AND most importantly should shed a lot of insights into better understanding the how’s and why’s of wine and food pairing. This last one was a kick in the pants good funvery insightful and quite the learning opportunity. Here is Chef Keith’s menu for this night. Now, WHO is game?
Grilled Eggplant Milanese
with red wine poached egg
Sicilian Chicken Marsala
with homemade linguine & roasted Roma tomatoes
Dessert
$35 a person (NOT including tax & gratuity)
By Reservations only, 533-4476 or email Sade @ svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
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?
2009 CLOS STE. MAGDELEINE Rose NEW By The Glass
I believe this is the first time this Rose is coming into Hawaii, at least legally. Clos Ste Magdeleine is an absolutely stunning, breathtaking property located right on the Mediterranean down in Provence, France. This estate has been producing one of the finest white wines from all of southern France since 1880, although the family has owned this estate for centuries. It is generally regarded as the definitive wine pairing with the world renown, regional Bouillabaisse. I have their rose now and then over the years and wasn’t really blown away until this 2009, which is delicious….delicious…delicious. It really is hard to find these kinds of classy, food friendly, delicious pink wines. On your visit to VINO, think PINK.
2008 CLOS LA COUTALE Cahors NEW By The Glass
I have been buying this wine for a couple of decades and the attraction has been how truly soulful wine really is and how totally unlike anything else it is. Somehow the grape, the soil the whole culture of this wine supersedes what Mother Nature challenges the vines with. This is a dark, intriguingly rustic, brooding “black” wine which is much more soulful than any Malbec I’ve had from anywhere. In addition the Coutale Cahors has always offered great value and even more so today. Here is the newly released 2008.
NEW “Library” offering
1998 COL D’ORCIA Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Poggio al Vento” NEW By The Bottle
Here is a stellar, contemporarily styled Brunello Riserva….12 years old….in all its glory.
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.
WHAT’S UP AT HIROSHI EURASION TAPAS?
“LOCALLY GROWN MENU”
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 September…
First Course
Big Eye Ahi Sushi
ginger scallion & soy reduction
Second Course
Kauai Shrimp Ravioli
brussels sprout, red jalapeno & kim chee lemon grass sauce, cilantro
Main Course
Ginger Crusted Mon Chong
Asian succotash, pasta & miso cream sauce
Sweet Course
Mango Panna Cotta
fresh fruits with mango sorbet
Call now for reservations and be sure to mention that you are having
the Locally Grown Menu to ensure we don’t run out!
By Reservations only, call 533-4476 or email Sade at svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
KIDS EAT FREE IN SEPTEMBER
Join us at Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas any night in September and for each large plate ordered by an adult, your keiki (eight years old and under) can enjoy our new Kid Bento FREE! Chef Hiroshi’s Kids Bento includes-Miso chicken, fried shrimp, crudités, musubi, beverage and ice cream…yummy! Make your reservation today!
KING CRAB NIGHTS
Friday, September 3 & Saturday, September 4
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.
MAINE LOBSTER MATSURI
Friday, September 17 & Saturday, September 18
Fresh, live Maine lobsters done by James Beard nominee Chef Hiroshi Fukui
$21.95 one pound lobsters
Chef Hiroshi’s Original Lobster Tomalley
tomalley batter fried with lemon wedge
Crab Stuffed Baked Lobster
citrus aioli
Lemon Vinaigrette Grilled Lobster
white truffle oil
Plain Steamed Lobster
drawn butter & lemon wedge
By Reservations only, call 533-4476 or email Sade at svillatora@dkrestaurants.com
CONTEMPORARY KAISEKI DINNER
Tuesday, October 5
Here is the official announcement, Chef Hiroshi's next kaiseki is scheduled for Tuesday, October 5th. NINE courses.....
ALL, New foods. Call for reservations, 533-4476, as kaiseki sells out quickly.