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Liberté, Égalité, Honolulu
What do you get when you let a French chef loose on tropical ingredients?
Cassis, France and Honolulu, Hawaii are not places globorati would ordinarily associate together, but we’ve a feeling Chef George Mavrothalassitis might change our minds. On April 30, the Big Kahuna of Hawaiian regional cuisine opens Cassis Honolulu, his much-anticipated casual eatery and second restaurant in the Hawaiian capital. Drawing from Chef Mavro’s roots — born in Provence, he once owned La Presqu’ile in the seaside village of Cassis — the new restaurant marries French bistro-style cooking with tropical flavors. The menu promises straightforward dishes like rotisserie chicken with plum wine sauce, as well as classic tarte tatin islandized with li hing mui, a sweet-salty plum seasoning thought to have originated in China though widely popular in the aloha state. The chef should have easy access to the stuff: his new restaurant is located right at the gateway to Chinatown, boasting views of Honolulu Harbor. And while the décor was conceived by hot-shot designer Mary Philpotts, the 295 seats, private dining room for 50, and wine bar seem decidedly un-bistro in size. Still, if it’s anything like Chef Mavro’s esteemed eponymous restaurant, 295 seats may not be enough.
read more: 05. Eat