Quick Bites: Christmas picks

Jennifer's Gingers will be available by the Baker's Dozen (13 cookies) at the Halekulani Logo Boutique until Dec. 31. (Courtesy photo)

BY NINA WU / nwu@staradvertiser.com

Looking to eat out on Chrsitmas Eve or on Christmas Day? You have plenty of options around town. Here’s a sampling:

Nobu Waikiki

Nobu Waikiki offers a Japanese and Peruvian-inspired Christmas omakase menu on Monday, Dec. 24, and Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

Enjoy whitefish wasabi ceviche with caviar to start, followed by scallops with dry miso, Big Island ahi sashimi salad, roasted Big Island abalone with uni butter crust and Maitake mushroom tempura. The menu continues with braised Wagyu short rib with edamame, lotus root and crispy foie gras followed by assorted sushi and lobster miso.

Dessert is a Greenwell Farms coffee tart, roasted almond ice cream and gingerbread cake.

Cost is $160 per person. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa will be at Nobu Waikiki at Waikiki Parc Hotel, 2233 Helumoa Rd. from Dec. 25 through Dec. 28. Call 237-6999 or go to www.opentable.com for reservations.

3660 on the Rise

3660 on the Rise is offering its Christmas Eve dinner buffet from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday.

Menu highlights include oysters on the half shell, truffled tomato and mozzarella salad, pipikaula poke, chicken and sausage cassoulet, braised pork belly and poached nori wrapped salmon.

Carving stations will offer roast prime rib of beef and roast leg of lamb with mint sauce. There will be traditional dessert favorites as well.

Cost is $49.95 for adults, $20 for children 3 to 10 years old. 3660 on the Rise is at 3660 Waialae Ave. Call 737-1177.

BLT Steak Waikiki

Chef Johan Svensson has created a mouthwatering Christmas eve menu for BLT Steak Waikiki.
Starters include roasted split bone marrow with parsley root salad and lobster-king crab roll with marinated salmon roe.

Main dishes include a choice of Kulana beef filet Rossini with seared foie gras and butter toasted brioche, a braised lamb shank or seared New Zealand King Salmon with roasted cauliflower and caviar. For sides, choose from braised oxtail risotto and Okinawan sweet potato puree. Dessert is an eggnog bread pudding with cranberry sorbet or candy cane meringue basket with chocolate mousse.

Cost is $75 per person; the regular menu will also be available. BLT Steak is at the Trump International Hotel in Waikiki, 223 Saratoga Rd. Call 683-7440.

Hyatt Regency Waikiki

Chef Sven Ullrich has been busy getting ready for Christmas at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki. Japengo at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki will offer a special dinner menu from 5 to 9 p.m. on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Enjoy sushi, Japengo chicken salad, ginger braised short ribs and misoyaki butterfish plus dessert. Cost is $65 per person. For an additional $20, you can also enjoy grilled filet mignon and lemongrass lobster tail.

SHOR American Seafood Grill at the Hyatt is offering a Christmas Day buffet from 5 to 9:30 p.m. featuring 24-hour slow-cooked prime rib, honey glazed ham, roast turkey, steamed black mussels, pumpkin ravioli and roasted vegetables with steamed rice. Dessert selections include peppermint marshmallows, gingerbread mousse and pecan pie.

Cost is $75 per person, $35 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for ages 5 and under. Call 237-6395.

Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas

Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas will be open with a special holiday menu on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Warm up to the main course with oven-roasted black cod with forbidden black rice and Kona cold lobster cake with Kahuku corn and a kim chee lemongrass sauce. For the main course, choose between crispy skin Hawaiian kampachi with squid ink pasta or sous vide of Kulana beef tenderloin with fingerling potatoes, Mari’s Gardens beets and a foie gras ponzu.

Dessert is a duo of green tea tiramisú with strawberry azuki mousse and caramel mousse quinoa chocolate crisp with raspberry sorbet.

The regular menu will be available as well. Dinner is served from 5 to 9 p.m. at Hiroshi, 500 Ala Moana Blvd.

Call 533-4476 or email svilliers@dkrestaurants.com.

Christmas Sweets

Brasserie Du Vin

Brasserie Du Vin pastry chef Beth Iwata is offering Christmas desserts to go, now through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Among your choices are a chocolate-amaretto cheesecake ($45), lilikoi cream cheese tart ($30) and mixed seasonal berry lemon custard tart ($30). The cheesecake serves from six to nine people; the tarts serve eight to 10 people.

Orders may be placed by calling Brasserie Du Vin at 545-1115. Tax is included in the prices. Pickup is available weekdays and Saturdays at 1115 Bethel St. Call in your order at least 24 hours before pickup.

Halekulani

The Halekulani is offering a special ginger cookie through a special partnership with New Yorker Jennifer Crandall — who shared her family’s secret recipe — for the holidays.

The cookies are available at the Halekulani Logo Boutique until Dec. 31, offering a true baker’s dozen (13 cookies) for $18 plus tax. Special bulk orders can also be placed. A portion of sales will be donated to Lanakila’s Meals on Wheels.

The Halekulani is at 2199 Kalia Rd. Call the concierge at 923-2311 or visit www.halekulani.com.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort

The fresh-baked Christmas Stollen will be available from The Kahala Hotel & Resort until Dec. 31.

The Stollen, a Christmas pastry, was first baked and served in Germany’s Saxon Royal court in 1427. The loaf-shaped cake-bread is a holiday treat traditionally made with dried fruit, nuts and spices and dusted with sugars or icing.

Chef Michael Moorehouse’s version of the Christmas Stollen includes a mix of raisins, orange, lemon peel, slivered almonds, rum, marzipan and his own special blend of spices.

Cost is $18 plus tax per loaf. To pre-order, call 739-8760 or email restaurants@kahalaresort.com. Pick up is available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the Plumeria Beach House.