Grand Cafe opening at HiSAM

Fans of the Grand Cafe & Bakery will be happy to learn that it will re-open in early January at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum (HiSAM).

<em>Executive chef Tony Vierra of the Grand Cafe and Bakery pours a mixture of bananas, sauteed butter, rum and brown sugar, shown at right, over sweet bread, the finishing touch for Island Bananas Foster French Toast. (Star-Advertiser File)</em>

Executive chef Tony Vierra of the Grand Cafe and Bakery pours a mixture of bananas, sauteed butter, rum and brown sugar, shown at right, over sweet bread, the finishing touch for Island Bananas Foster French Toast. (Star-Advertiser File)

Grand Cafe closed in June after seven years at its 31 N. Pauahi St. location, which is now home to HASR Bistro. Since then, Vierra and Izumo had been looking for a new spot, when the opportunity to open at the HiSAM opened up. (Ed Kenney’s downtown@theHiSAM closed in mid-September.)

Owners Patsy Izumo, Mona Chang Vierra and Vierra’s son, executive chef Anthony Vierra, plan to offer longtime Grand Cafe favorites like the Bananas Foster French Toast, Cola Braised Short Ribs and Corned Beef Hash, while creating a few new surprises at the new location.

Fans need not worry about too many changes — they will still serve Eggs Benedict on Sundays.

The new “Take Me Along” menu will offer various sandwiches, including “Sorry Charlie” (a tuna sandwich), along with “Wilbur’s Last Stand” (ham and cheese sandwich), “OMGV” (Oh My Gosh, it’s a Veggie sandwich) and “Fowl Play” (poultry sandwich). Pastrami sandwiches, a Grand Cafe hit, will remain on the menu.

There will also be salads and pasta salads to go, along with a coffee bar and Grand Cafe’s popular offerings of petit pastries, croissants and other favorites like the old-fashioned lemon cake and triple fudge chocolate brownies.

New items will be introduced to the menu in phases, according to Mona Chang Vierra.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Vierra said. “We’ve had people accost us in the supermarket, asking when we would open again.”

“They’ve been waiting and waiting for us to open,” said Izumo.

Vierra said the new downtown location will be closer for many Grand Cafe customers who used to walk to Chinatown for lunch. Customers will be able to dine in or take out. A liquor license is pending.

Vierra said she’s happy to carry on her grandfather’s legacy. He originally opened a Grand Cafe & Bakery at King and Maunakea streets in 1923. It was only open for a few years, but continuing the business is a way of carrying on his legacy. Much of the family has been involved in restaurants in some way or other — whether at Char Hung Sut, Varsity Bakery, Magic Oven or Top of Waikiki.

“We’re sure that he’s watching,” said Vierra.

Grand Cafe will be open for breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; Sunday brunch will be served from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visit the cafe’s Facebook page for updates, or call 531-0001.

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