Ryan's Table

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved the flavors of the Mediterranean — cuisine that comes from countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Extremely diverse, it includes dishes from European countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain; North African countries such as Algeria, Libya and Moroco; and Middle Eastern countries....

Local Japanese-style New Year’s Cuisine and Traditions Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist Today, people in the 50th still practice Japanese New Year’s, or oshögatsu, traditions by placing a kadomatsu near the home entrance, stacking the kagami mochi topped with a tangerine and consuming ozoni as the first meal of the new year. In Japan, people enjoy osechi ryöri during the first three days of the year. The tradition....

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai’i Herald Columnist There is a wonderful anomaly hidden within the 22Kailua coffee shop at 22 Oneawa St. Enter the shop, walk all the way to the back, and you’ll find owner and chef, Taka Kijima, preparing omakase meals in an intimate six-seat restaurant called “Hana-re” (like Hanalei, but it means “separate place”....

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist Dîner en Blanc is known as the massive “chic picnic” where hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of guests dress elegantly in all white. It’s a sight to see for passersby. In 1988, Francois Pasquier got friends together and started this amusing tradition. There are a lot of rules to pulling off....

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist My earliest exposure to sake was memorable though not very pleasurable. You see, the Tatsumoto clan always hosted a New Year’s Eve party for my mom’s co-workers from Kahalu‘u Elementary School, Dad’s University of Hawai‘i football tailgate crew and other friends and family.

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist Sausage. It’s the meat of summer picnics and the national symbol of a great baseball game. The savory, encased meat was also a favorite food of the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, host of the television food series “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” who died a year ago. Vienna sausage was....

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist It’s not really a secret club. It’s just dinners arranged by Grant Shindo –– also known as “Chuggy Bear” –– who started the venture with his business partner, Thomas Obungen. They had planned on opening a restaurant consulting business called Slug Media. As more and more friends asked to join,....

RYAN'S TABLE By Ryan Tatsumoto Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably seen, or are at least aware of the proliferation of condominiums in the new “live, work and play Kaka‘ako” — ideal living conditions for local families right in the heart of Honolulu, with shops, restaurants and supermarkets all within walking distance.Who am....

RYAN'S TABLE By Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist I’m not sure when this transformation began, probably sometime around when we entered our fourth decade of life. It started with simple expressions like, “These kids nowadays . . .” or “When I was your age . . .” That’s when you begin to realize that you’ve....

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist After experimenting with a number of smokers I’ve picked up over the years, I realized that each has its own upsides and downsides. For instance, only one of the three smokers can cook a full cut of beef brisket, and only one does not need a fan to circulate the....