Special 10-Course Dinner Welcomes New Chef

By Vanessa Wolf

This Saturday night, in a fun-filled evening paying homage to reality cooking TV, Pacific’O will be introducing their new executive chef, Anton Haines.

Haines’ personal friend and Top Chef Finalist Sheldon Simeon of Star Noodle will be helping out alongside Chef Lyndon Honda, formerly of 100 Wines Maui and now at the helm of his own private chef business here on the island.

Pacific’O is recreating a reality TV format for the evening by placing a live camera in the kitchen which will be streaming footage of the food preparation throughout the night.

Guests will be able to observe the action on the screen while they sit out under the stars being wined and dined.

The evening kicks off at 7 p.m. with a cocktail reception on the grass. Ocean Vodka and O’o Farms will be making a special cocktail, which will be featured alongside an array of snacks.

Not your ordinary bar nuts, the snacks include such creative offerings as macadamia nut chicharones, caramel popcorn with arare, and compressed mango.

After sunset, the dinner will begin with a raw course of white fish, saffron, asparagus, sea foam, and “edible sand.”

Next is a roasted tomato soup, with shiitake mushrooms, aka miso gel, katsouobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked aku or skipjack tuna), and roasted hearts of palm.

This is followed by a lamb tartar with pickled peach, parsley puree, shallots, chive, and white truffle custard.

Beets with frisee lettuce, Humboldt Fog cheese and a caraway tuile round out the fourth course.

The restaurant has over 10 courses lined up, most of which are Chef Haines’ creations.

Rolling in as the fifth is a dish with lychee, apple smoked bacon, miso parmesan, and black winter truffle.

This will be followed by Duroc pork belly served with a parsnip-fennel puree, coffee, and cherry.

Sensing you might need a break, a blood orange and pine needle granita is next, followed by an uku (gray snapper) green curry with Meyer lemon puree, pickled carrot, and coconut.

Ten courses – quite obviously – is a lot of courses, which is why Chef Haines has enlisted the help of Chefs Simeon and Honda.

General Manager Robert Comstock noted that, “Chef Sheldon has a fun course to do, and the camera feed to everyone outside should help guarantee a good time for all. “

The eighth course promises a short rib with rutabaga, garlic chives, and roasted Ali’i mushrooms.

Loosen your pants for the last two dessert courses, beginning with a lychee Napoleon made with Meyer lemon mascarpone, vanilla sablèe, candied lemon curl, and almond dust.

Presuming you’ve still got room in there, the feast finishes up with a Coffee and chocolate dish featuring Mokka shortbread, chocolate mousse, pistachio butter, and raspberry.

The multi-course sit down dinner will be paired with wines and costs $200 per person, including tax and gratuity.

There are still a few seats left.

Call 667-4341 for reservations.

We welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you hear of any new restaurants opening or reopening, total menu overhauls, or simply know of a hidden treasure you want to share. Have a restaurant you want reviewed (or re-reviewed)? Drop us a line – Vanessa(@mauinow.com)