By popular demand, Chef Mavro has extended the Julia menu. Now available Tuesday-Saturday through the end of September. Limited seating; reservations required. Three courses $59.
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Advance tickets online to Julie & Julia
August 5, 2009For more information on the film and to purchase tickets in advance, visit Consolidated Theatres www.consolidatedtheatres.com.
Julia Child-inspired menu including Boeuf a la Bourguignonne 3 courses $59
July 28, 2009August 28, 2009 UPDATE: Julia Menu Available Tuesday-Saturday through September 2009
Boeuf à la Bourguignonne and more: A Taste of Julia Child at Chef Mavro
HONOLULU – “Movie cravings satisfied here” Chef Mavro assures us as he fine tunes his home cooking recipes for Boeuf à la Bourguignonne and other French dishes shown in the new Julia Child tribute movie “Julie & Julia” opening in theaters Friday, August 7, 2009.
The James Beard award-winning chef who previewed the movie with several hundred of his friends last week, has created a special three-course “Julie & Julia Movie Menu” ($59) available Fridays and Saturdays starting August 7. He will be in the dining room welcoming guests and serving the boeuf à la bourguignonne tableside.
Chef explains: “After the screening so many people were craving boeuf a la bourguignonne that something had to be done! I’ve felt a connection with Julia Child ever since I developed a love of home cooking for my wife when I come back from the restaurant every night. And everyone in my kitchen has so much fun cooking this style of food. When it’s delicious it’s delicious.”
Although the 3-course Movie Menu is priced lower than the regular 3 course, all the Chef Mavro extras will be included: pre-appetizer, pre-dessert and the grand finale house-made sweets. Julia Child’s famous “reverse martini” ($9) will be offered as well as a special Morgan grand cru du beaujolais wine selection ($13 glass).
Advance reservations are required as seating for the after-movie menu will be limited. Call 944-4714, email chef@chefmavro.com.
amuse bouche
appetizer
SALADE FRISÉE AUX LARDONS
frisée lettuce with French bacon, poached egg and croutons
main course
BOEUF A LA BOURGUIGNONNE
two and half hour braised beef in burgundy wine
pomme anglaise, served table side
pre dessert
dessert
TARTE TATIN
upside down apple tart with crème fraiche ice cream
mignardises
Beverage Specials:
wine pairing: Jean Foillard 2007 Morgon, Grand Cru du Beaujolais
(glass 13/bottle 65)
Julia Child’s “Reverse Martini” $9
Reservations: 808-944-4714 or chef@chefmavro.com
Chef Mavro – brief comment about buying ahi sashimi
July 26, 2009
Ahi comes in many grades and prices
Sashimi grade bigeye ahi (tuna) priced from 9.50 to 21.50 for fish caught maybe from the same boat.
Question from B On Hawaii: + caught from the same ocean! why? quality, you think, or time in a refrigerated case? do tell.
Thanks @bonhawaii I was hoping someone would ask these questions.
Why? first for sashimi grade, fat content, from the skin up: measure one, two, three fingers.
Watery is bad. Color (less red means more fat, dark red is not the best). Freshness, time in the ice, how deep the ahi has been caught, temperature of the water, maturity, where the fish has been caught etc…one hundred reasons the range of the price in the Honolulu market can be from $3.00 to $35.00/pound.
Catered events by Chef Mavro produce the the highest quality – from an intimate group to hundreds
July 8, 2009
Canape action station
Why are our catering services known as the best of the Islands?
Chef Mavro and his team cook to the highest standards every time. That means cooking everything “á la minute” fresh to order including canapés, garnishes and vegetables. Chef Mavro’s experience is a guarantee of great food from canapés to sit-down tasting menus
For large groups such as corporate gatherings, weddings, and celebrations, we cook from action stations. A “top gun” chef at each station prepares each course just as we do in the restaurant “à la minute.”
No food lingering in warmers, no pre-cooked food served from steam tables, no oxidized canapés. This is the Chef Mavro promise: your food will be of the same quality for several hundred guests as for a table of two.
What formats are available?
1. Cocktail receptions – Luxury boutiques often chose Chef Mavro to produce and serve one-bit canapés in the store to provide an attraction and focal point during promotional events.
2. Gala dinners with table service – Sit-down dinners offer optional add-ons such as Chef’s personal and entertaining description of the menu; Sommelier descriptions of wine pairings
3. Cooking Station stroll-around events solo or with other chefs
4. Team Building events – Chef Mavro and his culinary team have years of experience organizing small groups of people into teams for hands-on cooking experiences followed by sit-down lunches or dinners at a Chef’s Table for information conversation with Chef Mavro.
5. Food & Wine Pairing events – Chef Mavro and his sommelier are experienced in producing a lunch or dinner event that includes guests blind tasting 3-5 wines with each dish and voting on which food & wine pairing they prefer.
This event is educational and highly entertaining as it inspires lively discussion at the tables.
6. Farm Tours and on-location cooking demos – Chef Mavro can produce a cooking demonstration literally anywhere. An example of a unique location is the Sumida watercress farm in Aiea, as well as farm partners on the Big Island and Maui.
7. Weekend in the Country with Chef Mavro – combination of in-kitchen hands-on cooking experiences, gourmet meals and farm tours. This event has been staged twice at a luxurious Big Island inn.
8. Private Cooking Classes for celebrities
Where can events be staged?
Chef Mavro and his culinary team have produced catered events as far away as Tokyo and Osaka, and as close as Lanai, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island and at prestigious venues on Oahu.
Examples of venues:
Hotels including New Otani Osaka, Miyako Hotel Tokyo, various Four Seasons Resorts, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel etc.
Historic locations such as Iolani Palace,
Private estates such as Shangri la and the Sullivan Estate
What size groups?
Group size has ranged from 2 to 500.
Contact: Call 808-944-4714 or email chef@chefmavro.com
Chef Mavro letter – new Summer Menu starts June 24
June 23, 2009
BIG ISLAND GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE baby beets and kumquats, extra virgin olive oil cake, hirabara greens
Honolulu, June 22, 2009 – Time: 11:00 am – Temperature: 88 degrees – life is beautiful…
That means it’s summer time. In Honolulu I feel very much like in Marseille my first home town in Provence. Even if the temperature is above 90 degrees you always feel a breeze from the ocean (or the sea) and you are very comfortable.
It’s why we call Hawaii a Paradise. We don’t suffer in Paradise.
I do not take Hawaii for granted, especially during this critical time. What a wonderful place to be when the whole world is in trouble. The stock market is down? Look at the ocean. You lost 35% of your 401K? Smell the plumeria flowers. Your bank cut your credit? Taste the 1st mango of the season.
Do not think that we are not working very hard here…we are. Especially at Chef Mavro Restaurant when we change the menu for the new season. But we have so much fun that I wonder if work is the right word.
If you are already in Hawaii; don’t move…if you’re not; don’t wait… we are ready for you.
I guess now you want to know about our new Summer Menu…
Lychees from the Big Island:
With Kevin Chong Chef de Cuisine and the kitchen team, we worked on the new sautéed foie gras with lychee, lemongrass, opal basil, green apple. It was going to be fantastic, we could not fail. So very confident; we put everything together. Looked beautiful…great; what about the taste? NOTHING??? We had first deconstructed the whole dish, the flavors were separated and fighting each other. We almost gave up when we decided to mix the ingredients together…et voila!
Suddenly the whole garnish became an explosion of flavors. The combination accents perfectly the foie gras.
We all learned again a lesson. To sacrifice to the trend of the presentation we forgot about the flavors. I always remember what one of my masters told me, “don’t worry, if it tastes good it looks good.”
Todd Ashline our sommelier did an advance selection of 5 wines, all were foie gras friendly. The wine pairing committee picked up a Sauternes from the Château Gravas. Personally I am not a fan of Sauternes with foie gras but “if you don’t try you don’t know.” Perhaps because the lemongrass, or the lychee, or the basil, or everything together… the match is perfect.
New recipe from Summer Menu
“Big Wave” Tomatoes:
Our “tomato queen” Jeannie drives us nuts. When it’s windy…no tomatoes. It’s raining…no tomatoes. It’s too cold…no tomatoes. This is the inconvenience to grow anything only from the soil and the sun.
But come the summer time, and… wow! The result makes us forget about the frustration and we decided to create a dish around the tomatoes.
The keahole confit sablefish, big wave tomato-ogo sauce, fines herb emulsion, sablefish cracklings…best recipe in the world baby! Do not expect a chef to be humble, to me a chef too humble is suspicious. The wine, a rosé from Chinon (cabernet franc) the Rafflault (rose petals, raspberry, cherry with a hint of mint).
Hirabara summer baby greens:
The cheese course is always a good excuse to eat a salad. Hirabara farm in Kamuela grows the best baby lettuces in the State. The challenge is not to spoil them with the wrong vinaigrette. Forget about blue cheese dressing, 1000 island,
Caesar etc…extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, shallot, salt and pepper is enough. The cheese better to be good, no reason to worry it is good. Honokaa fresh goat cheese mousse flavored with lemon zest and chives, served with kumquats, red and yellow beets. (The world is divided in two categories the ones love beets and the ones don’t). We have the solution to this issue. We simmer the beets in vinegar to remove the aggressive earthy taste and it’s a miracle, everybody love beets. Some extra virgin olive oil, bread croutons and you are perfectly ready for dessert. The Vouvray Domaine Huet “Le Mont Sec” selected was not a surprise. With green apple, pear and tea aroma it was made to be paired with fresh goat cheese.
Sorry I always get very excited about our new menu; I hope I am not too long.
If you want to know more, please check on our web site www.chefmavro.com. You will learn about the day boat catch wrapped in brick, our new lamb with eggplant dumpling etc…
Keep in touch by following me in TWITTER follow @chefmavro and right here on our BLOG…
To feasts & friends,
George Mavro
Day Boat Catch Grenobloise
Early Father’s Day at Chef Mavro from $69
June 17, 2009Treat your Dad to a feast of delicious award-winning regional cuisine at Chef Mavro. From $69 for three courses. Selections are flexible within each prix fixe menu.
Chef Mavro - the welcoming entry at S. King & McCully
Call 944-4714. www.chefmavro.com
Noted restaurant critic recommends Chef Mavro for romance
June 13, 2009Chef Mavro: Oahu’s Most Romantic Dining Destination
By Si Si Penaloza, Editorial Director, WOMAN.ca www.woman.ca Saturday, June 13, 2009 Posted in Travel – Culinary Tourism
Romantic Restaurant 5 minutes from Waikiki
Where Sensual Hedonism is Made to Order
Welcome to Pop-The-Question Central. If you find yourself on the magical island of Oahu with your sweetheart and he happens to mention that he’s made a reservation at Mavro, you might be in for more than a little seared tuna. Chef Mavro’s soulful culinary creations and intimate dining venue set the stage for magical evenings and grand gestures.
Since the venue opened in 1998, the accolades have been flowing in a steady stream. Chef George Mavrothalassitis, a founding member of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, holds the prestigious James Beard Foundation award as the Best Chef in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant earned the Five Diamond rating from AAA for 2009. The prestigious Gayot restaurant critics bestowed their only “18/20” rating in Hawaii, and also named Chef Mavro as the only Hawaii restaurant in their Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. 2008-2009. Mavrothalassitis was also recognized as one of “America’s Top Six Chefs” in a Wine Spectator cover story on the masters of food and wine pairing.
With a charismatic and telegenic personality, he has also appeared on CNN, numerous shows on The Food Network, PBS “Great Chefs in America,” Discovery Channel’s “Home Matters,” the Travel Channel’s “The Tourist,” NBC’s Travel Café, and many others.
Mavrothalassitis’ impressive commitment to Hawaiian regional cuisine and island ingredients make his restaurant Oahu’s most celebrated destination dining venue. An evening at Chef Mavro brings together the formidable skills of this remarkable chef-owner into a sublime marriage with the finest specimens Hawaii has to offer. As satiated sentiments break like waves from table to table, it’s obvious the results are elegant, intriguing and unforgettable.
Mavro’s menu is reinvented each season as the culinary team works hand-in-hand with local farmers to bring new offerings to the table. He is a genius at developing innovative techniques that enhance the natural flavors of fresh local products. Chef Mavro is recognized as a trail-blazing innovator with his introduction of food & wine pairings, which has been an integral part of his practice since the restaurant opened its doors.
Instead of a wine list, every menu selection is presented with a wine pairing offered by the glass. This takes the edge off for a guy nervous about making the right moves with the wine list. No need to worry about impressing your dining partner. At Mavro, all the nuances of your masterpiece meal have been carefully studied an pre-selected. The selection process created by Mavro himself makes this even more unique. Four times a year, he convenes a committee of twenty five including his cooks, wait staff, and food and wine media. Together they carry out a blind tasting of a variety of wines with each of his recipes. The winning pairings, to be enjoyed by guests for the following three months, are selected based on a democratic vote.
Mavrothalassitis was born on the port in Marseilles, the capital of sun-kissed Provence, surrounded by the feral calls of fishmongers and the farm-fresh abundance of southern France. His award-winning cuisine is rooted in training with numerous masters of contemporary French cuisine and his experience as owner of the Restaurant Mavro in Marseilles and the Restaurant La Presqu’ile in the seaside village of Cassis.
Drawing current influence from his life in Hawaii, he loves to tell the story of his first morning in Honolulu. “At sunrise I looked out over Waikiki Beach to Diamond Head and I said to myself – That’s it! I’m home!” Ever since that day in 1988, Chef Mavro has embraced the multi-ethnic people and foods of Hawaii and has become close friends with dozens of boutique farmers and specialty fisherman. On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Chef Mavro restaurant in December 2003, he gathered his longtime purveyors around a Chef’s Table to honor them as the foundation of his success.
One example among so many is Mavro’s partnership with Island-born vanilla farmer Jim Reddekopp and their launch of the Hawaiian vanilla industry in Honolulu. His dedication to quality is legendary. As his fresh fish buyer, Don Leong of Honolulu’s Wing Sing Seafood, comments “Chef Mavro is picky picky picky!”
“Sometimes buying local means the cost is higher and sometimes it takes more time but the reward is huge. Local farmers succeed and my guests enjoy fresh, regional ingredients and a dining experience they could have only in Hawaii,” explains Mavrothalassitis.
Chef Mavro recently made a trip to New York’s James Beard House for a tribute dinner for Mildred Amico, director emeritus of programming. As noted on the Beard website, “Mildred has spent the last 22 years inviting risen and rising star chefs of American gastronomy to cook in James Beard’s Kitchen.
For this seven-course Tribute dinner establishing a new culinary scholarship, Amico chose nine chefs who were closest to her heart: Four James Beard award-winners George Mavrothalassitis (Chef Mavro/Honolulu),Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger/Wellesley, MA), Eric Ripert (Le Bernadin/NYC), and Takashi Yagihashi (Takashi/Chicago), plus five other notable chefs Ed Brown (Eighty One/NYC), Rebecca Charles (Pearl Oyster Bar/NYC), Clark Frasier & Mark Gaier (Arrows and MC Perkins Cove/Ogunquit, ME), and Florian Bellanger (Mad Mac and Rue et Violette/NYC).
“I am deeply honored to cook for Mildred’s dinner. Her enthusiasm for my regional cuisine has helped put Hawaii on the national culinary map,” says Mavro. Chef Mavro featured an innovative farm-to-table recipe from his current menu, Big Island Abalone Ceviche with Red Chimichuri and Salt Cod Croquettes. Big Island Abalone is donating their fresh product in support of the event.
In 2004, he began offering intimate cooking classes at his restaurant. If you want to sweep a girl off her feet, do it in the kitchen. Make reservations for two at the next class; after all, the couple that cooks together stays together. Reservations for his classes can be made through Gourmet Cooking Hawaii. “Cooking for the Love of It!” offers a rare up-close experience with Chef Mavro and includes demonstrations, tastings, a gourmet lunch with wine pairings and, as always, entertaining anecdotes from a lifetime of “la dolce vita”!
If you only have one night to dine in Honolulu, make it Chef Mavro.
Chef Mavro
1969 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
Phone: 808.944.4714
www.chefmavro.com
By Si Si Penaloza, Editorial Director, WOMAN.ca
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Si Si Penaloza, Editorial Director
About the contributor:
Si Si Penaloza is the Editorial Director of WOMAN.ca. Prior to joining WOMAN.ca’s powerhouse executive team, Si Si cultivated strong ties with editors, producers and publishers at all major Canadian media outlets. She is a seasoned print, radio and broadcast specialist. Graduating Magna Cum Laude from Bowdoin College in Maine, Si Si moved to Manhattan to study Film at New York University. Her strengths lie in contextualizing relevant content for a broad audience. She’s driven to stay competitive and at the top of the market – commissioning exclusive features and launching bold initiatives. Contact Si Si at sisi@woman.ca This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
View my WOMAN.ca Community Profile
http://woman.ca/culinary-tourism/1444-chef-mavro-oahu-most-romantic-dining-destination
Support locally owned businesses says Central Pacific Bank
June 9, 2009Mahalo to Central Pacific Bank for this important story in their Summer 09 newsletter. I appreciate all the local guests in my restaurant and support other small family owned businesses around the State.
from the newsletter “Your Money Matters”
Lead Story: Support the Local Economy
When you support locally owned businesses you contribute to the many characteristics that make our community a special place to live and work.
Here’s what happens:
*Your dollars stay in town. Buy from a locally owned business and that shopkeeper will likely spend your money at another local business.
*Small business owners contribute back to the community. After all they live in the same community you do and want what’s best for everyone else who calls it home.
*You’re more likely to receive quality service. They make an effort to get to know you and be a friendly resource often providing unique items.
Here’s the entire story:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/f475da38#/f475da38/1
Chef Mavro Recipe Maitake Mushroom Salad, Sumida Watercress Salad
June 4, 2009
Oahu Farm-to-Table recipe
In the watercress field at Sumida Farm
MAITAKE MUSHROOM SALAD, SUMIDA WATERCRESS
sautéed in white truffle oil, salsify shavings, bouquet of Sumida watercress
ARGIOLAS, 2003 PERDERA, SARDINIA, ITALY
(2 servings)
Ingredients for the mushrooms:
16 pieces Maitake mushrooms, Hamakua.
1 piece Shallot, peeled, minced
2 cloves Garlic
1 sprig Parsley, Italian, chopped
1 T. Olive oil, extra virgin
½ piece Salsify, peeled, sliced into shavings
Ingredients for the watercress:
½ pound Watercress, Sumida Farm (Aiea, Island of Oahu)
2 T. Soubise (Maui onion simmered in white wine for two hours, pureed)
½ C. Olive oil, extra virgin
½ piece Lemon, juiced
½ tsp. White truffle oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Method for the watercress:
Step one – salad:
Keep the leaves from the tip of the watercress for salad, wash in ice water; spin dry and reserve in refrigerator.
Step two – essence of watercress
Remove the leftover leaves from the stem of the watercress, then blanche them in salted boiling water and cool in a dry bowl on ice.
Blend the blanched watercress leaves with two tablespoons of soubise and one third cup of olive oil. Season to taste.
For the dressing, mix the remaining olive oil with the lemon juice and season.
Saute the mushrooms in olive oil for two minutes, add the salsify, shallots, garlic, white truffle oil and parsley at the end.
Presentation:
Place the sautéed mushrooms in the middle of individual plates. Spike a bouquet of watercress (tossed with the lemon/olive oil dressing) in the middle of the mushrooms. Surround with essence of watercress.
George Mavrothalassitis, chef/owner
Chef Mavro
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