Brush up on your Italian — at least the food terminology — at Festa Italiana, a festival of food, drink and entertainment, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday in Kakaako.
This marks the second year for the street fair, which drew more than 6,500 to its inaugural event in 2017.
Food booths will be set up on Cooke Street between Auahi and Halekauwila streets, featuring restaurants such as Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, Arancino di Mare, Brick Fire Tavern, Il Gelato Hawaii and Ricado’s Italian Restaurant.
For lubrication head to the beer and wine garden with its selection of Italian bottles and brews, featuring Italy’s Menabrea, the official festa beer.
A VIP “Passaporto Italiano” event, 6 to 9 p.m., will feature select dishes from chefs from Arancino at the Kahala, Noe, Taormina Sicilian Cuisine, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, Vintage Cave Cafe and more. Tickets are $110.
Entertainment will run from live music to stilt walkers. Admission is free; food and drink will be sold.
For an entertainment schedule, full list of vendors and “Passapoto Italiano” tickets go to festaitalianahawaii.com.
FESTIVAL GETS TO MEAT OF THE MATTER
Have a taste of locally grown beef and pork at an event Saturday at the Pagoda Hotel.
The Hawaii Grown Festival will feature six local chefs, each preparing two dishes, one beef and one pork — try everything for $25.
The Pagoda, Kunoa Cattle Co. and H&W Foodservice are sponsoring the tasting to promote the benefits of a thriving local meat industry that raises animals “with integrity and care” — meaning the animals are pasture-raised without hormones or antibiotics, handled humanely and butchered locally.
The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Pagoda Ballroom. For tickets call 948-8370 or go to hnltix.com. Tickets also will be sold at the door.
OAHU’S BEST RESTAURANTS HONORED
From Agu to Zigu, the best Oahu restaurants are listed in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s ‘Ilima Awards guide, coming up in Sunday’s newspaper.
The ‘Ilima Awards are selected by our readers and by a panel of newspaper writers. They name the restaurant of the year, top choices for various neighborhoods around Oahu, and leaders in categories such as breakfast, lunch and bakeries. This year we are also recognizing restaurants best for romance, and we’ve introduced an Unsung Hero award, which goes to a long-time employee who has worked behind the scenes to make his or her restaurant great.
The ‘Ilimas are a partnership between the Star-Advertiser and Diamond Head Theatre, which will recognize the winners in a benefit awards dinner on Monday.
The guide will also be available at staradvertiser.com.
