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Arts & Entertainment

By the time she was in her teens, Zita Cup Choy had visited historic icons such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Alamo and Independence Hall, thanks to her dad’s career as an Air Force mechanic, which stationed him in France and all over the U.S. continent. But ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian didn’t know much about Hawai‘i as a child, even though her Island roots trace back centuries.

Her Hawaiian Chinese paternal great-grandmother was married to Cup Choy Chun, who immigrated to Maui in 1880 from Sanzao Dao island, off the southern coast of Guangdong Province, to cut cane for Huelo Plantation. Everyone knew him as Cup Choy, so he adopted that as his family name. While fulfilling his seven-year plantation contract, he apprenticed at a butcher shop in Wailuku, where he became proficient in English.

That job ended in 1888, and he returned to China. Two years later, he was back on Maui, working as a butcher, store clerk and interpreter for Haʻikū Sugar Company’s plantation in Hāmākuapoko. By 1894, he had earned enough money to own and operate his first business, a restaurant and coffee shop in Hāmākuapoko, and in 1909, he was able to buy land and open a butcher shop in Kokomo, a community in Haʻikū.

One of 13 children, Zita Cup Choy’s paternal grandfather landed a job with Libby, McNeil & Libby’s sugar plantation on Molokai. Her dad was raised there before joining the Air Force.

In 1970, he was assigned to Hickam Air Force Base. “That was before my senior year in high school; I’m a Kaimukī Bulldog,” Cup Choy said. “My mom, younger sister and brother, and I spent our first summer in Hawai‘i with our ‘ohana on Molokai. 

My grandparents knew just about everyone, so it was always talk-story time when we were out and about. My grandfather taught me how to drive in the pineapple fields with a surplus World War II jeep.”

Cup Choy went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Church College of Hawai‘i, now Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i. She taught on Guam for two years before returning to O‘ahu in 1976, where she held a variety of jobs, including short stints as a preschool and elementary school teacher. Joining the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club at the urging of one of her mom’s friends set her on a new career path.

The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace had been founded on June 7, 1966, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to oversee the restoration and preservation of what had been the official home of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani, his sister and successor, who were Hawai‘i’s last reigning ali‘i. Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, the palace served as the headquarters for the provisional, republic, territory and state of Hawai‘i governments until the present Capitol opened on March 15, 1969.

Over the decades, the stately building had fallen into a sad state of disrepair, and the Friends immediately began work on what turned out to be a nine-year project. By 1977, the major renovations had been completed, and the group was negotiating a contract with the state to operate the palace as a museum. They reached out to the community, including the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, asking for volunteers to train as docents. Cup Choy signed up, and when the palace, a National Historic Landmark, opened to the public on May 3, 1978, she was among its first docents.

“There are many fascinating stories about people who visited the palace,” Cup Choy said. “The more reading I’ve done over the years, the more I’m convinced that the chamberlain was keeping an eye on the lists of passengers who were arriving on steamers. If there was someone Kalākaua wanted to meet, he or she would get an invitation. They weren’t necessarily dignitaries. For example, because the king was interested in yacht racing, he hosted a man who was associated with the 1876 America’s Cup.”

Recovering original palace furnishings is a key part of the Friends’ mission — difficult largely because many items deemed inappropriate for government use were sold, and no records were kept about the buyers.

Serendipity has come into play. Cup Choy recalled a visitor from Oklahoma City who saw a photo of a small wooden table in the king’s bedroom when she was on a tour in 1980. The table looked exactly like one she had purchased from her florist to use as a flower stand. The florist had bought it from a Christian Science Reading Room in Oklahoma City to use in a display at her shop. Someone from Illinois had donated the table to the Reading Room; how it got to Illinois is unknown.

“After the tour, the woman said, ‘I think we have a table that should come home to ‘Iolani Palace,’” Cup Choy said. “As it turned out, it was indeed one of 200-plus pieces that Kalākaua had commissioned A.H. Davenport and Company, a highly regarded furniture manufacturer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make for the palace.”

In 1996, the Friends’ management contract with the state transitioned to a lease agreement, giving it more autonomy, although it is still governed by state park rules and those specific to ‘Iolani Palace. Cup Choy has been the palace’s full-time historian since 2016.

“I love digging deep for information,” she said. “I’ll get questions like ‘Who are the people in this picture?’ or ‘What was the menu for such-and-such banquet?’ I’ll go to every resource I can think of — including microfilm at the library, the palace’s archives and the state archives, and the Ulukau and Papakilo databases — hoping to solve another mystery.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Upcoming events and features"}]

Admission to ‘Iolani Palace is free for Hawai‘i residents on the second Sunday of every month. A valid form of state ID is required for one complimentary ticket per adult 18 and older. Younger keiki are admitted free. The next Kamaʻāina Sundays will be Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

with chef Ed Kenney and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Amy Hanaiali’i on an episode of “

” which will air on PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The palace will host King Kalākaua Birthday Celebration on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first 500 kamaʻāina will receive tickets for a free self-guided audio tour. Queen Kapiʻolani Evening Tours, honoring Kalākaua’s wife, will be Dec. 26-27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Renovations of the exhibit areas in the palace’s basement will be completed early next year. Highlights will include artifacts, photos and narratives about Kalākaua’s 1881 trip around the world. 

In addition, the Royal Hawaiian Band presents free concerts on the palace grounds most Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. The most up-to-date schedule can be found at 

Iolani Palace Zita Cup Choy

<title>Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian</title>

After a career spent mostly in education, in both Guam and Hawai'i, Cup Choy joined the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, which set her on a new career path. She joined The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace among its first docents in 1978, and today, continues to lead tours and conduct research, while furthering the nonprofit's mission of recovering original palace furnishings.

Uncles and Aunties: Zita Cup Choy is ‘Iolani Palace’s longtime historian

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

, which specializes in authentic Japanese yakiniku, is opening on O

, Japan, will be located in Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa.

Aloha State Daily got a preview of what’s to come to the Hawai

i location during a hosted media experience at Yakiniku Haretoke’s Kawagoe eatery.

Yakiniku Haretoke is unique because it will be the only restaurant in Hawaiʻi to serve Joshu wagyu, which is raised exclusively in Japan’s Gunma prefecture. Joshu wagyu is a rare breed, according to chef Masanori Tsuda, who will be the executive chef at Yakiniku Haretoke Hawai

Tsuda is currently one of the chefs at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery, and he explains that Joshu wagyu is known for its lean meat and fine marbling. He notes that Joshu wagyu will be available in Hawaiʻi through an exclusive direct purchase-and-ship relationship with Gunma.

“We will buy the whole cow and break down everything (from nose to tail) to serve every cut; that’s the restaurant concept,” he explains. “Joshu wagyu has a lighter taste, but still has that umami flavor. Some Japanese wagyu is super fatty and has a strong flavor; after eating one bite, that’s enough. But Joshu wagyu is easy to eat.”

“Joshu wagyu is a good balance of fat and meat,” adds Rika Tsuda, current manager at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery. Tsuda will be a restaurant manager at Yakiniku Haretoke Hawai

Yakiniku Haretoke’s Kawagoe location opened in 2023. The restaurant name stems from bringing the extraordinary (“hare”) and the everyday rhythms of life (“ke”) together; the eatery is designed to be a place to celebrate special occasions, but also provide a welcoming atmosphere for everyday dining. The Kawagoe eatery seats around 48 guests — including seating in its private room — and the Hawai

i restaurant can seat around 65 individuals, according to Masanori.

The Hawaiʻi restaurant’s menu will be similar to the one in Kawagoe, he notes, but the Honolulu location will feature locally sourced vegetables. Like the Kawagoe location, the Honolulu restaurant will have pre-set course menus, as well as a la carte options. (At the time of our interview, the menu for the Honolulu restaurant had not been finalized.)

The Kawagoe location offers two pre-set course menus — the Haretoke course, and the Harenohi course, according to Rika.

“Both courses include special cuts (of meat), but Harenohi is more expensive,” she says. “It also includes seafood and meats like marbled sirloin with grated radish.”

Yakiniku Haretoke Kawagoe’s a la carte menu includes tri tip, flap meat, seared marbled short rib yaki-shabu with grated daikon ponzu, premium beef loin (served yaki-shabu style, with Tsukimi egg yolk sauce), short ribs, filet mignon, wagyu beef tongue with salt, and more. Everything is hand-cut and served for diners to grill, according to Masanori.

“There are so many yakiniku places now; we have to make ours special,” he says.

He explains that cutting the whole cow is a process; he likens it to a high-grade Michelin star sushi chef breaking down a fish. He trims the fat off the meat before breaking each piece down further.

“The yakiniku style is different here; he (Masanori) has to learn the special cuts of the cow,” Rika explains.

Rika says her favorite cut is the premium beef loin, which is served yaki-shabu style. It’s lightly grilled and served with Tsukimi egg yolk sauce.

“It’s a thinly sliced cut, so you just put it on the iron plate for a few seconds and you dip it in the egg yolk to enhance the umami flavor,” she says. “It’s sukiyaki-style; it will be popular in Hawaiʻi.

“For the egg sauce, we are going to use Japan eggs in Hawai

i — it will be very fresh eggs,” she adds. “We actually sell eggs imported from Japan at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery.”

“Everybody likes kalbi, and the yaki-shabu is the most popular (option) at the Kawagoe location,” Masanori adds. He says his favorite from Yakiniku Haretoke Kawagoe’s menu is shinshin, a rare, tender cut near the tri-tip.

At the Kawagoe eatery, the meats are served with two sauces; one features a soy garlic base, while the other is made with fresh lemon. The staff will give recommendations for pairing the sauces with various cuts of meat; for example, Masanori recommends dipping shihshin in the shoyu sauce, while the wagyu beef tongue pairs well with the lemon sauce.

Other a la carte options include seafood (prawns, squid and scallops), vegetables (grilled shiitake mushrooms), appetizers like assorted kimchi, and soups, including a comforting beef bone broth.

Yakiniku Haretoke will also feature a hand-selected sake list designed to complement each cut of beef.

i currently has a food truck — which is parked at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery — that is participating in events across O

ahu to promote the new restaurant. The truck was recently at the Lotte Championship presented by Hoakalei, where it showcased its Joshu wagyu beef yakiniku bowl.

The Hawaiʻi location’s hours and prices are still to be determined, but the restaurant is expected to open for lunch and dinner. For updates, follow the biz on 

Yakiniku Haretoke chef 101826

<title>Yakiniku Haretoke is opening in Honolulu</title>

The Japanese yakiniku restaurant’s original location is in Kawagoe, Japan. Yakiniku Haretoke — expected to open this winter in the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa — will be the only restaurant in Hawaiʻi to serve Joshu wagyu, which is raised exclusively in Japan’s Gunma prefecture. Aloha State Daily got a preview of what’s to come for the Honolulu restaurant by visiting the Kawagoe location.

Yakiniku Haretoke is opening in Honolulu

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

As you’re driving towards Wai‘anae, there are spots on the H-1 freeway that allow glimpses of the wide expanse of the ‘Ewa Plain, famous for its dry, flat landscape filled with homes and businesses. Within the ‘Ewa moku (district) is the largest ahupua‘a (land division) on O‘ahu that extends from the Wai‘anae mountains to the sea, called Honouliuli. Although it may seem like the area was once uninhabitable, the reality is quite the opposite.

For generations, Hawaiians used every available resource not only to survive, but to thrive on the rugged plain. The coastal plain contained limestone and coral formations, including natural depressions where soil accumulated. Freshwater moved through the area both above ground, in streams, and underground through the porous limestone and its network of cavities and passages.

The rich soil and fresh springs provided the elements needed for agriculture, including the special kāī koi kalo renowned for making exceptional poi. It was so highly regarded that accounts describe people traveling to ʻEwa just to taste it, and being so impressed that they wanted to stay.

Along the coast, people fished and gathered other marine resources. The waters off ʻEwa were once famous for their abundance of limu. Oneʻula, along the Honouliuli coast, was known as Hale o Limu, or the House of Limu, where extensive beds of seaweed grew along the reefs. Among the limu gathered there was limu manauea, prized as food and remembered by kūpuna as especially abundant in ʻEwa. My wife fondly remembers her grandparents, who lived in ʻEwa, fishing and gathering limu from the shore for dinner.

The name Oneʻula is often interpreted as “red sand,” although other sources may consider it as “blood sand” or “royal sand.” Archaeological records have identified settlement areas with features suggesting people lived and worked there for generations. Among the items found were house platforms, trails, garden plots, and burial sites.

By the late 19th century, the landscape began changing on a massive scale. The discovery of artesian water beneath the ʻEwa Plain in 1879 made it possible to irrigate land that had previously been difficult to farm on an industrial scale. Sugar cane fields spread across the plain, eventually covering thousands of acres. What had once been a landscape of Hawaiian villages, agricultural fields, trails, wetlands, and coastal resources became a vast plantation landscape of cane fields, irrigation ditches, roads, rail lines, and plantation communities.

For much of the 20th century, if you traveled through this part of ʻEwa, sugar cane was the landscape. The fields stretched across the plain, and the rhythms of life were tied to the plantation and its crops. But the sugar era eventually came to an end.

In 1988, the land that would become Ocean Pointe was purchased for development, beginning another major transformation of the area. Over the following years, former agricultural land was gradually converted into residential neighborhoods, streets, schools, parks, and the community we know today as Ocean Pointe.

It is easy to look around Ocean Pointe now and see only a modern suburban community. The community is still young, but beneath the buildings, houses, and pavement is a much older story. In particular, the ‘Ewa Plain is considered to be within the broad expanse of Kaupe‘a, the gathering place for wandering spirits who did not make it to their final ancestral realm. There are also mo‘olelo about the menehune and the huaka‘i pō, or night marchers.

People approach us all the time about strange things happening in their Ocean Pointe homes. One family described small footprints that appeared on their walls and ceiling. Another mentioned strange noises, like things moving around in their daughter’s closet. One man said that during the two years he and his girlfriend lived in their Ocean Pointe home, they’ve had their feet pulled while they were sleeping, seen shadows where no one was standing, had a strange mark that looked like blood appear on their wall, and found a small handprint, like that of a child, but they don’t have any children. Another woman talked about how she panicked one night after feeling like someone tugged on her leg, even though her husband was sleeping and there was no one else in the room.

Around 2014, we received an email from a family living in Ocean Pointe. They were having spiritual trouble in their home and mentioned it to their neighbor, who suggested the family contact us.

One morning, while the wife and son were in their rooms, they heard a ruckus downstairs that sounded like the dog tearing up the Christmas tree. But when they got to the loft area overlooking the living room, they saw their Christmas tree spinning around. The wife clarified that they didn’t have a rotating stand; it was just a simple tree stand with the long screws that held the tree still. Yet, there it was, spinning around.

The husband said that in their upstairs bedroom, they would find the dresser drawers open, with all the clothes strewn about. In the two sons’ bedroom, they claimed they had weird feelings to the point where it felt like someone was sitting on them, pinning them both to their beds. The daughter said her bedroom had a strong presence and that she never felt alone there, as if someone wasn’t just watching her but literally judging her every move. One son even had deep scratch marks on the back of his calf, but he had no memory of how he got them. His calf just started burning, and when he looked, he saw the scratches.

Our team then went to the home and conducted our investigation while the family waited at a nearby fast food place. As I walked into the living room behind our team, an orb of light floated past me. One of my team members also saw it, right there, plain as day. The family had security cameras set up in their house and were watching from their phone when they, too, saw the same orb of light.

After some discussion and a blessing, the family said they still felt that their house was haunted, but it was much less stressful than before. Knowing the history of the area in which they lived allowed them to be better prepared, both psychologically and spiritually.

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Ocean Pointe Community Ctr

<title>Wandering Spirits in an ‘Ewa Neighborhood</title>

Before the suburbs and before sugar, the ‘Ewa plain had a thriving Native Hawaiian community and was renowned for its poi. It was also within the region known as Kaupe‘a, the gathering place for wandering spirits ... who perhaps wander there still.

Wandering Spirits in an ‘Ewa Neighborhood

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

As Hawai‘i voters begin receiving their ballots for the general election, they may ask: What does Constitutional Amendment Question 2 actually mean?

 to the state constitution will be on the ballot this election. One of those is self-explanatory — should the state Senate be allowed 60 days to appoint judges and justices between April and January, instead of the current 30 days — but the other may seem complicated.

Constitutional Amendment Question 2 asks whether the state should allow the counties to issue “Resilient Infrastructure for Shelter and Equity bonds” — or RISE bonds — to help fund public improvement projects. These bonds would be repaid by future tax revenues on the new developments funded by said bonds, without imposing additional taxes or raising tax rates, and would be exempt from the counties’ debt limit.

The proposed amendment was introduced in the state Senate this year with the stated purpose of attempting to lower the development costs of affordable housing. As noted in 

 — the measure introducing the amendment — the development of new homes requires large up-front investments in water, drainage and other infrastructure.

Rep. Luke Evslin, chair of the House Committee on Housing, said Wednesday that the solution to this has been either to pass on those up-front costs to homebuyers, leading to rising house prices and a lack of affordable housing, or to raise taxes.

RISE bonds would, in theory, present a third option by allowing counties to fund that infrastructure, with the debt being serviced by future increases in tax revenue specifically generated by those selfsame new developments made possible by the infrastructure.

This is not an original concept; 48 other states, excluding Hawai‘i and Arizona, use “tax increment financing bonds,” which operate on the same principle.

Evslin told Aloha State Daily Wednesday that it’s only due to a quirk in Hawai‘i's constitution that the state doesn’t also use these bonds. He said the constitution as written does not permit the counties to issue such bonds, hence the need for a constitutional amendment.

Evslin emphasized that the bonds do not bring an increase in taxes. The property taxes paid by new homeowners in a new development made possible by the bonds will be at the same tax rate as any other comparable development, but the revenues from those taxes will go to pay off the bond, rather than back to the county.

However, Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that this does not mean the bonds will reduce the counties' tax revenues, as the tax revenues generated by these new developments do not currently exist. Rather than reduce existing revenues, the bonds will simply redirect some future revenues.

Furthermore, the amendment would exempt RISE bonds from counties’ debt limits, which Evslin said means a county could issue any number of the bonds — although, he added, because developments funded via the bonds will still require taxpayer-funded services such as police and fire department responses, counties will likely be judicious in how many they issue.  

Evslin said that the tax increment financing bonds are typically structured conservatively so that the municipality that issues them takes on little to no risk. He said in the event of a disaster wiping out the infrastructure investments — something he said has happened in California — typically the bondholder, not the municipality, is left holding the bag.

The proposal was nigh-universally popular as it passed through the legislature, with major unions such as the Pacific Resource Partnership and the General Contractors Association of Hawai‘i voicing strong support of the amendment. This week, the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i urged members to vote yes on Question 2. 

One of the few people to testify against the proposal, Hawai‘i County resident Cindy Freitas, warned about the potential for lost tax revenue and the lack of guardrails for how much of a county’s tax base can be captured by the bonds.

But Green and several other lawmakers spoke in favor of the amendment Wednesday. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said there is a roughly 28,000 unit deficit of housing on O‘ahu, which he said RISE bonds can help to reduce.

Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami called the bonds “a monumental change to how we fund infrastructure,” adding that, after the many disasters of 2026, it is clear that the state’s resilience is dependent on having modern and reliable infrastructure.

“Communities can only be as resilient as the roads that connect us,” Kawakami said.

Evslin

<title>So what is a RISE bond anyway?</title>

Voters may wonder what Constitutional Amendment Question 2 means when they receive their ballots this week.

So what is a RISE bond anyway?

, open in the former space of Obake on Smith Street, celebrated its grand opening last month. The lounge's interior looks completely different, according to Black Orchid Lounge founder and bar lead Tuda Sarian. 

“The bar was concrete and it was painted in a graffiti style,” she says. “There were big murals on this wall. I’ve been working on this concept (for Black Orchid Lounge) for a long time."

Sarian, who was the former director of mixology at Halekūlani, left the resort about a year ago. She says she went back to bartending to have time to work on opening her own concept.

“I had the idea to open an upscale lounge pretty much since I was at Halekūlani,” she says. “I spoke to Noa (Laporga, the co-owner of Obake and Skull & Crown Trading Co.), and Obake had been closed, so this space was perfect.” 

Obake closed earlier this spring; Black Orchid Lounge soft opened at the end of August and celebrated its grand opening in September. Similar to its predecessor, the lounge features an indoor bar and patio space with more seating. According to Sarian, the bar can seat around 21 and the outdoor space holds about 40 individuals.

“I wanted a place that I would want to hang out at,” she says. “Having comfortable chairs and A/C was important; having the right lighting is very important. We could probably fit more people in here with different chairs, but I like the comfort.”

Sarian — who says she has been bartending since she was 18 years old — says that, when creating the bar menu for Black Orchid Lounge, she wanted something that was “very well rounded and elevated.”

“My style with cocktails tends to be very culinary, so there’s a lot of prep on the back end,” she explains. “There are a lot of custom ingredients and processes; it’s all very technical. I like to do tropicals with a twist — so things that have tropical elements, but aren’t necessarily ‘tropical drinks.’”

With her background in fine dining, Sarian says she hopes to bring an upscale, yet accessible, experience through Black Orchid to the community.

“A lot of times, things that are upscales can feel limiting or kind of inaccessible for the community,” she says. “I wanted to have a very approachable kind of place.

“The name (Black Orchid) just kind of came to me,” she adds. “I wanted to do something dark and edgy, that also has some of those touches of luxury.”

So far, popular cocktails include banana banshee ($21) — Mezcal, banana, coconut, lime, falernum, Hawaiian chili pepper water and absinthe — Orchid Club ($23), which features Plymouth Gin, alpine herbal liqueur, cassis, charred pineapple, raspberry, lemon and roasted pineapple bitters; and Ocean Eyes ($23). The latter features coconut-washed house-infused vanilla vodka, pineapple and hibiscus, with a coconut and lilikoʻi-champagne foam.

i in the foam adds the tartness that balances the drink,” Sarian explains. “The Orchid Club is a signature drink for here; it’s kind of a spin on the Clover Club (cocktail).”

She says that Bad Sneakers ($35) — featuring The Macallan Scotch, Hawaiian vinegar salted pineapple shrub, lavender honey, coconut and lemon — is one of her favorite cocktails to make.

“It (Bad Sneakers) came from my time at Halekūlani,” Sarian says. “We did a bar takeover with Death & Company and partnered with Macallan. I did a riff on one of the cocktails called Bad Sneakers; that’s one of my favorites on the menu.”

The lounge also offers zero-proof beverages, along with beers and wines by the glass.

Black Orchid Lounge recently started a new happy hour, available from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. Customers can choose from oysters ($3), oyster shooters ($8), a variety of mini martinis ($12); and caviar frites ($18). The latter, which feature shoestring fries topped with truffle pecorino snow and served with caviar and sour cream and onion aioli on the side, have been a customer favorite.

Oysters come with your choice of tabasco and lemon; Sriracha, fresh lime and sharp onion granita; or jackfruit mignonette with lemongrass-coconut air. Meanwhile, oyster shooters include Kusshi oysters with three different presentations (dirty martini, Bloody Mary or green dragon, which is complete with housemade chili verde, gin and yuzu kosho marinated ikura).

Other bar snacks — not featured on the happy hour menu, but always available — include venison tartare ($16) and dogs go bao ($9). The bao buns are filled with smoked Berkshire sausage with classic ketchup, whole grain Dijon, cucumber jalapeno and onion relish with dill.

And — to fit the whole luxury theme — customers can enhance any bite or beverage with a 3-gram caviar bump ($10).

Black Orchid Lounge is currently open from 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesdays to Thursdays, and from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Eventually, the lounge will start doing events, parties and buyouts in the outdoor patio area, according to Sarian.

“Bars are very important, culturally,” she says. “I think cocktails reflect cultural movements and things like that as well. It’s nice to have that creative space to do what I want to do, freely.”

Open from 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesdays to Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Black Orchid Tuda 100526

<title>Black Orchid Lounge in Chinatown has a new happy hour</title>

The new lounge — located in the former space of Obake — celebrated its grand opening in early September. It recently launched a new happy hour menu, complete with caviar frites, mini martinis and oyster shooters. For owner Tuda Sarian, it was important to create a space that was upscale, yet approachable.

Black Orchid Lounge in Chinatown has a new happy hour

’s “Dead Letter Office” Halloween pop-up will run from Oct. 8 to 31. The cocktail bar at the 

 is featuring specialty Halloween cocktails and themed dishes for the first time in its speakeasy space.

To enter the speakeasy — which can fit 16 to 20 individuals — look for the mailboxes within Yours Truly.

The themed drinks include phantom ink ($18), moonlit martini ($18) — which features a shimmering presentation — autumn after dark ($20), and blood transfusion ($18). Individuals can get the cocktails “delivered” using the speakeasy’s signature mailbox system (with the exception of the blood transfusion drink, which is too tall to fit in the mailbox).

Customers can also get “shots” ($16) like specimen B-6006 and specimen B-1111; the shots feature bourbon and gin, respectively.

Specialty Halloween dishes feature sweet and savory options, according to executive chef Chris Murakami.

“We’re still doing what we’re doing, but just trying to have fun and make it very festive,” he says.

Halloween-themed dishes include hurricane fries, which are presented in a coffin ($16); charcoal-infused deviled eggs with truffle oil and salmon roe ($14); smoked ‘ahi dip served in a cauldron ($16); and desserts like pumpkin basque cheesecake ($14) and chocolate skulls ($14), which are chocolate truffles, according to Murakami.

While these dishes are popular options at AC Hotel’s The Dotted Line, the Halloween versions are only available at Yours Truly. Hurricane fries are topped with spicy mayo, unagi sauce, green onions and furikake, while the smoked ‘ahi dip is served with housemade sweet potato chips.

The Halloween speakeasy will be open Wednesdays to Sundays; reservations are now accepted via 

1111 Bishop St., Honolulu (AC Hotel by Marriott Honolulu in the cocktail bar)

Opens Oct. 8 from 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays

Yours Truly Halloween cocktail 093026

<title>Yours Truly to launch a limited-time Halloween speakeasy</title>

The downtown Honolulu’s “Dead Letter Office” Halloween speakeasy will run starting this week from Oct. 8 to 31. The speakeasy features specialty Halloween cocktails and themed dishes for the first time.

Yours Truly to launch a limited-time Halloween speakeasy

Amy Miller

Question 1 would establish a recurring source of City funding — using existing revenues, not new taxes — for programs focused on local food production and access. Voters will decide whether that funding should be dedicated through the City Charter, according to Amy Miller, president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Foodbank.

Hawaii Foodbank exterior

Community Voices: Food security fund put on the ballot as Hawaiʻi's hunger crisis continues

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Amy Miller

Latest from Amy Miller

Community Voices: Food security fund put on the ballot as Hawaiʻi's hunger crisis continues

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