PAI Holiday Happenings: Pop-Up Food and Gift Market, Prix Fixe Menus and Chef Collab with Na‘au

PAI Honolulu will host a holiday pop-up market on Thursday, December 12, and Friday, December 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The market will offer shoppers a curated selection of food gifts and handcrafted items from local vendors including:

·         Cake Works Bakery – cookies, stollen and bakery gift baskets;

·         Coffea Consulting – Hawai‘i-sourced and -roasted coffees and gifts;

·         GK Pantry – cocktail/soda syrups and savory condiments;

·         Kuhn’s Pottery – handcrafted ceramics;

·         Midori Jewelry – locally made gemstone and shell jewelry

·         PAI Honolulu – chef-made hot sauce, popcorn, biscotti bites and other treats

·         Sweet Revenge – mochi, liliko‘i butter, hot buttered rum mix, sweet pies

To maximize lunch-hour shopping time, market-goers can purchase grab-and-go sandwiches from PAI ($8 - $10), with housemade chips and salad add-on options. For those who prefer a more leisurely shopping experience, the dining room will be open for lunch service from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PAI offers a three-course lunch prix fixe for $39 per person, with the option to add on wine pairings ($15/person). Happy Hour-priced drinks will be available all day (11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and Happy Hour food specials begin at 5:00 p.m. in the bar and lounge, including a new Holiday Bao dish featuring Deep-Fried Turkey Leg Confit and Foie Gras Terrine with Cranberry Sauce and Gravy ($16/set of two). Parking is available in the Harbor Court municipal lot.

PAI Honolulu and the holiday market vendors will donate a portion of market sales to Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), Hawai‘i Chapter, a non-profit organization which funds scholarships and education grants for local women pursuing careers in the food, fine beverage and hospitality industries. PAI Honolulu general manager Justine Kadokawa Lee, Cake Works owner Abigail Langlas, GK Pantry owner Gida Snyder and Sweet Revenge owner Kathy Masunaga are all members of LDEI Hawai‘i. LDEI is a worldwide organization of women dedicated to fostering excellence and promoting the achievement of women in culinary professions through educational and charitable activities. 

Chef Kevin Lee has created Holiday Prix Fixe menus for lunch and dinner featuring three courses at lunch ($39 per person; appetizer, main and dessert) and four courses at dinner ($69 per person; two starters, main and dessert). Optional beverage pairings are available. Highlights include Kabocha Squash Soup with pepitas, cranberry, crème fraiche and spiced rye croutons, and Grilled Tako with green lip mussels, lemongrass coconut curry and fingerling potatoes.

PAI Honolulu Holiday Hours: Closed December 25 and 26, January 1 and 2. Normally closed on Sundays and Mondays, PAI will be open on December 23, 24, 30 and 31 for those looking for a special place to celebrate. Book your holiday reservation online at www.paihonolulu.com or call 808-744-2531.

In January, PAI Honolulu will present a Chefs’ Collaboration dinner with special guest Chef Brian Hirata of Na‘au on Sunday, January 19. The 12-course menu event is limited to one seating of just 40 guests. Tickets are $185 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Optional wine pairings available. Purchase online at www.paihonolulu.com. Na‘au is a pop-up concept based on Hawai‘i Island. Chef Hirata specializes in using wild-foraged, overlooked and “lost” ingredients to create his menus.