Father’s Day Specials: All About the Beef

There are no spa days for daddy.

While Mother’s Day arrives each year with an impressive pile of expectations (flowers, greeting cards, dinner, dessert, and the occasional facial/pedicure), a successful Father’s Day is quite easy to pull off.

For thousands of years, all you’ve needed to make dad’s day special is a dead mammal. More recently, a cooked one.

Vegetarians aside, Father’s Day is a testament to the single-minded simplicity of the male gender, a fact that hasn’t been lost on Big Island chefs this year. From east to west, June 15 appears to be “all about the beef.”

For East Side Dads

If a full-service meal is what you’re seeking, at least two East Hawai`i restaurants are aiming to please “pops”:

Café Pesto will offer up a three-course special this Father’s Day. Courtesy image.

–Cafe Pesto’s staff told us they’re planning a “surf and turf” special featuring Kulana beef steak (cut is “TBA”) and farm-raised shrimp. This comes with an ahi sashimi appetizer and hand-made smores dessert, served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Phone: (808)-969-6640.

–Kilauea Lodge will feature prime rib and duck specials, with lobster tail combos on offer from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Phone (808)-967-7366.

If an all-you-can-eat bonanza is on dad’s wish list, try heading to the following:

–Kilauea Military Camp isn’t known for glitz and glamour, but its Father’s Day buffet is definitely a steal: prime rib, shrimp alfredo, Asian-infused Hawaiian ono, salad bar and beverages are a mere $27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. No reservations are being taken.

–The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, another staple East Hawaii watering hole, is determined to bust a few belts this Sunday. They’re offering a seafood bar (shrimp, snow crab, sashimi, poke and more), a prime rib carving station, whole roast pig, 22-piece salad bar, omelet station, and 50-piece dessert bar for $45. Draft beer and other beverages are included. Starts at 10 a.m. Phone: (808)-935-9361.

For West Side Dads

If dad prefers to be wined and dined this coming Sunday, then we suggest:

–The Lava Lava Beach Club in Waikoloa will be featuring a pre-fixe dinner special for pops, including a grilled ribeye steak, ahi tatake salad, and molton Lava Lava chocolate dessert, all for $49. Feel like lobster? You can “add a tail” for an additional $17. Seats go fast for this one, so call (808) 769-5282 to book your spot.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar is offering “half-off” dinner specials from 5 to 6 pm. Image courtesy.

-The folks at Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar are still dreaming up their Father’s Day steak specials, but will be running their now famous “half-off” dinner bargains from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., with up to 90% of the menu being offered for half price. Plan on lining up early for this one, as no reservations will be taken. Phone (808)-886-6286.

While most west-side hotels and resorts told us they had “nothing special” planned for Father’s Day, there were two stand-out exceptions:

-The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows will be laying out an extensive evening spread at their Bay Terrace restaurant: bar-b-que baby back ribs, snow crab legs, shell-on shrimp, salt-and-pepper crab, salt-crusted prime rib, pan-roasted chicken, vegetables and desserts for $55. Kama`aina receive a 15% discount, and dinner runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Phone (808)-885-6622.

-The Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel is planning a Sunday brunch featuring an omelet and waffle station, eggs-to-order, poke, grilled chicken wings, garlic-rubbed New York steak, Loco Moco station, bar-b-que ribs, a dessert station, and full breakfast spread for $34 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Phone (808)-880-1111.