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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, October 9, 2009 6:10 PM CDT
Hawaiian, Midwest fare mix at new Kahuna's Restaurant

By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com

CHARLESTON — The new Kahuna’s Restaurant & Tiki Bar offers a taste of Hawaii as well as Springfield-style horseshoe sandwiches and family recipe Italian beef.

Owner Michael Gherardini recently opened Kahuna’s at 1415 Fourth St. in the former La Bamba building. Gherardini said he has kept the building’s bright decor and used it as part of a Hawaiian theme to create a new type of restaurant for the Charleston area.

“An island theme is really something that has not been tried,” Gherardini said.

Kahuna’s offers luau chicken and pork, Hawaiian-favorite Spam sandwiches and a variety of tropical iced drinks, which are available with or without alcohol.

Gherardini said the restaurant’s homemade sauces include “Fire God” (spicy), “Kaiko” (sweet barbecue), and “Kahuna” (flavored with Southern Comfort and dried cranberries). The sweet and sour sauce is from the recipe of his mother, Mary Gherardini.

The menu also includes Italian beef made from the recipe of Gherardini’s father, David. Gherardini said he and and a friend used the beef as topping for a meatball, grilled sweet pepper and onions, mozzarella, and marinara sandwich that he has dubbed the “Brother Bill.” He said this sandwich wowed his mom and dad.

“We knew we were on to something there,” Gherardini said.

In addition, the menu includes the Springfield-style horseshoe sandwiches that Gherardini said he fell for while attending Illinois College in nearby Jacksonville. Gherardini offers horseshoes with chicken, hamburger, pork, beef or vegetarian black bean burger on toast topped with french fries and cheese sauce.

Kahuna’s opens at 11 a.m. and remains open until 11 p.m. or later Monday through Saturday every week. Gherardini said he plans to stay open later as customer traffic increases and to offer a walk-up window for late night customers after his dining room has closed for the evening.

Gherardini, who owns and operates the Friends & Co. bar and concert venue uptown, also offers a fully stocked bar at Kahuna’s.

For more information, call Kahuna’s at 348-8454 (TIKI.)

Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 238-6861.

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