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Destination: Oahu/Waikiki Article Source: Copyright © 2012 by Fodor’s Travel, a division of Random House Inc. All rights reserved.
Unassuming and budget-friendly, Little Village sets a standard of friendly and attentive service to which every Chinese restaurant should aspire. We have roamed the large, pan-China menu and found a new favorite in everything we've tried: shredded beef, spinach with garlic, Shanghai noodles, honey-walnut shrimp, orange chicken, dried green beans. Two words: go there. Reservations are accepted for parties of five or more. Two hours of free parking is available in the parking lot immediately to the right of the restaurant. littlevillagehawaii.com. Credit cards accepted.
The buffet restaurant at Disney's Aulani resort offers a wide variety of locally produced items, as well as familiar dishes from stateside and the rest of the world. A chef walking the line can explain the various dishes, which always include sustainable Hawaiian seafood and Asian selections. You'll also always find famliar grilled meats and vegetables, in addition to a kids' menu. If you have children, plan months in advance to get a reservation for the Character Breakfast, as it's only offered on select days and is always sold out. An a la carte menu is also available. Arrive early for dinner and have a drink at the adjacent Olelo Room, where the staff are fluent in Hawaiian; you can get a language lesson along with your libation. resorts.disney.go.com. Reservations essential.
Do as the locals do: start your visit to Chinatown with breakfast dim sum at Legend. If you want to be able to hear yourself think, get there before 9 am, especially on weekends. And don't be shy: use your best cab-hailing technique and sign language to make the cart ladies stop at your table and show you their wares. The pork-filled steamed buns, hearty spare ribs, prawn dumplings, and still-warm custard tarts are excellent pre-shopping fortification. www.legendseafoodhonolulu.com. Credit cards accepted.
Like the hotel in which it's housed (Halekulani, "House Befitting Heaven"), La Mer is pretty much heavenly: a softly lighted, low-ceiling room has its windows open to the breeze, a perfectly framed vista of Diamond Head, and the faint sound of music from a courtyard below. The food captures the rich and yet sunny flavors of the south of France in one tiny, exquisite course after another. Four prix-fixe options are offered (from three to five or more courses), as well as several rather expensive supplements. We recommend the degustation menu; place yourself in the sommelier's hands for wine choices from the hotel's exceptional cellar. Reservations essential. Jacket required. Credit cards accepted. No lunch.
On Monsarrat Avenue in Waikiki and at more than 38 neighborhood locations on the island of Oahu, the Drive Inn location serves up an impressive mix of Asian-American and Hawaiian-style plate lunches. Chicken katsu (cutlet), shrimp curry, and seafood mix plates include two scoops of rice-and-macaroni salad. There are also "mini" versions of the large-portion plates that include just one scoop of each starch. It's a quick take-out place to pick up lunch before heading to the nearest beach or park. hawaiianbarbecue.com.
Just past downtown Honolulu, tucked away in the industrial area of Sand Island, is this friendly South Seas-style restaurant. Once you walk through the doors, you may think that it's still 1955. The owner, the late Annette Nahinu, bought up kitsch from many other restaurants, so it's tikis to the max in a way that's so old-fashioned, it's cool. The food—grilled seafood, steaks—is just okay; but go for the sing-along fun and the feeling that Don the Beachcomber might walk in any minute. www.lamarianasailingclub.com. Credit cards accepted.
Known for Copper River salmon in season, consistently well-made salads and seafood specials, efficient service, and appropriate pricing, Kincaid's, part of a wide-ranging albeit small chain, is business-lunch central. But, with its window-fronted room overlooking Kewalo Basin harbor, it's also a relaxing place for a postshopping drink or intimate dinner. They're known for their early or late night happy hours, which is a great way to sample more of their dishes. kincaids.com. Credit cards accepted.
Many Islanders—and many Hollywood stars—got their first taste of pad thai noodles, lemongrass, and coconut milk curry at one of Keo Sananikone's restaurants. This one, perched right at the entrance to Waikiki, characterizes his formula: a bright, clean space awash in flowers with intriguing menu titles and reasonable prices. Evil Jungle Prince, a stir-fry redolent of Thai basil, flecked with chilis and rich with coconut milk, is a classic; also try the apple bananas (smaller, sweeter variety of banana) in coconut milk. The Eastern and Western breakfasts are popular. keosthaicuisine.com. Credit cards accepted.
When you're sightseeing between Hanauma Bay and Makapuu, the food pickings are slim. But every day, 365 days a year, there's Keneke's in Waimanalo town. It's the home of inexpensive plate lunches, shave ice, and Scriptural graffiti on the walls (Keith "Keneke" Ward, the burly, weight-lifting, second-generation owner of the place, is a born-again Christian). The food is diet busting, piled high, and mostly pretty good, particularly the Asian-style barbecue (including teriyaki chicken or beef and Korean kal bi (barbecue), and Filipino guisantes (pork and peas in tomato gravy) and adobo (piquant pork stew). If you want a treat, try the shave ice with ice cream. There is also a location in Punaluu on the Windward side of the island. www.kenekes.net. Reservations not accepted.
Russell Siu was the first of the local-boy fine dining chefs to open a place of the sort he enjoys when he's off-duty, serving high-quality plate lunches (house-made sauce instead of from-a-mix brown gravy, for example). Here you can get your two scoops of either brown or white rice, green salad instead of the usual macaroni salad, grilled fresh fish specials, and vegetarian fare. Breakfast is especially good, with combos like corned-beef hash and eggs, and exceptional baked goods. kakaakokitchen.com. Reservations not accepted. Credit cards accepted.
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