ALAN WONG’S
Good preparation for a dinner here is to check out blog.alanwongs.com, for the chef’s own record of the brainstorming behind certain items on the menu. The need to use up a leftover container of seasoned vinegar, for example, led to two weeks of vinaigrette trials and eventually the Crazy Asian Salad of roast duck, pork hash lumpia and local greens tossed in Hoisin Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Makes you wonder how the Mini Loco Moco came to be, a local standard interpreted as a meatloaf of unagi (freshwater eel) crusted with mochi, topped with a quail egg and featuring wasabi-kabayaki sauce standing in for the brown gravy.
The kitchen here is best viewed as a laboratory, a place of culinary experiments that yields a menu full of items that combine the rascal with the impeccable. Always clear is the emphasis on local ingredients, from fresh island fish to okolehao.
By the way, if you’d like to eat like a president (reservations are a must!), order President Barack Obama’s favorite dish: Twice-Cooked Shortribs Soy-Braised & Grilled Kalbi Style.
1857 S. King St., third floor; 949-2526; alanwongs.com. Dinner. $$$$
A server takes dishes from the counter outside the open kitchen at Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai, Roy Yamaguchi's flagship restaurant. --Cindy Ellen Russell / crussell@staradvertiser.com
ROY’S RESTAURANT
Roy Yamaguchi describes his food as “Hawaiian-inspired Euro-Asian cuisine,” which might sound like so much frou-frou except that he also defines it simply: the freshest local ingredients (especially seafood) merged with European sauces and bold Asian spices. The best of all worlds.
The mission statement is made real in dishes such as Angry Tiger Shrimp, with shiitake porridge and a lobster broth flavored with lemongrass and Thai basil; Golden Seared U-10 Sea Scallops, with asparagus from Waialua and Chinesestyle preserved lemon; or the classic Hot Iron Seared Miso-yaki Butterfish, with forbidden rice and a sauce of ginger and wasabi.
As a chef Yamaguchi is creative and precise. As a businessman he is a force of nature, with restaurants across the country, in Japan and on Guam. The Hawaii Kai restaurant was his first and remains his flagship -worth a visit, even if you’ve been to one of his others, to see how it all began.
Hawaii Kai Towne Center, 6600 Kalanianaole Highway; 396-7697. Other locations in Waikiki, Ko Olina, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii island; royshawaii.com. Dinner. $$$
RYAN’S GRILL
How is it that a salad made of peas becomes legendary? Can’t be the water chestnuts. Maybe it’s the bacon or the creamy dressing. Whatever, the Crunchy Pea Salad has always been and will always be a Ryan’s staple. Ryan’s has lots of staples, befitting a popular spot that has been open since 1983. Consider the crab and artichoke dip, Jamaican Jerk Fries and Korean-style salmon. More recent additions to the list of favorites are pizzas -with sausage and roasted mushrooms, for example, or with chicken, spinach and garlic.
The vibe at Ryan’s is one of escape. Diners flee the office here for pau hana or a quick lunch. The Lilikoi Margarita is a bonus.
Ward Centre, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd.; 5919132; www.ryansgrill.com. Lunch, dinner. $$
STARBUCKS COFFEE HAWAII
You know what’s really great? A Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, available only during the holidays and packing 410 calories. Santa forgives.
Starbucks is coffee and pastries, Frappuccinos and sandwich wraps, reserve coffees by the bag and cute coffee cups. It’s so familiar that many people order by rote. But there’s always something new or something seasonal, like that Peppermint Mocha, to freshen the experience. Introduced last October was the Blonde Roast, a light-bodied coffee for those who like their caffeine a little less bold.
Multiple locations; www.starbucks.com. $
ZIPPY’S
Brothers Charles and Francis Higa started Zippy’s in 1966 as a drive-in selling saimin. Look what it has become: an island icon. It’s not just the food; it’s the way that going to Zippy’s is embedded in the whole experience of growing up local.
When folks move away they maintain a stubborn yearning for Zippy’s chili, saimin or a Zip Pac. And when they come home it’s very often “First stop: Zippy’s.”
Multiple locations; www.zippys.com. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. $-$$