AZURE
Azure offers rewards before patrons even see a menu: Its sophisticated, oceanside dining room has sleek Moroccan flair and well-informed servers, trained as “ambassadors” for the restaurant’s isle-centric menu, who set the tone early with attentive, dignified service. As for that menu: Chef Jon Matsubara has come into his own in Azure’s kitchen. His heady, richly flavored takes on local fare include lomilomi made from ami ebi (dried shrimp) and smoked swordfish made tender with duck fat, in addition to the restaurant’s trademark selection of seafood, direct from the fish market. Azure’s assertive entrees are complemented by a variety of small plates and a seafood salad so fresh each bite is a new thrill, so you can dine like a magnate or a body-conscious Hollywood star.
Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 2259 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki; 923-7311; www.azurewaikiki.com. Dinner. $$$$
MORIMOTO WAIKIKI
“Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto’s Waikiki restaurant has an optimistic, entertaining character to match its namesake. Sushi and sashimi are of the highest quality, while other menu items reveal the chef’s affection for surprising combinations and precise technique. The open layout makes it a great place to peoplewatch, and the outside dining area overlooking the Ala Wai Boat Harbor has a chic yet comfortable nautical appeal. Try the ishi yaki buri bop, yellowtail tuna cooked tableside in a hot stone pot; at breakfast, brunch or lunch, swoon over the chef’s loco moco, made with Wagyu beef and Morimoto’s version of hayashi rice -home style, but rich and finely balanced in its flavors.
Modern Honolulu, 1850 Ala Moana Blvd.; 943-5900; morimotowaikiki.com. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. $$$$
Chef Cody Pierce works in a small kitchen at thirtyninehotel to create his pau hana grill items. --George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com
thirtyninehotel's chips and salsa. --George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com
THIRTYNINEHOTEL
Let’s be upfront: Thirtyninehotel is a left-field choice for a Critic’s Pick, putting it in elevated company. But the food and the experience at thirtynine hold up to scrutiny. You’ll get fine, globally inspired fresh plates from an up-and-coming chef in a sophisticated, urban (if not European) environment, with art on display and tastefully curated music in the air.
Young chef Cody Pierce took over responsibility for the art space/lounge/ dance haven’s kitchen early in 2012, absorbing many aspects of mentor Jamal Lahiani’s “modern multi-ethnic cuisine,” influenced by Moroccan, Pacific, Indian and contemporary American tastes, all combined in the postage-stamp-size kitchen. The sauces are heady; the overall effect is delicious and healthy.
Visit to see Pierce flip foods over a high flame or flash-fry potato chips to order and be heartened by his avoidance of overly processed or GMO ingredients. Pierce, who once worked at an Outback Steakhouse, says rightly he has “superpowers” in cooking steak exactly to order, but the ahi is equally amazing.
Note: Stay tuned and call ahead, because with permits pending, thirtynine will be enlarging and improving its kitchen. Its dining, however, is just fine right now.
39 N. Hotel St.; 599-2552. Dinner, late night. $-$$
21 DEGREES NORTH
This restaurant at Turtle Bay Resort is an under-the-radar treasure. It’s the food, above all, that shines here. All the fruit and vegetables used by chef John Armstrong, who’s been with the resort since 2006, are organic, and the restaurant trumpets its partnerships with local farmers. Most fish and the grass-fed beef are local, and the dishes are instant classics -sauced or dressed delicately, but with enough panache to inspire oohs and ahhs. The dining room is plush, if a bit dated, but it just feels good to settle in to a padded chair as laughter from the resort’s grounds or afternoon light drifts in. You’re steps from the ocean, after all. The salads are outstanding: Kahuku shrimp, Avocado & Hearts of Palm is inspiring, made with Pupukea greens; the Grilled Mango & Goat Cheese Salad is a beautiful blend of flavors, with arugula and macadamia nuts. The tasting menu has no weak plates. Fish is cooked deftly: Try the opakapaka with pipikaula risotto and a pea and mint puree for happiness on a plate.
Turtle Bay Resort, 57 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku; 293-6000; turtlebayresort.com. Dinner (closed Sundays). $$$$
–Elizabeth Kieszkowski, Honolulu Star-Advertiser TGIF editor