Frommer’s and Let’s Go! were our guide books to the foodie destinations on the islands. By the way, I hate that term, foodie. Anyway, we tried to hit some of the nicer restaurants as well as experience some local flavor. We also tried to take pictures of all of the food, though people looked at us funny.
In the latter category, saimin (similar to ramen noodles) was highly recommended by both guides. Hamura’s in Lihu’e, was definitely a locals spot; we stuck out like a pair of sore sunburned thumbs. The bowls come with a piece of fish, an egg, some random bits of greenery, and a couple of wontons. The food was great as these things go, though I prefer dry food to wet. I added a pair of satays to the mix that were excellent. Also a local Lihu’e haunt, The Deli and Bread Connection served up some mighty fine sandwiches. This was the only place we visited twice, so that says something.
On the pricier side, there was Ciao Mein, the strange mix of Asian and Italian food that had us eating risotto with chopsticks. Best word to describe this is “Wha?” They did sauce a decent chicken though.
Keo’s is a Thai restaurant in Waikiki. Here I had perhaps the best pork chop I’ve ever had. The more typical Asian fare looked good as well.
Our two best meals were actually at a chain restaurant. Sorry local establishments, but McDonald’s just knows how to make awesome fries. Ok, scratch that — they were actually at Roy’s Restaurant, which declares itself a practitioner of “Hawaiian fusion cuisine,” whatever that is. But they can cook the hell out of a fish. And steak. And BBQ ribs. The Waikiki location was so good we had to try the Poipu one too. Which wasn’t quite as good, but it still beat the pants off of a lot of the resort restaurants.
And we ate lots and lots of ahi. Raw, seared, maki rolls, nut crusted, peppercorn crusted… any way that it could be prepared, I think we ate it.