Honolulu Weekly

American

Holokai Grill

Waikiki Beach Walk, 226 Lewers St. L200, 2nd Floor, (924-7245). Daily, Lunch 10:30am-4pm, Dinner through 10:30pm, Drinks served till midnight. Entrees: $8-$25. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, JCB, V.

The food is casual Pacific Rim merged with American classics, and while the food is good for a casual eatery, sometimes it descends into tropic kitsch, too. At dinner a variety of fresh island fish entrees showcase local flavors. A standout was lemongrass and ginger crusted onaga, served with a corn risotto.The service is excellent, and a fleet of servers and staff members make sure your drinks are full, your empty plates are cleared and you’re happy.

– Napua Leong (3/21/07)

Italian

Buon Amici Ristorante

3605 Wai’alae Ave. (732-5999). Tue.-Sun. 5pm-9pm. Entrees: From $20.50. AmEx, MC, V.

Buon Amici has retained the tradition of making fresh pasta. The wide sashes of pasta danced between firmness and the slightest tenderness, a feat that only the freshest cooked al dente can achieve. When tossed with herbed Italian sausage, salty bits of pancetta and sweet strips of caramelized onions then bathed in a tomato sauce further richened by both wine and cream. Entrees include costoletta d’aggnello, grilled Australian lamb chops so tender that they’re worth smuggling across town to Wai’alae Avenue and salmon aneto, Atlantic salmon cooked in anise flowers, bay leaves, shallots and cream.

– N. L. (2/21/07)

Pasta Basta by Donato’s

Restaurant Row, (523-9999). Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11am-2:30pm, Dinner Tue.-Sat. 5-9:30pm. Entrees: $9-$15. MC, V.

Pasta Basta does brisk business for the lunch crowds that come pouring out of neighboring office towers around noon, and while ordering at the counter may seem unglamorous, it’s a smart way for the restaurant to maximize its lunch service. From the oven come handmade pizzas including spicy shrimp, margherita, napoletana and grilled chicken-portobello versions. If you like fresh pasta but want a simpler dish, there’s fresh spinach fettucine with Bolognese sauce, linguine with basil pesto or cappellini with sauteed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and garlic.

– N. L. (4/25/07)

Japanese & Okinawan

Gaku Sushi Izakaya

1329 S. King St., (589-1329). Mon.-Sat. 5pm-11pm, Closed Sun. Entrees: $7.50-$40. Disc, JCB, MC, V.

The staff is exceptionally knowledgeable about the menu, even though a good portion of it changes daily. Izakaya style specialties include baked king crab, ribeye steak with garlic or ponzu and asari clams either sauteed in garlic butter of steeped in sake. Among the cooked specials, there was beef tongue wrapped in shiitake mushroom and grilled green mussels. A hand-lettered and photocopied menu insert of the day’s specials showcases what Kikuchi picked out that morning at the fish market.

– N. L. (4/4/07)

Matsugen

255 Beach Walk(926-0255). Daily, 11:30am-1:45pm, 5-9:30pm. Entrees: $7.80-$35.50. AmEx, DC, MC, JCB, V.

The handwritten, photocopied menu reflects the artisan allure of hand-crafted soba. The fresh soba noodles are perhaps best enjoyed mori style, served simply boiled and chilled and reverently laid atop a slattered lacquer tray alongside a carafe of tsuyu dipping sauce to pour into a broader dipping dish along with a clump of fresh wasabi and sliced scallion whites. There are izaka-style appetizers whose origins are primarily confined to the maw of sea creatures. There’s no sushi here, but you can get assorted seasonal sashimi and traditional ‘Edo’ style poke.

– N. L. (2/30/07)

Wasabi & Nadaman

1006 Kapahulu Ave.(735-2800). Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-2pm, Dinner Daily 5:30-10pm. Entrees: $13-$80. AmEx, MC, V.

The environment is a fine-dining classy affair. Fresh flowers and pleasantly scented pillar candles accent the nicely spaced tables and certain parts of the room have larger orchid arrangements that denote key areas. The option to order dishes izakaya-style is there, so if you’re in the mood to scarf, by all means, this is the better option with which to dine in style. But food snobs will not be disappointed by the kaiseki menu. Food snobs with smaller stomachs, that is.

– Ryan Senaga (10/24/07)

Mexican

Mexico Restaurant

1247 N. School St. (845-9059). Mon.-Thu. & Sun. 10:30am-9pm. Fri.-Sat. 10am-10pm. Entrees: $6.50-$16.95. MC, V.

The menu is mostly familiar (platters anchored by rice and beans and crested with sour cream and guacamole) with a few local touches (kalua pig enchiladas and quesadillas) and a scattering of surprises (crab chimichanga, scallop tacos). Best among the appetizers are the sizzling shrimp platters featuring large, shell-on but de-veined shrimp. Portions are generally large, but if you’ve got room, desserts (also more quantity than quality) include flan, churros with ice cream, a massive ball of fried ice cream and an interesting riff on the banana split.

– N. L. (1/24/07)

La Familia

94-226 Leoku St., Waipahu. (671-8776). Mon., Wed., Thu., Sun. 11am-10pm. Fri.-Sat. 11am-10pm. Entrees: $9.99-$14.99

Nachos and salsa are served first and it is satisfyingly spicy with monster chunks of onions for your chip. The serving dish is a bit small, making requests for seconds a necessity. The brilliance comes with the entrees. The Fajitas come with a choice of beef or chicken, and the chicken comes sizzling on an iron skillet with large slices of green peppers and onions. Combo plates are available for those who want to try more things. The tamalea are concocted with a moist and pleasantly sweet corn meal, while the green tortilla-shredded beef enchiladas were luscious with more of that wonderful green sauce. All entree plates are served with Mexican rice, salad and refried beans. It’s almost like having an amazing home-cooked meal in someone’s kitchen.

– Ryan Senaga (2/20/08)

Southeast Asian & Indian

Bombay Indian Restaurant

Discovery Bay Center, 1778 Ala Moana Blvd. (942-3990). 5-10pm. Entrees: $9.95-$21.95. JCB, MC, V.

One of the highlights of Indian cuisine is its wonderful treatment of vegetables, and I was thrilled to see my favorite dish on the menu: Baingan bhartha, baked and mashed eggplant cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices. The popular veggie standards are here also: palak paneer, chana masala and dal makhni plus lesser-known variations like bhindi masala made with okra. While some Indian desserts can be either excessively floral or clunky, the ones at Bombay are subtle and mostly pleasant.

– N. L. (1/3/07)