Honolulu Weekly

Asahi Grill

515 Ward Ave. (593-2800). 6:30am-11pm. Entrees: $5.50-$17.95. V, MC.

Here you’ll find an intriguing mix of relaxed, local dishes–including favorites from the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop: the famous oxtail soup, fried rice, kim chee fried rice, hamburger steak, loco moco, chicken cutlet and pork cutlet. The ribeye steak, piled with a mountain of mushrooms and onions and topped with a citrusy ponzu, sizzles.

Bangkok Chef

Nu’uanu Open Market, 1627 Nu’uanu Ave. (585-8839). Mon-Sat 10am-8:30pm. Plate lunch: $4.95. A la carte: $6.45-$7.45. MC, V.

Yes, it’s in a garage, but this no-frills five-table Liliha eatery is all restaurant (and market). You can order an impressive array of snapping-fresh dishes made by a real Bangkok chef–Patrick Chang is from the Thai capital, where his family owns a restaurant.

D.K. Steakhouse

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, 2552 Kalakaua Ave. at Ohua St. (931-6280). Daily 5:30-10pm. Steaks: $23.95-$32.95. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.

What can’t D.K. Kodama do? Mr. Sansei Sushi turned his attention to beef and comes up a high steaks winner. The signature rib-eye is dry-aged for 28 days (like Peter Luger does in Brooklyn) but it’s the New York skirt that has the beefiest flavor. Chuck Furuya chooses the right reds for your meat fest. In a town where the best-known steakhouses are branches of mainland chains, Kodama proves he can compete with the corporate big boys, and for lower prices, too.

Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks

1450 Ala Moana Blvd. (943-6670). Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm. EntrÈes: $7.50-$12. AmEx, DC, MC, V, no checks.

Islands is the Hawai’i debut of a California chain on the top floor of Ala Moana Shopping Center that dishes up oversized burgers, soft tacos and affordable, kitschy tiki drinks–a fail-safe formula for drawing hungry shoppers and tourists. The burgers don’t come with fries, but they do come large and loaded with a range of toppings from teriyaki sauce and bleu cheese dressing to sautÈed mushrooms. The fieriest of the bunch? The Kilauea burger, crusted with jalapeno and pepper and smothered in Monterey Jack cheese with a chipotle-garlic-mayo sauce.

Kapahulu Kafe

766 Kapahulu Ave. (732-7486), Wed-Sun 6pm-midnight, Tues 8pm-midnight ‘awa only. Appetizers: $2.50-$7.50, salads $6, sandwiches $5, pasta $7.50. AmEx, MC, Disc, Diner’s, JCB, V.

Kapahulu Kafe serves up cafÈ fare with local flair: kama’aina-friendly selections like seared ahi lettuce wraps and pastrami pipikaula sandwiches. Share the signature kalua quesadilla, accompanied by a cool guacamole-sour cream dip, or the crisp-bottomed, juicy chicken and veggie potstickers to start. If you’re going with greens, opt for the summery strawberry salad, to which the popular pesto pasta is a fine complement. Drink the ‘awa, listen to the music and set your stresses free.

Mi Casa

3046 Monsarrat Ave. (737-1562). Tue-Thu 4-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9pm. Combo plates: $7.95-$12.95. MC, V. BYOB

Besides the familiar staples–soft tacos, burritos, enchiladas–Mi Casa serves up some harder-to-find Mexican favorites, such as mulitas, a type of quesadilla oozing with Monterey Jack and the filling of your choice (picadillo is a good option). The pork carnitas are the juiciest in town–the meat is finished in milk and orange juice, making it super moist and subtly tangy. The thick corn tortillas are handrolled and come fresh off the grill, soft as the wheat-flour version.

Poke Stop

Waipahu Town Center, 94-050 Farrington Hwy., next to Sizzlers (676-8100). Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 8am-5pm. AmEx, MC, V.

Elmer Guzman, the former chef at Sam Choy’s Diamond Head Restaurant, wanted to spend more time with his family (he lives in Waipahu), so he opened this downscale takeout and market spot serving upscale plate lunch. You can pick up poi, bags of dried aku and a bowl of ‘deconstructed sushi’ along with daily specials such as perfectly seared opah in a deliciously salty broth swimming with Portuguese sausage chunks and cabbage. So what if it comes in a plastic bowl?

South Shore Grill

3114 Monsarrat Ave. (734-0229). Daily 11am-8pm. Sandwiches: $4.25-$5.75. Plates: $5.75-$7.95. Cash only.

Linda Gehring is the wife of Teddy, of Bigger Burger fame, but her thing is fish. Get fresh mahimahi in soft tacos, as an entrÈe with her addictive Asian-style slaw or in a sandwich with chipotle-aioli sauce. The food may be fast, but it’s fresh–and all made from scratch.

Uncle Bo’s Pupu Bar & Grill

559 Kapahulu Ave. (739-2426). Daily 5pm-2am. Pupu $6-$10, Entrees $10-$25. AmEx, Disc, JCB, MC, V

Kapahulu’s unofficial restaurant row gets a late-night dining option with this sleek resto-lounge. The seafood-heavy pupu menu features strong flavors–sweet chili calamari, dynamite shrimp–to pair with successive rounds of drinks from the pink backlit bar. Don’t miss the Thai style steamer clams in a sweet chili garlic oyster sauce. Service is gracious, informative and exactly what you’d expect from a place where the chef prefixes his name with ‘Uncle.’