Honolulu Weekly

Dining Wataru

432 ‘Ena Rd (941-4200). Tue-Sun 5:30-9PM. Entrees: $7-$20. MC, V, AmEx, JCB.

The minimalist dÈcor belies the creative flair of owner and chef Wataru Nakanishi, who offers an extensive menu–18 appetizers and 25 entrees–of innovative, well presented Japanese plates. The deep-fried soft-shelled crab with pepperocino sauce is a zesty choice for seafood lovers, while the simmered beef tongue in a rich demi glace will satisfy the adventurous palette. Two can share the whimsical Jog Parfait for dessert.

Du Vin

1115 Bethel St. (545-1115). Daily 11am-closing. Food:$4-$16. AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V.

This downtown brasserie’s menu reads ’served daily from 11am untilÖ’ and the telling ellipsis captures the languid, nuanced dining missing from Honolulu. Sample vin, vino or wine from the expansive wine list to go with a cloud-like, supple brie baked in puff pastry, oysters Rockefeller or the chalkboard’s daily specials, and make it an open-ended evening.

Gazen

2840 Kapi’olani Blvd. across from Market City (737-0230). Daily 5-11:45pm. $2.75-$15.95. Disc, JCB, MC, V.

Innovative izakaya and teppan dishes in a refined setting will satisfy all your omnivorous whims. Notables from the two-page tofu menu include tofu in soy milk broth and tofu mochi ‘agedashi style.’ Even humble standards are elevated: Try the Kilauea, a dashi-drenched mound of fried rice in a hot stone pot, and the indecently lush version of tsukune. The innovative cocktail and dessert selections stretch the borders (and your stomach) beyond sake and ice cream to include concoctions like feather-light sweet potato mochi with Earl Grey Sauce.

Grand Cafe and Bakery

31 N. Pauahi St (531-0001). Tue-Fri 7am-1:30pm, Sat-Sun 8am-1pm, Entrees $9.55-$18.50. AmEx, MC, V.

A weekend brunch alternative to your 40-bucks-a-head, belly-bursting hotel buffet. Early and late risers alike can choose from short menu of solid brunch preparations. Classic eggs benedict is topped with fresh, subtly lemony hollandaise, bananas foster French toast comes with a moppable brown-sugar-butter-rum sauce, and an unexpectedly retro corned beef hash retains the sour brininess of house-cured meat

Jane’s Fountain

1719 Liliha St. (533-1238), Mon-Fri 6am-10pm, Sat 7am-2:30pm, $2.50-$8. Cash only.

The cheeseburger deluxe is the thing to order at this retro throwback neighborhood joint. Deceptively simple and capable of generating cravings that you’ll drive crosstown to satisfy, these are like Mom should have made. Freshly formed patties achieve a crusted char while remaining tender and so juicy that they leave a puddle on the plate.

Kiawe Grill BBQ & Burgers

1311 N. King St. (841-5577), 2334 S. King St. (955-5500). Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sunday 10am-8pm; $2.15-$16.95; AmEx, MC, V.

Skip the B.B.Q. and hone in on the burger column of the menu, where the Kobe beef Burger with cheese is a standout. The superior patty has a charred deep brown crust that can only come from grilling and a resonant overtone of hardwood smoke that can only come from the namesake kiawe-fueled fire.

Mariposa

1450 Ala Moana Blvd. (951-3420). Sun-Wed 11am-9pm, Thu-Sat 11am-10pm. Entrees: lunch $16-$25, dinner $24-$45. AmEx, Bergdorf Goodman, JCB, Neiman Marcus, V.

Famished shoppers pour in for refined island-inspired cuisine with a focus on seafood and an array of salads. The popular warm liliko’i pudding cake, delicate and whimsically topped with a butterfly cookie, is a highlight. While the prices are high, the finest things here are complimentary: warm double manapua-sized popovers and a panoramic vista–from Ala Wai Yacht Harbor to Ala Moana beach park– best enjoyed from the shaded outside lanai.

Matsugen

255 Beach Walk (926-0255). Daily 11:30am-2pm;5:30-10pm. $3.50-$35.50, soba $7.80-$18. AmEx, DC, JCB MC, V.

At this shrine dedicated to the craft of Japanese buckwheat soba, noodles are hand-made fresh in the dining room’s exhibition area six to eight times a day by Shingo Chibana, soba master. The superior noodles are firm without being burdened by firmness, and you can get them chilled or hot, from barely adorned mori and kake to fully-accessorized natto-bukkake and ebi tempura variations. The stellar traditional ‘edo’ style poke is both restrained and whimsical in seasoning.

Mexico Restaurant

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

All your rice-and-bean accompanied standards are here, along with an extensive seafood selection (crab rellenos, scallop tacos, chipotle shrimp). Best bet: double-tortilla, south-of-the-border style tacos, featuring authentic fillings like carnitas, carne asada, lengua (tongue) and tripitas (intestines) topped with cilantro, onions and salsa verde. An energetic mariachi soloist adds festivity.

Opal Thai Food

Kamehameha Hwy. across from McDonald’s in Hale’iwa. Wed-Sun 10am-6pm. Entrees: $6.50-$7.95. Cash only.

The Hale’iwa dining scene scores with this Thai lunchwagon that’s big on value without taking shortcuts on taste. Green papaya salad is tossed with an pounded tincture of lime juice, fresh garlic and tomato, pad thai is made not with ketchup but with authentic tamarind paste and the impossibly fresh and supple tofu summer rolls with peanut sauce may be the perfect millennial ambassadors for the portable meal.

Spada

First Hawaiian Bank Center, street level, 999 Bishop St., entrance at Alakea and King (538-3332). Mon 11am-2:30pm; Tue-Fri 11am-4pm, 5pm-9pm. Tapas: $3-$9.95. EntrÈes: $5.95-$26.95. AmEx, Disc, MC, V .

While popular for lunch, this downtown Italian spot is just what you didn’t know you wanted for mellow after-work reverie. Kick off your merriment with a happy hour caipirinha or martini and an order of Thiago’s special dip with housemade bread. Tapas are just $6 from 5-7pm. Save room for zabaglione with mango sorbetto, an exclamation point of fruit and cream.

Soul De Cuba CafÈ

1121 Bethel St. (545-CUBA). Lunch 11:30am-2pm, dinner 5:30-10pm. Starters: $5-$9. EntrÈes: $9-$16. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.

Start with the devil crab appetizers–the crispy outside, the thick, stuffing-soft layer of dumpling and the inner pocket of seasoned lump crab are addictive. The restaurant’s signature entrÈe, the Pollo Soul de Cuba is a breaded chicken breast smothered in a chunky warm salsa that boasts sweet, meaty chunks of guava and mango, citrusy pineapple, buttery rum and black beans that are an unlikely–and beautiful–combination.

Taiyo Ramen

451 Pi’ikoi St (589-2123). Mon-Sat 10-3am, Sun 10am-9pm. EntrÈes: $6.25-7.95. Cash only.

Some of the best things on Taiyo Ramen’s menu aren’t long and stringy. The real reason to come here is the chicken katsu curry rice. Just as notable are the moist, garlicky gyoza and the pleasingly spicy diced kim chee. The noodles aren’t bad, either. Watch Korean soap operas on the flatscreen as you dine.

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.

The seafood-heavy page-long pupu menu at this sleek restolounge 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.’