Honolulu Weekly

A Taste of New York

1137 11th Ave. at Wai’alae Ave., Kaimuki (737-DELI). Daily 10am-9pm. Steaks: $32-$46.95. Sandwiches: $11.95-$14.95. Cheesecake: $9.95. BYOB $5/glass. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.

O’ahu’s closest thing to a bite of a Big Apple deli serves overstuffed reubens and Eisenberg’s corned beef from Chicago. Fifteen bucks may seem steep, but these monsters come loaded with 11 ounces of meat. At night the deli becomes a steakhouse, where again you get what you pay for. Must try: house-made cheesecake. Based on a recipe from New York’s Carnegie Deli, it’s not too sweet and the flavorful crust melts in the mouth.

Bombay Indian Restaurant

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

Curry house classics are served in a pleasant, Pier 1-esque dining room. The tandoor is the basis for grilled meats, baked breads and the chef’s special chicken tikka masala, a beguiling combo of salty-sweet tomato sauce, smoky charred chicken and numbing chili heat. The awesome rendition of gulab jamun, deceptively light spherical fried dumplings made from powdered milk and steeped in cardamom-infused honey syrup, will make you re-think Indian desserts.

El Palenque

177 Kamehameha Hwy., Wahiawa (622-5829). Mon-Sat 11am-2pm & 5-9pm, Sun 11am-3pm. Entrees: $6.95-$10.50. MC, V.

This 10-year-old local favorite serves up aromatic platters of Northern Mexican cuisine with old family recipes from Ciudad Juarez. Besides the chiles, nuts and spices that form the essence of any mole, El Palenque’s dark, thick version is championed by an imported Mexican chocolate and homemade chicken stock. Try an a la carte order of flautas: three crispy, not greasy, meat-stuffed fried homemade corn tortilla rolls accompanied by healthy scoops of chunky guacamole, sour cream and chopped lettuce.

Fook Lam Seafood Restaurant

Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 N. Beretania St. (523-9168). Daily 8am-3pm and 5-10pm. Dim sum from $1.90. MC, V.

In this riverfront Chinatown dining room, the dim sum cart comes around more often than at the bigger dim sum palaces, and cheap prices mean your stomach can be as big as your eyes. Good basic dumplings and one of the few places serving Shanghai-style soup dumplings (though they’re not on the menu). Superior taro gok and shrimp gau, when hot out of the kitchen, are highlights. Augment your plate with a handful of filled look fun rolls and house specialty braised e-mein.

Goldfish

568 Halekauwila St. (721-8800). Daily 10:30am-2:30pm, 5-11pm. Lunch $3-$10, Dinner $5-$60. AmEx, Disc, MC, V

Retro Michael Jackson and Elvis record covers smile down on you from behind the sushi bar. The fish is cut so large as to be unmanageable, but the sushi rice is among the best in town, and you can sample it in creative maki like the oyster gangster roll, with smoked oysters, smoked salmon and cream cheese. Don’t miss the fried kim chee with pork. Lunch features incredible bargains all under $10, including a superb seared ‘ahi sandwich.

Green Door Cafe

1145 Maunakea St. (533-0606). Tue-Sun 11am-3pm, 5:30-8pm. Entrees: $5.75-$7. Cash only.

Betty Pang offers her take on Malaysian staples and Nyonya cooking–the cuisine that evolved when Chinese settled in Malacca. The dishes change daily–you might have pork loin one day and fried pomfret the next. The food is fragrant with spices and seasonings like coriander, ginger and galangal. Best bet: roti canai (flat bread) dipped in the rich, chicken curry.

Holokai Grill

226 Lewers St., 2nd Floor, (924-7245). Lunch 10:30am-4pm, dinner 4-10:30pm bar open until 2am; Lunch: $8-$15, dinner: $15-$25. AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V

This Polynesian Voyaging theme restaurant offers the same breezily buoyant atmosphere as sister eatery Tiki’s. Choose from pupu classics like coconut shrimp or build your own burger with toppings like kim chee and spicy guava sauce. Pacific Rim and American classics include fresh fish dishes and grilled Sterling Silver steaks and chops.

Mac 24-7

Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel, 2500 Kuhio Ave. (921-5564). Open 24 hours. Large plates $12-$28. AmEx, Disc, DC, JCB, MC, V.

The mod setting of this dressed-up 24-hour bar/diner leaves those in Vinylville far behind. Satisfy wee hour cravings with updated comfort classics gone luxe: lobster pot pie, loco moco with Hamakua mushroom gravy and heirloom tomato soup with grilled white cheddar sandwich. Start your night with a drink from the full bar or end it with an order of signature Mac Daddy pancakes: As big as hubcaps, they’re enough for four people and the pinnacle of late night gluttony.

Mama’s Island Pizza

108 Hekili St., next to Foodland (931-6280). Sun-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-11pm. Pizzas: 12-incher, $16.99, 16-incher, $22.99. AmEx, Disc, MC, V, no checks.

Add pizza in Kailua to your list of reasons to leave town for the night. With super fresh ingredients and crust that’s not trying to be New York or Chicago, Mama’s pizza is a local favorite. Start your meal with chicken wings–they’re packed with flavor without all the squishy breading.

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.

Updated menu, same luxurious setting. 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.

Taiyo Ramen

451 Pi’ikoi St. (589-2123). Mon-Sat 10-3am, Sun 10am-9pm. Entrees: $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. Thick, yellow-ish brown and slightly tangy with a spicy bite, the curry sauce was born to cling in globs to the generous plateful of rice and copulate with the un-nutritiously fried chicken katsu. Just as notable are the moist, garlicky gyoza and the pleasingly spicy diced kim chee. The noodles aren’t bad, either.

Vino

Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd. (524-8466). Wed, Thu 4:30-9:30pm; Fri 4:30-11pm; Sat 7-11pm. Tasting plates: $7.95-$16.95. AmEx, Disc, JCB, MC, V.

In master sommelier Chuck Furuya’s domain, grapes are the main attraction, with the wine list dwarfing the abbreviated menu. Under the direction of chef Keith Endo, the kitchen delivers savory dishes such as a revamped caprese salad (the bufalo mozzarella is fried), silky butternut squash and mushroom ravioli and rich osso buco. In Vino veritas.