She’s a serious food blogger (Eatizen Jane, found at [hieats.wordpress.com]), a museum staffer (communications director at the Honolulu Academy of Arts) and a former editor of this very newspaper, where, in 2005, she oversaw our first-ever Food & Drink issue. When we got curious about which Honolulu restaurants have the most intriguing atmospheres and wondered who to ask, Lesa Griffith was the only name on our list.

This was a tough category to address–thanks a lot guys! While Honolulu has many notable places to eat, it’s thin on amazing atmosphere. What makes a good “atmosphere”? Well, design is important, but it’s only one part of the “je ne sais quoi” equation. Something as seemingly simple as lighting (so often too bright) can wreck an otherwise perfect spot. Good atmosphere is a package deal of physical space, food, attitude and other random elements that combine to make a diner feel good. These things can come together in a 3am hamburger steak joint or at a $150-a-head fancy-pants restaurant.

Azure

The Royal Hawaiian was smart to go back to the pre-Surf Room origins of this storiedroom–when the hotel opened in 1927, it was the Persian Room. Honolulu architect Terry Hendrickson whitewashed the walls and square columns, giving it a Moroccan Kasbah feel. You lounge on pillow-packed banquettes, the ocean to one side, and the illuminated onyx bar to the other. Add Jon Matsubara’s fresh seafood and the willowy, accommodating staff, and you have a transporting evening. Now if only the home you’re driving back to were Doris Duke’s Shangri La.

Liliha Bakery

Yummy’s Korean BBQ owner Peter Kim may have taken over this landmark last year, but the akamai entrepreneur knows what not to touch. The brown-vinyl swivel chairs lined up in front of the long Formica-topped counter, the old mixer that churns out orange freezes, the stainless steel griddle, the giant rice cooker and the seen-it-all apron-sporting servers–it’s always 1961 at Liliha Bakery and that time-traveling comfort makes wee-hour diners feel as good as the gravy-drowned charred hamburger steak.

La Mer

Halekulani’s Main Building–all that’s left of the old hotel–was originally designed by Charles Dickey in 1932. Seattle architecture firm Robert Egan Associates gave the building its radical facelift in the early ’80s, but what Egan did with La Mer is timeless. It is my favorite dining room in Honolulu–open air, and sectioned off with kapa-esque panels framed with delicate quasi-Chinese woodwork and island-chic with teak and rattan, it has the clean lines and natural ventilation of an Ossipoff creation. Yves Garnier’s labor-intensive “neo-classical” French food, dapper sommelier Randy Ching’s wine list and the attentive army of servers round out the indulgent experience. With the ocean below and Diamond Head in the distance, the space glows with a casual glamour that always makes me feel like I’ll spy Clark Gable lounging around the corner.

Pane e Vino

Four years on, Fabrizio Favale’s second-floor clubhouse is still a best-kept secret (unless you’re a Japanese tourist–how do they know about everything?). It’s like entering the attic of an old farmhouse–you’re surrounded by weathered wood, it’s soothingly dark, and you can’t believe you’re in Waikiki. They don’t have a full kitchen, so the food is basic–but the laidback vibe, freeflowing wine and one-of-a-kind rustic design (for Honolulu) makes the pasta and steak taste better.

town

It’s not just the over-50 crowd that complains about noise and sore ‘okole here–a lot of people don’t like town’s “environment.” But what is sound pollution to other people is music to my ears–it’s the same out-on-the-town bustle to be found at similar eateries from San Francisco to Manhattan. I like it. When Ed Kenney and Dave Caldiero were putting the place together, they had tacked to the wall photos of their favorite mainland restaurants as inspiration. The steel-topped tables placed close together, the overhead mirrors, pumpkin banquettes and inviting counter have a design feel without trying too hard. And when I get there I wonder, Will Naveen Andrews be in the back? How are they preparing fish today? Did a hunter bring a wild pig to the kitchen? What artists are featured this month? An evening at town always feels like a happening.

Ten honorable mentions

Aku Bone, Imanas Tei, La Mariana, Nobu, Rokkaku, Shokudo, Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Tango Contemporary Café, 12th Avenue Grill, Vino.

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