Brasserie Du Vin

Honolulu $$ *****
Oh man, this place is fantastic. It reminds me of St. Honoré in Portland. Brasserie Du Vin is an adorable little French place in the newly-"hip" section of Chinatown (art galleries, boutique hotels, exotic restaurants, the usual...).
Since we were there on a Saturday afternoon, it was almost completely empty. We could either eat in the very dimly-lit indoors or go in the back to the outdoor patio. We opted for the outoor patio because the umbrella-shaded tables and tiny fountain beckoned us. Besides, it seemed to be cooler outside, thanks to our Hawaiian tradewinds.
I had the crostini sandwich with warm gorgonzola dolce and prosciutto served on a thin-sliced baguette. It was delicious. Three slices of baguette topped with proscuitto slices and the gorgonzola cheese, surrounding a tiny green salad. I had forgotten how salty proscuitto is, but I liked it anyway. My meal was $10. My friends ordered the mushroom & brie risotto, flat iron steak sandwich, and turkey & roast beef gouda croissant sandwich. Everyone was delighted with their meal.
As usual, I had to check out the bathrooms to see if they were up to par, and I was not disappointed. Pale yellow walls, black and white tiled floors, co-ed lavatories. The service was pretty good. Can't wait to return!
Brasserie Du Vin (Chinatown)
1115 Bethel Street
Honolulu, HI
Mon-Sat 11:30-late

Tropics Bar & Grill

Honolulu $$ ***
After roaming around Hilton Hawaiian Village, my friends and I ended up here for lunch. It is right on Waikiki Beach and was very crowded, so we told the hostess that we'd take the "next table available" i.e., the one with no ocean view. That was fine, since we're locals.
Typical Waikiki restaurant -- fun, slightly overpriced, and a little tacky due to its clientele (tourists). Since we were in Waikiki, we ordered the most blatantly "Hawaiian" dishes on the menu: saimin, loco moco, and a Hawaiian cobb salad. The loco moco was pretty good, but I don't have particularly high standards for loco moco. Hamburger patty, egg, rice, and gravy - what could go wrong? Since it was Waikiki, everyone was pretty happy there, and the service was friendly. Open-air and surprisingly dimly-lit towards the back.
Tropics Bar & Grill (Waikiki)
2005 Kalia Road (Hilton Hawaiian Village)
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Daily 7am-10am, 11am-10pm

Payao Thai

Honolulu $$ *****

Ironically, I only started getting into Thai food since I lived in Portland, probably because Thai food is the only Asian food that Portland has a lot of. Now that I'm back in Hawaii, I can explore even more Thai restaurants.
My co-worker and I kept hearing about Payao Thai from other co-workers, so we decided to try it at lunch one day. And boy, we now understand the hype. For a mere $10 (including tip and tax), you get the following:
Choice of appetizer: I chose 3 spring rolls. Another choice was chicken wings, but I forgot the others. The spring rolls were fabulous! Crispy (but not oily) on the outside, stuffed with goodies on the insie.
Choice of rice: Steamed, brown, or sticky. I ordered steamed, but our waitress must have misheard me because she brought back sticky; I don't regret it at all -- the sticky rice was amazing!
Choice of entree: Sorry again, I don't remember the other choices, but I ordered my favorite - pad thai. You can also choose what meat you want in the pad thai. So good! The noodles were tasty, the chicken was nice and soft, and there weren't too many peanuts.
We also ordered iced coffee for $2. It was crowded because everyone was on their lunch break, but service was pretty good and very courteous. Minimal décor with a few random paintings here and there. I will definitely be eating here the next time I'm too lazy to bring a sandwich to work!

Payao Thai (Kaka'ako)
500 Ala Moana Blvd (Restaurant Row)
Honolulu, HI 96813

Gyotaku

Honolulu $$$ *****
My family and I went here because we had just watched a Pan-Pacific parade in Waikiki, so of course we were craving some Japanese food. Since we were already on our way home when we discovered our craving, we went the only direction we could go: onward east. East of Kahala is Niu Valley, and in Niu Valley there is a Japanese restaurant called Gyotaku.
It's a typical Japanese restaurant: sleek décor, adorable dishes, and not cheap. However, it's a good deal. We went at 8:00 (eating at 8- like in New York!), so it was pretty empty. I had the miso butterfish, something that I cannot get in Portland for some reason. Large portions and very tasty. I also love their green tea.

My brother got something from the kids' menu, and it came with a drink, ice cream, and a toy. I miss those days. Yep, this place definitely satisfied our post-parade cravings.
Gyotaku (Niu Valley)
5730 Kalanianaole Highway
Honolulu, HI
Sun-Thu 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm