Honolulu has come a long way since the days that mac nuts, mahimahi, pineapple and surf ’n’ turf solely defined gracious dining. But every 20 years or so — enough time for a generational shift and rediscovery — everything old becomes new again, so maybe we’re ready to accommodate a macadamia nut revival?

The staff at Mac Nuts House certainly hopes so. The little restaurant’s menu is built around the golden kernel, honoring, in its own small way, Hawaii’s status as a world leader in growing and processing macadamia nuts.

The theme seems tailor made for the tourist trade, and in fact, the Kapahulu restaurant is a sibling of Sam’s Kitchen in Waikiki (no relation to celebrity chef Sam Choy’s former “Sam Choy’s Kitchen” TV series). The restaurant may be the first of many small-business migrants escaping the high cost of rent as Waikiki continues to evolve with the entry of more deep-pocketed, luxury-oriented tenants. Kapahulu is a natural beneficiary thanks to proximity.

Mac Nuts House is a fun find, set in an intimate, casual space with room for 24, across from the Safeway Center, with parking around the corner on Mokihana Street, in front of or just past Waiola Shave Ice. Sure, the sprinkling of mac nuts here and there is gimmicky, but a few nuts won’t interfere with enjoyment of the food. And with the mac nut-crusted chicken ($9.95), the wonderful crunchy crust provides the perfect contrast for the tender bird.

The chicken comes with brown gravy, but due to the restaurant’s lime decor, that brown registers as a visually unappetizing green. Don’t worry, the color has no effect on the flavor. It’s the same with the haupia sauce for the pancakes. The green lighting gives the white sauce the appearance of Mattel’s 1970s gooey green Slime, but the flavor is coconut through and through.

Pancakes are at the heart of the menu, and those who want to avoid the breakfast crowd might want to show up at night, whether for a traditional dinner with pancakes for dessert, or pancakes alone.

The pancakes are moist and cakey, and why not start with the Mac Nuts House Pancakes ($11.95), two large griddle cakes lusciously stacked with fresh fruit and  whipped cream sprinkled with chopped mac nuts. Half is surrounded by haupia sauce, the other with cream cheese sauce. As if this is not enough, a squeeze bottle full of chocolate sauce is offered.

If you decide the rich cream cheese sauce is your favorite, you might opt for the plain pancakes with sauce alone ($7.95). Other options include strawberry-topped ($11.95) or berry-topped ($11.95) pancakes.

Lunch adds a handful of sandwiches, including the chicken previously mentioned ($8.95), and mac nut-crusted mahimahi ($8.95).

At dinner, I was pleasantly surprised to find a more normalized menu with appetizers and salads devoid of nuts. As one staffer put it, “We didn’t want people to be mac-nutted out and not come back.”

So you’ll find a creamy ebi salad, with the chopped shrimp topping a bed of mesclun, blanketed with a creamy aioli with a touch of sesame oil, the heat of Sriracha and the crunch of hundreds of miniscule dots of masago.

There are also salads of organic greens ($6.95) and one combining organic greens and fruit ($7.95). If you find yourself missing the mac nuts, you will find them encasing large, juicy fried shrimp on another salad that comes with a choice of mild garlic, chili, BBQ or wasabi sauces ($9.95). Other sauces delivered to tables include standard steak or kochujang sauces augmented with mac nuts.

I was dubious about an order of abalone Rockefeller ($10.95) with cream cheese sauce, so you’ll have to try that one yourself.

Seared ahi steak ($13.95) is also nut-free, and is accompanied by a soy sauce sweetened with mirin. They’ll probably accommodate a request for wasabi sauce, which also works with this dish.

A good job also is done with pasta dishes of pesto chicken ($9.95) and pesto shrimp ($9.95), heavy on fresh basil flavor.

New York steak ($13.95) gets the same treatment as the nut-crusted chicken, but with less success. I just don’t think there’s ever a need to tamper with steak. The crust simply highlight the chewiness of the meat. Pass.

If pancakes seem too much for dessert — one order could feed three to four after dinner — you could try ice cream ($5.95), cheesecake ($5.95), homemade tofu ($5.95) or, if you’re lucky enough to be there at the right time, a slice of homemade ice cream pie made by one of the restaurant’s regulars.

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Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.