Critics’ choice

For George Mavrothalassitis, chef-owner of Chef Mavro, cooking is all about the journey, whether he’s fishing in Alaska, conceiving a new dish or refining it before it is served to a guest.

"Before we put something on the plate, we try it 20 times — the menu is still improving. At the end, when the recipe is ‘wow!’ I want to remove it. It’s time to move on to something else."

It is that combination of creativity and refinement that led to Chef Mavro being selected the Critics’ Choice Best Restaurant for the 2015 ‘Ilima Awards.

Mavrothalassitis’ passion animates his conversation; it keeps him fully in the moment. When he discusses his ever-changing seasonal menus and need to create, his enthusiasm never wanes.

"I think I’m pursuing something I haven’t reached yet. Since the beginning I learned from three-Michelin-star chefs. They were like gods. Around 1979 I worked for (French chef) Alain Senderens, who was No. 1 in the world — I almost quit," he said with a wave of his arm. "When you target your expectations (based on) them, you can never reach it. I’m still looking for that precision, that combination of flavors."

Fans of Mavrothalassitis’ cuisine can thank that endless pursuit for keeping their taste buds dazzled, year after year, season after season. The chef can’t abide repeating menus, so he’s constantly thinking of that next new dish, always made with the finest ingredients available. Most often that means local products. The chef has long been public about his love affairs with Sumida watercress and Hanapepe salt. Fresh local fish and seafood are mainstays, prepared in myriad inspired ways.

His summer menu, for instance, featured hamachi fillet confit on Alaskan king salmon, cured lomi style and topped with lemon shave ice; and roasted Keahole lobster served with a sweet local corn and shiso fritter and charred poppy-seed asparagus, topped with a "crustacean emulsion."

Despite his desire not to be repetitive, guests do have their favorites, and after countless requests for those, Mavrothalassitis acquiesced with a four-course "hana hou" menu that rotates dishes seasonally. First on the list is onaga baked in a salt crust and served tableside by the chef himself. The dish was named one of GQ magazine’s Top 10 Recipes in the U.S.

While Mavrothalassitis acknowledges that he is particularly driven to create new items, he says every chef is affected by change.

"There are new techniques, new trends — and cooking is trendy, we have to face it," he said. "Cooking evolves, even if it is the same recipe. We cannot close our eyes — it’s impossible."

Case in point: the presentation of flavors. Two decades ago, fusion cuisine merged flavors, and those of singular items were lost.

Now, he said, the trend is to prepare food in ways that allow every ingredient to shine, a move in the right direction.

"It keeps me optimistic because you can taste everything."

What never changes is Mavrothalassitis’ commitment to delivering dishes uniquely his own. For young chefs, he has this advice:

"In my younger days I was influenced by my mentors, but I never put their food on my plate. … Make your own mistakes. Put your own craziness on your plate. If it comes from you, there’s a lot of sincerity in it. Age has nothing to do with that story, it has nothing to do with creativity."

To this day, he said, "when you come to my restaurant, you cannot say you had my food somewhere else, or it is a coincidence if you think that’s so."

After all these years of cooking, Mavrothalassitis says he realizes his dream of perfection is just that. "That’s fine, I’m enjoying myself. If I reached that goal, I could not cook anymore. There would be no need."

— By Joleen Oshiro / joshiro@staradvertiser.com

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1969 S. King St.; 944-4714

chefmavro.com

Dinner. $$$$

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FINE DINING | Teppanyaki Ginza Onodera

This restaurant follows in the footsteps of sister restaurant Sushi Ginza Onodera, this time bringing exceptional quality, presentation and service to the realm of teppanyaki dining. Those familiar with the Americanized experience of knife tricks and turning a chef’s toque into a basket for catching flying morsels of shrimp will find none of that here. There is only the clean, deft grilling of meat, seafood and shellfish, and the preparation of sauces in just the right measure, before your eyes.

Set menus run $200 to $250, tax and gratuity included. A $250 meal might comprise 15 courses presented over four hours, time whizzing by as you watch dishes of premium ingredients such as A5 Omi wagyu, Kagoshima A4 wagyu, foie gras, Kona abalone or Hokkaido sea urchin deftly prepared.

Sophisticated, charming, entertaining and delicious, a visit here is never short of amazing and well worth the cost, even if it means saving up.

At 1726 S. King St. (between Elsie and Pawaa lanes); 784-0567

Dinner. $$$$

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NEW RESTAURANT | Central Bakery

Yes, this is a world-class bakery. It also happens to be a restaurant serving a fresh mix of Italian- and French-style cuisine, with spare, classic dishes adding up to a delicious whole.

Company president Koichiro Yanagimoto started the restaurant in Kobe, Japan, in 1999 and aimed toward expanding in the United States, finding in Hawaii open territory for good bread.

People initially showed up to inspect the array of ciabatta, pain au levain, pain de campagne, thyme bread, rose bread and more, then stayed for lunch and dinner after perusing a menu that includes a lovely seafood and tomato bisque, elegant Provence seafood stew and crave-inducing pastas.

The mood is bistro casual. You can opt to dine simply, with nothing more than bread, butter, wine and a charcuterie platter of an antipasto misto salad that offers no fewer than a dozen vegetables.

By day you can opt for entrees similar to the evening menu, or one of eight tartines; or if you’re just not sure, order a sampler that might feature your choice of foie gras and mushrooms, caponata with cheese, pancetta and asparagus, salmon and avocado, or more.

Meals end with desserts that range from a decadent flourless chocolate almond cake topped with crunchy walnuts to a light, airy Charlotte aux Fraises (strawberry shortcake).

At 4614 Kilauea Ave., Kahala; 777-6700

Lunch and dinner. $$$

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BREAKFAST | Bills sydney

Bill Granger makes it look easy. The Australian restaurateur, chef and cookbook author puts together recipes — and restaurants — that have a breezy charm, and his Waikiki location, which opened in 2014, is no exception.

At Bills both the setting and the menu are (relatively) light, contemporary and a cut above. Breakfast is a specialty, and Granger’s famous ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter are a must: airy, textured and satisfying. Word to the wise: The pancakes, along with two other classic menu items, the sweet corn fritters and the impeccably scrambled organic eggs, are available all day.

If you’re the brunch type, arriving after 11 a.m., combine one of these stellar, choices with another star of the show, a crispy pork and watermelon salad that achieves an ideal, exhilarating balance between indulgence and refreshment.

If you are in need of a loco moco-level morning-after meal, try the fried rice (great with beer!), made with brown rice and fancied up with chorizo, crabmeat and kimchee, then take a nap — and dream of the next time you’ll return.

280 Beachwalk Ave.,Waikiki; 922-1500

billshawaii.com

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. $$

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LUNCH | Scratch kitchen & bake shop

Scratch has been a godsend to downtown breakfast and brunch lovers, bringing new flavors, all-day breakfast options and a clean, comfortable setting to Smith Street.

Chef Brian Chan, inspired by Creole and Latin flavors, serves up a killer cochon (young pig) po’ boy and whips up a warmly spiced Creole Shrimp ‘n’ Grits with "grits" that can also be described as "smoked cheddar polenta" with andouille sausage and a just-so fried egg.

The luscious burgers are made with Big Island beef; the crispy "smashed" potatoes are addictive; and the loco moco is a rich revelation, made with melt-in-the-mouth short ribs rather than hamburger, with a dollop of foie gras to send you into fat-fueled nirvana.

Those looking to eat light can also find satisfaction, in items such as a watermelon salad, minestrone soup made with kale and quinoa, and veggie-centric (if not vegetarian) side dishes bold enough to serve as a meal.

Dishes are served up in a light, bright, no-nonsense room that keeps the focus on your plate — and that’s right where it should be.

1030 Smith St., Chinatown; 536-1669

scratch-hawaii.com

Breakfast, lunch. $-$$

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CASUAL | The Nook

Comfort food with a twist is the charm of this all-day breakfast kitchen, originally started with fellow food-service professionals in mind.

Working nights and waking in the late morning was not conducive to going out and enjoying breakfast, which most restaurants cut off at 10 or 11 a.m. At The Nook you have the leisure of enjoying pancakes topped with caramel and bruleed pineapple, mochi waffles topped with matcha powder, or mochiko Jidori chicken and eggs Benedict until 3 p.m.

The restaurant is a cozy spot with shabby chic fixtures and a bar counter topped with scones and muffins of the day — with such combinations as strawberry-yuzu or lemon-dill with black pepper.

The menu is short and sassy, but even so, you’ll find yourself making many return trips, whether for new favorite dishes or because breakfast fare tends to be too filling for one to tackle more than a few dishes in one sitting.

The Nook also supports Hawaii farmers by using local eggs, milk, produce and meat that you’ll find in everything from a kale Benedict to a malasada breakfast sandwich filled with house-made Shinsato pork sausage and a fried egg.

On days when all you want is a simple egg dish, get basic eggs any way with bacon or sausage, or try The Scramble, three eggs with spinach, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

At Puck’s Alley, 1035 University Ave.; 942-2222

thenookhonolulu.com

Breakfast. $$

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NEIGHBOR ISLAND | Moon and Turtle

As locally sourced and inspired dishes become the driving force behind more and more restaurant menus, it’s gratifying when the chefs responsible for those menus shun the spotlight in big cities and return to their roots.

Moon and Turtle is a great example.

Run by chef Mark Pomaski and his wife, Soni, the quaint eatery is just off the main drag in downtown Hilo. Pomaski, who grew up on the Big Island, returned after a stint with Roy Yamaguchi’s restaurants and at Nobu 57 in Manhattan, N.Y. He focuses the frequently changing menu on locally procured meat and seafood, with a heavy emphasis on both raw and cooked fish (depending on availability, items can even switch between lunch and dinner).

Our table couldn’t get enough of the smoky sashimi with local ahi, kiawe- smoked soy sauce and fiery Hawaiian chili pepper water or the perfectly crisp Brussels sprouts — a slightly sweet, citrusy garlic fish sauce made the dish pop. Pan-roasted mahimahi was expertly paired with a fresh-tasting vegetable ratatouille, cauliflower/hearts of palm cream and a rich Kauai prawn veloute. The Pomaskis make daily trips to the Hilo Farmers Market, which is evident in the fruits and vegetables they serve.

While open for lunch, it’s in the evenings when the restaurant has an old-timey ambience with its soft lighting and ceiling fans whirring above. Other nice touches: Old menus are cleverly repurposed into drink coasters and tiny lanterns strung near the area by the bar and hung above the entrance.

51 Kalakaua St., Hilo; 961-0599

Instagram: @moon_and_turtle

Lunch, dinner. $$