These locations were originally included in the 2017-2018 Star-Advertiser ‘Ilima Awards Guide to Oahu’s Top Restaurants. Prices and details may change; call restaurants for updates. See full reviews at staradvertiser.com/TGIF.
HARBOR RESTAURANT AT PIER 38
Pier 38, 1129 N. Nimitz Highway; 550-3740.
Harbor Restaurant, above Nico’s on the waterfront at Pier 38, has a long, cheery “Huki Pau” happy hour, which plays on the ideas of playing hooky and starting off your pau hana nice and early. It’s offered from 2 to 6 p.m. daily.
Pau hana takes place at and around the restaurant’s attractive Copper Top Bar — yes, it has its own proper name, as is fitting for the impressive, dominant feature in the room. There are also several high-top tables, and a few seats at a counter overlooking Harbor’s signature, wood-fueled and Spanish-made brasa ovens. Tall, harbor-front windows line the restaurant. The bar area is cool and dim, appropriate to feeling hidden away for a break from the day.
Try the prime rib bites ($12) from Harbor’s bar menu. Developed to use extra cuttings from prime-rib dinners, they’re served with caramelized onion, mushroom, red bell pepper and a demi-glace. Cooked to a T and so tasty and juicy, with just the right amount of smoky flavor, this is a definite draw.
The restaurant is on the premises of fishing supply company POP (Pacific Ocean Producers), and gets its maritime product literally right off the dock each day. When it’s gone, it’s gone, so be advised to order early and often. In that spirit, the Harbor Ceviche (market price), fish cut poke-style and topped with a citrusy sauce then served on a bed of baby arugula, is recommended.
Sangria and a lychee martini are $9 during happy hour, regularly $11. The $6 draft pints offer a nice range for beer lovers, including Maui and Kona breweries, Guinness, Erdinger and admired craft-beer brands including several varieties of Ballast Point (try the Sculpin IPA), Deschutes and Lagunitas. You can also get bottled Heineken, Corona, Bud or Miller Lite for $4. House wines, sourced from California and uncommon in Hawaii, are $8 a glass.
— Elizabeth Kieszkowski, April 20
SAKURA TERRACE
1240 S. King St.; 591-1181.
With all the different wines, spirits and beers now available in Hawaii, it can be difficult to figure out where to go for your favorite libation. But if you want good — no, let’s say great — sake at a fair price, the place to go is Sakura Terrace on South King Street.
This cozy, charming Japanese cafe will make you feel like a connoisseur, and its new happy hour — 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays — might just help you become one.
Opened in 2011, Sakura Terrace was recently renovated, and it boasts an elegant and simple decor of wood tables and chairs and a bright bar area. The restaurant does indeed have a terrace, with several tables on an outside patio just behind a wall of plants providing separation from the busy street outside.
The food is primarily Hawaii-style Japanese fare, including sushi, rice bowls and tempura, featuring premium imported rice from Japan. Service is plentiful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Discounted pupu are $5; sake, shochu and wine are $4; and a 300-milliliter bottle of sake is $14.
Try the Mac Tofu, made from mashed macadamia nuts, molded into a block and chilled; the texture is as delicate as soft tofu, with just a bit of graininess to recall its nut origins and an equally refined hint of macadamia flavor. Karaage chicken was perfectly fried, with a crunchy outer crust and tender inside. The Special Sashimi is fresh from each morning’s catch.
Some sake brands that usually sell for $10 to $11 a glass are discounted here at a uniform $4. I tried two, Haikkaison and Dassai. Haikkaison was mild through and through, yet still left a lingering freshness in the mouth. Dassai, a gold medal winner in Japan, had wonderful hints of fruit and flowers.
The well-priced pupu provide enough variety for a good meal or to lead up to the appealing main menu. Just enjoy the sake as you take it all in.
— Steven Mark, Aug. 24
THE STREET
International Market Place, 2330 Kalakaua Ave.; 377-4402.
Celebrity chef Michael Mina and his partners designed The Street as an urban, “gourmet gathering place,” with tables in the center of a gymnasium-sized space, and two bars and several food counters around the perimeter.
Try the healthy, creative salads at Mindful Greens, California-style fusion poke at Kai Poke and the specialty barbecue at International Smoke. There’s also a delightful “modern shave ice” outlet, Aloha Ice, operated by MW restaurant partner Michelle Karr-Ueoka.
Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to closing daily.
Not sure which outlet might suit you best? The Street Party pass is a pau hana natural. It’s a “VIP” punch pass, good for 30 days, that lets you mix and match seven dishes and/or drinks for $37 or four for $25.
Each outlet features a single selection available via the pass, and it’s fun to try them. Not sure I otherwise would have tried the Baja-Style Marinated Nairagi poke from Kai — but I did, and loved the embellishments of sweet corn, jicama and shaved radish.
The two stand-alone bars are Beer & Be Merry and Myna Bird Bar, the first offering a range of craft beers, the second, tiki-inspired craft cocktails in clever containers.
During happy hour, Beer & Be Merry prices a pint of Pabst at $2, and Jameson or Espolon Tequila shots at $5. Myna Bird’s happy-hour attraction may vary; on my visit, it was a whipped, frozen pina colada at $5.
Kai Poke also includes a full bar, with happy-hour attractions of Sake Bombs or a spiked punch, aka Jungle Juice, for $5.
Visits to The Street have the flavor of a tasty scavenger hunt.
— Elizabeth Kieszkowski, July 27
TR FIRE GRILL
2330 Kuhio Ave.; 921-2330.
The “TR” in the name refers to the parent company, the well-known rib franchise Tony Roma’s. But this new concept on Kuhio Avenue doesn’t even have ribs on its menu.
Rather than the red-brick-and-dark-wood trim of a traditional Tony Roma’s, Fire Grill is all whitewashed brick and blond wood. The windows, long shaded by the awnings of former occupant Chili’s, have been uncovered, and more windows at above-ceiling height let in a lot of natural light.
There are two dining areas: an elegant bar/dining room fronting Kuhio Avenue, which with its tall, industrial-tech ceiling has a nice airy feel; and more cozy individual tables behind the bar. Total seating is about 150.
Chef Richard Miller is a local guy who traveled the world with the military before coming home to the restaurant business. He’s put a lot of time and effort tweaking the Local Hour menu, with good results. Especially nice was the Black Point ceviche ($8), a combination of scallops, salmon, tangerine, a bit of coconut smoked jalapeno and bell peppers, garnished with Black Point salt. Miller cold-smokes the salmon and scallops, placing them in a smoker overnight with no heat, using apple and cherry woods, along with traditional hickory.
I had the steak sandwich ($8), which is basically a very good Philly cheesesteak. Also very good was the Kilauea smoked ahi poke ($6), not only because of its delightful cold-smoked flavor, but also because of the slightly crunchy texture created by the Asian pear mixed in.
Of the two handcrafted cocktails offered, I tried the Fire Grill Mule, a nice twist on the traditional Moscow Mule, with lemon and rhubarb bitters along with the traditional ginger and vodka, at $8.
Fries are on the Local Hour menu, but otherwise TR Grill has avoided the usual happy-hour fried foods. You won’t go away feeling loaded down, although you can if you order the awesome Wonut desert (small waffles drizzled in melted chocolate). Either way, your taste buds will be plenty satisfied.
— Steven Mark, March 8
TOKONAME SUSHI BAR & RESTAURANT
3008 Waialae Ave.; 988-8656.
This spot at the bottom of Waialae Avenue is spacious, at least double the size of its cozy counterpart in Kailua, with a Zen atmosphere. The interior is outfitted with dark wood furnishings, a polished wood bar and bamboo shades. Gentle strums of traditional Japanese music create a soothing ambience.
The highly visible space has been home to a revolving door of restaurants over the years. Perhaps Tokoname, with an established customer base, has hit the right stride.
Happy hour specials and times change regularly. Most recently, Tokoname offered it as a late-night option, from 9 to 10 p.m. daily, with seating at the bar and tall tables nearby, and half-off sushi rolls. That’s a great bargain if you don’t mind dining in the evening.
The Tokoname Roll ($8.47 during happy hour) is a winner, with a combo of spicy ahi tuna, cucumber and kaiware sprouts in the center, topped with maguro, hamachi, avocado and tobiko.
Whether it’s sake, shochu or a cocktail you want, Tokoname has some nice selections. Two can share an Iichiko chu-hai ($12.95), a tall glass layered with your preferred flavor of Iichiko (peach, grape, green apple or lychee) along with a Bacardi 151 float. Next time around I have my eye on the shiso mojito ($7.95), a light mix of rum, lime juice and shiso-infused simple syrup.
You can’t beat the deals on beautifully plated sushi here, and the cocktails are generous and decent. Altogether a tasty experience for both the palate and the eye, with friendly service.
— Nina Wu, Aug. 17
