Where to Eat - Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu - page 182

5-10pm; Sun 9am-1pm and 5-9:30pm. Located in the Iwilei industrial area near Honolulu Harbor, across the street from
Gentry Pacific Design Center.
YoheiSushi ★ JAPANESE Yohei is difficult to find—it's tucked away in a small, nondescript
complex just before Dillingham Boulevard crosses the bridge into Kalihi, Honolulu's industri-
al area. But it's well worth the hunt, especially for lovers of authentic Tokyo-style sushi. Try
the amaebi (sweet shrimp), akagai (surf clam), hamachi, negi toro temaki (butterfly tuna), ko-
hada gari chiso temaki (bluefish), and a wonderful assortment of seafood, fresh as can be.
1111 Dillingham Blvd., across from Honolulu Community College. & 808/841-3773. Reservations recommended. Main
courses $8-$18 lunch, complete dinners $17-$75. DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11am-1:45pm and 5-9:30pm.
Local Chains & Familiar Names
L & L Drive-Inn ( www.hawaiianbarbecue.com ) is a plate-lunch bonanza, with 45 locations in
Hawaii—36 on Oahu alone. Meanwhile, Zippy's Restaurants ★, the maestros of quick
meals, offer a surprisingly good selection of fresh seafood, saimin, chili, and local fare, plus
the wholesome new low-fat, vegetarian “Shintani Cuisine” (based on the dietary principles of
Hawaiian doctor Terry Shintani). Every restaurant (21 of them on Oahu, at last count) offers
a daily Shintani special, and some locations (Kahala, Vineyard, Pearlridge, Kapolei, Waipio)
sell cold Shintani items in 2-pound portions to take home and heat up. Call & 808/973-0880
or visit www.zippys.com to find the location nearest you.
It's hard to spend more than $9 on the French and Vietnamese specials (pho, croissants as
good as the espresso, and wonderful taro/tapioca desserts) at the Ba-Le Sandwich Shops
( www.latourbakehouse.com ) . Among Ba-Le's 20 locations are those at Ala Moana Center ( &
808/944-4752) and 333 Ward Ave. ( & 808/591-0935).
Manoa Valley/Moiliili/Makiki
VERY EXPENSIVE
ChefMavroRestaurant ★★★ PROVENCAL/HAWAII REGIONAL Chef/owner George Mav-
rothalassitis—a native of Provence and formerly the creative force behind La Mer at Haleku-
lani and Seasons at the Four Seasons Resort Wailea—was the winner of the 2003 James Beard
“Best Chef: Northwest/Hawaii” award. His restaurant is also the only independently oper-
ated AAA Five-Diamond restaurant in Hawaii. But that doesn't mean it's stuffy: In fact, it's
in a conveniently accessible, nontouristy neighborhood in McCully. The menu is prix fixe,
with or without dazzling wine pairings; it includes the chef's signature items (filet of moi
with crisp scales, sautéed mushrooms, and saffron coulis; or award-winning onaga baked
in Hawaiian-salt crust) as well as some new favorites: Keahole lobster in an Asian broth; a
Hawaiian/Marseilles bouillabaisse; and cut-it-with-a-fork-tender filet of beef tenderloin crus-
ted with red-wine confit onion. Hints of Tahitian vanilla, lemongrass, ogo (seaweed), rose-