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In-Depth Information
Foundation Rising Star and featured on PBS's
Great Chefs
series. This is a
sophisticated restaurant, so if your kids aren't adventurous eaters, I recommend
you get a sitter and come here for dinner to enjoy Fennelly's East-meets-West
cuisine, like coconut- and lentil-crusted baked ono (with Hawaiian pumpkin
purée), tapioca crusted mahimahi (with Thai eggplant and sweet chile sauce),
five-fragrance pork, baby-back ribs, or Mahana red ale braised lamb shank.
Lunch is equally appetizing: housemade pumpkin raviolis, sherry and oyster-
sauce grilled steak sandwich, even a teriyaki-basted bacon cheeseburger. Next
door is the zenlike Kaiko Sushi Bar with an amazing selection.
60 Keawe St., Hilo.
&
808/961-2558.
www.restaurantkaikodo.com. Kids' menu, highchairs, crayons. Reser-
vations required. Main courses $8-$12 lunch, $17-$28 dinner; kids' menu $6.50-$10. AE, MC, V. Mon-Thurs
11am-2:30pm and 5-9pm; Fri-Sat 11am-2:30pm and 5-10pm; Sun 10:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-9:30pm.
Sushi bar Thurs-Sat 10:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-9:30pm.
Pescatore
SOUTHERN ITALIAN For a special occasion, this is a good
place to take the family. It's ornate, especially for Hilo, with gilded frames on
antique paintings, chairs of vintage velvet, koa walls, and a tile floor. The fresh
catch is offered in several preparations, including reduced-cream and Parmesan
or capers and wine. Chicken, veal, fish marsala, a rich and garlicky scampi
Alfredo, and the Fra Diavolo (a spicy seafood marinara) are among the dinner
offerings, which come with soup and salad. Kids get their own menu, where
pizza is a star. Lighter fare, such as simple pasta marinara and chicken Parmesan,
prevails at lunch.
235 Keawe St.
&
808/969-9090.
Kids' menu, highchairs, boosters, crayons. Reservations recommended for
dinner. Main courses $5-$12 lunch, $16-$29 dinner; kids' menu $4.95-$6.95. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily
11am-2pm and 5:30-9pm; Sat-Sun buffet 7:30-11am.
MODERATE
Hilo Bay Café
PACIFIC RIM Foodie alert: In the midst of a sub-
urban shopping mall is this upscale, elegant eatery, like something out of SoHo.
Only it's on the outskirts of Hilo and created by the people from the Island
Naturals Market and Deli, located on the other side of the shopping center. The
creative (and healthy) menu ranges from house-made ravioli (stuffed with Gor-
gonzola cheese and portobello mushrooms and toped with red pepper sauce) to
potato-crusted fresh catch to grilled New York pepper steak with garlic Yukon
potato purée. Lunch is salads (like blackened ahi over romaine greens), sandwiches
(pastrami with Swiss), and entrees (flaky-crusted chicken or vegetarian potpies;
slow-cooked pork barbecue ribs; or crispy spanakopita). Kids are welcome and
given their own menu; the mac and cheese is very popular. Don't miss eating here.
Waiakea Center, 315 Makaala St.
&
808/935-4939.
Kids' menu, highchairs, crayons. Reservations recom-
mended for dinner. Lunch $6-$10. Dinner entrees $8-$19. Kids' menu $5. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Sat
11am-9:30pm.
Nihon Restaurant & Cultural Center
JAPANESE The room offers a
beautiful view of Hilo Bay on one side and the soothing green sprawl of Lili-
uokalani Gardens on the other. This is a magnificent part of Hilo that's often
overlooked because of its location away from the central business district. The
reasonably priced menu features steak-and-seafood combination dinners and
selections from the sushi bar, including the innovative poke and lomi salmon
hand rolls. The “Businessman's Lunch,” a terrific deal, comes with sushi, potato
salad, soup, vegetables, and two choices from the following: butterfish, shrimp
tempura, sashimi, chicken, and other morsels. This isn't inexpensive dining, but
the value is sky-high, with a presentation that matches the serenity of the room
Finds
