O'ahu - Hawaii - page 61

Start with poi (fermented taro), then add pipi kaula (beef jerky), kalua pig, fried butter-
fish or squid cooked in coconut milk, and voila! You've got a mini luau to go.
Town FUSION $$$
( 735-5900; www.townkaimuki.com ; 3435 Waiʻalae Ave; mains breakfast & lunch $5-16, dinner
$16-26; 7am-2:30pm daily, 5:30-9:30pm Mon-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat) The motto at this
buzzing Kaimuki bistro with urban coffeeshop decor is 'local first, organic whenever
possible, with aloha always.' Yoga divas and muscled surfers dig into the chef's daily
changing farm-to-table menu, including grass-fed beef burgers and salads that taste as if
they were just plucked from a backyard garden.
Nico's at Pier 38 SEAFOOD, LOCAL $$$
( www.nicospier38.com ; 1133 N Nimitz Hwy; breakfast & lunch plates $6-13, dinner mains $13-16;
6:30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun) French chef Nico cranks up Hawaii's belly-filling
comfort food with fresh catches from Honolulu's nearby fish auction. Local faves in-
clude furikake -crusted ahi with garlic-cilantro dip, grilled pork chops drizzled with soy-
butter sauce and beer-steamed clams. Casual outdoor tables are within spitting distance
of the sea.
FIRST FRIDAYS IN CHINATOWN
Chinatown's somewhat seedy Nuʻuanu Ave and Hotel St are surprisingly cool
places for a dose of urban art and culture, shopping, live music and nightlife during
First Friday Honolulu ( www.firstfridayhawaii.com ) , held from 5pm to 9pm on the first
Friday of each month. What was once a low-key art walk has become almost too
big for its britches. A giant block party now rocks out to live music and DJs, with
food trucks and over-21 wristbands for getting into Chinatown's bumpin' bars and
clubs. Be prepared to queue behind velvet ropes.
Drinking & Nightlife
For up-to-date listings of live-music gigs, DJ club nights, movies, theater and cultural
events, check the TGIF section in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser
( www.honolulupulse.com ), which comes out on Friday, and the free tabloid Honolulu
Weekly ( www.honoluluweekly.com ), published every Wednesday.
Wherever you go at night, any self- respecting bar or lounge has a pupu menu to com-
plement the liquid sustenance. A key term to know is pau hana (literally 'stop work'),