Not a whole lot of choices on the island, but here goes:

Brazilian

Tudo de Bom. 1960 Kapiolani Blvd. at the McCully S.C. in McCully/Moiliili. 942-0267. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Bring out the appetites! This all-you-can-eat restaurant serves up all manner of meats in the way of Brazilian gauchos of old – on long sword-like skewers where servers slice off different cuts straight onto your plate. It is a little difficult to keep the meat tender with this sort of meal, but the novelty of it all is fun and a great experience. I especially love the spiced chicken and Cuban sausages, and some of the salads at the self-serve salad bar are also really good. There is a wooden marker on the table which you can call for more meats. It is flipped to green when you are ready for more and red when you’ve had enough. No corkage fee for BYOB.

Cuban

Soul de Cuba Café. 545 Bethel St. in Downtown Honolulu. 545-2822. Lunch and dinner daily except closed on Sunday. Parking in municipal lots or on street. Prices: $$. Map. This trendy little downtown hotspot is a dinner w/drinks kind-of-place and one of the very few places in Hawaii to satisfy your Caribbean food needs. You can try the popular fricassee de pollo, which is marinated chicken sautéed with bell peppers, onions, olives, and stewed in exotic herbs and spices, and served over hot rice, or the ropa vieja, a shredded beef dish with onions and a light tomato sauce. There are also seafood dishes, pork, several Cuban sandwiches, soups, and desserts. And don’t forget the cocktails (byob, $5 corkage fee per person), as the mood often kicks up and patrons get up off their feet for some latin dance fever!

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