Pacific Rim Cuisine

Please follow the links to find descriptions of the following Pacific Rim restaurants:

Page 1: Alan Wong's, Roy's, 3660 on the Rise, Mavro's, Sansei, Stage, Chai's, Hiroshi's, Hoku's.

Da Big Boy’z: Oh, don't make me do this! Each of these fine restaurants are spectacular, but each have their own unique personalities and styles. I suppose if a visitor had only one night left in the islands, I'd send them to Alan Wong's or 3660. They are both oozing with island-style charm to go with their superior atmosphere, service, and cutting-edge menu items. But if you have more time, don't even think about discounting the rest of 'em!

Highly refined dishes like this from Bali by the Sea at the Hilton Hawaiian Village are one of the many treasures awaiting at the various Pacific Rim restaurants on the island.

The 1980’s saw the advent of Pacific Rim dining as it began its bold ascension to the international stage. Chefs like Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong, Russel Siu, and Sam Choy quickly became the rock stars of this exciting new fusion of east, west, and modern local cuisine, and were soon followed by an entire chorus of chefs both locally and from abroad who have all contributed to the development of this unique style. In the beginning, Euro-Pacific was a more popular name, as many of the chefs were trained in the classic European form and perhaps eager to emphasize the European tradition of excellence. In time, however, the focus had shifted and other names, such as Hawaii Regional Cuisine and Asian fusion, began circulating to reflect the constantly evolving culinary atmosphere of the islands. Some will insist that all these titles have their own separate classifications (I won’t argue with that), but for simplicity’s sake, let’s stick with Pacific Rim. You can’t please everyone!

Pacific Rim chefs are not limited to one genre of cooking. Besides featuring a host of modern, cutting-edge dishes that could grace the cover of any culinary magazine in the world, they also employ creativity and innovation to kick up classic comfort foods and otherwise ordinary dishes to previously unseen levels. Fresh, local ingredients are always emphasized, and have served to foster a proliferation of local farms bearing their bounty of items, such as abalone mushrooms, tender mesclun greens, creamy-rich goat cheese, berries of all kinds, and fresh meats like beef and pork. Advanced aquaculture farms in the form of giant underwater cages housing hundreds of thousands of fish at one time also serve to feed the fresh-fish needs of our chefs throughout the state, as do the catches of fishermen who daily bring in their harvest from right offshore or hundreds of miles out to the open expanse.

Even though Michelin, James Beard, Zagat, and many other such names are frequent guests here, don’t think that they have to be snooty, high-minded affairs. You may be surprised at how many walk in with dress shorts or jeans. Perhaps they could be considered more along the lines of a relaxed elegance, typical of the modern island-style prevalent here – quality dining without the arrogance! Food, service, and atmosphere range from good to impeccable, but are usually experienced in a more casual tone than classic fine-dining.

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