The 2004 `Ilima Awards

[pzarquon]

The Honolulu Advertiser today has published its "Hawai'i's Best Restaurants" guide, including the readers' picks for best restaurants. The full list is apparently only available in hardcopy to home subscribers, but they've posted the highlights (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Oct/06/il/il30a.html) online:
Hawai'i's Best Restaurant:
Alan Wong's Restaurant
Best New Restaurant 2003-2004:
Cheesecake Factory
Best Fine-Dining Restaurants:
Ruth's Chris Steak House, Hy's Steakhouse, John Dominis
Best Family Restaurants:
Zippy's, Big City Diner, Anna Miller's 24-Hour Restaurant
Best for Pasta:
Auntie Pasto's
Best Bakery:
Liliha Bakery & Coffee Shop
Best Drinks and Pupu:
Ryan's Grill
Best Coffee Bar:
Starbucks
Best Vegetarian:
Down to Earth Deli
Best Plate Lunch:
L & L Drive-Inn
Best Central O'ahu Restaurant:
Ruby Tuesday
Best Windward O'ahu Restaurant:
Lucy's Grill & Bar
Best North Shore Restaurant:
Haleiwa Joe's Seafood Grill, Hale'iwa
Best Leeward O'ahu Restaurant:
Bravo Restaurant
Best East O'ahu Restaurant:
Roy's Restaurant, Hawai'i Kai
Best Southeast Asian:
Keo's in Waikiki
Best Italian Restaurant:
Assaggio
Best Japanese:
Kyo-Ya Restaurant
Best French restaurant:
La Mer, Halekulani hotel
Best Chinese:
Hee Hing Restaurant
Best Korean:
Sorabol Restaurant
Best Restaurant, Kaua'i:
Hamura Saimin Stand
Best Restaurant, Maui County:
Longhi's
Best Restaurant, Big Island:
Merriman's
Best Hotel Restaurant, O'ahu:
Hoku's, Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hawaii hotel
Best Hotel Restaurant, Neighbor Islands:
Kona Beach Restaurant, King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel
Critics' Choice Restaurants:
BluWater Grill, 12th Ave. Grill, Hilo Bay Café and Chef Mavro

[easTTriver]

alan wong's is definitely my favorite restaurant.

the service is outstanding (IMO, best service along with Roy's)
it has the best tasting food i ever ate: appetizers, soups, main entree were good. i didn't have any dessert though.

[pzarquon]

The folks over at eGullet have noticed an unusually high correlation between the restaurants picked for these awards and the restaurants that are regular advertisers in the Advertiser. BluWater Grill is a "critic's choice," even though the critic who reviewed it gave it only middling marks (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Apr/09/en/en15a.html).

Matthew Gray, who signed off in May (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/May/28/en/en05a.html), now runs HawaiiFoodTours.com (http://www.hawaiifoodtours.com/). Anyone ever been on one?

[Mocha]

The Hawaii food tours sounds interesting but I don't have that kind of money to spend...not on a fixed income. Maybe the tour guide will write a book then I can go visit the places on my own...you know like the okazuya book and I think there is a plate lunch book...local style too. :p

[glossyp]

I was speaking with a restaurant owner yesterday and he claims inside knowledge of certain winners where the owners and/or managers purchase hundreds of papers with the ballots inside and then require admin staff to vote for their restaurant over and over again. Hummm....yet another twist to what appears to be a sordid tale :eek: