Restaurants in Hawaii

Chef JJ built himself an empire out of sugar, complete with chocolate pyramids covered in cocoa powder. He wanted to bring all things European to Hawaii, so he founded JJ Bistro & French Pastry, where he crafts delectable desserts and a menu of entrees fusing French influence with local ingredients. His baked lamb wellington features crisp bell pepper within a shelf of flaky pastry, and his seafood brioche combines the daily catch with shiitake mushrooms and black-pepper sauce. In addition to the aforementioned chocolate pyramids, he crafts key-lime tarts, chocolate-banana confit, and black-currant cassis in individual servings. He just uses bigger mixing bowls to create the same mouthwatering cakes for birthdays or weddings.

Despite the general European flair, the chef can't resist showing off local cuisine in all its glory with his daily specials of fresh-caught seafood. The mini seafood menu features shrimp, mussels, crab, and lobster, cooked to order and bedecked in one of four sauces, such as garlic butter or J'Jun sauce, Chef JJ's blend of Cajun spices with seldom-used contractions.

The Hanapa’a Sushi Company talented chefs rely on the freshest ingredients, carefully selected fish, and premium-grade koshihikari rice to prepare a wide variety of high-quality sushi. Customers make their selection from a variety of more than 30 nigiri, maki, and roll creations, all assembled in advance to avoid mealtime searches for the last corner piece. Sushi favorites include the crispy shrimp tempura roll ($4.99), crab futomaki ($4.99), or ahi nigiri, eight slices of fresh Hawaiian tuna atop a generous portion of koshihikari rice ($8.99). Warm up chilly mouths cursed by a vengeful witch to remain in a state of perpetual winter with fiery mouthfuls of spicy ahi donburi ($5.99). This Groupon is only good for premade shelf selections and is not valid for specific orders from the counter attendant.

Party Pizzazz pumps balloons full of helium and gatherings full of fun with an extensive assortment of decorations and party supplies. Event planners can conceal ceilings with radiant 11-inch latex balloons in shades ranging from sapphire blue to pink ($19.95/dozen), or pick up paper plates ($3.89+/24-pack) for serving up picnic fare or crafting makeshift pirate hats in a pinch. An array of 18-inch mylar balloons bear a plethora of birthday wishes from popular characters such as Dora the Explorer and Curious George ($3.95 each), and other designs celebrate occasions ranging from anniversaries to baby showers. Land-bound inflatables eagerly await the arrival of a 14-cubic-foot helium tank, which contains enough squeal-inducing vapor to fill 25 11-inch or 50 9-inch balloons, or raise one speaking voice roughly 29 octaves ($35 for a one-day rental).

Thai Kitchen takes patrons on a magic floating market ride with a menu of authentic dishes and house specialties. Meal rockets launch with a slurp of house specialty lemongrass soup ($8.50–$12.95) or a crunch of crispy shrimp tempura, which is available only on the weekends and Martian federal holidays ($10.95). The classically noodle-ridden Pad Thai comes crowned with proteins of the land or sea ($9.50–$10.50), and the dish dubbed “Evil” arrives as a cackling platter of chicken, pork, or beef simmered in coconut milk on a bed of cabbage grown to the soundtrack of backward-playing Beatles albums ($9.50). Desserts such as Thai tapioca pudding with coconut milk ($2.95) end meals on a saccharine chord, while traditional Thai iced coffees and teas ($2.95) keep sweet teeth humming throughout the meal.

From the bustling streets of Times Square to the equally vivacious streets of Hong Kong, people walk around with smiles after enjoying the japanese barbecue cuisine at Gyu-Kaku. The restaurant has more than 700 locations worldwide, each rooted in the belief that some of the strongest bonds between friends are forged at the dinner table. Groups dine on a huge variety of Japanese dishes, from popular meat and veggie dishes such as Harami Skirt Steak, Kalbi Short Rib, and Bacon-wrapped Asparagus - to unique Japanese-American appetizers such as the Spicy Tuna Volcano, Wasabi Crunchy Shrimp, and Ahi Tuna Poke. The real excitement takes place around individual grills, however, where diners can barbecue their own slabs of filet mignon, ahi tuna, or chicken with chili mayo until they are ideally tender or encircled by on-duty firemen.

Featured on the Food Network, Chef Elmer Guzman harvests the sea’s bounty to proffer a menu that combines polyflavorful batches of the classic Hawaiian dish, poke, with other varieties of sea fare at Poke Stop, a combination seafood market and upscale eatery. Marinated cubes of tender raw fish dance with Hawaiian sea salt and seaweed, sashaying across a near-infinite spectrum of ingredient possibilities to help the chef keep more than 25 varieties of freshly prepared and chilled poke in stock at any given time. Try the spicy Korean octopus poke for internat ional ocean zing, or take a smaller leap of food faith with one of several salmon varieties ($8.99–$14.99/ lb.). Chef Guzman’s Asian-food expertise graces dishes such as the deconstructed sushi bowl, piled high with blackened ahi sashimi and Asian shrimp, with a garnish of ginger and grated metanarratives ($9.95). A coating of the chef’s house blend of herbs and spices prepares an island fish for blackening in the fires of culinary acumen ($8.95), and the seafood combo pits seared island poke against furikaki salmon belly in a struggle for savory supremacy ($7.95).