I'm travelling to Kauai and Big Island in August/Sept. of this year, and want to know about the sushi. Is it plentiful, is it good, are the varieties different than what one would get in New England (tuna, salmon, hamachi, etc.)?

I'd also be interested in knowing about plate lunch experiences -- from what I read I hear they are a cheap and filling way to eat on the Islands.

Thanks!
/James

Sushi is plentiful all over Hawaii but cheapest where the locals eat. On Oahu
tourists are able to visit Chinatown
and Ala Moana Center food mall which
caters to locals. Real plate lucnhes are sold by lunch wagons near work places mostly downtown. Enjoy!

The sushi in Hawaii is not only plentiful, it's better, and it's fresher than on the mainland.

You can go to inexpensive chains like Genki Sushi, Catch of the Day, or Kozo. Sansei in Restaurant Row is fabulous, and they have a "reverse" happy hour where items are half price from 10 PM to 2 AM. Oh, wait, I see you're not coming to Oahu, though.

Not sure if L&L Drive In has outlets on other islands, but they are great as far as plate lunches. Zippy's is also good, but again, on Oahu only.

what about on Maui?

Aloha,
On Kauai, our favorite is still Kintaros in the Wailua/Kapaa area.

Also, Lemon Grass which is just right up the road from Kintaros. Excellent fresh fish.

Mahalo,
Kal
241 mo'

I second Kintaro's. We ate there last week, and the Ahi Sashimi was Ono!

Plate lunches are a great way to cut meal costs. Generally they are teriyaki chicken or beef, two scoops of white rice, and macaroni salad. There are many different variations to this, and they run from $5-$7 generally. We just got back from Maui and the two plate lunch places we tried were excellent. Two years ago we were on the BI and also ate at a couple of plate lunch places, but I can't recall the names.

Good sushi can be gotten cheap at the local KTA stores (grocery chain ) on the big island . Can get pretty good plate lunches there right in the deli part of the stores too> A very good way to cut down food costs in an otherwise very pricy place. grab some plate lunches and head out to a quiet beach ,snorkel swim and hike what a way to spend the day !

I too offer Oahu sushi advice. Vinnie's on Keeaumoku has to have the freshest I have tasted. He goes to the fish market every day. Small take-out, inexpensive, and impeccable.

On Maui DK Kodama I think still has his original Sansei. Along with Melissa, it's my favorite for fabulous innovative sushi and far more. Don't know if they do the reverse happy hour on Maui, though.

Thanks for the replys, all very helpful. I'm looking forward to the Ahi and such -- any recommendations for buying fish from markets and cooking it yourself?

When I travel, I love to cook with local products. And Hawaii is a foodie's paradise.

Here's a link to get you started grillin & chillin' while here. Have fun!

http://www.suresave.com/hawaiikitche...tchen2001.html