Hawaii.com, which is owned by Gannett (USA Today and others), asked its million-plus members to vote for their favorite restaurants in the Hawaiian Islands. I'm not sure what constitutes a "member" of hawaii.com -- a site visitor perhaps. The poll is obviously skewed to favor Honolulu, specifically Waikiki, which has the most visitors, the most hotels and the most concentrated tourist-oriented dining options. Beyond that, the leader of every single category is part of a chain, usually with more locations off the Hawaiian Islands than on. Also note that not one of these chains is even headquartered in Hawaii. This makes me incredibly sad, because Hawaii has such rich and varied food offerings and unique local restaurants. I have to wonder: Is this an indictment of Hawaii or a function of the "members" of hawaii.com? With that caveat, below is the list:
- Favorite Steakhouse in Honolulu - Ruth's Chris Steak House Waikiki, 226 Lewers St., Honolulu; 808-440-7910. One of 100 locations around the world and one of five in the Hawaiian Islands, two on Oahu. It is headquartered in Florida.
- Favorite Hamburger in Honolulu - Cheeseburger in Paradise, 2500 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu; 808-923-3731. One of eight locations in Hawaii. Others are such mainland sites as Reno, Las Vegas, Key West and assorted locations in the Midwest and Northeast. It is headquartered in Illinois.
- Favorite Breakfast Spot in Waikiki - Duke's at the Outrigger Waikiki, 2335 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu; 808-922-2268. Named after Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, a renowned surfer who competed in the Olympics for 20 years and also appeared in over 28 Hollywood movies, this is one of half a dozen Duke's. It is part of the TS Restaurant Group that also owns and/or operates Hula Grills, Cliffhouse, Jake's Del Mar, Keoki's Paradise, Kimo's, Lelani's and Sunnyside Lodge. It is headquartered in California.
- Favorite Restaurant with a View on Oahu - Duke's at the Outrigger Waikiki, see above.
- Favorite Maui Restaurant with a View - Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., 889 Front St., Lahaina; 808-661-3111.California-based chain with 22 restaruarants in the US (including two in Colorado and one in the Mall of America in Minnesota), two in Mexico, two in Japan, two in the Philippines, one on Bali and one in Singapore. The chain is headquarted in California.
- Favorite Maui Restaurant - Cheesburger in Paradise, 811 Front Street, Lahaina; 808-661-4855. See above.
- Favorite Kauai Restaurant - Duke's Canoe Club at the Kauai Marriott, 3610 Rice St., Lihue; 808-246-9599. See above.
- Favorite Big Island Restaurant - Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill, 250 Waikoloa Beach Dr., Waikoloa; 808- 886-4321. First introduced in Honolulu by James Beard award winner Chef Roy Yamaguchi, two dozen of Roy's Hawaiian fusion are on the mainland. The chain is headquartered in California.