Dear Scott Caan: places where the food doesn't suck


Left: poke bowl from Ono Seafood; right: "Crab" and tomato soup from The Pig and the Lady

Dear Scott Caan,

I understand that you're having trouble finding places to eat.

5-0 is a big part of our economy and we want you to be well fed. Next time you're out hustling for non-sucky food, here are some places and dishes to try.

– Prima: roasted maitake mushrooms on a cauliflower puree, an octopus terrine with tangerine and wakame, pistachio semifreddo and dried sour cherry hibiscus, all of it sculpted as perfectly as your hair. primahawaii.com

– Salt: flash-fried oysters and a St. Tom Collins. salthonolulu.com

– Wada: Try the uni and beef sashimi and then sear thinly-sliced tongue and harami over a stone grill. restaurantwada.com

– The Pig and the Lady: Vietnamese soup noodles beyond pho, such as a pork belly and rice noodle soup and noodles topped with crab sauce and pork cracklings. thepigandthelady.com

– Home Bar and Grill: Kimchee fried rice, smoked meat, Wafu steak, and a modern take on negitoro: this is all stuff I crave after I survive a surf session.

– Ono Seafood: fresh, seasoned-to-order poke bowls. 

– V Lounge: Get the Diavolo pizza, loaded with chili, spicy pepperoni and peppers, or the Boquerones pizza, topped with white anchovies marinated in chili pepper water. A dark, divey place to hide out until this all blows over. I'll meet you there.