Tanaka of Tokyo -- this restaurant has several locations; I ate at Tanaka West in the Ala Moana mall. Tanaka is a teppanyaki restaurant (similar to Benihana's) and is as much dinner show as it is dinner. Our chef was a lot of fun as he prepared the food in front of us, doing all the usual tricks (like stacking the onions to make a volcano) and a few I hadn't seen before.
My husband and I were there early, and there wasn't anyone in the restaurant yet, so we were able to get a table all to ourselves. Normally it is group seating with tables for eight. Since we weren't sharing the table with others, and hubby was willing to eat gluten free, the chef was able to make our food with the gluten free soy sauce. (If others had been present, they would have made mine separately in the kitchen.)
Yes, I said gluten free soy sauce! Woo-hoo! I love teppanyaki restaurants, but this is the first time I didn't have to bring my own soy sauce. They have a gluten free menu, and while many of the sauces are off limits, at least they know that and can tell you what is and isn't safe.
Hiking Hawaii Cafe -- this was the crowning jewel of our gluten-free finds in Oahu! It has a great location, right across the street from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, but you have to go down some stairs to get there, so it is easy to miss. They have gluten free bread, wraps, and pizza crusts, so most of the sandwiches, paninis, and pizzas can be made gluten free.
Please note that the service here is NOT fast; but that's ok -- we were on island time! While we waited for our "breakfast pizza"(potato, ham, egg, and cheese on a pizza crust), we played a game of scrabble (they had a small stack of board games, and a large number of hiking magazines) and just enjoyed not having anywhere to be. Once it finally arrived, the breakfast pizza was very good and very filling. I was so impressed that we went back the following day to pick up a picnic lunch to take across the street to Fort Derussy Beach park.
Bali by the Sea -- Speaking of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, we had made reservations well in advance to eat at Bali by the Sea during the fireworks show on the beach. Unfortunately, not all the tables have a view of the fireworks, and we were not aware that we were sitting in the wrong section for viewing (strange, especially since the waiter asked "are you here for the fireworks?" and we said "yes!") So, we were not able to see the fireworks, but we did get loud banging as the fireworks were being set off right outside our window. Couldn't see fireworks, couldn't hear each other. Not a very romantic night. However, the steak was excellent and the Mai Tai was phenomenal.
Shore Bird -- For lunch, Shore Bird is pretty much a burger joint. They do not have a lot of gluten free options, but they do have gluten free hamburger buns. I ordered an Outrigger Bistro Burger, which comes with sauteed onions and brie, but I was told that the sauteed onions are not gluten free. :(
At dinner, the Shore Bird becomes a "cook-your-own" grill with steaks, chicken, and kabobs. Gluten free items are noted on the regular menu, but I would be highly suspicious of cross-contamination in this type of environment.
Sandy
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