Look Past the Pupu Platter for the Next Level of Hawaiian Cuisine

Ed Kenney of Honolulu’s Town remembers the moment distinctly, when GQ food writer Alan Richman visited his then-fledgling restaurant in 2006 and uttered the razor-sharp words that pierced Kenney's heart like a knife.

“He said, ‘Fifteen years ago, all we were talking about was the Pac-Rim Asian-fusion food happening here—long before Momofuku ever came onto the scene in New York. Now here we are,...