Hawaiian in Dallas

The uncomplicated menu offers shrimp, chicken and bulgogi beef served separately or in a variety of combos that include a scoop of macaroni salad and an egg roll on a bed of steamed rice. The protein can be ordered either spicy or mild, and the shrimp can be cooked in either a butter garlic sauce or coconut. Mini plates come with either macaroni salad or egg roll (not both). Sweet chili chicken is also available, as well as Spam musubi handrolls, along with sides such as garlic fries, musubi fried rice, mozzarella cheese sticks, crab cakes and calamari. A Combo Plate comes with eight large shrimp and several pieces of mochiko chicken and came, of course, with the macaroni salad and egg roll.

Famous Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi (he has a TV show and 32 restaurants bearing his name) brings his island-Asian-Cal-Gallic rumba to the land of lone stars and two-stepping steers with mostly satisfying results. The menu changes nightly except for a couple of worthy stalwarts like the Ahi Tuna poketini," a kind of raw tuna and avocado parfait assembled in a martini glass, and the Japanese misoyaki butterfish. Roy's also has an intelligently constructed wine list with emphasis on those wines (species other than chardonnay and the cab-merlot glut) that pair well with this Asian-influenced cuisine. Plus there are no leis, grass skirts or karaoke Don Hos. Not even by special request.

Carrollton may not have Hawaii's natural beauty, but thanks to Teriyaki 4 U, it has a restaurant that brilliantly re-creates the flavors of a Hawaiian lunch plate. Owner Grace Koo uses a wood-fired grill to infuse Teriyaki 4 U’s proteins with a subtle hint of smoke, and she and chef-partner Joshua Bonee have created a menu of Asian fast-casual fare without any apparent weakness. In addition to teriyaki chicken, salmon or tofu, there’s Japanese curry, katsu-style pork or chicken and crab Rangoons that are better than any of the takeout versions of your past.

Top Pick: Loco Moco is another Hawaiian standby: a burger patty topped with gravy and a fried egg on a bed of rice. Teriyaki 4 U kicks up the flavor with a blend of pork and beef in the patty, which gets a wood char before being bathed in mushroom brown gravy.