As lush as the isles of Hawaii are, they used to be a relative desert for those seeking gourmet cuisine — at least as far as the national press was concerned. But as Anthony Bourdain, "Top Chef" and AAA have recently discovered, culinary travelers can find fresh, innovative Pacific Rim fare throughout the islands. A memorable meal at one of Hawaii's top tables — not always at top dollar — can easily be one of the high points of your vacation, especially with hotel and airfare prices at the low end. Of the many choices for delectable dining, here are five news-making finds for foodies:

1) Chef Mavro
Chef George Mavrothalassitis is the Gary Danko of downtown Honolulu, only with more syllables (now you know why his restaurant shares his nickname). Despite the Greek surname, his background is French, and there's a lot of the French Laundry in his commitment to exquisite service and ambiance, as well as locally sourced ingredients. For 2009, AAA granted Chef Mavro its first five-diamond rating for a Hawaii restaurant independent of a hotel, and only one other restaurant in the islands is rated as highly: La Mer, in Waikiki's luxurious Halekulani hotel, which has earned the honor for nearly 20 years. (Not surprisingly, that's where Mavro got his start in Hawaii.)

Like the French Laundry, the Mavro menu is based on prix-fixe dinners with thoughtfully chosen wine pairings, but prices aren't quite as elevated as its ambitions. The least expensive offering is a three-course menu for $69 without wine, or $108 with three 5-ounce wine selections. By dining with a friend, I was able to sample six artfully arrayed plates and an amuse-bouche for about half the cost of a Wine Country destination dinner. Our favorite items included abalone ceviche with croquettes of cod, red chimichurri and essence of cilantro; Keahole (Big Island) lobster a la coque with cream of Kahuku corn, chorizo puff and crustacean essence; a Big Island goat cheese blanc manger; and lilikoi (passion fruit) malasadas with guava coulis and pineapple-coconut ice cream.

There's no wine list, per se; the entire staff tastes the sommelier's suggestions for the seasonal menu, then votes on their favorites for pairings. Instead of just the usual Napa and West Coast notables, Chef Mavro serves well-matched Alsatian Pinot Gris, German Rieslings and Gewuerztraminers, Silician Cometa (white) and Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, among others — as well as a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel here and a Russian River Valley Chardonnay there.

2) Twist at Hanohano
Perched on the 30th floor of the beachfront Sheraton Waikiki, with panoramic windows to the east and west, the old Hanohano Room was justifiably renowned for its views. The food? Umm, not so much. But in fall of 2008, young executive chef Ryan Loo brought his own twist to the menu, which now features prix-course dinners (three to five courses) offering choices from a set Hawaii-themed menu and a rotating "featured island" menu. The latter includes places such as Sicily, Santorini and the Seychelles, so that when you've had your fill of Pacific Rim flavors, you can sample pumpkin and rock shrimp risotto, for example, or a Barolo-braised veal osso bucco — though the tiramisu still boasts Kona coffee as an ingredient.

For my first full dinner on a recent Waikiki trip, I indulged in a three-course meal ($65; wine pairings are an extra $20) that stuck to the local menu, which supports Hawaii's farmers and aquaculturists. Kona lobster bisque with roasted cauliflower truffle essence was plump with lobster meat; a corn and blue crab potato cake contrasted with the sweetness of onaga (Hawaiian snapper) poached in Tahitian vanilla; and the gingered coconut float in pineapple and "coco d'amour" soup pleasantly deceived me into thinking I hadn't really had dessert.

Another twist on Twist, if you can't afford the prix-fixe splurge: Ride the glass elevator up to the restaurant when it opens at 5 p.m., grab a seat at the bar and treat yourself to cocktails and a fancy snack as Diamond Head slowly fades from view, its glitter replaced by the twinkling lights of Waikiki.

3) Merriman's
For 20 years, Peter Merriman has used his restaurant in the Big Island's upcountry town of Waimea to advocate for local farmers, fishers and ranchers, creating a homegrown menu that he originally developed at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. So we'll allow him to style his brand as "The Home of Hawaii Regional Cuisine," even though Sam Choy and Roy Yamaguchi (of the venerable Sam Choy and Roy's chains, respectively) might also have a few claims to the title.

Nevertheless, many a visitor has discovered the bounty of the Big Island through a pilgrimage to Merriman's. Using organically grown produce and chemical-free ingredients whenever possible, the menu is not hoity-toity, with fresh Caesar salad or a plate of local lettuces, Maui onions and Big Island chevre for $9.95, and a very hearty, home-sourced appetizer taster platter (kalua pig and sweet onion quesadilla, crispy shrimp, lamb spring rolls, ahi sashimi and steamed kama'aina shrimp and clams) for $28.95. Entrees are fairly pricey ($21.95 for Hamakua mushroom linguine to $45.95 for a New York steak), but two can split the Merriman's Mixed Plate of three signature dishes (ponzu marinated mahi, wok-charred ahi and filet steak medallion with Hamakua mushrooms) for $45.95.

Not bound for the Big Island? Merriman recently opened an equally popular site in Maui's Kapalua Resort and has plans to open a Poipu location on Kauai in early 2009. And the Big Island also offers a more affordable option for sampling Merriman's style: Merriman's Market Cafe, a casual restaurant in the Kings' Shops center at Waikoloa Resort. It serves lunch, tapas and dinner in an indoor-outdoor setting that we've found makes a great pit stop on the way from the airport to the Kohala Coast resorts. (You can also catch Merriman for free on the PBS TV series, "Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie," airing Jan. 31 in San Francisco.)

4) Alan Wong's
It never hurts to have the president-elect make appearances at your eponymous restaurant, but Alan Wong has long been known as an expert in Pacific Rim and regional cuisine. He routinely wins local dining awards, was a guest judge on "Top Chef" and is the star of a new Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau video on island food:

The Obamas made news patronizing Alan Wong's dinner-only downtown Honolulu location several times on their recent vacations, where the then-incoming president reportedly ordered the seven-course tasting menu ($85), with dishes such as Kabayaki unagi, pork hash terrine and Maui Cattle Company beef tenderloin with goat cheese potato croquettes. On Oahu you can also find his creative cooking at the slightly-less-posh Pineapple Room on the third floor of Macy's in the Ala Moana Shopping Center.

Wong also left his mark — and name — at the Four Seasons on the Big Island, where he got his start, at the restaurant now known as The Hualalai Grille by Alan Wong. With President Obama's ties to Hawaii, expect to see more of this local favorite in the next four years.

5) Dondero's
Resort hotel restaurants tend to get the highest guidebook ratings — and the least amount of respect from foodies and independent travelers, especially when they stray from an island theme. But Dondero's, the Italian restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, recently reinvented its menu to merit its new four-diamond rating by AAA, and to live up to its beautifully landscaped surroundings.

Chef James Stafford has created a host of new dishes sized for a traditional Italian four-course meal, rather than the overly generous Italian American (and Hawaiian American) portions. Taking his inspiration from both Southern and Northern Italy, and locally grown ingredients, Stafford has come up with antipasti such as beef carpaccio with maitake mushrooms, white truffle vinaigrette and chive horseradish cream ($10); a soup or salad course, such as a plate of fresh greens, Kauai goat cheese, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate drizzle ($9); daily handmade pastas, such as papardelle bolognese ($11); and entrees such as seared scallops over apple fennel salad ($28) and mint crusted lamb chops with a leek and goat cheese souffle, vegetables and fig lamb jus ($32). If you want to sample the cuisine but balk at the price, limit yourself to two courses — and treat yourself afterwards to an inexpensive dessert of Lappert's ice cream in nearby Koloa.

Jeanne Cooper is the former Chronicle Travel Editor and author of SFGate's Hawaii Insider (www.sfgate.com/blogs/hawaiiinsider), a daily blog about Hawaii travel and island culture.