Since leaving the Advertiser last year, Gray has set his own path, taking guests on a culinary tour of some of his favorite hole-in-the-wall eateries.

"This tour takes about four hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)," said Gray, who owns and operates Hawaii Food Tours, which offers two other guided restaurant tours of Honolulu. "We'll visit at least four different exotic gems."

One of them may be Sugoi (841-7984), which has awesome garlic chicken, according to Gray.

"You've got to leave your expectations at the door when you visit these places," Gray said. "Forget the ambiance and just experience the food."

No more is this truer than at Char Hung Sut (538-3335).

Guests actually have to step down to reach this Chinatown restaurant.

"It feels like a dark opium den in the back," Gray laughed. "But the manapua and pork hash here are some of the best you'll find anywhere on this Island. They're well known for these two items."

Another place where Gray likes to lead his hungry trekkers to is Pho Nam (593-2009), which offers an extensive range of dishes from Vietnam, Thailand and China.

Of course, the dish to try here is the traditional pho that teems with flavor and aroma.

Not exactly a typical "hole-in-the-wall," Antonio's New York Pizzeria (737-3333) still makes Gray's list of favorite haunts.

The cheesecake here is amazing. But, more importantly, it's the only place that I know of that offers cannolis.

For more information about Gray's "Hole-in-The-Wall" tour, call 926-FOOD (3663) or log on to: www.hawaiifoodtours.com.

While I don't lead tours to my favorite hole-in-the-walls, I am willing to share some of them.

Samira's Country Market (734-8317) delivers more than just "country market" fare.

Here, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef — yes, that's the prestigious Cordon Bleu in Paris — can prepare everything from bouillabaisse to Chateaubriand to coq au vin, if you call ahead of time.

Otherwise, an 18-item dinner menu lists such dishes as Alaskan halibut, lump crabcakes and the largest shrimp you'll ever see.

(By the way, Samira's accepts reservations, which is highly recommended given that the place only has three tables.)

In the Kaimuki area, JJ French Bistro and Pastry (739-0993) offers a one-of-a-kind decadent chocolate pyramid, as well as Laotian cuisine prepared with French techniques.

A must-try is JJ's seafood ˆ la maison ($9.95), which combines bits of salmon, scallop, shrimp, bamboo shoots, eggplant, red bell pepper and spinach. Yummy!

Former Emeril Lagasse sous chef and one-time executive chef at Sam Choy's Diamond Head, Elmer Guzman raised his flag in Waipahu for the first time last month, signaling to motorists and passers-by that his new Poke Stop (676-8100) is open for business.

By morning, Guzman said the Stop will be cafe-like, serving beignets and other pastries. But by night, patrons can order a surf-and-turf dinner for only $9. Limited seating is available.