"I've seen a lot of celebrities up here," said this keyboard, sax and guitar player, referring to Aaron's atop the Ala Moana. "When I talk to my friends on the Mainland, I always tell them that I play at the hottest nightspot in Hawaii."

Maybe so, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, when the music's thumping and the dance floor is packed with undulating bodies.

"I love playing here," said Lawson, who moved here from Michigan eight years ago to avoid the snow. "I feel like I'm up in the clouds. This is a really classy place."

During their four-hour set from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Soul Cafe band members perform Top-40 hits, '70s disco and even some contemporary hip hop.

"My favorite band is Earth, Wind & Fire," Lawson said. "So we always do three songs from them: 'September,' 'Let's Groove Tonight,' and 'Shining Star.'"

While Aaron's full-service, a la carte menu is available until 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, a "Supper Club" menu offers lighter fare.

"It's about options," said Scott Osterhout, vice president for Tri-Star Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Aaron's, Sarento's Top of the "I," Sarento's on the Beach and Nick's Fishmarket on Maui. "Couples can go to a movie and come here afterwards for pupus and a couple of glasses of wine."

Osterhout recommends having the 3-by-6-inch steak sandwich ($12.95) with a glass of Shooting Star Pinot Noir ($7) or the escargots ($10.95) paired with a Stonegate Chardonnay ($8.50) or Guntrum Riesling ($6.50).

Other options include deep-fried calamari ($8.95), tiger-eye sushi tempura ($13.95), grilled chicken quesadilla ($9.95), garlic-herbed shrimp ($11.95) and oysters with ahi tartar ($12.95).

And no bona fide "late-night" menu is quite complete without some type of breakfast item.

At Aaron's, it's hash brown and eggs ($7.95), washed down with a flute of Mum's Champagne ($12). (If P. Diddy and other celebs can do it, so can you.)

"A couple can walk out of here after two appetizers and two glasses of wine, all for under $50, which includes tip," Osterhout said. "You can't beat that with this view and great entertainment."