"Even though I was on vacation, I was still thinking of the cafe's menu," said Kim, whose Mediterranean cruise was the source of inspiration for her newest dishes. "I'm a chef and that's what I do. Besides, I was tasting great food, which I knew I wanted to try when I got back to my kitchen."

A dish that stuck with Kim while touring Greece was a Mediterranean-style vegetable antipasto ($8.50), a vegetarian appetizer that offers a melange of grilled eggplant, artichoke hearts, olives, and slivers of yellow and red bell peppers.

"I'm trying to get more 'summery' with the menu," Kim said. "It's very hot during September and October, so I thought people might want dishes that are lighter and more refreshing."

Kim's "Silk Road" poke ($8.95) — the name itself sounds cooling — fits both these criteria. It's not too heavy and the accompanying slices of tako with chunks of diced potatoes adds a nice balance and texture to the Island-style ahi poke.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Kim enjoys the challenge of developing dishes that she feels her guests will enjoy. But not all is new with her latest menu.

"I had to bring back the duck l'Orange ($19.95, dinner only), which I removed during my last menu change," Kim said. "I got in trouble for doing that from a lot of my regular patrons."

It's a mistake that she didn't want to repeat when she toyed with bringing back her cold Vichyssoise in lieu of her classic French onion soup.

"I didn't want to get in any more trouble," Kim joked. "My compromise was to offer a Vichyssoise once in a while as a soup of the day."

Kim turned to Italian cuisine when she came up with her gourmet goat-cheese-and-salami sandwich ($8.50), which is garnished with arugula and truffle oil.

Italian cooking was also the inspiration for her soft shell crab served with polenta and drizzled with a sun-dried-tomato vinaigrette ($20.95; and her crabmeat-and-radicchio pasta ($13.50), which is available only on Fridays.

Sure to be a hit among kamaaina is Wednesday's special Milanese-style boneless short ribs ($13.25), which have been slowly braised in a robust demi-glace for at least three to four hours. Served over a bed of rice, this is hearty local-style comfort food with, of course, Kim's touch of haute cuisine.

Available only on Saturdays, the ahi-and-ricotta-cheese fritter sandwich ($12.50) has taken the place of the coq au vin. And, on Tuesdays, crispy garlic chicken with rice ($11.95) has replaced the chicken parmesan.

"Wouldn't you know it?" Kim asked in a rhetorical tone. "Everyone was ordering it today, just as I was ready to take it off the menu.

"It's out with the old and in with the new," smiled the multi-talented Kim. "This is always the challenge of owning your own restaurant. You want to try to keep the menu as fresh as possible to appeal to new guests, but at the same time you don't want to lose the old ones."

It's doubtful that after six years Kim would lose appeal among her regular guests, many of whom come in two to three times a week.