What is it about fried rice that has made it such a staple in local cuisine?

After all, isn't it just a bunch of leftover ingredients tossed around a pan?

Ah, not so — as we found out last week after sampling fried rice dishes from 13 restaurants all over O'ahu.

Of course, we couldn't try every suggestion we got from readers.

Wally Ho's Garage & Grill in 'Aiea, for example, has fried rice only on its catering menu. And Rainbow Drive-In on Kapahulu ran out by the time we got there at 9:30 a.m. (It often sells out by 8 a.m.!)

So we narrowed down the list to the eateries that got the most recommendations and are known for their fried rice.

And this time, we held a blind taste test.

That meant no siding with our favorite restaurants or leaning toward the ones known for their fried rice.

The results were interesting.

Some — Mililani Restaurant, for example — surprised us.

Others disappointed.

In the end, we discovered that we all had our own preference when it comes to fried rice.

Some liked a sweeter sauce. Others liked the kick of kim chee. And still others preferred the ones loaded with ingredients. But even with all those individual tastes, three emerged as overwhelming winners.

So here's our take of the 13 dishes we sampled.

And remember: Take it with a grain of rice.

Side Street Inn, 1225 Hopaka St., 591-0253: Despite our varying tastes, this dish was chosen in the Top 2 by nine out of 10 tasters. That says something. Comments about the fried rice ($6.25) ranged from "really good flavor" to "love the bacon." One taster went so far as to exclaim, "I love you, No. 5!" during the taste test. She wound up eating the leftovers. "I couldn't get enough of it," she added. But the best line came from one of our readers, who wrote: "I'm Chinese and even my mother didn't make fried rice as good as theirs." Enough said.

Mililani Restaurant, 95-221 Kipapa Drive, 625-2000: A close second ($6.40). This tasty dish came with chunks of luncheon meat and egg. Most of the tasters liked the home-cooked flavor and variety of ingredients. "It was delicious," said one taster. "It had everything you wanted in fried rice, with a good range of ingredients."

Kaka'ako Kitchen, Ward Centre, 596-7488: Another close second ($5.50), which came highly recommended by former Advertiser food editor and author Joan Namkoong. Nearly everyone commented about the abundance of char sui. But you don't get as much as the other places for the price.

Elena's Home of Finest Filipino Foods, 94-866 Moloalo St. in Waipahu, 676-8005: Our food editor Wanda Adams thought that this dish — and those with kim chee — should've had their own category. Still, some of our tasters raved about Elena's pork adobo fried-rice omelet ($6.50). The salty pork gave the otherwise plain rice a nice kick of flavor. One taster called the pork "yummy" and "unexpected."

Hapa Grill, 590 Farrington Hwy. in Kapolei, 674-8400: Like Elena's, this restaurant serves a fried-rice omelet with pork adobo and kim chee ($6.95). But we just got its side order of regular fried rice ($2.25). It was packed with goodies, including bacon, egg and Spam, with a hint of oyster sauce. One taster said it tastes "just like my mom's."

Big City Diner at Ward, 1060 Auahi St. (also in Kaimuki, Kailua and Waipi'o), 591-8891: Known for its kim chee fried rice, Big City Diner didn't make the top of our list, though most tasters enjoyed the subtle kim chee flavor in the dish ($6.49). Still, even with the extra kick, it didn't stand up to the other restaurants in taste and variety of ingredients.

Taiyo Ramen, 451 Pi'ikoi St., 589-2123: One reader sung the praises of this restaurant's dish, calling it "the hottest kim chee fried rice" around. So of course we had to try it. And man, did it attack the taste buds! Taiyo's fried rice ($7.25) is so packed with kim chee, it was red! It was great if you like that much heat, which was a bit overwhelming to most of the tasters.

Times Coffee Shop in Kane'ohe, 46-077 Kamehameha Hwy. (also in Kailua), 247-2200: The fried rice here ($6.95) is so popular, it's on the back of the restaurant's T-shirts. Readers said they love the teriyaki sauce, which gives the fried rice a sweetness. Our tasters were mixed on the teri. "It had a surprisingly sweet taste," said one taster, "which I liked."

Masa & Joyce, 45-582 Kamehameha Hwy. in Kane'ohe, 235-6129: This restaurant got high marks for originality. Its fried rice is presented as sizable musubis ($1.50 each), wrapped in nori that gives it a completely different taste. Some tasters enjoyed the hint of nori; others didn't.

Kenny's Restaurant, Kamehameha Shopping Center in Kalihi, 841-0931: Several readers recommended the fried rice ($1.75 a scoop) from this favorite local restaurant, but we weren't blown away. It had a mild, smoky flavor that didn't shine against the others.

Mitsu-Ken, 1223 N. School St., 848-5573: This restaurant is known more for its garlic chicken than its fried rice (75 cents a scoop). But we heard about it through readers, so we put it on the list. One taster said the rather plain version seemed a bit boring. "I could make this," responded another.

Asahi Grill, 515 Ward Ave., 593-2800: We were excited to sample the fried rice ($4.75) from Asahi Grill, which serves the famed dish from Kapi'olani Coffee Shop in Kalihi. It had a slightly spicy, peppery taste that some tasters didn't care for. In all, it was decent but not spectacular.

TJ's Sports Bar & Grill, 600 Kapi'olani Blvd,. 545-2424: Known more as a late-night haunt, TJ's boasts a full menu of local favorites, including fried rice ($8). It wasn't the best, but some tasters like the mild flavor. Still, it didn't wow us.

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.