Why eat local? We do it to support our community of farmers, ranchers and fishermen — the people in Hawai'i who bring gorgeous food to our plates. It's also a way to support environmental principles and live "green." But we can't forget that locally grown food also can be healthy, and maybe more importantly, delicious.

We explored Honolulu to find some of the best dishes made up of mostly local ingredients. The good news is that while the trend to feature Hawai'i's bounty started in high-end restaurants, it has trickled down even to the humble plate lunch. It's not easy to eat "local" all the time, but with a growing number of options, it's definitely worth exploring.

PAN-SEARED OPAH WITH BASIL AIOLI

Virtually everything on this plate from Nico's is locally grown and caught (minus the sauces). And it's all under $10. Auction-fresh opah with Nalo greens: a simple, perfect celebration of Hawai'i's land and sea.

Nico's Pier 38

$9.30

HAWAIIAN MOI WITH TRUFFLE PONZU REDUCTION

On the other side of the spectrum, we go to Sansei to experience our Hawaiian seafood all gussied up. Hawaiian moi, raw and sliced thin, is wrapped around Maui onions and pickled gobo. It's the first time we've had moi raw, and we decided it's the perfect way to show off its freshness.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Seafood Bar

$13.95

KULANA NEW YORK STEAK

A quest for dishes with locally grown ingredients inevitably brought us to town, the restaurant whose motto is "local first, organic whenever possible, and with aloha always." This hearty New York steak from the Big Island is topped with Roquefort butter and served with a side of herbed fries and Ma'o Organic Farms arugula. Grass-fed beef tends to be leaner than corn-fed, but what this steak lacks in fat, it makes up in a strong, beefy flavor.

town

$26.00

KULANA TENDERLOIN SALAD, SWEET POTATO, OYSTER MUSHROOM, SHOESTRINGS

We love the colors on this plate: purple sweet potatoes, rosy pink slices of beef tenderloin, red cherry tomatoes, green peppercorns. They're the colors of Hawaiian farms, even the green peppercorns, grown in Waimanalo. But, of course, it wouldn't be here if it didn't taste as good as it looked.

Downtown @ the HiSAM

$17.25

KAMUELA BEEF BURGER

These days, it's not too hard to find a hamburger with local meat, whether from the North Shore of O'ahu or the Big Island. 'Umeke Market's hamburgers are made with free-range beef from Kamuela. It's wonderfully seasoned with spices, not with antibiotics and hormones.

'Umeke Market

$8.75

HASHIMOTO FARMS MARU PERSIMMON, HOUSE-MADE WILD BOAR PROSCIUTTO, MINT, MANCHEGO

Downtown @ the HiSAM, town's sister restaurant, offers a daily-changing menu that reads like a local farm roster. The dark brown flecks in the persimmon are actually brown sugar deposits, the server says. It's a claim that sounds almost ridiculous, but the persimmon is so sweet, we believe it. It's the perfect complement to the salty Hawaiian wild boar prosciutto. That's right, locally made prosciutto from a Big Island wild boar. If the chefs here can keep making it, we may never need the Italian import again.

Downtown @ the HiSAM

$7.50

BIG ISLAND WILD BOAR AND COUNTRY DUMPLINGS

12th Ave Grill's small-plate menu is great foraging grounds for locally grown food. This hearty stew with doughy dump-lings is bathed in a rosemary broth with braised vegetables and Hamakua Hon-Shimeji mushrooms. It's made up of mostly local ingredients grown in Hawaiian sunshine (well, except for the mushrooms, which are grown inside), but it makes us think of a cold winter night while we're eating it.

12th Ave Grill

$11.00