Local ueber-foodie Melanie Kosaka just launched What Chefs Eat, a new iPhone application for food lovers. It's an ingenious resource for foodies looking for hole-in-the-wall eateries that serve food good enough for star chefs like D.K. Kodama, Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi to frequent them.

In case you are unfamiliar with Kosaka's work, she has previously undertaken two cooking shows, one with Yamaguchi and one with Chicago superstar chef Charlie Trotter (for which she won a prestigious James Beard Award). She does terrific, insightful work.

This latest venture showcases some amazing, often ethnic foods from mom-and-pop eateries, which sadly are getting harder and harder to find.

In the mood for really good Thai food? No problem—just launch the application and you can find one that either Alan, Roy or DK enjoys. In the past two weeks, my wife, Cheryle, and I have tried a few and were ecstatic with the results.

One in particular, Siam Garden, is located in a Nimitz Highway strip mall with neighbor tenant Eagle Cafe. What we found after a few visits is the experience is even better when one orders several different dishes that work well together.

During our last visit we ordered the “;Jungle”; Curry, Long Beans & Pork, Thai Beef Salad and the house specialty Pad Thai. The combination of these four dishes proved to be magic.

For our next visit, we also plan to bring a bottle of well-chilled, young, fresh, ever so slightly sweet German Riesling, such as the 2007 CF Riesling Kabinett “;Graacher Domprobst”; (roughly $20 a bottle). These kinds of wines not only complement the spicy and salty food components, but also cool and soothe the palate between bites.

For the lay person, this Riesling would like biting into a cold apple or lychee after each bite of food.

INTERESTINGLY, when we visited the Himalayan Kitchen in Kaimuki, I brought an aged German Riesling—the 1999 Koehler Ruprecht “;Saumagen Spatlese”;—whose incredible lush, harmonious, rounded mouth-feel along with the slight pineapplelike sweetness worked wonders with the myriad interesting styles of curries offered.

Sharing the same parking lot is Cafe Laufer, with its delicious assortments of fresh salads, savory soup du jour and an ever-changing offering of classically styled specials. I am not sure whether they allow outside wines, but one can have a whole lot of fun with dry rose and lighter rustic reds with their foods.

I also should mention Ethel's Restaurant, located on Kalihi Street on the ocean side of Nimitz Highway. It is the consummate hole in the wall and serves really good local comfort foods. If you are in the mood for oxtail soup, this is the one to try.

For wine, consider a well-chilled, dry rose. They are really meant for each other.

”;By the Glass”; appears every second Friday in HiLife. To contact Chuck Furuya, visit www.dkrestaurants.com.