Hawaii's best green restaurants up for vote

One Hawaii restaurant will be crowned the state's best green restaurant in The Nature Conservancy's annual Nature's Plate Awards. The finalists, selected from public nominations submitted last month, are:

• Greens & Vines (Honolulu, HI): Formerly Licious Dishes, the restaurant makes healthy eating a joy, reflected in chef and owner Sylvia Thompson's motto: "Share the Lifestyle."

• Hilo Bay Café (Hilo, HI): A locally owned restaurant committed to the belief that sustainable products with local and organic ingredients are better for the earth and for you.

• Hukilau Lanai Restaurant (Kapaa, HI): Known for the freshest island fish and use of local products and produce, offering consistently excellent food at reasonable prices, nightly live music, and an outstanding wine list.

• Kohala Burger & Taco (Waimea, HI): Opened in November 2010, the vision for the restaurant was to utilize fresh and local ingredients that embraced Hawaii’s grass-fed beef supply and abundance of fresh, line-caught wild fish.

• Town Restaurant (Honolulu, HI): Recipient of the Hawaii State Governor's "Green Business of the Year Award" in 2009, Town is a community gathering place that seeks to reconnect people to the food they eat and those they eat with.

Vote for Hawaii's favorite green restaurant before Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. [Hawaii Grinds]