Little upstart food startups often appear to run circles around larger hopefuls because the latter have much more to lose if the business doesn’t work out as planned. I’m not talking plain economics, but the psychic toll of such equally weighty matters as reputation, relevance and, let’s face it, ego.

All that messes with people’s heads, resulting in much second-guessing and overworking of menus when a majority of people simply want food they can recognize.

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa’s newest baby, the Kuhio Beach Grill Restaurant & Bar, offers that. There are no compressed fruits and greens, no bitter cocoa-laminated meats or dessert etudes to complicate mealtime. There are only universally recognized dishes that get the local right, without scaring off visitors, not an easy balance.

Depending on your appetite or wallet, you can go the small-plates route — some of chef Dion Danao’s creations include five-spice perfumed crispy pork belly with bourbon plum sauce, garlic and sweet chili Kauai shrimp over green papaya salad, and an ahi carpaccio salad — or go course style with a mix of small plates, sandwiches or entrees.

An a la carte dinner menu is in effect Sundays to Thursdays, while Friday and Saturday evenings are devoted to a $42 prime rib and crab leg buffet. Show up before 6 p.m. and you’ll get a 20 percent discount on the buffet.

The new incarnation of the house restaurant has risen from the ground level to the second floor to take advantage of the Kuhio Beach view, albeit through glass windows. The room itself is quite sterile, but a central whiskey and bourbon bar livens up the space, offering more than 50 craft and small-producer whiskeys and 30 bourbons for menu pairings.

During happy hours — 5 to 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 to 10 p.m. daily — craft cocktails are $8 and draft beers are $6. For $15 you can also participate in sommelier-led, themed wine tastings that take place at the bar beginning at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, before going weekly in May.

When dining a la carte, smaller plates tend to be the biggest draws here. For starters there is a pot of white wine- and garlic butter- steamed clams ($16), heavy on the butter, made local with the addition of Hama­kua mushrooms and Portuguese sausage. It’s accompanied by buttery focaccia that had my anti-carb friends ordering a second round of bread.

Ahi “nachos” ($15) on won ton chips, instead of the usual tortilla chips, proved a wonderful light surprise, coming across more as a salad tossed with fried won ton pi — lighter than expected — and slices of seared ahi, all merged with a creamy bechamel sauce and light wasabi Sriracha.

And the ahi poke musubi ($14) is pure local heaven, comprising classic ahi poke built on a rectangle of matcha rice with unagi glaze and Sriracha mayo.

If you want fast and filling, a couple of flatbreads ($14 each) fit the bill. I love the intensity of the one that combines Hamakua mushrooms, roasted garlic, pesto, caramelized Maui onions, Buffalo mozzarella and a balsamic reduction. Others might prefer the simplicity of the local tomato flatbread of Kamuela heirloom and teardrop tomatoes.

There’s a rote quality to certain entrees, such as a roast chicken breast ($24) that was dry and didn’t deliver on the promised garlic flavor, and a fried chicken sandwich ($17) that had a wonderful light, crisp crust but little flavor beyond the grilled pineapple sitting atop it.

You’re better off paying a little more for fatty, juicy Faroe Island blackened salmon ($27) with a sweet chili glaze, or a thick 10-ounce slab of slow-cooked prime rib ($29).

Desserts run sweet for my taste. Best options are Bubbie’s mochi ice cream or an apple crisp that starts with fresh apples and a shortbread cookie crust.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.