Wanderlust and Lipstick » Food & Drink

Best Kauai Restaurants

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:43:55 +0000

I’ve traveled to Kauai numerous times in the last few years with trips focused on the cuisine. Though I wouldn’t exactly call myself an expert on this topic (for that you’ll have to talk to my neighbors, David and Lee, who manage to spend more time in Kauai than anyone I know), but I have accumulated a bit of info about the restaurants. And, I get asked often about my favorite foodie finds that I figured I’d share them with you.

In no particular order, here are some suggestions for your next trip to the island:

Kalaheo Cafe and Coffee Company
This is my very favorite place for breakfast. Try the french toast (below) which is topped with shredded coconut and fresh fruit!

2-2560 Kaumualii Highway
Kalaheo, HI 96741-8316
(808) 332-5868

Shrimp Station
Great place to stop for a yummy lunch and has outdoor seating. Look for the line of people and the picnic tables.

9652 Kaumaualii Hwy
Waimea, HI 96796
(808) 338-1242

Kauai Chocolate Company
This tiny shop is located in a small strip mall which you might easily miss if someone didn’t tell you about it. It’s got a limited variety of chocolates but all of them are totally delish, decadent treats. Located on the southwest part of the island.

4341 Waialo Road
Eleele, HI 96705
(808) 335-0448

The Beach House
Best view of the sunset on the whole island, this restaurant has top notch food but is a little pricey. Treat yourself to dinner so you can enjoy dusk and to watch all the newlyweds having their photos taken.

5022 Lawai Road
Koloa, HI 96756
(808) 742-1424

Hamura’s Saimin Stand
Tucked away down a side street, Hamura’s specialty is noodle soup. They’ve got bad diner-like service but apparently all is forgiven because the noodles are that good. Oh, and they have the BEST lilikoi (passion fruit) pie on the island. Rumor is that when Hawaiians visit from other islands, they pick up a whole pie from Hamura’s to take home.

2956 Kress St
Lihue, HI 96766
(808) 245-3271

Java Kai
This little hole in the wall serves excellent juices, healthy food and super yummy breakfasts. It’s a perfect stop after a long walk on the new oceanfront walk.

4-1384 Kuhio Hwy
Kapaa, HI 96746-1675
(808) 823-6887

Mermaid’s
An even smaller hole in the wall right next to Java Kai. These folks serve up big plates of yumminess. One plate can easily serve two moderately hungry people.

4-1384 Kuhio Highway # B1
Kapaa, HI 96746-1675
(808) 821-2026

Sweet Marie’s Bakery
Located just near the Outrigger in Kapa’a, this little bakery has gluten free baked goods and the owner is a HOOT. You’ll never miss white flour again!

4-788 Kuhio Highway
Kapaa, Hawaii 96746
808-823-0227

Postcards
This north shore restaurant is located in a house just before you get into Hanalei town. It serves up high quality, interesting food in a homey setting.

5-5075 Kuhio Hwy Ste A
Hanalei, HI 96714
(808) 826-1191

St. Regis Princeville
There are actually several restaurants located at the St. Regis. They are, admittedly, expensive, but well worth the price if you can afford it or are looking for a special evening out. There’s a great view of the Bay from most everywhere on the property. If you don’t want to spend the dough for a full meal, stop by the bar for a glass of bubbly and an appetizer!

5520 Ka Haku Road
Kauai, HI 96722
(808) 826-9644

Oasis on the Beach
This hidden restaurant is located on the beach side of the Outrigger in Kapa’a. The chef here is AMAZING. He’s in his early 20′s and comes up with the most interesting food I’ve ever had.

4-820 Kuhio Highway
Kapaa, HI 96746
(808) 822-9332

Josselin’s
This restaurant is ALL the rage for locals and visitors. It has an amazing variety of food/tapas and interesting twists on everything. A must. Best enjoyed with a group of people so you can try more items from the menu.

Kukui’ula Village Shopping Center
Koloa, HI 96756
(808) 742-7117

Cafe Coco
Tucked away off the highway in Kapa’a, this little cafe/restaurant has healthy food with a variety of desserts. It features music on some nights, outdoor seating and wonderful fresh food.

4-369 Kuhio Highway
Kapaa, HI 96746-1423
(808) 822-7990

Grand Hyatt Kauai
There are several fantastic restaurants at the Hyatt. My most recent find was the garlic waffle fries at The Dock (located by the pool area). One order is enough for two people. Try Tidepools or one of the other restaurants for a full meal. You can’t go wrong.

1571 Poipu Road
Koloa Kauai, HI 96756
(808) 742-1234

Ishihara Market
I’m sure that there are lots of places on the island where you can find equally good poke, but Ishihara’s is my favorite. Head back to the deli area and just pick and choose which items you’d like. Then head across the street and eat at one of the picnic tables in the small park. It won’t set you back much money and you’ll have a fantastic variety of local favorites.

9890 Kahakai Road # A
Waimea, HI 96796
(808) 338-9915

OK – now get eating!

AND share your favorites that I might have missed

Travel Well,

Beth

WanderGear Wednesday: Travel Foodstuff

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:46:45 +0000

I thought this week I would take a look at some of the foods that I carry with me when I travel.

I have to say right up front that I’m a relatively healthy eater. Though I don’t always live by this rule (like when I succumb to the call of M&M’s), I do generally try to live by Michael Pollan’s theory that you shouldn’t eat anything processed with more than 5 ingredients (or filled with ingredients that your grandmother wouldn’t recognize!).

Snack foods, unless they’re raw, rarely fall into the less-than-five-ingredient category. So, I carry a variety of foods, depending on my mood, length of travel and whether I’ll have access to goodies when I’m on the road.

My own snacks
I carry enough of my own snacks to cover at least getting TO my destination. This usually includes a small bag of walnuts and raisins and some fruit, such as an apple or two.

Lara Bars
These are amazingly healthy energy bars that have very few ingredients – all good. The Cashew Cookie, for example, includes only cashews and dates. They are moist and tasty and about 200 calories per bar. Note that they are relatively low in protein so if you’re looking for a protein lift – these aren’t the best option.

Clif Bars
Of all the protein bars, these are my favorite because they are tasty, moist and won’t melt in the heat. The Crunchy Peanut Butter bar has 11 grams of protein and about 230 calories. Unfortunately, Clif Bars do have lots of ingredients, including “natural flavors” and evaporated cane juice. I’ll carry these with me on longer trips where I know I’ll be active and where I might not have access to vegetarian-based protein.

Attune Probiotic Bars
These “wellness” bars are meant to be good for you because they contain 5X the amount of live cultures (probiotics) found in yogurt. I can’t say whether they are going to help your tummy but the granola bars (half covered in chocolate) are certainly tasty. Not necessarily “healthy” in the few-ingredient sort of way, but they are healthy because of the purported digestive benefits.

Starbucks VIA
If you’ve visited your local Starbucks recently, you might have noticed a new display of, well, instant coffee. I thought these little packets were actually instant liquid coffees but they are powdered. I like coffee but, just as I like my dogs to be cat-sized, I like my coffee to be as weak as tea. That means that just one of these little packets provides me with 3 good cups of coffee but most coffee junkies will need one packet per cup. Needless to say, these are perfect for travelers.

Travel Well,

Beth

Donut photo: Pink Sherbet Photography

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Food & Travel: Park City and Salt Lake City

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:42:21 +0000

Stacked salad at Shabu

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple of amazing, yet completely different, meals I had during my recent travels to Utah. Utah? Great food? Hmmmm…. how did THAT happen?

The first memorable meal was in Park City. I was visiting the area as a guest of the Chamber of Commerce and my host for the day was Katie Eldridge. Katie is a public relations specialist who runs her own company, Panic Button Media, and is an all around awesome guide and person. Not only does she know the ins and outs of what her Park City clients are doing but she’s got the inside scoop on all the happenings in town.

So, being the in-the-know gal, she took me out to Shabu, which serves up “freestyle Asian cuisine”. Voted the best restaurant in Park City in 2006 in Salt Lake City Magazine, this Main Street restaurant sits up on the second floor of a fabulous historic building. We were fortunate to have had blue skies (though rain did briefly sprinkle down from the clear sky) so we sat outside for an amazingly relaxed and lovely dinner.

We were joined by Kari Bodnarchuk, a fellow travel-writer, recent NW-transplant and mutual friend of both Katie and I (which we didn’t discover until that day) and Carol who works with the trails association. Between the four of us, we managed to make our way through much of the menu, including several starters. Actually, I was so full by the time we enjoyed numerous appetizers that I couldn’t bring myself to order the entree I had been eyeing all night, the coconut crusted tofu. Never one to turn down sweets, I did manage to eat dessert, tempura fried chocolate ice cream.

Tempura fried ice cream

Oh heavenly. How was I ever to find a better meal than that in Salt Lake City, where I’d be for the next few days?

I was in the area for the Outdoor Retailer Show and had expected to be stuck inside the Salt Palace Convention Center the entire time. On my last night there, however, I discovered a restaurant called One World Cafe. This restaurant is a volunteer-run cafe that specializes in organic and vegetarian fare (though they do offer some meaty items). The most fascinating part of this is that that you pay what you want. This allows those who can’t afford a meal to pay nothing or a little and those of us who can afford it, to pay a fair price (or more).

Cucumber and melon soup, ciabatta, grilled veggies and potato salad

Food is served in a semi-buffet fashion. You help yourself to some of the foods and request other items from the cook(s). You’re encouraged to only order what you can eat but you can certainly go back for more. The food was magnificent and included lentils, rice, soups, breads, grilled veggies and salads.

Talk about sustainability!

I thoroughly enjoyed both of these completely different meals. The experiences couldn’t have been at farther ends of the spectrum but then again, variety is the spice of life!

Travel Well!

Read my travel blog on at the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

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Santa Fe Foodie

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:21:47 +0000

Spinach enchiladas at a restaurant in Bernalillo, New Mexico

When I travel to New Jersey to visit my family, the first thing I do once I leave the airport is make a beeline to my favorite Italian restaurant (Italianissimo in West Caldwell, which was briefly featured in the Sopranos) that serves heavenly eggplant parmigiana sandwiches. The next night I head to the Nelly’s diner (in Waldwick) that knows how to make a mean cheese “pie”, fried ravioli and mozzarella sticks.

Though I’m less familiar with the area, I’ve created the same habit of finding all the best foods when I go to Santa Fe, which I did last week.

Visiting my friend, Marcia (who was amazing enough to fly me down there on one of her Southwest coupons), I told her the only thing I really wanted to do was have breakfast at the Santa Fe Baking Company that serves up the absolute best huevos rancheros. So much so that it’s ruined me – I can’t order these anywhere else but at SFBC.

But, not only did I get my huevos rancheros, I sampled amazing food for three days (and came home a few pounds heavier as a result

Here’s my culinary tour of Santa Fe:

I eased into the eating experience with chips and hand made salsa and guacamole at Harry’s Roadhouse.

New Mexican pancakes

Tamales and a bowl of green chiles at Tomasita’s

The Grand Finale – Huevos Rancheros at the Santa Fe Baking Company

Travel Well!

Read my travel blog on at the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

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Scorpion Eating in China

Beth Whitman - Wanderluster — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:00:58 +0000

I had brunch with Lee and Sachi this weekend and they pointed me to these videos they shot while they traveled ’round the world for a year. I laughed out loud at Lee eating century old egg in China.

You can check out the rest of their videos and what they do when they do for a day job on YouTube or at their website, Common Craft.