Here on the Big Island from 12/09 – 12/14. Brief report thus far:
As I had mentioned in another post, this is my first trip to any island of Hawaii.
I had started doing some research perhaps 1–2 wks ago (the point of the trip isn’t eating). There wasn’t a ton of info here (although I did see the thread by @MyAnnoyingOpinions, which was helpful), so I looked on /reddit. I noticed posts by one user who said that they were/are a pro chef and that eating out on the Big Island can be a bit depressing b/c, even though there are amazing ingredients here, locally sourced produce/protein is often more than restaurants want to spend, so you get Sysco. That user suggested that you rent accommodations w/ a kitchen and prep food yourself; that wasn’t really going to be an option for us, so…
I’ve tried to pay attention to when the dish description mention that food is locally sourced.
Words now, pics later.
Pine Tree Cafe (Kona)
We arrived in Kona around lunchtime, and this place had been mentioned a few times for a casual meal in Kona. I was a bit surprised at the prices, since they didn’t see all that different from West LA prices… and then I saw the food portions! I seriously think everything we’ve ordered in HI has been 25–50% more (in terms of quantity) than what you get in LA at the non-chains.
This was… fine? Partner’s (cooked) ahi was a bit boring. He ordered ranch salad dressing but got a Japanese-style dressing (which I actually very much enjoyed, but partner was pretty meh about it).
My spicy garlic chicken was very tasty but seems to have steamed in the box (or the fry just wasn’t that hard to being w/).
I think the macaroni salad had fish shreds (tuna?) in it, which I enjoyed.
I think this was an enjoyable greasy spoon.
Drove to Mauna Kea Visitor Center for sunset (AMAZING!!!) and then headed into Hilo. From my research, I knew it would be difficult to find a restaurant open past 8:30PM, but I didn’t expect it to be as difficult as it was. Temple Bar was nowhere to found (what Apple Maps shows as the location is it now a bank? There didn’t seem to be anything NEXT to the bank). Hilo Town Tavern (I think) had a sign that it’s closed b/c of owner illness. 
Pineapple’s gets somewhat mixed reviews.
We ended up at Hilo Burger Joint. Partner and I got both got specialty burgers w/ a sub of a house-made vegan patty made from, among other things, sweet potato!!! Can’t recall what partner got (mushroom and swiss?), but I got the Hilo Bay Burger. My burger was decidedly weird but not actually bad (which I think is a pattern I’m noticing here in HI). Patty was kind of sweet, mildly starchy, and went well, taste-wise, w/ the goat cheese (which was quite sweet) and the beets (says grilled on the menu; they tasted distinctly pickled to me). The only improvement I would make is something crunchy (so even lettuce, instead of arugula, might’ve been good).
On an unrelated, whoever the singer was on Tues night (live music seems to be another common thing in Hilo eateries, at least at dinner) was quite good.
12/10:
We stayed at a B&B, so breakfast was included (and the B&B tries to use locally-sourced fruits, IIRC). Don’t know if I’ve ever had a rambutan b/f; reminded me a lot of a lychee. Coconut and macademia pancake were quite good, as was the sausage (which I assume was Portuguese, although I have no idea why).
We went to the Farmer’s Market, which I had mentioned in the other post. It’s open every day, but the big days are Wed and Sat. The fruit was SO, SOOOOOO good. Incredibly sweet papaya and apple bananas. The butter mochi was fine; I was hoping for some caramelized bits (which I think was the case when a former co-worker made some butter mochi and brought it to work).
There’s a food truck called “Nicky’s” outside the Farmer’s Market. Partner thought the tuna melt was too dry, but I actually really liked it and the bread it was on (no picture). This had to be the tiniest tuna melt I’ve ever seen (it was about the size of my palm?).
Lunch was Volcano House. This was a distinct miss, IMHO, although I give credit for their super-polite service and the good QPR (esp impressive, actually, considering the captive audience). My kalua pork was actually pretty tasty, but the side salad seemed like a potato salad w/ the carb switched to potato, and I wonder if they used pineapple juice in the dressing (what I thought were the tiniest chunks of pineapple were actually egg yolks, I think, but I distinctly tasted pineapple). Rice parts w/o the furikake were kind of bland (duh).
Partner’s pizza was ENORMOUS (it clear says 14" on the menu, but I don’t think either of us had thought about how big that would be). It looked appealing thin and light, but there was a mushroom cream (which is referenced in the menu description that, despite being thin, was SO, SO, unpleasantly heavy. That pizza honestly could’ve fed 3 people pretty easily. And the protein portion of my dish was substantial. But not a place I’d want to eat at again, even if visiting the park (Chain of Craters drive was STUNNING by the way).
Had read good things about Cafe Pesto on /reddit. The ambiance was a bit fancy, at least by Hilo standards (I think). And the food was surprisingly sophisticated. Hibiscus gingerade tasted mainly of ginger, which was just fine by me. Partner was disappointed in his mixed drink until he discovered that the drink apparently had been mixed well (had initially thought it had a relative lack of alcohol). Wasabi cesar dressing in the mushroom poke was delicious, and the shrimp were really large and perfectly grilled. Dinner pasta special (togarashi chicken linguini + market veg) was like a wonderful Japanese-style pasta primavera. Both dishes were a nice counterpoint to the super heavy lunch. Partner wanted the german-choc cake for dessert. The cake itself was a bit dry but the topping (some sort of caramel coconut) was really lovely. Worth a stop.
12/11:
Saw a roadside stand on the way back from Akaka Falls (pro tip: park on the road just outside of the lot, if you want to save $10) for “Aloha Farms.” They sell coconuts, tangerines, starfruit, and sugarcane. I took a coconut. I was expecting it to taste like Harmless Harvest, which this water was a lot less sweet and intensely flavored. That also applied to the meat, which was actually rather savory and quite meaty in texture.
I wanted some poke and read about Suisan Fish Market. There were so many poke choices! You can order poke by the lb or get it in a bowl (not all individual pokes are allowed as a poke-bowl choice). The wasabi king salmon sounded tempting, so that’s what I got in a bowl (only one scoop allowed; a single scoop is sizable). Person taking my order asked if I wanted furikake on my rice. Hello? Why is that even a question??? (she seemed quite amused when I frantically nodded my head)
Not sure what kind of poke partner got, but I much preferred the salmon (the sauces on his were a bit thick and masked a bit of the flavor and texture of the ahi). I thought both the sauce on and texture of my salmon were fantastic, and the furikake was much more highly seasoned than whatever I’ve had in LA.
I also got a big of locally-made sweet potato chips. Partner thought there under salted, but I thought they were dynamite and rather addictive.
We walked across to Lili’uokalani Garden across the street to eat our lunch (not really any seating at the market) and sat under what I think was a banyan tree. Really a lovely experience.
Stopped by KTA, since I had read that it is a supermarket chain that tries to support local producers. Found it enjoyable to look at the food selections (esp the guava sweetbread) but didn’t get anything (although was greatly amused by the fish fillet gloves).
Partner had been to Big Island Coffee Roasters b/f and wanted to stop by again. We parked behind the cafe, and I think there was some sort of exhaust vent in the area b/c, my goodness, there was just the most fantastic aroma of coffee (and I’m not even a coffee drinker). I had the limedrop mamaki. No idea what mamaki is, but that drink was DELICIOUS. Slight herbaceous note + not acidic lime = winner. Def worth a visit.
Stopped by Punalu’u Bakery (the southermost bakery in the US) on the way from Hilo to Kona. Apple Maps lists them as closing at 4:30PM, but their own signage says they close at 5, as an FYI. I hadn’t realized that the guava sweetbread I saw at KTA was from Punalu’u Bakery! They were sold out of masaladas by the time we arrived, and I didn’t need 6 sweetbreads. I got a coconut anpan, which I haven’t yet tried. Their ice cream is not made in house but is made by a local vendor. The taro and coconut flavor was a bit light in the taro part, for my taste; I liked the vanilla macnut better; partner thought the opposite.
Dinner at Teshima. We’re staying at resort in Keanhou (the resort, for unclear reasons, uses “Kona” in the name). The restaurant at the resort has gotten VERY mixed reviews, and I didn’t feel like spending $38 for a chicken cesar salad (not kidding about the price). The chef-y person on /reddit had mentioned Teshima, and this place was a delight. Totally old school, home-y, and delicious as f*ck. The tempura was enormous, and the flake size and texture of the batter is quite diff from what I’m used to (larger and more regular sized flakes that were more parallel to the surface of the object being fried). The coating was also mainly on one side, which was quite unusual. Great fry. The glass noodles accompanying partner’s teishoku (#3) was delicious. My oyako donburi was so soulful and comforting. I really want to like the Katsu-bar version b/c it’s so close to home, but the broth is rather flat and one-dimensional. The Teshima verison is what I consider pretty close to ideal (I don’t think the bamboo shoots added anything to the dish). Worth a visit.
Only too late did I read on /reddit that chef-y person thinks that Hilo has the best tonkatsu ramen outside of Japan!!! Maybe someone can try it and report back.
There’a a taro festival at the black-sand beach on Sat!!! Won’t be nearby, darnit.
