Just got back from a week long trip to Kauai. Have been going pretty regularly since 1969 (yeah, I’m old), mostly Poipu, as we like the sunshine and vibe on that side of the island. Really struck by the explosive development in Koloa. A big apartment complex (albeit plantation style) is pretty far along, and old town Koloa is about to get a fancy mall apparently themed to match the surroundings. No doubt new eating places will be part of the mall.
We stay in a condo, so we don’t have to eat out every meal, but here are some spots we hit this time around.
Eating House 1849. Roy Yamaguchi place.
Caesar Salad – indifferent. Fried Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower, with raisins and pine nuts. Very tasty, could have used a touch of acid, but well done. Burger was very good, but very rich – beef and boar. Not terrible QPR --$22 considering the location. Seared Ahi Tuna, cold soba noodles, cucumber salad. Ahi was okay –served basically sashimi style, lightly seared, then chilled again until served. Not terrible, but also not sashimi grade Ahi in terms of flavor. QPR meh --$46. Good soba noodles and cucumber salad though. Drinks: Hometown cocktail, pineapple juice, Falernum, pineapple juice, lime and dark and spiced rum. Very good –not too sweet. Solid. Very pleasant staff, but kitchen often is overwhelmed, with long waits between dishes. This time of year in Kauai (February-March) the demo is older folks, young couples with kids not yet in school, and Honeymooners, and basically 90% of the folks here eat between 6 pm and 7:30. As a result the kitchen is slammed big time in a narrow window, (We arrived 15 minutes early for a 6:30 reservation –the walk from our place was shorter than expected – and even though I could see that there were empty tables, they had us wait until 6:30 which was no problem, as I think they were aware they needed to try and even out the workload on the kitchen.)
Merriman’s Gourmet Burgers & Pizza. Casual bar and grill downstairs from much fancier main spot. Solid all around. Basic grilled fish sandwich with local fish – Ono that day – was well prepared and tasty. Very good fish tacos – nice portion of very flavorful local fish. Kalua Pork and Grilled Pineapple pizza was tasty, with a really good crust. Excellent fries and very good Mai Tai’ – more traditional version, no pineapple juice, not too sweet and very balanced. Surprising standout was a Caesar salad made with locally grown Romaine and with a very pungent dressing. Good QPR considering the location and the quality of the basic, but delicious food. Would go back here for a casual meal before going back to Eating House 1849.
Plantation Gardens (Kiahuna Plantation)An old stalwart, rarely exceptional but generally solid, if pricey, but that is par for the course in the area. Nice atmosphere. An okay Caesar salad to start – more punch than the one at 1849 Eating House, but not as good as Merriman’s Gourmet Burger & Pizza. Fresh local fish available. My wife and I each chose Mahi-Mahi. She elected to have hers grilled with a Lillokai reduction, with Asian slaw on the side. I had it crusted with smoked quinoa, on a bed of creamed quinoa and asparagus. The portions were huge, and a bit overcooked. The standout was the creamed quinoa with asparagus --absolutely unique and delicious. The asparagus was sweet and tender bits mixed into the quinoa which had enough bite of lemon juice to keep the creaminess from overwhelming the nutty flavor of the quinoa. We both agreed we would come back for the quinoa alone. (Crusted fish please, hold the fish.) Typical Island Mai Tai --basically pineapple juice with some guava or passion fruit juice thrown in with light rum and a dark rum float. Pricey, even for the area. Okay, if rudimentary wine list – more that a lot of places offer – but again not much interesting, though that is the way of things here.
Holoholo Grill (Koloa Landing Hotel). Small, but well executed menu. Excellent wedge salad with local greens. Very good spicy chicken sandwich with the breast pounded flat to cook evenly and with a light tempura like batter that provides nice crunch, without a greasy aftertaste. Excellent bar, and very friendly staff. Tricky to find, as it is located towards the lower end of the property by the pool.
Brennecke’s Beach Broiler. Like Plantation Gardens, an old stalwart. Great location with a terrific beach view, solid seafood and burgers. Nothing fancy, the QPR is very good considering the location and the fish and chips really is a cut above the typical version, as they use very good quality fish. Drinks are your typical island sugar bombs, but reasonable, if not terrific.
We did not get to try one place that we heard nothing but good things about – Kiawe Roots. They had some problem in the kitchen and the place was closed for repairs the entire time we were there.
Local snacks: Jojo’s for shave ice (both the original in Waimea, and the Coconut Marketplace branch) is always delicious. Hit up a Big Save Market (or even the Safeway in Lihue) and stock up on Diamond Bakery products. Very unique cookies and crackers. Shortbread in different flavors, including Guava, Lilikoi, Coconut and Watermelon. Folks still hit up Shaka Burger and Puka Dog, the former for beach burgers, the latter for island style hot dogs with interesting sauces and toppings. Never quite got the Shaka Burger thing, but there are tasty, offbeat options at Puka Dog.