Restaurants

From Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Gaylord's Restaurant at Kilohana Estate

As we enter the legendary Kilohana Estate in Lihue, I’m reminded of what it must have been like to grow up on a Hawaiian plantation. Visions of paniolos, Hawaiian cowboys on horseback, flash in my head.

Once the home of Ethel and Gaylord Wilcox, Gaylord’s  Restaurant is now home to Chef Andrew Althouse and his Pacific continental cuisine.

Althouse’s focus is local, as in pick it from the estate garden and support local growers, fishermen, ranchers and Kauai-specific producers.

His efforts shine through in the goat cheese and beet salad that started my meal, served on the estate’s courtyard lanai. Diners will enjoy mountain views and tropical breezes while they share a romantic moment on this garden island of Kauai.

Gaylord's goat cheese & beet salad, Nancy D. Brown

After my salad, I ordered the local opah fish, served with hamakua mushrooms. The fish was fresh and moist. Too much time on the grill and this fish can end up dry. You’ll notice in the pictures that all the meals were plated with local flowers, a nice touch when dining in Kauai.

Swimming with fish on the Na Pali Coast

During my time on Kauai, I had a chance to go out on a catamaran and see the beautiful Na Pali coast and swim with some of the local fish.  Of course, these were more of the small fish that stay close to the corral reefs. I didn’t see the opah fish, but I did spot a flying fish or two on my way back to the harbor.

local opah with hamakua mushrooms

Photos courtesy of Nancy D. Brown

Gaylord’s at Kilohana 1 (808) 245-9593

3-2087 Kaumualii Highway, Lihue, HI 96766

From Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Kauai Sheraton's Menehune Magic

Need a vacation? Close your eyes and picture a cool tropical drink in your hand, complete with fresh pineapple and a paper umbrella.

Listen for the gentle waves of the pacific ocean as they break along Kauai’s Poipu Beach.

Sniff in the salt air and taste the fresh, local ahi and kajiki sashimi that is served outside, lit only by the light of the moon and tiki torches.

Bring on the hula dancer and que the Hawaiian music while Chef Ben Takahashi of Naniwa Japanese restaurant at the Sheraton Kauai brings out a platter of Opakapaka, otherwise known as pink snapper, blanketed in local west Kauai rock salt.

Dreaming of Kauai

Chef Ben Takahashi, Naniwa at Sheraton, Kauai with Opakapaka in west Kauai rock salt.

This doesn’t have to be a dream, especially if you happen to live in California. Fans of Hawaiian vacations should be able to find some great hotel and lodging values in Kauai, especially before the Thanksgiving holiday and after winter break.

I recently stayed at the Kauai Sheraton as a guest of the property and the Kauai Visitors Bureau. I hadn’t been to the island since my honeymoon, over 23 years ago. The garden island is as lush and beautiful as a I remembered it to be.

On this island visit, my palate, along with my waistline, has expanded and  is open to new dining experiences such as fresh sashimi and sushi. Chef Takahaski does a good job of utilizing the best in seasonal, local seafood. If, like me, you haven’t been a fan of raw fish, Naniwa at the Sheraton is the place to give it a whirl. Aloha.

Island Fresh Seafood Specialties, Naniwa at Sheraton Kauai

Photos by Nancy D. Brown

Sheraton Kauai Resort 1 (800) 782-9488

2440  Ho’onani Road, Kola, Hawaii 96756

From Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Souffle Pancakes, Ko'a Kea Red Salt Restaurant

I have a favorite new hotel in Kauai. The Ko’a Kea Resort & Hotel recently opened on Poipu Beach in Kauai, Hawaii. As a professional travel writer and restaurant reviewer, I don’t want to appear that I’m gushing on about the Ko’a Kea, but I liked everything from their fantastic beach-side location, to the Red Salt restaurant. Heck, I even liked their beds and that’s saying a lot from this Goldilocks. My bed was not too hard, not too soft, but just right.

After a restful night, I awoke to the sounds of the ocean and wandered down to the Red Salt restaurant. If you are a breakfast lover, you’ll be torn between the eggs benedict and the pineapple souffle pancakes.

Made light and fluffy with egg whites, these pancakes won’t send you into a diabetic coma or leave you feeling like a weighted diving belt has been strapped to your waist.  DINING TIP: These pancakes take 20 minutes to prepare. Call ahead to the restaurant and have them waiting for you upon arrival.

Fresh Local Seafood

Red Salt Restaurant Executive Chef Ronnie Sanchez

Executive Chef Ronnie Sanchez brings an international cooking background to Ko’a Kea’s Red Salt restaurant. Try the bronzed diver scallop appetizer, served with pea sprouts, Lilikoi buerre blanc and a sweet potato crisp for $14 or the Togarashi crusted seared ahi with wakame,  a sesame ginger vinaigrette and island orange reduction sauce at $14. For an entree, I recommend the big island vanilla bean seared mahi, served on top forbidden black rice, with an avocado ginger salsa and mango vinaigrette for $33. Save room for dessert.

Ko’a Kea Hotel & Resort (808) 742-1344

2251 Poipu Road, Koloa, Hawaii 96756-9534

All photos courtesy of Nancy D. Brown. This trip was made possible by the Kauai Visitors Bureau.

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

The line is all part of the fun

When we landed last month in Maui, I was determined to be a good little food blogger and track down every shave ice place in Central and West Maui and report back to you the best on the island. My waistline was going to take one for the team. As it so happens, we came upon the best our second day in and I stopped my search.   Read More »

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

Beach in front of Mama

Traveling to Maui is expensive; first the airfare, then lodging, and finally food. However, there are ways to maximize your dining dollars while visiting this tropical paradise, and here are my 5 tips. Read More »

Mama's Fish House, Pa'ia, Maui, Hawaii

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

After surviving a trip on the Road to Hana, we decided a fancy lunch was in order, and fortunately, we were able to sneak into Mama’s Fish House in Pa’ia for that lunch experience. And sneak we did, since we had spent the better part of the morning scrambling up muddy hills in search of water falls! Read More »

Posted by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Hula Grill

It’s not enough to have landed on the Island of Maui, smack dab in the middle of tropical Hawaiian paradise. Now you have a handy guide to point you in the right direction when it comes to the best food and drink on Maui, Hawaii.

Best dining in Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii: My money’s on Hula Grill, located in Whaler’s Village. Chef Peter Merriman clearly has fun with his menu. From the Imu style bbq ribs to the crab wontons, you can make a meal of the appetizers. If Opakapaka (pink snapper) is on the menu, snap up this moist regional fish.

Tropica Prawns & Ono

Best lobster chowder with an ocean view: the Westin Maui’s Tropica has kept this favorite on the menu since the restaurant’s opening. The vegetable stone baked flat bread with Maui goat cheese is also a winner, as are the prawns and ono.

Best place for sunset drinks: The Sheraton Maui has a nightly cliff diving ceremony at sunset. After sunset, make reservations for dinner at Teppan-yaki Dan. Adults will enjoy the Japanese cuisine with Hawaiian influences, such as the Lobster chunks with macadamia nut butter, while the kids will like watching flying cutlery.

Teppan-yaki Dan

Best Hawaiian Luau: The Royal Lahaina Resort has the Hawaiian Luau and Kalua pig unearthing down to a science. The nightly show offers guests a cultural celebration of music, and is paced so that guests enjoy watching the dancers as the sun sets into the ocean. Children will appreciate the Keiki buffet.

Royal Lahaina

Best place for snorkeling with lunch included: Teralini Snorkel Adventures offers a five hour snorkel adventure, complete with lunch on a spacious catamaran.

Best casual dining: The newly renovated Umalu at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa has fabulous food and a view to match. Order the Maui onion rings, Island style hummus with goat cheese, vegetable lumpia or Kobe sliders. If you have room, the fish tacos are fresh and filling.

Lumpia at Umalu Restaurant

Best local ice cream: While I discovered Roselani ice cream at the Royal Scoop at the Royal Lahaina Resort, the island treat can be found throughout the Hawaiian islands. My favorite; chocolate with macadamia nuts.

What’s better than ice cream? According to locals, the Acai Bowl, a blend of acai berries, bananas, apple juice and ice is blended and put into a bowl topped with granola, sliced bananas and drizzled with local honey.

Best local cheese: While I didn’t get a chance to visit the Surfing Goat Dairy, this little company makes its presence known on the island.  Next trip to Maui, I’m going to visit those goats.

Best local beer: A favorite among locals and tourists, the Maui Brewing Company is the only microbrewery on Maui. I didn’t get a chance to visit the brewpub in Kahana, a popular dining location.

Photos by Nancy D. Brown

It’s a sad thing when you run out of actual restaurants in your own area to review and you have to venture out and check out new places. Not that I mind, but I sometimes have to work at my other job and run short on time. Hawaii is where I want to be right now, so Hawaii is what you get.

That said, if you are on the island of Maui and are getting ready to head out on the road to Hana, I know the perfect place to stop for breakfast. Colleen’s at the Cannery has a great selection of breakfasty items, but they are famous for their breakfast burritos. How do I know? It says so in the brochure that we received at the hotel.

A couple of things to remember about the road to Hana, 1. there are all kinds of great places to stop and play in waterfalls and hike back to. 2. All that activity will make you hungry. Well, that and the nail biting journey, especially so if you come across the locals. 3. There is little to no food once you get to Hana. Yes it’s beautiful, but why not stock up a hearty breakfast on the way.

We stopped and  partook of the famous breakfast breakfast burritos and a bagel with smoked salmon, tomato, onion, capers, cream cheese. Yes, it was divine.

The breakfast burritos were very good as well. It was chock full of scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheddar, green chile, salsa and sour cream wrapped in a toasted tortilla. How could that not be good?

In looking at the website I see that they’ve given themselves a little makeover. I hope they didn’t lose their charm and the locals with their new look.

Colleen’s was the first place I put brown sugar in my coffee and  then fell in love with the idea of brown sugar in my coffee. Next time I’ll try lunch or dinner, the menu looks delish.

Colleen’s At The Cannery
Cannery Marketplace
810 Haiku Rd.
Haiku, HI 96708

Tel (808) 575-9211
Email info@colleensinhaiku.com

Hours of Operation:
Everyday 6am to around 10:00pm      Photos-Courtesy of Colleen’s

Enjoy "old school" atmosphere at Presidio Social Club in San Francisco

As you can guess from my previous writing here, I love “old school” restaurants, bars, hotels and other destinations here in San Francisco. We are fortunate to live in a city that has survived fires, storms and earthquakes and thrived.

An incredible area of San Francisco that has thrived is the Presidio of San Francisco, built in 1776 and now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Many of its officer’s housing, airfield and barracks have been either restored or converted to commercial or residential uses.

In Building 563, across from Lucas Digital Arts on Letterman is the Presidio Social Club, located in converted barracks. With its large bank of windows and open floor plan inside, this old school restaurant is perfect for dinner or a large group event.

We stopped in for an early dinner on one of the hottest days this spring and had a great time. They have a long bar underneath a row of fans, combined with the sound of cold drinks being shaken and it felt like we could have been in Hawaii or a plantation setting.

We started with an appetizer of grilled baby squid with artichokes that were fabulous. We ate them way too fast. We skipped salads to go straight to our entrees, though we did get a side of roasted tasty Brussels sprouts. I had their daily special of mashed potatoes and meatloaf while my husband had the grilled hangar steak.

Savory Meatloaf with Brussels Sprouts side

Though we were definitely full, the dessert menu was too tempting to pass up so we shared the home made ice cream sandwiches, served with hot liquid chocolate to pour over them, along with a killer banana cream pie that was out of this world. Easy parking as well makes this a cool place we will return to with friends and family.

Killer Desserts

563 Ruger St
San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 885-1888
www.presidiosocialclub.com

Photo credits to my iPhone.

Aloha Hawaii!

On a cold and rainy Thursday evening in San Francisco I schlepped over to the elegant Fairmont Hotel to be swept away to the Islands of Hawai’i. The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau hosted a great event to raise awareness and interest in Hawaii travel. Not that folks need much convincing that Hawaii is a great travel destination!

The Fairmont San Francisco was the venue and
Chef Jake Belmonte, chef de cuisine at The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui catered the event. The food was delicious! Succulent lamb chops and lobster tempura were just some of the tempting options. The Mai Tais flowed freely and there was dancing as well as a live performance by Hawaii favorite, Willie K. All the while, screens displaying stunning Hawaiian views played in the background. I was greeted with a warm smile and a fresh Lei at the door and sent home with a fun Hawaiian goody bag at the end of the night. From start to finish it was a transportive and delightful evening.

I am now fostering a desire to pack my bags for the Aloha state, which was part of the Hawaii CVB’s intent. During the current economy, some people need a little nudging to get out of town. So, the Hawaii CVB is spending the entire month of March flooding the Bay Area with the music and culture of Hawaii with their “Hawaii: A Thousand Reasons to Smile” Campaign. There are currently some airfare steals right now and what better way to ease the stress of the current economy than to escape to the islands. Every Friday, for the next four weeks you can have a little of the islands with your Happy Hour at Gordon Biersch (San Jose, Palo Alto, San Francisco). There will be Hawaiian food, cocktails, music and prizes. I intend to go every weekend in order to win some free airfare…Hawaii here I come!

Photo Credits to GoHawaii.com and SkySeeker on Flickr