Food!! — Patti Part Two

Warning......don't read this post if you are hungry! There will be lots of pictures of food - and assorted other miscellaneous tidbits - Enjoy!

We ate some great food in Kauai - and I was warned that everything was really expensive, but it really wasn't as bad as I expected. We were staying in a Marriott Villa so had a fully equipped kitchen. We made a run to Costco and the local Safeway and stocked up on breakfast, snacks and some lunch items and that saved us a lot. So going out for dinner never felt extravagant. And who wants to cook on vacation??!! Although Keeley and Matt made us a fabulous dinner one night and that was a nice treat!

There are two breweries on Kauai so we figured we should see them both. We went to the Kauai Beer Company the first night so headed over to the town of Port Allen to check out the Kauai Island Brewery. It bills itself as the world's western-most brewery, and the beer drinkers in the group (everyone except me!) gave the beer a thumbs up.

Ahi Tuna top right, Pulled Pork Wrap with yummy fries and interesting coleslaw in the middle, Shrimp and fries bottom. Lots of pork served on the island. I know there are wild pigs so maybe that's why??

Port Allen is really close to a beautiful beach called Salt Pond so we stopped there to see the sunset on our way to the brewery. It is the only place in Hawaii still used to make salt.

You can't go to Hawaii and not try the fish tacos so I had some delicious ones at the pool in Po'ipu the day we went south. I was actually sitting with the pool behind me and the beach in front of me - doesn't get much better then that!

Everyone I talked to that had ever been to Kauai said we had to eat at The Beach House in Po'ipu - and that was a wonderful evening. I read that it was the perfect place to watch the sunset so I made a reservation (very necessary) for 7 PM and we planned to get there at 6 PM to have a cocktail and watch the sunset. That worked out perfectly!

Appetizers - Thai Coconut Crab Cakes, Lobster Mac & Cheese, Crab Stuffed Ahi Roll and Anna's cool cocktail!

Main dishes - we had some duplicates but it was all delicious!

Macadamia Nut Butter Sautéed Fresh Catch, Crab-Crusted Island Catch with Purple Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Fish and Coconut Stew and Furikake Dusted Ahi.

Here's that beautiful sunset and my favorite people all with me! The Beach House is not to be missed - really a special spot.

Two desserts we shared - fabulous Carrot Cake and Coconut Cream Pie. I must confess I grabbed a bite of the pie before I took the picture!

We were looking for a quick place to have lunch and Keeley spotted this food truck. We decided to give it a try and it was wonderful! They made the food to order so it wasn't super fast but totally worth the wait.

Steamed buns - one with Ginger Fried Chicken and the other with Pulled Pork. Also fresh Ahi Rolls. That tray is just what Tom and Anna ordered!!! And of course a friendly?? Rooster hanging around!

The last night it was just Tom, Anna and I, as the others flew back on Friday afternoon. We headed to Duke's Canoe Club - kind of a legend on the island. Duke Paola Kahanamolu was born in 1890 in Honolulu and was a gold medal swimmer in the Olympics for 20 years. And there is a huge canoe hanging from the ceiling - too big to even get in a picture. The decor is very Hawaiian and they have a fabulous salad bar. We had really good fish entrees - very nicely presented but I didn't get around to taking pictures. I did get a picture of their very famous dessert - Hula Pie!

The traditional Hula Pie is made with macadamia nut ice cream, but in honor of St. Patrick's Day they were doing a mint chip so we went with that. Huge so definitely intended to share. And we got drinks with those cute little umbrellas!!

Our last day we went for brunch before heading to the airport. We went to the Olympic Cafe in a town called Kapa's, and it was a very local place with great food and large portions. My friend Nancy has gotten me started eating eggs with rice and soy sauce and it's delicious! This one had lots of veggies in it too.

Very open air dining room with window seats overlooking the street. Really delicious food!

Other things worth mentioning. They have Shave Ice stores all over the place - and that's Shave Ice - not Shaved Ice. Kind of like a snow cone but the ice is very fine and melts fast. Then topped with flavored syrup of your choosing. Matt was the only one that jumped in to try it. It is actually on top of an ice cream base. Quite a site!!

Only comes in one size - that one!!! He tried it in a few places but Skinny Mike's was the best! And we even met Skinny Mike!

We ate tons of fresh pineapple. We started with one and then went back for more. Love it!!!

Angela teaching us how to cut it. Then Anna and I tried our hand. I have one sitting on my counter here in KC right now!

No post about Kauai would be complete without a special tribute to the huge rooster population they have!! They are everywhere - and they crow all day - not just early in the morning! The hurricane of 1992 freed them all from their coops and no one bothered to round them up. So they roam freely everywhere and have multiplied like rabbits! I found it pretty funny until one attacked me for my peanut butter sandwich! Patti - 0 Rooster - 0. It scared the heck out of me and the sandwich hit the dirt. They don't fly but they can jump high!!!

If you've been reading my blog then you know half the fun for me is researching and planning my trips - and Kauai was no exception. I got a great recommendation for this book and it was spot on. The writers do all their research anonymously and write their reviews based on their experiences - not who is paying them to say good things. There is plenty left in the book for me to make a few return trips and still not see, do and eat everything.

It was a wonderful trip to a spectacularly beautiful island. Made all the more special by having the people I love best there to share it with me. Memories that I will treasure always.

Until next time Kauai!!!