some of my favorite

May 30, 2012

I’ve finally compiled some of my favorite places to eat and drink….and some fun things to do….

and this post really just touches on a few things here and there.

If you have a specific question on a place or restaurant….ask in the comments

and i will do my best to answer it.

Because i live on the North-shore….i tend to favor the North-shore.

If you are staying on the South-side….then i’m sorry.

There is one good restaurant that i love…it’s called “Living Foods” in Poipu. Great Breakfast and lunches…

but a bit overpriced on all the products in the market. Other than this…..i’m at a loss for south side

loves and living.

If you head to the North-shore….or are staying on the North-side…then this post is just for you;-)

Also…..lots of places offer PUPU’s.

Pupu’s mean appetizer….not POO POO’S as in POOP…even though it sounds like you are

ordering POOPOOS.

SHEET.

{my friend Melissa on her bike at Hanalei Pier}

*Hands down my favorite lunch place is The Garden Cafe at Common Ground in Kilauea.

The portions are large and two people can normally share a single entree. Most everything is Farm

to table….organic and fresh. Try the Kalua pork nachos or the Kale salad. They don’t serve alcohol….

but they should. I’m pretty sure you can bring your own wine in…..because nothing goes better with

farm fresh food then some fine boxed wine.

*The best place to see chickens is everywhere.

I tend to speed up now when i see a chicken crossing the road ….but please don’t let PETA know.

*My favorite snorkeling beach is Anini and Hideaways

I don’t snorkel…..i keep the cooler company….

but the kids love Anini….. we also love Hideaways beach.

Hideaways is a bit of a hike down with only a few parking spaces available at the top.

Hideaways is NOT recommended in the Winter months due to the high surf.

*Our favorite shave ice truck is Wishing Well in Hanalei

It’s a mom and pop truck with not reliable hours…..but it’s good. Make sure you get your shave ice

over a scoop of ice cream.

*Best Kalua pulled pork plate is from the Hanalei Taro lunch wagon

It’s a little green lunch wagon right next to Wishing Well shave ice.

Honestly….the best. Try the Kalua pork sandwich or go more local and get the plate…which

has mac salad with taro in it. mmmmmmm.

*I love the Date with Fate smoothie at Moloa Sunrise in Moloa

It looks like a fruit stand from the outside…..but they have wonderful smoothies and

good eats at this roadside cafe. It’s situated right between Anahola and Kilauea.

*Best farmers market is in Hanalei

It’s every Saturday morning at 9:30-noon.

Everyone gets there early….and everything get’s picked over fast…so i suggest getting there when it opens.

You will find the BEST salsa…..from Sal

The best in fresh squeezed juices….try the cucumber mint…..from Akamai Juicers.

Seriously the best fresh Chevre’ is the Lilikoi Chevre’ from Kunana Dairy.

*The best place to take a farm tour

Only because we eat their goat cheese like it’s going out of style…..i highly recommend going on a

farm tour at Kunana Dairy in Anahola. You will get to try all the local fruits and see how they make their cheese.

*Our favorite place to try Stand up Paddle-boarding

Hanalei is really the only and best place. Make sure you go late afternoon so you can see the sun set.

*Best bakery and a great place for pastries is Kilauea Bakery in the town of Kilauea.

Great place to go for coffee or a latte….pastries and the best gluten free cake and they also have good pizza.

{sometimes Julia Roberts hangs out here…..but for some reason…never when i’m there}

*Our favorite place to grab a waffle with your morning cup of coffee is Java Kai at Hanalei coffee roasters

in Hanalei.

I love the waffles here….make sure you get it with whipped cream and coconut.

*Best place to grab a burger is Duane’s char ono burger in Anahola.

Bubba’s ….which is good….don’t get me wrong….and more known…

but Duane’s is better.

*Best place to jump off a pier is the Hanalei Pier.

No words needed ….

except…it’s not recommended and the signs all say “DON’T UMP OFF IER”

*Best looking pool server is Bryan Buick at St. Regis in Princeville.

Bryan recommends the Ahi sliders should you be staying at the Regis and hanging poolside.

*Best fish tacos is at Fish Express in Lihue across from Walmart.

There are oodles of places to grab fish tacos….from fried to grilled….but so far my favorite ….and

you get 2 large fish tacos that can easily be shared are from Fish Express. They don’t have seating here…

it’s a fish market that also carries great poke’ ….so just order and eat in the car. If you wait to get back to

your place with your fish tacos then the tortillas will be soggy. Word to the wise.

*Want to hike with the best scenery in the world?

Head north to the end of the road and either do the 2 miles in to Hanakapi’ai beach and 2 miles back out…..

or go the extra 2 miles from the beach up to the one of the most wonderful waterfall…

but better than the waterfall are all the little swimming holes in the rocks on the way up.

Next time i head up…i’m taking the kids and we will spend the day lounging around the pools

soaking and playing.

The best time to hike is before 8 am….and even earlier if you can. The parking lot fills up fast because

the beach there is also one of the best snorkeling beaches on the North shore….so may i suggest getting there

before 7:30 am. I hike the 2 miles in and 2 miles out at least once a week.

*Best sushi is from Hanalei Dolphin

I especially love going into the fish market in the back and ordering a roll or two which they will slice

and you can take it with you to a picnic on the beach.

*Great place for dinner and atmosphere is Bar Acuda in Hanalei

This is the place we head to when we have friends in town. It’s tapas Hawaiian style….small places…

which are on the pricier side….but everything is fabulous. Try the fresh chevre’ and honeycomb.

{my friend Tonya works at the bar….make sure you tell her i sent you….she makes a damn good greyhound}

*Only the best ginger margarita in the world

It’s served at the St. Regis bar. Try not to swallow your tongue when you see the $16 price tag…..

because only ordering one is not good enough…you must have 2.

The valet parking is FREE at the St. Regis….you just have to tip the valet driver….and the sunset

watching is the best….right from the bar.

*Best server is Bryan Buick at the Mediterranean restaurant

He works most Monday….Friday …and Saturday nights. Tell him i sent you;-)

*Best place to camp is Polihale

Not that you are coming to Kauai on vacation and will want to camp……but since this is the only place i’ve

camped….then i suggest it.

*Best place to get pizza at a family joint

I’m not going to lie…there is not good pizza here….but so far the best of the best is Brick Oven Pizza in Wailua.

My kids love getting the pupu pizza …..and they give all kids pizza dough to play with.

*Best macadamia nut cinnamon roll is from Wake Up Cafe in Hanalei

It’s worth all 293874927349 calories.

*Best place to rent a bike and go for a bike ride is in Kapaa

Grab a bike from Coconut coasters and head out on a family bike ride along the coast.

*Best place for an Ahi wrap is at Mermaids in Kapaa

Hands down….best Ahi wrap ever.

*Best Luau for a family is Smith Family in Wailua

We went a few years ago……the kids loved that they could run all around and it’s open and family friendly.

*Best authentic luau is at the Mediterranean restaurant in Haena

Yes…..my hubby works here…..but the family that runs the Luau is what makes the show…..

it’s a great Luau at a restaurant that is on the ocean. I don’t suggest going if you have kids ….but it’s

wonderful for a coupe or family with older children.

*Only the best of the best in vegan and whole food living is Rainbow Living Foods in kapaa

Okay….i’ve never eaten here…but my two friends who eat vegan and LOVE everything whole foods

eat at this place. I trust that it’s good by the way the burrito looked even though i think it should

have been wrapped in a flour tortilla but instead was wrapped in lettuce and just because their kid was crying

that a burrito really should have a tortilla but didn’t…i’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

*Best local hangout is Tahiti Nui in Hanalei

I just suggest not wearing your floral shirt or a lei around your neck when you are here after 9 at night.

…………..

These are just some of our favorite little places that we tend to frequent.

Tagged Kauai, life Filed Under life 16 Comments

the H word

May 23, 2012

I’m warning you now……that this post contains the H word.

First i must warn you…..

I decided to go vegan and gluten free.

I also decided to give up alcohol.

I might even home school.

Then i woke up from that nightmare and stared up at the swirling fan above our bed and breathed a sigh

of relief.

The good news is: I am still maintaining my weight and i’m feeling great.

amazing

full of life

and i feel like i’m still going strong.

I even bought some more shorty shorts in different colors….

one for each day of the week.

Two weeks ago our besties from Chicago came to visit….

they actually came with a work group and stayed at the hotel Bryan works for.

Unfortunately they were only here for 4 night…..

but let me tell you…..those four days we packed in as much goodness as we could.

Luckily for us…..these are our active friends….and i think we only spent one afternoon lounging at the

pool and the other days doing really fun things.

I’m working on a post all about the things you should do if and when you ever come to Kauai…..

{lots of them are free things}

and the best places to eat and drink.

Anyhoo….Bryan really loves to SUP…..

so we got some boards and showed our friends

how easy it is to fall in the water.

word up

just don’t ask your nine year old daughter to get a photo of you SUP’ing….

because this is what you might get

at least i hope Bryan was thinking to himself

“hey girl…..i’m glad you shaved your bikini line today”.

After us girls had some fun paddling around the bay for a bit…

but before we would have been eaten by a tiger shark…

we headed back in for safety and let the boys have their turns.

I introduced Shannon to my famous drink….

The Hanalei

which is fresh squeezed grapefruit juice…a bit of ginger and vodka

over ice.

Then we headed over to the pier….

and i initiated her to the club.

I’m not suggesting anything…but i’m sure a few of those “Hanalei’s” helped.

Shannon came to Kauai with her own list of things to check off….

there were only a handful of things on them…

and we crossed off 2 of those that day. Sup’ing and jumping.

I threw in the “hanalei drink” as a bonus.

Kinda like extra credit.

{almost like homeschooling}

The following day we marked the third thing off her list….

hiking 4 miles of the Hanakapi’ai trail.

I’m on that trail weekly now…..

since i have no more gabby…i feel like adding in the 4 mile hike after i drop kids off at school

is helping me in keeping my lower body using all the muscles it has.

We had such a great time with our friends Chris and Shannon…..superstars i tell you.

Anyhoo….back to the H word.

Somehow…..and don’t ask me how…..

i volunteered to accompany each of my kids on one of the field trips this year.

Mason’s field trip involved hiking.

that damn h word

I actually signed up for this one because

a. i knew i could do it

b. i knew it wouldn’t involve sitting on a bus with 5th graders

c. i wanted to see mason amongst his peers

The trail we did was the Okolehao trail which starts by the taro fields of Hanalei

and switchbacks up the mountain behind Hanalei so that when you hike 2 miles up…

you reach a point where you have gorgeous views of Hanalei Bay.

The 5th graders did great….and it was fun hanging with all of them.

I don’t think i would want to hang with them much more than that….but it was good.

I interrupt the H word with this photo of Fin at sunset last week….

he was trying to touch a rainbow.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was reaching with the wrong arm.

Alrighty….now back to the regularly unscheduled program.

On Friday night….last minute….a friend and i decided that we should get up really early and

hike to a waterfall.

First of all….

i was over-served that evening…because i don’t really remember saying yes…

but more importantly….i don’t remember her telling me that it would be muddy….

or that we would be hiking a total of 8 miles that morning.

All that got me through that mess was

1: that there would be a waterfall

and

2: that Buddy the dog would lead us the whole way

The only thing we know about Buddy the dog is that he joined us on the trail at about mile marker 2

then lead us all the way to the waterfall……hanging out with us…..

and leading us the 4 miles back out.

We think he had an owner that probably lived up there.

{i only mention the living up there thing because there are a lot of gypsy like peeps that

have decided that living like normal citizens is just WACK….not to be confused with smoking CRACK

and live up in the mountains. They also think clothing is optional…..hmph}

Anyhoosier……..

we sort of fell in love with Buddy the dog.

What i love about the photos below is the perspective of the waterfall.

The photo on the right is showing the waterfall a good 1/4 mile away….

and the one on the left is showing it right up close with a nice pool to swim in.

It was pretty amazing after we finally got up and sat there.


That concluded any and all photos that involve the H word.

oops….

sheet….

there is just one more.

Mother’s Day 2012

They blindfolded me and said we were going to spa day.

Apparently “Spa day” meant we would jump illegally into the hotel next door’s hot tub

aka spa

after a 4 mile hike up the Hanakapi’ai trail.

you know you live in Kauai when you run into friends on the same trail on Mother’s Day.

I have a feeling they told their mom that they were doing Spa Day too.

I hate to end this post with sweaty photos of my family….

so i’ll show you the panzanella salad i made the other day.

It was amazeballs.

and just because i didn’t go gluten free…i did have some really good gluten free

lilikoi coconut cream cake.

I had this cake not to long ago for one of Lola’s friends birthday parties…so i got a few slices

to have with my mom.


Here is to cake!

gluten free or not.

Tagged family, getting fit, Kauai, life Filed Under life 17 Comments

May Day

May 21, 2012

Tap Tap Tap

is this thing on…..

Oh….hello there!

So first of all….i apologize that it’s been so long.

Secondly….we’ve been having a crazy wonderful last few weeks…..and i just have not had one single

moment to sit down and start typing away.

We had some Chicago besties here….then my mom arrived….and then my dad…..

and now there is only a few days left of school…so i’m scrambling around tying down all the electronics

and fastening any loose objects before the herd of children descend upon the condo in droves.

Oh…and we are also trying to pack up and go camping this coming weekend with all of our friends

as an end of the school year bash.

{i know…camping as a bash…..right. I’d rather send them over to grandma’s house for a weekend and sit

myself all alone with a mimosa in hand….but that’s not going to happen}

And also….one week from Thursday the kids and i head back to Illinois for a week to see friends and then we

fly down to Florida for another week to see grandparents. So…as you can see….life has been a bit crazy

and it’s only going to be more so in the next few.

Bare with me though……

Let me tell you….we have decisions to make in the next few weeks….hard ones.

We have two choices.

Do we

A: Head back to chicago the end of summer…..the lease will be up at our house back there….so we can move back…

start Mason in middle school with all of his friends…Bryan can look for a job….{get a job doing what he

really should be doing} and settle back into being normal.

or

B: Stay one more year.

The reason it’s so hard is because there are so many little things we need to consider…..which you don’t think

about on a normal day. Like…..the longer Bryan is out of a job ..the harder it’s going to be to get back

into one.

Not that being a poolside server isn’t a job;-)

But we also LOVE it here.

I mean LOVE.

Kauai really is the most beautiful place.

Gah! I hate decisions like this.

Anyhoo….a few weeks ago the kids had May Day at school.

The schools here take great pride in preparing for this holiday….and the kids in each class get to

perform a dance out on the front lawn.

My mom has been here the last week and a half…. so she was able to watch as well.

{by the way….she looks great and is feeling wonderful}

I really love….LOVE Hanalei elementary school….and it’s been one amazing year for the kids to have gotten

to experience the Hawaiian culture this last year.

Amazeballs.

This is Fin’s first grade class….

One of the things i truly love is the mountain behind the school with the waterfalls….

just to have that as a backdrop has me speechless.








The kids had a blast that day……and it is definitely something going down in their book of memories.

I have so many photos to show of the last few weeks….and it’s my goal to sit down tonight and go

through them all and post them in the next day or so!

I promise.

Pinky.

Grapefruit juice and vodka promise.

Tagged Kauai, life Filed Under life 20 Comments
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