Dining in Kauai

I don't know why we only took photos of the non-beautiful places we ate in on Kauai. Really, I don't. You'll forgive us, right?


Pau Hana Bar and Grill
On our first night Chad and I ate at the Pau Hana Bar and Grill. Really, more of a bar than a grill. Yelp reviewers raved about the fish and chips and fish tacos so that's what we ordered. The food was tasty, but the atmosphere was a bit seedy. Maybe Marti Gras had something to do with it? I don't know.

Hanalei Taro & Juice Co.

The next day we split for the day because I went on my photo tour class from 10-4. The family ate at Grinds and I ate at Hanalei Taro and Juice Co. I had a plate of kalua pork, white rice and taro (ie purple) macaroni salad. Yum. I would have never stopped at this place on my own so I'm grateful that our guide recommended it. Local and delicious.

Verde
After another Yelp search, Chad and I ended up at Verde that evening for dinner. The restaurant served Mexican food, had great reviews, and was fairly close to our condo but oddly enough we were the only non-locals in the place. I know because everyone else in the small place seemed to know each other. Lots of community college students and families. It was great food and wonderful salsa, but man they put so much meat on their tacos. I think I left nearly half of the meat because I just couldn't finish it. Dang.  

Shrimp Station
The next day, Thursday, along our day trip to Wailea Canyon we stopped at the Shrimp Shack. Once again a Yelp find. Guess what we all ordered? Hmmmm...shrimp! Each order gave 10 huge fried shrimp and they were good. I think every one of us would have split the orders with another if we'd known how much food it was going to be for lunch. Oh well, eating is part of what vacations are for, right?

Oasis
That evening Chad and I had a delicious dinner at the Oasis on the Beach based on a recommendation from my mom and Yelp. Located in our resort and ocean-front, the focus of the restaurant is gourmet dining using fresh ingredients from local resources. Nearly 90% of their food comes directly from the islands! Chad had blue marlin, I had the tenderloin with bleu cheese fondue, and we split the corn fritters. Seriously, yum.

The Hanalei Dolphin
The final night in Kauai we ate as a family at The Dolphin in Hanalei. Gorgeous location, beautiful lush grounds, a strong rainstorm during dinner and delicious food--a great way to end our vacation. Chad had the ahi, I had sushi, others had chicken, steak, red snapper or shrimp and everyone enjoyed their meal.

So there you have it. Our culinary diary of Hawaii. If you live near us you'll probably see me walking outside a little more frequently for awhile. Obviously I enjoyed myself and have my dietary work cut out for me. Yikes!