Mag454's Profile
Baking with Biscoff spread?
I'm pretty sure you can sub it for peanut butter. A lot of bloggers were/are using biscoff in a variety of recipes- try looking at picky palate or bakeat350, i know both of them were using it at some point.
Cooked poke (besides tako?)
a lot of places have flash fried (ahi) poke, which is pretty much cooked all the way through.
you can also find shrimp poke, which is cooked- it is pretty common.
Found! OPIHI SOURCE!
now you got me craving opihi....hopefully i can convince my boyfriend to go pick some for me!!!
but $12 a pound is a pretty decent price, of course i didnt look at shipping. we freeze opihi all the time and just let it defrost without a problem. dethawed def are not as good as fresh. sometimes we grill them and sometimes we cook them in the microwave with some shoyu- but, i only eat them raw. one time my friend cooked them in a white wine sauce like clams and tossed it with some spaghetti. the options are endless and we are lucky to get lots over here to enjoy!
Ive worked in quite a few restaurants and its not all that uncommon to serve previously frozen oysters raw....
Foodies out there, any special recommendations for good local Christmas eats @ Kauai?
Costco poke is okay..not great and a I feel like its a little bit more expensive than other places. I don't love Fish Express poke because the ahi isn't as fresh. If you are in Lihue, I'd go to Ara's over FE. It is right next to the laundry mat in Hanamaulu. The ahi is fresh and they mix it up for you.
Koloa Fish Market in Poipu is good too- I always get their korean style. Ishihara is still my favorite tho.
Observations on Maharani and Himilayan Kitchen on Oahu
I prefer Maharani, but I have only been to HK once. I always stop by Maharani when I visit Oahu. I usually get korma or tandoori and a bunch of breads. Sometimes I go for the saag, but I don't eat lamb. I think the saag paneer is pretty standard. I like going to Maharani because of the value meal- you get an entree, naan and a samosa for a set price. I don't think its an amazing value but compared to what you pay for Indian on Kauai, it definitely is a good savings.
Totally random note, but I love the glasses and silverware at Maharani. I agree that it can get super crowded to the point that its a drawback.
Going to Kauai for 11 days in November
I forgot to add Red Salt. I had a truly amazing meal at Red Salt a few months back. It is fairly expensive and our bill definitely added up. I liked Kauai Grill, but not as much as Red Salt, although the view was perfect.
-----
Red Salt
Koloa, Koloa, HI
Going to Kauai for 11 days in November
I LOVE 22 North, which is at Gaylord's Plantation. It is farm to table and has a constantly changing menu based on what they brought in that day. Service was excellent.
Everyone else pretty much listed the popular restaurants.
For sushi I would try Sushi bushido. I love Kiibo and Sushi Katsu for nigiri but the setting isn't all that great at either place.
Try one of the fish markets- one of my favorite places for poke is Ara's, which is right next to Hanamaulu cafe, near the laundry mat. It is MUCH better than Fish express, which is more popular. I love Ishihara's for plate lunches. Pono Market is a popular choice as well.
-----
Kiibo Restaurant
2991 Umi St, Lihue, HI 96766
Supermarket in Kauai for best Ahi Poke
IMO the best place is Ishihara, but that's all the way in Waimea. I don't care for the poke at Kilauea fish market or Hanalei Dolphin- not as tasty and too expensive. I'd stop at Pono Market if you need something kind of close to Pville.
-----
Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant
5 5016 Kuhio Hwy, Hanalei, HI
Best All-Natural, No Sugar Added Peanut Butter Brand
You can try making your own peanut butter. It is very easy...just put some roasted peanuts in a blender/cuisinart, add some oil to smooth it out (only needs a teeny tiny bit to smooth it out) and some honey, if you want. You can do this with any type of nut!
Generally scorned products that are madly delicious -- in certain applications
spam musubi!!! yum!!
What's the regional/local cuisine in your area?
I'm in Hawaii and we are really a melting pot of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Portuguese and Filipino cuisines.
Of them, I really love Hawaiian food, which I find to be very hearty. Hawaiian food is known for its liberal use of salt, which is harvested from sea water. Pork and fish are the most common sources of protein and can be found in local dishes such as lau lau, kalua pig, lomi salmon, luau stew, poke and of course various grilled or fried fish. . We also make use of taro plants, which is turned into poi (a condiment) or lau lau or luau (the leaves). Hawaiian food can be very fatty, so I try to eat it sparingly.
As immigrants came to work on our sugar or pineapple plantations, they brought their food with them. This created the melting pot that I mentioned. At a typical local luau, you will be given offerings from all different cultures- filipino lumpia or adobo, kalua pig or lechon, ahi or tako poke, sushi and char sui manapua. You can find local fruits, fresh caught fish and even puerto rican pasteles or gandule rice for sale on the side of the road. Pacific rim, whch combines local fare with more typical american cuisine has also become popular in recent years. I love living here and have really been introduced to an entirely new culture.
Official State Foods & Beverages
Hmm Hawaii isn't listed but I'm sure our state food is spam...
Our state drink?? Blue Hawaii or mai tai??
Best Fine Dining on Maui and Kauai?
Generally the most popular higher end restaurants in the Poipu area are:
Josselin's Tapas
Merrimen's
Red Salt
Beach House
Plantation Gardens
I haven't been to the Merrimen's upstairs (just the cafe) or Red Salt. None of them are really fine dining, just higher end.
I would say that Kauai Grill at St. Regis is the only fine dining on the island.
I love 22 North which is a local farm to table restaurant in Lihue. Definitely worth a visit!
-----
Plantation Gardens Restaurant
2253 Poipu Road, Koloa, HI 96756
Beach House Restaurant
5022 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756
Red Salt
Koloa, Koloa, HI
When do I crack open my Durian?
ahh we had a durian at work (I work at a hotel) and we cracked that baby open and I left the half that we did not eat in my bosses office....
Hours later, I walked by and all the office doors were open with fans trying to air out the office....I still laugh about it!
lobster heads
that was just the help i needed! thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
lobster heads
Aloha!
You might not want to hear this, but it is currently lobster season here in the islands and I am constantly receiving lobster from my boyfriend and his friends that go diving for them (they are spiny lobster, so no big claws). The thing is, I really don't care for lobster! I have a bunch of cooked lobster heads in my fridge right now, which usually my boyfriend would eat, but he hasn't gotten around to it. Is there anything I can do with them??? I was thinking of a soup or something lobster flavored (which I don't mind as much). TIA!
Tipping - Specific to Australia
When I was in Australia recently for a few weeks, I caught an article in the Sydney paper about tipping there. Basically the author had just come back from a trip to America and was commenting on how service was much better over here then it is over there, because peoples' wages are dependent on the level of service provided. Interestingly enough, I found that service across the board (I dined at all sorts of places) throughout my trip was somewhat lacking and did not feel compelled to leave a tip at most places.
New Years Eve on Kauai
The ambiance at the two restaurants are extremely different. Red Salt is very quiet and romantic, right off of Poipu Beach. Josselin's is upstairs in a shopping center and is rather loud and crowded. Personally, I would go to Red Salt and Josselin's on another night but you might have more fun at Josselin's. As a side note, there will not be any fireworks at Poipu Beach this year.
-----
Red Salt
Koloa, Koloa, HI
Kauai - Rehearsal Dinner - Fun and Casual
Josselin's is WAY too far from Hanalei for a rehearsal dinner. Also, I don't believe there is any private room at his tapas restaurant as it is upstairs and rather crowded. The ambiance too would not make for a good, intimate setting IMO.
St. Regis is going to cost you quite a bit, undoubtedly. Maybe Mediterranean Gourmet does events? Not sure. I think for everything else you would need to head down south a bit. Maybe try Hukilau Lanai in Kapaa?
-----
Mediterranean Gourmet
5-7132 Kuhio Hwy, Hanalei, HI 96714
Hukilau Lanai
, Kapaa, HI 96746
3 Kaua'i Questions... Best Fish Markets on Kaua'i? Good local grinds? Farmers' Market Days?
Sunshine markets: http://www.kauai.gov/default.aspx?tabid=214
For food we go to Mark's Place, Imu Hut, Pono Market, Ara's, Fish Express, Ohana Diner (the hawaiian place in Waipouli shopping center, forget the name), Pupu Factory in Hanapepe, and of course fried chicken at Hanamaulu.
Can't help you with the fish- my boyfriend is really into fishing so I don't really buy. But I think that opaka and onaga supplies are way down due to overfishing and subsequent fishing sanctions. I have gotten some at Costco for that tho. I don't think I've seen ulua sold at fish markets- sometimes on the side of the road, though.
-----
Mark's Place
1610 Haleukana St Ste A, Lihue, HI 96766
Ohana Cafe
2-2436 Kaumualii Hwy, Kalaheo, HI 96741
Fish Express
3-3343 Kuhio Hwy, Lihue, HI 96766
Thanksgiving Turkey (to cook) in Kauai
They usually have a bunch at Costco, so I wouldn't worry about preordering (if they even do that).
Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill....good news for Kauai foodies.
I guess having an on-site farm is the new thing to do? 22 North, which I really like, has a pretty big farm on property and offers a locavore menu. They even make their own glasses out of wine bottles!
I wonder if Roy's Tavern is open yet. Too bad I never seem to make it up to the North shore...that ride is just too much for me!!! Maybe I can be convinced to go, though...
Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill....good news for Kauai foodies.
I finally got over there myself a few weeks ago and I didn't love it either. I was coming in after a few pau hana drinks, so that might have affected things a bit. If anything, I really liked the garnishes/sides more than the main meal (case in point, I ate all of my table's kimchi pears but none of us liked the pork belly, which was way over hyped by the server). I really liked the beet salad. Did not care of the oxtail gyoza/dumplings at all, but this was well received with my party. None of us liked the decomposed crab roll (forget the actual title), which came presented on dry ice. It was really overly sweet and none of us touched it. The hamachi kama was overcooked. The ono was kind of bland but cooked perfectly (ono dries out really quickly, so cooking commercially can be tricky) and the accompanying risotto was good. We had a round of desserts and I loved the buttermilk panna cotta. It was my favorite thing of the whole night and generally speaking I'm not a dessert person.
I'll go back because inevitably someone will invite me to go there and I would like to go again. Service was good but I know quite a few employees, so of course I'm going to have good service. Again, I think that my being a few sheets to the wind may have impaired my judgment, as well as the discerning company that I was with that night. Generally speaking, this is a very well received restaurant and it's much needed in Kauai.
Annniversary / Birthday - not exact date?
It's not that we in hotels are skeptical that everyone is celebrating, it's that we know that everyone is celebrating and cannot offer perks to everyone. I'd say at any given time at least 25% (probably usually more, especially this time of year) of our guests are here for honeymoons, anniversaries or birthdays. We cannot give everyone free upgrades or all of the nice rooms. We definitely try to offer recognition and a small token of congratulations.
stinky recipes
ill send my boyfriend ever and he can cook some REALLY stinky filipino dishes. anything that is loaded with patis will do the trick!
"Two eggs cooked any style"
I only ever order poached and I can only think of one time where I was told that the kitchen couldn;t do it. They substituted soft boiled instead. That was a longggg time ago and I think maybe at a Denny's??
Honolulu report: Mavro Letdown, Alan Wong Decent, Ono shines
Was the m-starting fish moi? Menpachi? Mahi (jk..).
Just curious!
BIg Island/Kauai Help
The Plantation House is on Maui, not Kauai, but is owned by the ppl who own Beach House. I'm not sure if you were thinking of Plantation Gardens.
One restaurant that I just went to here on Kauai that I highly recommend is 22 North. It is where Gaylord's was and is a locavore menu. Many of the food items are grown on property with the rest being from other islands. The menu items are creative and sustainable and I was very impressed.
New restaurants in the Poipu area are Merriman's, which has gotten some mixed reviews, and Josselin's Tapas bar, which has gotten great reviews. Both are in the Kukui'ula shopping center. If you do a search for Kauai, you can learn about other restaurants as well.
-----
Plantation Gardens Restaurant
2253 Poipu Road, Koloa, HI 96756
Plantation House Restaurant
2000 Plantation Club Dr., Kapalua, HI 96761
Beach House Restaurant
5022 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756
Should we rethink tipping?
I agree. I just came back from Australia where tipping is not the norm. Service was SO slow and just good. I went to all sorts of restaurants while there, ranging from upscale (where I had the worst service) to smaller and more casual restaurants. The chinese place I went to had the best service. An aussie friend made a comment about how she felt service here is so much better because of tipping and I whole heartedly agree.
